School Committee: March 2, 2023

Transcript captured from YouTube auto-captioning. No speaker labels; proper names and dollar figures occasionally misheard. Click any timecode to jump to that moment in the source video.

0:27 we obviously have a serious situation with two of our Boston students Dr Buffy will be updating us on that shortly um and then to the committee I just want to note that we’ll be right rolling a little bit or running a little bit tighter to Robert’s Rules than we have in the past um just to get us through useful agendas in budget season I’ll ask that all discussion go through the chair unless they open it for discussion amongst ourselves um and that will hopefully make these more efficient timelines with that I will need to talk about these thank you um good evening um I want to acknowledge the ongoing issue of two missing students while I cannot say that they have come forward

1:13 or have been found I can share that we continue to actively engage with law enforcement and Marblehead our SRO and Marblehead High School embta Boston police netgo our local program and Metro Inc in Boston as well as the students families as is an ongoing investigation to find them I cannot share much more but I am deeply grateful to local media the current and the Marblehead Weekly News for prioritizing the story and pushing out information for us which has been picked up by a local North Shore Media Outlets like the item patch and Salem News which in turn has been extended which in

2:00 turn has extended the story into Boston media Outlets it is so important to get their faces and this story out as broadly as possible police are continuing to ask for any information from students families or staff that might help them with the investigation if anyone has any information that may help to locate these two students please contact MTD or BPD

2:37 uh Frank if you project the slides this is a nice addition uh to be able to highlight uh some of the great stuff that’s happening in the district and there is nothing better happening in the district than increased uh student achievement and so the PSAT results came in next slide please

3:00 and not only are we outperforming state which saw a decline in 10th grade math and the decline in 11th grade reading and writing and math but we’re also outperforming ourselves our composite score for the class of 2025 went up 39 points we saw 18 points higher than last year and 59 points higher than the state in mathematics we were 21 points higher than we scored last year and 31 points greater than the state also remarkable is the class of 2024 because that would have been the group that Mr Bauer shared their 10th grade MCAS results for committee attack in the fall their composite score went up two

3:46 points higher than last year’s class they saw a single point game in reading and writing but 33 points over the state average and then in mathematics they had flat performance but outperformed the state by 17 points so you know I think it’s a testament to the our fundamental purpose of academic achievement and I really do think the class of 2024 stores where they saw a dip in exceeding expectations for them to show this level of performance on the uh PSAT the PSAT is also the nationalware scholar qualifying test so this votes well for our students achievement moving forward and then the next slide uh one question

4:33 about this please does this indicate that the sophomores are smarter than Juniors I don’t think they’ve got snow okay yeah yeah and so this is a super source of Pride for me as a superintendent because the portrait of a graduate begins in pre-k and we want our students uh to achieve their personal best whatever that means for post-secondary Education option options but we have early action and early decision for colleges universities technical schools 132 different colleges universities and technical schools and I just gave you a smattering of some of those on this

5:21 slide and this is before the General Admissions decisions so congratulations class of 2023 for 132 unique uh acceptance acceptances including the Ohio State wow

5:38 thank you thank you no thank you very much thanks for thanks for adding exception yeah

5:56 well I’m saying beforehand um because there are student representative yes and it’s not here but I was relying on him this evening to hold to do a whole bunch of sports updates that I sometimes you serve him on so I don’t have my act together on that but I do know that we had some really amazing runners in indoor track I believe the 600 meter boy um Ryan I’m not know his last name but but he is going to Nationals for MHS and um the girls swim team one state the both of the ski teams placed very high second um in States yesterday and I believe the boys swim team did quite well as well

6:41 um so apologize that I don’t know all of those statistics but uh way to go mhf sports and I think there’s a pretty big basketball game here tonight so forget anybody anybody else um yes will not be joining us today so that will move us to public comment if anybody has to tell a comment please just raise your hand in participate Linda to not see any hands so that will move us to our uh present action and agenda items you should have had three sets of uh minutes in our packet as well as the schedule of bills I’m going to take those out separately because we usually speak to our field trips um and I’ll ask for a motion to approve

7:29 the minutes of 123 23 130 23 213 23 as well as the include schedule of bills totaling 253 900.97.71 second

7:50 so we also have the next item to approve high school overnight and out-of-state field trips the doctor trip um does anybody have any questions I know sometimes questions

8:04 I’m assuming nothing’s different than years past okay is that is that local in Massachusetts in Boston or is that further yeah we have 18 going to the state next week and then out of that we already have I think three commits the international schools okay and then the state business

8:31 yes uh the 9th of the 11th may I ask for a motion to approve that overnight trip to the state deck of finals on three nine two three eleven second one one paper all right post motion carries five to zero which brings us to the superintendent’s report back to you thank you uh the high school principal search held its initial meeting on Tuesday uh if you recall Tuesday was the rain day that I called for the district so we met via zoom and we have eight applicants for the high school principal position the committee

9:16 is spending this week uh coming into Winter Road and doing a paper screen we have a second meeting on Tuesday of next week to decide semi-finalists that we would invite in for the following week for interviews that following week uh we can review any number of candidates of the eight the committee would like to learn more about from that make some assigned decisions on the finalists or in alternative direction for the search the yep a question about that

9:54 before the first time principal it’s a one-year contract

10:10 uh the assistant superintendent uh search will have its first meeting I announced all of the members of that search committee but the school committee representative to that search so before I talk more about the search would you like to pick up

10:28 um so I’ll open it for anybody who would like to to discuss it or make a suggestion who’s going to be volatile to be on that committee but seriously who wants to be on the committee assistant so yeah I mentioned last week I would like to as well I’m I’m happy sir I’m also whatever is I’ll send this one out since there’s clearly plenty of uh interests me too

11:03 so should we have a one minute refund or should we just take a roll call about kind of use Etc um we typically would well actually our policy in the past has and I I reviewed some past meetings that the chair make a suggestion but we’ve had moved away from that a little bit so I’m happy if you want to do it the way we did last week where someone makes a nomination or a suggestion that’s that’s fine as well okay I’d like to nominate Sarah Fox

11:43 from anybody here um so I will work with you to get that information exactly um sure sure um safe routes to school I put a memo I want to get through that process sorry I’m sorry the search process short um the assistant superintendent search will have their first meeting on Monday of next week uh that just goes with the process and how we will run the search we’ll spend the next week uh that week doing the paper screen of applications we will meet on March 15th to determine semi-finalists at Barry the lead sorry we have 26 applicants for the assistance

