April 24, 2024 at 6:00 PM - Budget Committee Meeting

Discussion:  The Budget Committee met on Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in the Central Services Board Room where Ms. Teresa Boston called the meeting to order at the approximate hour of 6:00 p.m. She welcomed everyone to the meeting and appreciated everyone for attending.

Discussion:  Boston-okay first on the agenda is the budget minutes.  I'll entertain a motion to approve. 
Safdie-move to approve. 
Hale-second. 
Boston-thank you, any discussion, if not all in favor say aye. 
Hale/Safdie-aye. 
Boston- all oppose, thank you. 

Discussion:  Boston-now moving on to item number four, salary scales.  What you've got if we could pull up the first and Kim you're going have to help me out these are the balanced scales for assistant principals and up. 
Bray- this is everybody's balanced scale it starts with certified teachers, this is what we talked about the last time.  This is the original-this is the first thing that you folks saw. 
Boston- okay now am I looking at this says scale 200 days. 
Bray-correct, that's for certified teacher. 
Boston- what teachers work 200 days?     
Bray-all your classroom teachers are 200. 
Boston-I thought they were 180. 
Bray-They are paid for 200 days. 
Stepp- It's180 school days with kids. 
Boston- got it okay but the teachers actually work the 200 days. Is this including the 3,000?
Bray-no this is not the scale with the 3,000, you have that in your packet as well the origina.
Boston-okay this is what somebody broke down that said some were getting 8% some were getting 5% some were getting .3%, it's just where they fell on the balance scales.
Bray-this does not have the 3,000, this is just the original. This is where we started.
Boston- and this goes all the way up to the 260 days, okay.
Stepp-and it scales it out to teachers all the way up to 29 years, currently the scale used top out at 25 so we want to reward those veteran teachers also.  the reason the percentages are different is because this the current scale, the amount between each year when you advance is a different amount each time so what we're looking at is just making it a balanced amount between each year so it's easy to understand.
Boston- any discussion?
Hale- so you're saying that this is the scale that everybody goes from including the principals, assistant principals?
Stepp- that's for you guys to decide because there's another section on here for y'all to look at if we're going to base leadership off of the teacher daily rate then this would be the daily rates if you chose this salary scale.
Bray- there is a scale there for every principal, assistant principal.
Boston-this breaks down everybody, okay.  Mr. King any thoughts?
King-not yet.
Stout- this this is the scale that we originally talked about that's actually in the original first draft of the budget.  We accounted for this scale in the first draft of the budget.
Boston- okay how much Kim if we went off this scale how much money are we looking at?
Bray- about 3 million dollars.
Boston-That does not include the classified?
Bray-No.  Classified is about $658,000 I believe.
Hale-now would that would be everybody's salary? Teachers supervisors?
Boston- is this what is used on the current budget that you have given us?
Bray- the one that says ’24-25 draft using the balance scale.
Boston-which reflects some of your employees that works 240, 260, a $16,000 a $19,000 raise for one year, okay.
Bray- this is just what you saw-this is the first.
Boston-this is what you created the first time around okay.
Hale- but then you put some percentages or something with it, you put some like daily averages to multiply it by something.
Bray- that was just another option, this was the original that we talked about from day one and I didn't change anything here.
Boston- right but when I look at this budget that's what these scales are what's reflected.
Hale-and that's what I asked for and I said what was the daily rate and then I mean the bottom scale and then just put a supplement on top of.
Bray-an add on to the daily rate.
Hale-and not a multiply well you do 40 days and you make-so we broke it down into that's 40 days more than a teacher's day and you know you divide it by what 220 or to find out how much they make a daily rate, an hourly rate or something and say
Bray-I think that's we still have that in.
Hale-but that's not what I wanted. I was just saying I want this scale and let's put a we talk about let's just putting a supplement on this scale for this year, across the board supplement, that's what I had suggested just to make it easier and more understandable.
Safdie-is that what this is about?
Boston- no that's the next set, that's the next proposal.
Safdie- but isn't that what Anita was talking about?
Boston- that's what she was talking about.
Safdie-yeah Anita this is what you're talking about. It's the 2023-2024 teacher plus $3,000.
Stepp-the green ones are the original thing that I brought to you.
Boston-let's move on before we do anything else let's move on to what I'm going to call the second proposal which is ‘23-24 teacher plus $3,000, now what you've done is taken their salary...
Bray- the current scale we had on every level at every column and just added $3,000.