12:31 we’ll do the interviews and then select finalists at finals District

12:44 safe routes to school it was a memo in your box about safe routes to school we really do a lot with this organization we’ve applied for their signs and Lines Grants oh we’ve been awarded it in the past we did not get it this year Chief King put in for a school zone traffic calming speed sign helpful uh for Pleasant uh around the Vets area yes it’s really impressive traffic surveys about the speed that people go through that area um so hopefully we rewarded that Grant um he has worked with us on the signs of lines as have the ptos and then we’re currently working with the crossing guard award program which we had an

13:30 award winner I think budget here for at least the finalists in that in each of the schools outlined the work that they did with safe routes to school I know at around they had a representative in on Wednesday of this week looking at arrival and dismissal uh Glover and they did the walk ride role the school as a Glover they did the arrival dismissal audit took some of the recommendations but realized that the recommendations were not perhaps what the lover needed so they went back to their original arrival dismissal process

14:08 Village did a viking walking audit the first year that I was here and they’re working town to implement some of those recommendations

14:19 Mandy and Dan are going to be meeting the safe routes to school uh next week to look at arrival and dismissal Village in the high school um and then the Vets Matt just had a meeting with the news they brought us to school representative and uh we’ll be offering which I think is really cool a bike safety of course that’s the spring so any questions very happy to get all this information where when we talk about brown one thing I want to make sure that we’re doing is the the Rival and dismissal was so we put a lot of effort and money quite frankly into professional traffic Consultants when we can pull through

15:04 planning and we went through planning actually a couple different times with this so I just want to make sure that we’re we’re managing those as well as any recommendations from safe routes because that traffic study we actually took it beyond what was required by the msba and expanded it out so it was a very comprehensive plan um but I appreciate all this information questions questions has there been any talk of having a gosh school zone traffic calming speed sign that you think you know full uh near the Baldwin

15:50 area which is where you know Brown goes in and out um also where a lot of traffic foot traffic from vets in the high school come through as well and you know I I’ve seen myself at both of those intersections those intersections those intersections.com driving.com driving.com driving shall we say they’re excessive but that doesn’t mean there cannot beings yeah I I think that would that would be great for both of those but basically I understand the Mariner and they just I’ve brought that intersection up in the Safety Committee as well every day on the way to high school in a different situation every day statistically I think that’s our most dangerous intersection in all of town

16:36 um we’ve actually that’s where we’ve had student detailing to several years

16:47 that portion of the Mariner also becomes increasingly more dangerous as we get closer to the summer months when the sun is I mean seemingly directly above absolutely and it’s almost impossible to see and then with the bump out now for the sidewalk it could make it a little more hair one other holdover from that would commercial safe routes from the building committee projects is at one point we talked about ways we could marry the bike or bring the bike path directly to Brown but because Tower is kind of in the middle it got halted there was there’s started to be some talks with Tower about access I don’t know if it would be appropriate to kind of reopen those but that was one

17:33 strong suggestion that came out to those traffic studies was connecting the bike directly um experience that brings us to our busing update we have in the packet busing update we now have three full-time bus drivers and one part-time bus driver which is really exciting to say because we’re two and a half years we talk about not being able to hire customer members um we have two additional staff members that are licensed that can serve as backup bus drivers so a whole Fleet so to speak um we provide transportation for 157 students 24 of the 157 participate in

18:20 the paid a ride program um we have 20 open seats and we run three bus routes Associates Associates awesome no no this is helpful obviously uh it’s great to hear that we responds but I’m just curious

18:46 program up and running what’s the next step or is there one what’s your big picture plan

18:54 we are currently working with Michelle on redistricting and so I would like to get a better sense of that before you start expanding changing foreign

19:14 points that she brings forward as well the piece with the with seven through twelve um you know we’ve spoken briefly about that at committee um meetings and there’s you know I have strong feelings about that as far as intermingling young kids with little kids um so you’re mentioning redistricting I know obviously a few meetings ago we talked about start times to me that those those three things go hand in hand um am I is my are my assumptions correct on that that sort of the older kids are also at a timeout until we get kind of into those multi-step processes that sort of our larger systemic pieces

20:04 and for this just my edification um the worst time um it is more than two miles correct it is and the routes that are used

20:25 ensuring that or what what is the I guess criteria or who makes those decisions this is just me not knowing so I will um call the dumb card but we who makes the decision that someone who is right on the cusp has a safe router is considered a safe route or does that not come into play for people that are under that Mark I think the Desi breaks

21:05 thank you and I think this is something we’ll continue to revisit it’s something we keep hearing about it’s not that we’re just playing this about we will this will be it continued discussion when when that comes up um so that will bring us to sustainability updates yes I had each of the principals create a memo or the committee on sustainability uh efforts at their school I think it’s pretty impressive across the district certainly when Brown was built there was an eye towards sustainability better than I could but they do a washable lunch trays they have silverware some of the elementary children or recyclable

21:51 um but we have the magnets to catch them uh we moved to high school to the coastal lunch trays I think in several buildings uh lunch trays you have the composting uh efforts at several local schools in the district when we put our Capital requests in one of the next years moving to LED lights we put forward electric vehicles and electric buses the cost differential as you can imagine is significant I hope you want to put that out in the community because I’m part of the green Marblehead committee we just met the Sacramento out and and certainly this will certainly footprint in that plan

22:38 I think both you and I attended last year sustainable Marblehead and I think that’s a benefit of work so yeah uh the boxing company electric busy company come talk to us because as a facilities committee for very excited about taking that next step and what the electric costing company was able to share with us is because we financially run such a small Fleet where electric technology is right now unfortunately we work for us because we run our buses from about 6 30 in the morning you know to work out not to do a field trip in between another route then they start doing sports teams the way it can run on the battery is you would need double the size feet to run what we run because they have to be plugged in for a certain amount of

23:23 time we wouldn’t have enough time to charge in between so unless we get an influx of funding um right now we could not invest in electric buses because we just simply could not run the way we run now we need to double the size sleep but I would encourage us to keep looking at Grants for this as well as keep talking to the town I mean that zero um goals that we have set as a town I would think would support a financial investment in this Fleet but I don’t know that we’re going to get anywhere asking for that this year but I think it’s something I appreciate you saying that because we I thought I had a ramp opportunity and unfortunately our demographics

24:10 demographics demographics foreign

24:43 are there are there um representatives from the school on sustainability children but you for sure obviously but um like children from any of the grades that it’s a town-wide committee right because that I I just think it would be nice to somehow someway involve or offer it to the children to be involved now you know we do a lot of recycling at my house it’s one of his chores to bring it out is is that something you know kind of maybe having even an ambassador if the um

25:26 this is a good reminder because it came up um that as this committee was being formed we have such a an active measuring in other Society in the high school and have the sustainability efforts of the Middle School wouldn’t it be great to have students on that so I’ll bring that back to you so we have when Bill was here we kind of use that Wellness committee to kick-start these activities uh but that obviously isn’t the purpose of Wellness to me so I don’t know John just thinking about how we kind of have sustainability at a district level involving the students um

26:11 I think it was a really great committee that Andrew wanted to but I can speak to one of the pieces with the wellness committee um John Constantino our new uh Foods director talked last time about our partnership with um black Earth and in his investigator um looking into other companies that that might be able to provide more robust programs at less of a cost to us so um that he he is on that as well and trying to move these types of things forward as an issue so I would Circle back to your mentoring because Andrew at one point said if you need to get more membership for Black Earth he will get us the barrels and he will pay for the Black Earth for as much as we’re willing

26:57 to do it he’ll take care of that great I just served a little bit tighter this year so I don’t know if that’s still on the table but that was something that was he he will support us by getting those and if you need more of the real recycling bins at each school he will she will support us because we talked to him from the facilities point of view and he’ll support us however that’s how we got

27:26 I mean the high school’s had a lot already in place

27:33 so I would like to see us kind of make sure the sustainability is part of what we do um and John that was a superintendent committee that I thought was really useful but I think that’s good because we’re in the wellness committee we’re working on revamping that policy and making it quite robust because there’s a lot of directives and kind of capabilities that it can Encompass and so one of the tasks that we were signed last meeting was to look into some of the paperwork that we were given and come up with some ideas and and directions that we would like to see it covered so I’m happy to you know work with John or work on you know my own to insert the composting and sustainable Marblehead is an exceptional partner

28:18 any further District updates it’s all a budget I think that’s where we’re headed so that it brings us to the next we’ll committee communication discussion items we’re going to do a review of the FY budget timeline so we are less than two months two months from last night yes

28:50 thank you I’d like to thank Denver’s dad for timeline um um we so we have our uh about yourself committee meeting tomorrow we’ll be at town meeting uh less than two months we’re still waiting for the town to close their books which is a gigantic hurdle in US progressing the way we need to I’m going to let Michelle take it from here to talk about that a little bit um but I would say right now my takeaway is the biggest hurdle

29:28 is waiting for the time to close their votes um we are way ahead of anybody else in town we have our awesome if you want to call it that um we have our level Services budget we’re pretty we’re working very hard to get ironed out with the other versions of our budget we can move on to talk to but um that’s lots of documentation out to everybody one thing I will encourage everybody um there’s a lot of requests as my understanding can we do to Michelle right now from all of us from various people in town various departments various individuals and essentially a lot of us are requesting the same information some of us in very different formats it’s making

30:14 it I think a little time consuming so I think the best way to proceed is to have all um requests go through John and I for information and then we’ll make sure we disseminate that in the time together um so budget planning discussion I don’t know if you want to switch to that or if you’re well we have the austerity budget which we’ve talked about at the school grade level we have what I call the keep the lights on okay which is a roll forward of contractual obligations the special education special education transportation and utilities and then we presented the principles and directors the

30:59 aspirational budget we have since refined that came up with a list of Miss Mary Maxfield so eloquently called it the die on the hill for things exclusive directors feel need to be included 524 budget um as I always say it’s iterative we had a retirement this afternoon which changes the calculus and um SO trading positions of people and unfortunately with Talent not having their books closed we are in a limbo uh will it be 800 will it be 8.50 it would be a teacher difference or two parents or will it be

31:47 750 and they got I believe the health insurance information today which would be a change on the calculus for us and so do we know where that came in in a positive variance negative variance equal or do we not know I do not know okay that’s your anticipated between three and five percent Academy I mean yeah but we still we don’t know who he uses his estimator to get us to budget so um that’s going to be a big thing I just think that you now know what the worst case scenario is you’d have an actual plan if that in fact is what we have to stick to I’m going to talk about

32:32 that it will result in across the district about at least a seven percent increase in students to each teacher we’re going to increase the number of students in the classroom in the district slightly I think that is what it is there’s not much we can do about it if that’s anybody’s uh that are available to us in the room rides not available to us either because it’s not um you know approved by the town in a meeting or it’s over it’s not approved in the town but so and I as I understand it you have to take action sometime in April for the contractual collecting Department units right involuntary before we really know what’s going on with perhaps even the town numbers right okay

33:19 and it would mean a significant reduction in force across the district over 30. okay so I just want to take the opportunity to to know this year we have been more proactive with information we have given the depth and breadth of of data larger than I’ve ever seen so for that I’m incredibly proud um I want to make sure that we’re continuing that positive narrative and people are understanding that we’re not like there’s there’s no none of this we’re not sharing there’s sometimes is a narrative that we don’t

34:06 share information that is not what is happening um so I just I just wanted to change this opportunity any further talk about that

34:17 um is there has there been any indication it it’s almost inconceivable to me but that we’re still asking this question on when the town will close their books in the cabinet meeting this week um the finance director starts on Monday of next week and I know that Thatcher would like to have it done this week but he did say that would be priority number one worker I think the health insurance information today is a major step forward

34:59 uh and and then also because you mentioned retirements and I know we spoke earlier about about this from the last meeting um we inquired so for if someone’s retiring then we wouldn’t be paying those benefits um any longer if it’s a position that we wouldn’t be able to fail right and last year my understanding is when we added a position they asked for the benefits money from us as well right so that would would seem to be impressive then when we removed that position why wouldn’t we get that back and I know we asked that question and the answer was we don’t right we are we confirmed it you know the

35:44 answer is we do not receive something bad when someone retires it’s very different from when we were laying off or not someone retires we actually continue so the six teachers or seven teachers as today that are retiring we still continue the same price yes but we do not it’s just the long-term obligation the district exactly but uh uh employee who leaves the district for any other reason than retirement than those paid for benefits

36:31 in the town is it just through practice budget

36:42 not just start collection that has never been asked for prior to last year I think Allison’s question is a great question that if we have an unfilled position that it’s not costing the town the insurance costs but we’re being asked to add the insurance costs to enter new positions is there a balance at that point I this conversation I think all of in some form reached out and had this conversation I think I have not actually well I’m your new guy so my I mean just one state and it would be it’s a devastating and and it shouldn’t be but it seems to be and it seems to be

37:29 a non-negotiable double standard which is disappointing at at best um Insurance

37:53 Etc other long-term obligations short-term allegations we basically get tapped out of our appropriation for them right because they come directly out of our appropriation but when we are adding it if we are successful in getting a budget pass from additional positions and the appropriation would actually go to the town right I see so it it decreases our available Appropriations so the logic therefore going forward is that 5.23 we’ve been carried forward in 24 plus additional so it would be five dollar plus the big and we’re saying if an employee leaves that five dollars plus the big should be slid back across the table in an appropriation