Boston-on teachers okay. That's not reflected anywhere in this budget.
Bray-no.
Boston- okay that's been a suggestion.  Okay now go to the second sheet where it says assistant principal and above and just for the record how many times have I called you trying to calculate these out?
Bray- basically I did the same thing with that scale. I took the current assistant principal and Above Scale and added $3000.
Boston-okay now would this be you take this base scale add $3,000 and then multiply per their percentage as it currently stands?
Bray- as it currently stands yes ma’am that's it exactly what we would do. You take the daily rate based on this and multiply by the percentage by the number of days they work as it is today.
Boston- so as it is today if you took the current salary of one particular party off the base because you didn't increase these bases at all.
Bray-this is just $3,000 added to every level the way the current scale is right now.
Boston-okay and then you took the assistant principal however many years whether he's got a master's whatever the case may be, you multiplied that by I think we start at 14% then would you add the $3,000?
Bray- the 3,000 is in the base if you use this scale. I just added I did the same exact thing to this scale that I did to the teacher scale I added $3,000 at every level. You just have to kind of think about wrap your head around that this scale is based on 200 days but in the daily rate you would take like for example if you had a principal that was well you're not going to have a principal that has a master’s, we have a master's degree that has five years, if they only worked 200 days which they don't, their base salary would be $51,540, what I would do is take $51,540 and divide it by 200 days and then multiply that by 14% times however many days they work and that would be their annual salary.
Boston- okay if is there any way is this a new scale?
Bray- this is just our old scale with $3,000 added to it.
Boston-got it, okay I guess what I'm trying to get at is there-can we take their current salary as they stand right now because all the calculations have already been done, add $3,000 to that...
Bray- it won't just be $3,000, we could do that, but the percentage is what messes that up but because the percentage is added to their total salary it's added to the base.
Boston-I get that.
Bray-and then when you take the percentage to that it's going to be giving them a raise greater than $3,000.
Boston-and I get that, I've calculated this every which way but Sunday what I'm asking is...
Bray-just take their current salary and add $3,000.
Boston-that's it, is that a possibility?
Bray- we can do that but it will-just have to be-everybody will have to be hand figured and we'll have to send it to finance like that because normally they take these and we calculate, there's a calculation.
Boston- and you send that to finance? You send a final number to finance?
Bray-Yes ma’am, we go back we all use it, she checks me I check her she gets these pay scales and we have a calculation that we make sure we’re correct.  They check multiple times.
Boston- but can we take the current salary of assistant principal and above and add $3,000...
Bray-the current employees that we have? Yes ma'am we could do that they just will have to understand they're not going to be able to find their salary on this scale.
Boston-well they can't find their salary now, or I can't.
Bray-my question would be then for our new folks because I know we're going to have one new admin, what will be, how would we do that, just normally?
Boston- I would suspect so.
Bray-just using the percentages?
Boston- using the percentages and no one hates those percentages more than I do but it has worked better if for what-if you're going to add just $3,000 across the board.
Bray-that's fine
Safdie-I have a question. Could you explain to me again the-are you adding the $3,000 to the base and then taking the percentage?
Bray- yes.
Safdie- what would be the difference if you use their current salary then added the 6.6 well I'm looking at number five for the principals.
Bray- that's just a change that's not a percent that's just a change over the..
Boston-adding the $3,000? okay so if I'm a admin and I'm coming on okay cause we're going to have I think the assistant principal at CCHS whoever that may be, what supervisory years we calculate them at?
Bray- what they come in with.
Boston- if they come in with 14 years, we start at 14 years?
Bray- but that has to be-if they start-this is based on how many years they have as a teacher that's where the base comes from, the percentage is their supervisory experience.
Boston- right the 14 17 23 21 whatever.
Bray-right, however many years they've been a teacher. I mean we've got people that have been teachers for 25 years that only have two years of admin experience, but the base starts at 25 and then we add the percentage to that, they get their credit for their teaching experience on the base.  Boston-Chris?
King- I'm still looking and listening. I'm comfortable with what I'm seeing.
Hale-so where are these percentages coming from that's what I'm not understanding, we're trying to do away with percentages.
Bray- we're just talking about the way it's done now for the admin keeping the percentage, is that what I'm hearing?