38:38 appropriation appropriation but you know I appreciate that but it does it work that way in other districts that we can learn from

38:55 in their budget so is there another District though and the other 50 that we can learn from how they do it and if it with their policies or

39:09 so to me an almost bigger feel to die on is the Chapter 70 money because this year with the governor’s new budget shows the biggest the largest increase in chapters Chapter 70 money ever and the way we’ve handled Chapter 70 money is if it comes in higher we don’t get a higher appropriation now what’s always been told to us is rule that comes in lower they need that as well but it’s never actually come in low I think that now that the town of state is policy on a diminishing use of free cash I think the time is right for us to put forth a proposal for a specific revolving account dedicated for chapter 17 money

39:54 17 money 17 money uh Tennessee to schools be set up period I don’t think we’ll have a lot of fights in the town on that I think um it’s the right thing to do because the money’s intended for the schools I think with that though Khan’s responsibility that if it does come in under we own it right and so there is no going back to free cash we’ve been told that already there is no bailouts from free cash so in many ways I think it sets up a rational analytically acceptable conversation with the town to send that up so I don’t know how we go about doing that but so I mean I think that that’s very rational am I missing something on that I think my question my additional question on there is why did that suddenly why did

40:40 there is why did that suddenly just kind of unilaterally change you never change without any discussion or would just or maybe I just don’t know because I wasn’t part of the committee so that’s fair decisions that are just it just doesn’t seem right that a decision would be made unilaterally that way without some discussion and without the chapter 7 yeah working together I just it seems kind of the instances of working together with the town and and just getting increasingly frustrated I don’t think it’s adversary lack of what I could tell Alison I feel like it’s always been kind of that way it sort of worked and that’s great with free cash is available that kind of backs up things but now that

41:25 it’s not I think it’s important for us to take responsibility I have no problem with us taking the responsibility I just I’m not talking about just Chapter 70 I’m talking about but asking for the 20 000 if we add a position just all of a sudden saying hey we’re changing this and you need to give it to us now but hey we’re not giving it back to you it just it doesn’t seem like it doesn’t feel good which I know facts don’t care about my feelings so okay but it also no that’s fine but it it just is not we’re a small town but these are people you see at church or at the grocery store or in school at drop off and to not it’s increasingly frustrating

42:12 the lack of working togetherness or the lack of it just and not from this community I mean people sitting at the table I mean this table with people from the town at times and it is very very frustrating because we’re just not going to be successful we’re not going to get where we need to be we’re going to have to lay off these teachers employment next year after collective bargaining when of course we’re going to want to ask for something because our teachers deserve the world it’s just we’re never going to get there unless we all work together and it it just I feel like I needed to say that out loud so many people I think are feeling it and we’re just I don’t know if we’re afraid to say it maybe I should have been more afraid to say it but it just

42:59 is a really big thing and it weighs on us and it affects everybody yes

43:08 one is I completely agree uh our finances are so intermittal between the town and the schools that we have to work together to be successful 100 so

43:21 Michelle can you just explain how Chapter 70 Works in other districts as well compared to Marblehead chapter 17. under master law any Revenue that comes into the town or district is considered a general fund Revenue so therefore it is it is intended for useful schools to support the schools however it cannot be directly used by the schools unless the federal special legislation or a special act enacted by town meeting um so that therefore it would need an actively governing body to actually set it up because under master interlock all revenues in general revenues which are not able to be used to offset the tax life um

44:08 I personally do not know of any District that spends their Chapter 70 directly or receives it directly unless you’re a Regional School District you receive it because if the Regional School District is its own entity so therefore they receive all their own revenues they have all their own expenditures and we are we are just one Department of the entire town we don’t have that individual single Financial aspect and we don’t see those General fundraised around so is it a suggestion to have a warrant to reward article to change this or is this something to the board of selectment could enact tomorrow if they wanted to under your interpretation under my interpretation I believe it would need

44:54 to be a warrant article or a special legislation by the state legislation so I’m not over here if you’re here

45:06 other towns have that type of talks I have not seen that but when when we have these periods of um for instance what we’re seeing now where this day is giving a specific increase to combat a specific known problem that’s what this increases for my understanding is other towns are giving that the bulk of that increase to their schools because the understanding is the intent of this money is to combat this issue with fixed education that is what is happening in most majority of districts so just to I mean we are a little set a couple things Alice and first of all we’re 50 of the Town appropriate local

45:52 you know Revenue base so I appreciate the the scrutiny that we face and it’s it is what it is and I appreciate it’s frustrating I think that we also should be careful because we’ve been accused of not doing this or you know students enrollments going way down and you know head counts going with all these things we know now are not true but the point is do we have exactly they are not true we have this data to show yeah things are said like that I mean the last four years we know there’s only been a two percent decrease in enrollment in the same period our head Count’s gone down in the district dramatically so I mean I think that you know we’re taking these actions of data there and they’re absolutely available

46:38 to anybody who seeks those data number two do we have data though that definitively shows a year where Chapter 70 intended for the schools was not all given to the schools for a year where the town actually made that up or is that is that kind of did we get the student Opportunity Act that is the one exception of student opportunity I’ve had to be earmarked it was a special legislation but the town agreed to give us a particular line item that separated I just want to be careful that we’re not guilty of the same thing that we’re we don’t like being said about us so I just don’t know I I’d love to wait a little historically um so five years ago when we found ourselves in in a real pickle with a six

47:25 hundred thousand dollar deficit after Christmas the town did work very collaboratively with the schools and we I don’t know how we would have gotten out of that other than going to town meeting with a with a specific ass because we would have so many unpaid bills at that point to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars so the town worked very collaboratively with us too and we did have to make some pretty hard Cuts as well to a lot of supply lines and and different things like that um but they they gave us a few hundred thousand dollars and and really try to figure out how to how to make things patch things together um and so for that I do you know there’s

48:11 a lot of gratitude um that that I have always held um for the work that we all did together I think it’s gotten it’s gotten fuzzier as the years have gone by you know the the tasks that we were given after that year was to clean up our books because they needed a lot of cleaning that’s Michelle Wellness and so Vilma called it um brought in Michelle he brought in um thank you John ready um who did a lot of work on our staffing lines who did a lot of work on on you know Michelle has worked tirelessly to tirelessly to make sure that the lines are adequate so that it isn’t a line

48:58 being held solid all year and then at the end of the year it’s expanded so we really know what our expenses are and where they’re going to and so we’ve been able to put that forward in increasing detail and and with increasing transparency as as we’ve been able to figure it all out so where I start to start to get immediately is when that the other side of that dialogue hasn’t changed that we are still not not it’s our budget still isn’t understandable and as you’ve referenced you know that there’s that you’ve got a declining enrollment and an increasing head count you know it it just wanted isn’t true and two even if it was it would especially the head count piece like it

49:43 lacks the depth of the work that everyone around this table particularly our administrators and and our administrators out in in our audience and and at home that the work that they do every day to keep up with the demands that the state continues to put forward all of the unfunded mandates like this is none of this is easy work and and so and we all spend a lot of time the volunteers and the paid people that figuring out how to best move that work forward so that our students are are benefiting so I get I get real aggravated at some of the underlying narratives around all of this yeah that have not changed because it feels very unfair and then when we do start talking

50:31 about when some of the the Precedence and the unwritten rules that have changed with particularly when we look at last year’s ass which was the first time that we were asked to put any of our own operating budget into the benefits that we provide for our employees there was a lot of conversation around that there was no giving around it from our side and so we did it I think it pushed our ass over that three million dollar Mark which was a significant deal um so that’s where the frustration then comes that if we continue to reduce our head count of with our staffing levels that why doesn’t that go the other way and I think the simple answer is probably a free cash piece but how do we start to to figure this out with Chapter

51:18 70 you know I think the pushback of them that Marblehead is that our budget goes well over the minimal budget that a town has to put into funding their schools yes and that again that lapse depth and it lacks understanding of the full situation and and what our town and our parents expect for the kids that that are going to our schools so I think it would be really beneficial I think we need to as Megan is saying we need to I’m sorry I got my back to you this whole time too um we need to continue these conversations with the town because we don’t you know we can’t move forward one can’t move forward without the other

52:04 and I think that needs to be held to as much on the town side as it has held to on a school side because I think we’ve done a lot of work on the school side yeah at least five years to do just that and it feels as though as we’ve tried to mend and patch and and move forward that sometimes there’s other offshoots moving in a different direction and and kind of if it’s like oh wait hold on how that where’d that relationship go so I think coming to the table and and really making a commitment on both sides to work together like we did five years ago and come together is would be a really important step forward yeah I

52:49 think that that would be so I just want to make one clarification I wasn’t I wasn’t saying and trying to speak untruths about the town um

53:01 but Tom said I was kind of doing the same thing they’re doing I’m not no all I said was like I want them to come to the table and B is invested and it seemed like an US versus them with them and it’s that it’s frustrating I’m not it’s March 2nd and they haven’t closed their books I don’t need to say anything else yeah make no mistake I was not in any way to you I just think in general for us as a committee we just have to bear the bad news that we are 50 of the town’s expenditures and therefore we get more than our fair share uh sorry so to me um we have to deliberate out of we already know what the worst scenario is we’ve already heard we know it I don’t think it’s really worth talking about

53:46 that anymore and so we yeah for the guidance from the town so what we should really focus on this committee are what are sort of the priorities of the district and what does that look like is it another dollar is it another 10 million dollars I mean I don’t I know you put together to talk about it but for me and then we have to decide what we can put forth to the town we already know the worst case scenario so at the end of the day let’s just figure out what’s what’s reasonable and see if we can work with the town and get their buying it’s a shame we can’t go out under one more well that’s really disappointing actually because last year we were really scolded for not waiting and we were told if we wait and we go in together we’re going to be in this

54:33 together and here we are this year together but not together you know it’s like so that is I do appreciate that yeah and I do too and I think it I think a lot of thoughts um clearly um but I think you know that has been again to speak historically that has been the desire since for the last five years it’s going together and I think last year that’s where it started and then the town hit some rock your patches which Implement and everything and you know I I completely understand it and but at the same time we put forward requests of our own as what our schools needed and

55:18 so it was going to be a very true in my opinion impossible pivot for us to say well I know we’re here to represent the kids in the schools but we’re going to pause that another year and and even though we’ve been taxing our Administration with this for four years now or three years at that point like we’re gonna pause this and wait for the town which would have found us here so you know I still stand by IRS last year I think we did the right thing moving forward I think it was really unfortunate that we weren’t able to wait and go in with the town because I do think historically that is has been the way we have done it I think anywhere if you look around at other towns that is the best way to do it and yet you know last year we found ourselves in a place where we had to

56:06 move forward on our own it does feel feel a bit punitive that we are under separate Mark articles at this point so I do my understanding correctly if I’m wrong is we will the town first of all the town is no budget the town has no idea if they I mean I think they know that you need an override but they’re so far behind us in the planning they there’s no there’s none so the idea or the guess is that they will be going for in operational is that what they’re calling it operational no they’re calling it structural their override will look at the structural

56:55 deficit that that article 31 the intent right now is what what I’m hearing again and again hasn’t been very clear has not been voted by the selectman what their budget will be they don’t even have a bunch of to deliver but there will be structural with extra structural fix it’s a stabilization temporarily not even long term this is temporary love they’re trying to decide what will be a one year

57:27 so what we’re saying is we’re trying they’ll give us what it would be to keep our lights on but not what it what we need to educate our students and that’s where my frustration is because to me if we’re doing an override it needs to be to be our the needs of our students again we are not building the little earphones like it’s so we can keep debating this but at the end of the day it is what it is and we need to proceed so what we’re proceeding with is three budgets that’s a lot of work Michelle has to produce three budgets the austerity budget the keep the lights on budget I mean these are all really sexy terms so let’s I mean to keep the lights on let’s just be clear that means that there’s no change in headcount and we honor all the

58:14 professional obligations to all head count that’s unchanged right I mean that’s keep the lights on that’s actually not clear very awesome and we also then have to also budget for any increases in energy and other stuff that we just know from that’s the sort of kind of you don’t have an agreement I asked well I think that’s what we’re that’s what works I just want to understand that yeah we do need an agreement that that number will include the additional added district and the utilities because if not the stable the whatever we’re calling it budget the midline budget still puts us in Cuts right so we really need that clarification

59:08 but until they have their books closed they can’t tell us that but sir just for clarification they’ve guided us to an increase over last year’s appropriation of about 800 000 right yeah that’s when we play in the worst case scenario they may come back to us and say your appropriation goes from 800 000 to X we don’t know what x is but it it doesn’t really matter yes you know at the end of the day what what they are assuming in Acts it’s just they have such a structural deficit and we own probably 50 of the structural deficit unfortunately not by any fault of our own in this budgeting process but you just have to acknowledge that that’s what the increase was oh yeah that one is but I want people Services is