Boston-yes I've looked at the balanced scales and those are for assistant principals and above those salary increases are just too much for one year, you got an 8% last year or not I'm not pointing at you but we gave an 8% last year which was a pretty hefty increase and we knew we wouldn't be able to keep it up and although I appreciate I don't I can't imagine how hard you've worked and I can appreciate those balanced scales but I don't know that I can justify with I’ve got a teacher of 10 years with a master's degree getting a 0% or 0.1% and somebody else getting a $17,000 raise. Do you see what I'm saying? I mean and I know you understand that you've looked at them until you're blind but I'd really like to get away from the percentages, but I don't know that I want to get away from them enough to do the balanced scales, does that make sense?
Bray-well just a thought I still think even if you wanted to go with the ’23-‘24 scale the teacher scale you could do get away from the percentages by doing the add-on to the daily rate.
Boston-are you talking about the 40/80/80?
Bray-something along those lines to just add that flat amount using the teacher scale and we'll just have one scale, we'll have just the teacher and then your system wide teacher, system wide there and then start there and we have the one scale and then we do 40/80/100, 40/80/80, whatever.
Boston-but did you not, were there not teachers or admins that I was going to have to freeze if we did the 40/80/80?
Bray-no.
Boston- which scales are we going to have to freeze?
Bray- if you did the balance scales what was current, what first was up, there was 10 people that would have to be frozen cause some of them have exceeded what even scale is that have been here forever, but now I think we could work if we went with the teacher scale and everybody started on the same scale and just had a flat dollar amount that you added to their pay we could make it work and that would alleviate the percentage, everybody would know if you were assistant principal and I'm just throwing this out here, you got $40 added to your daily rate if you're a principal you get $80, you can do it that one if you start with this teacher scale the ’23-24 plus the $3,000.
Boston- but you're still having to calculate, you're still having to go above and beyond and calculate which...
Bray-it's a calculation.
Boston- why not do the percentages?
King- it gets out of whack over time.
Boston-it does I mean and I'm not saying that it doesn't.
King- if you do it this way on the daily rate that stays constant and you get a solid slope.
Boston-on the 40/80/80?
King- yeah something like that.
Boston-I mean that's we had it 62.50/125/135.
Bray-I had it at least three different ways.
Boston-I know but the last one...
Bray-I’m just trying to give you options.
Boston-the last one I had was 40/80/80.
Stout-it looks like we have three versions today that Ms. Bray that you've provided to us right?
Bray-Correct yeah we did 62.50/125/135.  50/100/110 and then 40/80/80.
Stepp- and this is what you were asking about Ms. Hale they're based off of the teacher daily rate and all we do is a daily add-on for them accepting more leadership roles, so we'd have one certified pay scale for every certified person and then so let's say both of us are at 26 years so we both have a daily rate that’s the same but you work 260 days and I only work 200 days so your salary will look different because you got 60 more days to get paid for than I do so you'll have a higher salary but you're working for it if that makes sense.
Hale- that does make sense thank you sir.
Boston- well it took me a while to count why you kept saying it's on the average daily rate, listen to me, and I kept saying I don't get it, have you calculated on the 40/80/80 how much on that would be total?
Bray- I've calculated so many, if we use the teacher scale with the $3,000 added and did 40/80/80 for the admin everybody that's an admi- supervisors, principals, assistant principals, it would be an additional $162,000 for this year.
Boston-over and above the three million?
Bray- yes and no one would have to be frozen that way.
King- so it's 3.1 versus 3.
Boston-what do you mean?
King-3.1 million versus 3 million.  By about 100 something thousand.
Boston-yeah okay.
Bray-now everybody kind of needs to just think about doing it this way, the percentage which is what we've always done here is going to be different for everybody when you add the $3,000 because $3,000 is a different percentage on $43,000, I just want to put that out there.
Boston-it is, and that's why I wanted to know if we could just take their current salary and add $3,000 across the board and I mean that would be it's already calculated, all you got to do is add 3,000.
Bray-correct, it's just that will take them off of any scale going forward.
Stout-and into what you're saying if you look at the percentage then someone who makes more money salary wise and gets $3,000 the percentage raise they're getting is going to be less right then somebody who makes less money and is getting the $3,000 that's a higher percentage raise in relation to what they make.
Boston- well it's almost like last year when we did the 8% there's a huge difference between 8% of $46,000 and 8%of 100.