59:54 actually for us because of the unfunded mandated special education may not actually still be left the services will require cuts and services and potentially yes even even with if 31 passes and here we still need

1:00:21 [Music] [Music] um thank you for pointing that out um it’s because this isn’t to me it’s a contractual obligation that’s I look at a district placements as a contractual obligation I look at increases in utilities as a contractual obligation we can’t call and negotiate that however that is still being worked out with the town if those two items will be considered level service or if that quite frankly is how we got into this this situation because year after year after year we got level funded but we had to go into our staff lines to find those increases um and that’s how we practice the

1:01:06 situation so I think we really need to if we’re going to deliver it on the direction of the hopeful budget if you will of where we can meet the needs of our district of our students of our contractual obligations shared some information with us on that if anybody has any thoughts to share or questions

1:01:34 so the 10 percent sharpen the pencil got it some eight and so in getting there there’s no tuition for either yes there is no equity coaches in the MS no rounds uh significant reduction in technology software um Hardware uh there is decrease in professional development significant production in supplies you’ve heard from eating principles and directors of across the Departments supplies equipment Furniture needs a lot of that has been scrubbed from the budget to get us to the aspirational budget as Tom calls it which is sub 8 right now

1:02:21 you have those priorities not that any of the work priorities but it’s where we find ourselves so if I can take I can if I can take a minute just to I I well I have other principles in front of us in some directors you came to us we asked you to bring us what you need and you did and you turned it around and unfortunately had to tell you you told us what you needed but we can’t give you that and I feel the need to on the record say I will keep striving to get us to a point where when you tell us what you need we can actually give it to you because we we’re going to keep pushing

1:03:06 through in the Savvy budget and things like that but that still isn’t even honoring your professional expertise of telling us so I just I needed to say what’s the most frustrating part right yeah because our job is to have to pay for what our students need to get and it’s a program yeah and I think you know that that apology stems from from last spring as well is that you all you know and some of you are new but you know your predecessors all presented to us what you need and we then took all of that and put it forward and all of us were told no um and I know that was you know I had a little teary enrollment with

1:03:51 Mandy and pick up that day um you know it was it was incredibly disappointing um and and so it does not feel good to be at a place where we’ve asked again to go forward what you need and now you know we’re gonna have to tell you no in hopes that the voters don’t tell us all about um and you know something is better than nothing for sure um and like Sarah said you know I I do hope that wherever this committee goes in the future that we continue to advocate for what our professionals are are telling us they need to educate Marblehead kids in the 21st century education I was just hopeful that you could maybe

1:04:37 speak to some of the priorities that the leadership team did kind of put forth and then maybe instead of going through a line item which I know you gave us which I don’t understand I’ll probably stop you and ask you a few questions like a teacher leader apparently some some teacher leader but I appear That’s a department head okay but the point is there’s really kind of major buckets you could put these asks into right instead of them what are those major buckets so I think uh mental health increases school counselors uh at all the levels um curriculum coordinators has been something that has come up repeatedly so there’s a data coach at a middle school particular coordinator in high school permanent selves

1:05:23 permanent selves permanent selves um are a not a luxury are invaluable to principals the middle schools had a very successful model of this for years that enables teachers to attend during the day meetings um so if a teacher gets pulled out for an IEP meeting yes you’ve got a floater in the building permanently signed that can come in and

1:05:57 District so getting Steam and what is steam again just a science technology engineering the Arts and that okay and the brown school was filled with basic space in a dedicated space promise to the community um can I have some question about the the council unfortunately you mentioned because obviously extension mental health which I I think we can all agree that we have seen a very significant uptick in after or since copen from Copic during copen for a very long time posts a little bit no doubts when I think of that this is it might this might be a little disjointed so my

1:06:43 brain kind of goes to um cargo funds and the fact that you know million dollars of the arc money was just given to the Mental Health Alliance which is wonderful deserved absolutely but they how much you present a plan what they’re doing

1:07:03 all right let me get there so from there I go to where how much spark of money was given to the schools here in Marblehead um about a half a million dollars so we got four hundred thousand dollars yeah we received

1:07:29 95 000 for summer programming I think 35 that will be this coming sunrise so so small fraction generally speaking from the research I’ve done the Lions share if if 50 of your Town’s budget is your school district then when you’ve got your Arc of money 50 of that or closer to 50 then much lower than 50 would have gone to the schools that that is how other districts were run again I’m gonna if I die you all know who to look for so I’m saying the mean things and that’s fine I look at that number of what we got we

1:08:17 got 400 000 6.5 which is not 3.25 so I think what you’re trying to say is the lead is there they they appropriated 10 of the article funds to the school right so now we’ve got to fund the needs some other ones so and I right so but I think that that’s just a fact that a lot of people don’t know I don’t know where the rest of that money went and some may say it’s not my business but I think it’s an important fact to note and when we’re talking about things like working together and things that are important to me like transparency and accountability those things are important because we did not get that funding which could have helped us last year which could help us this year I also understand correct me if I’m wrong that there is so I’m thinking that because I look at school counselors

1:09:03 school counselor the bright program adjusting those types of things that we could potentially earmark arpa funds for in a very straight path in my mind I understand creamy so that there was some sort of Vote or decision to not apply ARCA funds to head count that’s one of the parameters around our pecans I sit on this committee yeah that can’t be for recurring expensive so investments in my Personnel but that’s a marvelous right I don’t believe so I think that is part of the simulations or that I can’t invest in a great work

1:09:48 personnel so we use Esser funds for the one year code nurse because it wasn’t going to be a recurring expense so that’s why we put forward the 400 000 worth of literacy curriculum adoption right but they’re not sorry the counselors run out of this program can we hold up right right so I I still go back to I’m just gonna say the hard thing I feel like 3.25 million of that money is deserves to the schools deserve that the parents in this community deserve that the parents should be aware that that money did not come to us programmatically just to be fair programmatically you didn’t have a program to receive it to address

1:10:37 Esser to do the Copic nurse but not but we didn’t have remarks to um uh our social services and counselors the article funds from what I understood could be used to fund headcount ER programmatic expenses but not anything you can do a head count if it’s not a republic like if this was designated as a social emotional or as a counselor for a period of time to pertain transmission if we said it if it was for a year to get us through coverage what do we have to do to get in so I will say that somebody sits on it I don’t just read anything you’re saying you know and we could get the 3.2

1:11:23 million dollars in the school department I believe that I could be mistaken that there’s six million dollars and they receive like 14 million in requests so that’s police fire DPW Public Works um trees sidewalks and then they prioritize that there was a methodology to that and we did get a significant portion where like the four hundred thousand dollars a month and a half hour that committee started under Jason so yeah and then John yeah carried it along a bit but much of that money but in the effort

1:12:10 to be proactive is your unallocated or unappropriated funds still available for us to apply for a priority to potentially transition some of these needs in the assumption that we can’t get these positions funded through an override to get a program stood up where we have a 12-month or 24-month program with non-recurring expenses right that’s we can apply for from our phone because I I also agree with Allison that you have mental health as a big priority here with the um yeah so it’s a lot of money it feels that that will be appropriate fixed it would be appropriate way to try to fill the need that we desperately have even if we can’t get a budget pass

1:13:00 how do we go about doing that even if we call it you know covet transition counseling well I don’t know come up with a name and it’s not a headcount that we’re asking right now it’s not a headcounter we’re asking forever right now it’s a temporary fix that we haven’t had in the past that now we are finding we need even more desperately because we haven’t had that do you know what I mean all right awesome technology that we had to pull out could be embedded in right that’s a one-time cost

1:13:36 yeah yep thank you for ice cream social studies so that’s why I do think that that um you know Allison’s point you know when we first the bright part about the high school started with a grant um and then we we took that into our operational budget the year after um you know

1:14:00 could the bright program at the Vets be funded for a certain amount of time as a pilot like we did yeah there for sending me I think since this is the dumbest thing I’ve said yet but you know with the hopes that maybe as things stabilize after kovid that the bright program that is could one bright program could could take care of all students in the district um but whatever that might look like you know I’m looking also yeah yeah right yeah I think the bright program is different in that when when Bill and Dan came to us and asked us to to take that hundred thousand dollar Grant between a vote to approve we said

1:14:45 we’ll take it but only if we can get a commitment that we’ll be able to take this on in our operating much next year I think the purpose of the Town being skeptical about adding positions is you add it with this one-time funding but it doesn’t go away so I I don’t I want to be honest with we in all in all uh Fidelity we want to start this great program because there’s a need there’s not a one year no

1:15:21 like we need that we can’t share it after one year we need two separate programs and that’s what we need well I mean I think there’s you just made it pretty sweet big statement I think first of all we’re trying to be creative here I think that is the only available means to fill the meeting that seemingly is pretty big is to potentially stand up a pilot program I’d be all for it and if it passed the discontinue because the funding’s not there under a grant program anymore it is what it is but if it’s successful and they’re we none of us can predict what the enrollment right will be here and so it’s I would agree that it may be likely that you can’t combine them but I also would agree it might be likely you

1:16:08 could you just don’t know so just be careful and when you think of the elementary school children now you know school counselors for them which I certainly think there’s a lot there as well but a three-year-old who will eventually be a Browner Glover would potentially if things do stay stable would not have had the same effects from covid that you mean a seven-year-old does now but this right isn’t just covering yeah these programs have been around since yeah very robust in other districts since well before equipment no no and I understand what you’re saying yes the elementary so I think what we’re asking is how much can we

1:16:55 possibly ask for in our refunds and I’ll put it out there if the Department of Health can put in a request for a million dollars that they will then determine after receiving the money what to do with it

1:17:10 so like let’s make a request for money is arpa at the end of FY 24 or discount s okay so why can’t we make a request similar to what the health department did and say we know we have multiple needs I mean School statistics have shown were hit harder than the pandemic than anybody we have backup data why can’t we have a a allocation that we can then be trusted as professionals the same as the portal to use as is appropriate

1:17:47 where does that committee stand right now where are we the last meeting we had was when the literacy curriculum was brought so our children will remember or that approval how much money did you save I don’t know maybe hacked

1:18:30 I completely agree and I would say that it would be my recommendation that we Direct um Dr Bucky in parallel dust liberated budget to see if some of these counseling services and other social emotional supports that are contemplated in this priority of this could be applied for under an oracle funding Grant and leave it to that I wonder just I wonder if that’s almost being chooses or something right like

1:19:08 because I I do agree with the mental health piece I don’t think that’s going away so if there’s something else kind of in this budget I can just request that yeah

1:19:20 we’ve cut out the literacy phonics gifts and decodable texts you know that that jumped out at me when I saw that I was like oh my gosh we’re here we go again um you know those are those are really important those are big blind items so you know what what can be freed up so that other things to be focused on yeah and if we can’t fund Mental Health Personnel what how can we reduce and kind of reconfigure but realistically what’s the time because it feels like to me getting some sort of Grant proposal together submitting hearing back whether that’s approved is not going to inform our decision making that’s why 24 budget is that correct so this is sort of a safety mechanism

1:20:07 safety mechanism safety mechanism to maybe backstop that’s unable to get something passed okay correctly girl technically all it takes is to select and to go to Allergy that’s money that they did to help it is a recommendation that comes from the IRS supplement so I can contact after tomorrow and see if you can get a department committee meeting together identify

1:20:36 I think a better approach is to identify the one applied tasks so you’re looking at some software and whatever they are yeah whatever that are not recurring okay we don’t need to know what they are but but whatever you think Michelle and I to look at Richardson but funding the mental health things I don’t think we’ll stand a chance of being funded yes okay the other the other just the mental health task force was given this million dollars to combat and mental health in what they see so we could also appeal to them to help us with some of that million dollars to combat some of our lives

1:21:22 lives lives so there’s there’s multiple Creative Solutions to this funding let’s let’s go for what we can okay um one of the things that we’ve talked about time now with the town of Jefferson Avenue

1:21:45 I’m sharing the right word collaborating with our HR in our shared services uh but I’m just wondering they’re hiring an HR director which again

1:22:01 yeah because the intent when we put that together was job director um to reduce costs technology

1:22:19 you want to be careful because the message to me since I have been here is we have gotten around our operating budget deficit by creative thinking and so going to the mental health task force sounds like a great idea for a year yes this needs to be built into our operating budget we are as Sarah has said for years kicking the hand out yeah and getting to arpa funding for one-time costs I think is a great idea I’ll take that forward any day but if we continue not from the operating budget yeah the district needs so what I would like to do is I I think we’re we’re at a reasonable number I’m sure there’ll be a little bit and obviously Just Disagree or agree I

1:23:05 would like to take those remaining items that didn’t make the cut expenses technology how many of those that were originally identified as needs would qualify for ARCA and start repair that makes sense to me that gets us closer to what our our directors and principals have told us they need and it doesn’t in a respectful way that would be my fault yeah maintenance into that and you know I think again to Megan’s point you’ve done a great job with park and rec I know there was a point at some point that where we were purchasing equipment what’s you know we were purchasing some equipment they were purchasing other equipment you know I I think those types of creative but but