Stout-so if we remove the percentage and we just go with the teacher rate plus the $3,000 and then we do the add-ons for the additional ones what does that do as far as I refer to them like as salary bands you know the teacher salary band, the assistant principal what does that do for salary bands because at some point a position has a limit on its value so if we were to remove that and we’re just doing this there is no limit to the value on the position is what I’m figuring. Bray-correct, the way teacher pay in 90% of the counties is done is based on years of experience and your educational level, that's the way the state lays it out, now they don't pay, they pay for one Advanced degree, they don't care whether you've got a master's and Eds or doctorate, they’ve got bachelor's Advanced degree whereas most districts do exactly what’s done here and it really has nothing to do with the position, it's based on years of experience and your level of Education, very contrary to where you and I came from.
Stepp- So currently a teacher would top out at 25 years.
Stout- so they would so their salary would top out at 25 years.
Stepp- so some systems you top out that's your ceiling or if the state gives a 1% increase for all teachers they would just get that 1%, they wouldn't get any local match.
Stout- so are we still then if we don't use the percentage are we still topping out at 25?
Bray- now no if we go with ’23-24 we will be topping out at 25, but we've always since personally since I've been here, we’ve done the percentage so I just want to be perfectly clear that if we do the $3,000 the percentage for everybody will be different.
Boston-it has to.
Bray-I get that I just want to make sure everybody is on the same page.
Boston-well I mean if we give a $3,000 raise to a teacher who works 200 days it's a little bit less than $16 a day if you give it to somebody, if the $3,000 across the board if you give it to an admin and they work 240 days that lessens and I mean I get that, so take the teacher scale, it's already got the $3,000 added on it.
Bray- ’23-24 teachers scale, $3,000 added each level, I'm proposing using that...
Boston-and then the40/80/80.
Bray-correct and that would eliminate percentage, that would be put us to one scale which would be easier for calculations and everybody would know if I’m going to be an assistant principal I know that I’ll get an additional $40 based on my average daily rate for being an assistant principal, they would know that up front.
Boston-okay up but then you wouldn't add the $3,000.
Bray-no the $3,000 is in the scale.
Boston-it's already in the base, that's what I'm asking.
Bray- it's already in the base, it is already there.
Hale- now we wouldn't add $3,000 every year, would we?
Bray- that's different, you could add a percentage you could add a base rate....
Stepp- we have an acquired amounts for 01 6 11 that we have to meet every year no matter what coupled with the governor's law that we have to get that first year teacher to $50,000 ,we have two more years to do that so you guys would decide next year what's that raise going to look like that gets us to the minimums required that the state releases in May so we're predicting or projecting what that'll be and it might only be $1,500 next year or it might be $2,000 it just we'll have to do the calculations and then I will make a recommendation according to what our team has looked at to you like we have here we've given you multiple options and then the board would decide well we want to spread it over two years evenly or we want to frontload it and just get it over with or we don't have to deal with it the next year and there's a lot of variables to that including our own budgetary needs and all that kind of stuff so there just a lot of variables to that.
Stout-Ms. Bray if we were to go with your recommendation what position does that put us in competitive wise with other districts for teachers and supervisors?
Bray- I'm not seeing what other people would propose for next year, I still think it'll put us in a pretty good position, there's always going to be larger districts, like Putnam is always going to be more than us but I think for districts our similar size, with our total package, with our insurance package and other things we offer I think it' be competitive cause our insurance is-our total package as far as our insurance and other stuff we offer, nobody can beat it.
Stout-yeah, we just don't want to lose sight of our strategic plan which was attracting and retaining top talent so we want to make sure we are competitive.
Boston-why the 40/80/80?
Stepp-we gave you a high-end and we gave you a low end.  
Boston-but I mean but why is there a low end 40/80/80?
Stepp-it could be more.
Bray-it could be less.
Stepp-I don’t know how much less we can go that fits all where one is right now. We'd have to calculate that-our goal is we don't go backwards with anyone.
Boston- we can't but on this admin at the 40/80/80 nobody's frozen?
Bray-correct the way I looked at it like for an assistant principal to be an assistant principal over and above that would be an additional $200, that seemed reasonable to me that's why I looked at it was on a weekly basis.
Boston- okay but it looked reasonable to you is why you started there or why that's the lower end and that would be including our classified or not including our classified?
Bray-no this has nothing to do with classified.
Boston-okay but it would be right at $3.162 then we would add the $68 9,000 for our classified so that would be $4 million increases.
Stepp-$3.7 and some change.
Boston-Chris?
King-it all sounds correct.
Boston-what do you mean it all sounds correct?
King- I think the option that we just talked about keeps us from going backwards.
Boston-versus staying with the percentages?