1:23:51 but but Sustainable Solutions are really important you know again we at the end of the day it all comes out of one pot it’s all it’s all one marble head so let’s let’s figure out how to how to get there so I think everyone said everyone’s talking about the same issue and that is we have a massive structural deficit and attempt of which we unfortunately own a pizza that we have to solve for and instead of doing a fourth budget or a third whatever there’s really we already know the worst case scenario which is they’re only going to appropriate a little bit more money next year you already know that plan there’s really only one other budget an optimized budget that we

1:24:36 prioritize and I think leadership’s done a great job I think what I’m hearing is maybe we got a little more scrubbing to do but at the end of the day it doesn’t change because the town’s only going to come to us and say Here’s the increase in appropriation we give you anything more you’re going to have to go override yeah so it doesn’t matter if it’s a dollar more a million dollars it’s still going to be an overrun so it’s what we can get through the polls yes yeah so I think it’s really in common on this committee to continue helping leadership to scrub as best we can and strategize because I think this whole thing about you know the fixed budget or levels I think that’s an arbitrary number I really do somebody who’s made that up I think it’s at the end of the day they’re

1:25:21 going to give us what they give us and then we have to figure out if we want to sing for our supper but you know everything you’ve said is true I’m not just counting eight so to jump back to budget timeline we have one more meeting then we have our budget here that we will be presenting three budgets so bring a snack um what three questions

1:25:49 and then the town funds that’s right but we’ll we’ll speak to what if this doesn’t pass means like we will articulate and speak to what um with the austerity budget is we will clearly at the budget hearing explain to people what the austerity budget reflects so so sir I had an idea that I I’d sent along the notes of Dr Bucky and just to help me because I’m new and maybe help town where we are today uh there may be some things you’re going to terminate period regardless of what our budget is you just decided to go in a different direction it’d be helpful to know what those are and then if the town only gives us what they told us they’re going to give us the austerity budget we’re

1:26:36 going to have to terminate some programs and services you may have to externalize your programs and services because you’re taking a headcount out so you have to put the services the needs still there sort of fund it externally and then any new programs that you might be swapping in under that budget and the same thing for whatever budget we develop it really comes down to what are we terminating what are we externalizing and what are these starts right and so we kind of got the new starts list from you today which is great but I think that’s maybe the best way to do it it’s the easiest for people to understand because you know you’re taken away you know when you have to externalize and you’re doing this stuff will prioritize it and then how many people you have in service each of those needs in the district I mean it’s pretty simple so we have to decide

1:27:23 what budget we’ll vote to because by State Statute we vote to approve the budget and then fin pound tells us how we fund so what would your recommendation be do if the number we approved the austerity budget or do we approve the number it will take to fund ourselves I think we we have to make that decision today let’s have the finance company tomorrow allow Michelle and I to take down tonight’s meeting

1:27:53 so just as a marker we have one more meeting and then yeah yeah and I think I think at the budget hearing you know we see what is presented we hear from our community and then the next meeting we decide what we’re voting on we could say we could throw out a completely different number um and vote on that as a committee there’s a little bit of Poker right now we just need to make sure we’ve got our cards kind of have them on the table but you have to see some other cards for we finalize our hands sir can you just walk

1:28:35 we’ll meet again um as a general committee on the 16th and our budget hearing is the 21st we will most likely post to Massachusetts yes we will most likely post uh fincon is voting our budget for 27. so if our budget hearing is the 21st we will most likely meet to vote the budget from the 23rd so that they have evolved before removed

1:29:16 we had to work backwards from the 27th of the three week hosting

1:29:48 I can always post as we did I hate to reference back to a few years ago but having posted placeholders for days in case we need to get together a couple times like you know we see the 21st we go to the 23rd if we think there’s going to be a lot of work I think mostly silver meetings that we can just cancel but no instituting posting We have so like the 20 yeah we said a few years ago we can talk about that more later um

1:30:17 yes yes we’re gonna need to help me to vote on the 23rd that’s a date I’m out of town can you zoom in to vote before you have a board meeting yeah

1:30:32 after seven after seven [Music] um that’s the time it has to be quick it literally would be like

1:30:51 all right so any further discussion on the budget tonight budget uh subcommittee in liaison updates I we headed to write signal man

1:31:10 thanks guys when do we um have a conversation around I know in the town of the facilities requests and I mean last year we ended up putting some of that into our budget request yeah we Michelle gave them um some information they just opened what do they call the new vehicles

1:31:38 this week typically they open in December but we don’t like vote what are what our requests yeah it usually happens is they open it and once they start doing a little more horses they give us a number and that’s how we get to but we don’t have anything

1:31:54 but we should still have our prioritized list yeah um Michelle talking it’s okay yeah because we Senate last meeting website as well yeah 17 Capital priorities

1:32:12 that meeting is next Tuesday so yes okay I think it went out of a meeting to go but I’ll double check if not I’ll make sure okay um one of the big ticket items on there is the Cherokee um in a meeting I think we’ve talked about it in the principles and athletic directors priorities okay the budget presentation of the 30th does Miss Taylor wanted sustainable term for today

1:33:30 you know we catch plaque regularly for not maintaining our buildings but when we literally can’t ask for what we need to maintain our buildings it’s a rock on a hard place I don’t know what we’re supposed to do it’s you know it’s a psychology experiment where you kind of shop a dog enough and they just lay down and continue to get shot you can install the dividers in the middle school bathrooms

1:33:54 right so you know I just think I think we we just need to have these conversations continue to have these conversations out in the open so that yeah it’s not a shock when people when our when things are not taken care of that are expected to be taken yeah and that documents up on the website to show people what what we paid a search uh a firm to come in and tell us what needs to be done and that we can’t afford to do so help me understand funding of such cap these requests for buildings and grounds is not funded in the operating request it would be under some other funding mechanism

1:34:32 and so when does that discussion happen with the town because that’s next Tuesday okay

1:34:40 I got you who who’s from the district represents the district because okay remember that story about the middle school it’s terrifying in there oh please it’s stage rate uh uh any new business anybody

1:35:07 that’s perfect that’s perfect um I appreciate that information um correspondence we had an email that was sent to us um about parties it was it’s operational it was handled appropriately by Dan um

1:35:31 essentially it came to us it shouldn’t have so it went back to you yep um so as we close again I just want to remind everybody that wanted to sign out in the beginning how important it is to share the information about our students our two are too often students um more people can share that information the more social media shares you can go on the Marblehead Police Department’s Facebook page and they had some information there and share it um it just it it helps so just keep doing that and we appreciate that

1:36:16 so that brings us to adjournment at 8 30. foreign