King-right, the percentages get all out of whack a little while so we get rid of percentages and go to this straight one scale add a flat amount and it stays out of trouble and you start multiplying percentages dividing and multiplying it starts getting kind of seesaw on the scale.
Bray- and when someone comes to our website I think it'd be a lot easier for them to look at this one scale say I have a master's degree and this many years of experience and if I want to be an AP I know they're going to add this much to my daily rate. In my mind that’s simple.
Safdie-you know my only concern is that is that the administrative positions at 240 days, let me start over again-those people serving in administration have a teaching degree most-they're certified, let's talk about certified teachers and their base on the number of years that they’ve taught has been multiplied over the years by a percentage on this scale and when they become administrators why aren't they just given a flat fee for the extra 40 days just across the board a $5,000 or  for 40 days they are given a stipend of $10,000 and on the scale their certified teaching scale their raises would only be determined on the number of years experience teaching and their salaries would be increased a percentage but not on the money they have earned or are earning as a supervisor.
Bray- I think that's if you do the 40/80/80 we're talking about the same thing.
King- that takes care of it.
Safdie-thank you.
Bray- we’re talking about the same thing.
Safdie- I'm looking at it differently.
Stepp- if you make 40 more a day as an assistant principal who's on a 210 day contract that comes out to be between $8 and $9,000 for the year.
Bray- for the year which would be the same thing you're saying I'm going give them a supplement.
Stepp- correct we just broke it down by day so there still is a number.
Safdie- I understand that and I just don't-I see that they're continuing to get a raise though on their responsibilities as a supervisor it's included in their base pay. I just don't see-I see the supervisor’s role as a flat rate whatever that is and then not being given a raise so that when teachers need more money we can give teachers that benefit and freeze the salaries of Administrators-that's just an opinion.
Hale-because I think that's what I said why couldn't we give you know the teacher scale and then the supervisors get $2,000 a year every year not based on-like a coach supplement-if you're coaching...
King-that’s what this does.
Hale- that's what this is?
Safdie- that’s what this does and I'm just questioning they still get a raise they will still be getting the benefit of the raise that teachers get and I'm not sure and it's based on their 240-day contract as opposed to being based on a teacher scale of 180 days.
King- it's a 200 day for teachers.
Safdie- 200 excuse me, thank you Chris.
Stout-Ms. Bray can you just remind all of us that where that breaking point is on paid vacation versus the positions with non-paid vacation as far as part of the whole package.
Bray- well the teachers in their 200 days they get 10 days of vacation which is spring break, fall break, paid vacation.
Safdie-they get Christmas.
King- if you're an administrator you don't get that.
Bray- and the administrators in this building don't get that, they get unpaid vacation days.
Stout- okay so the assistant principals and principals get the same as the teachers?
Bray-it depends on-if you’re a high school principal you're like a supervisor but if you're assistant principal and an Elementary principal you get the spring break, fall break and snow days.
Stout-okay.
Stepp- so the high school principals and supervisors on 260 days for 240 and we get 20 non-contract days, 20 non-paid days that we can use throughout the year.
King- but you don't get to paid breaks.
Stepp- no we work during the paid breaks or if we don’t, we have to use a non-paid day that's not in our contract.
Boston- could we go ahead and go on to the proposed classified.
Bray- and this is just the flat 4% on the current scale.
Stepp- if we do the 4% it'll be three years in a row we've done 4% increase for classified.
Boston-this already reflects 4% is it already- and this is was your $689,000 whatever it was it's already reflected in the budget.
Bray-it is.
Hale-so how much of a raise did they get, did we give them any kind of a raise this year?
Bray-4%
Hale- 4% okay from what we did last year they did get a 4% raise?
Stepp- three years in a row they' got 4% if this is approved.
Hale-that’s good, that's very good.
Stepp-yeah, it's the backbone of our school system.
Boston- okay then look at your safe School counselors.
Bray-I did 4%I,  did the exact same thing here I just did 4% on the current scale.
Boston- okay what if you have a certified counselor?
Bray- they're paid off the teachers scale. We have half and half now, three that are and three that are not.
Boston-three that are certified and three that are not?
Bray- correct
Boston-okay then as a certified counselor they would go off the teacher scale...
Bray- they would be a system-wide teacher.
Boston- plus the $3,000 okay and that's just a proposal I’m not saying...
Bray-they would be paid just like a classroom teacher except they would be systemwide because they work at all schools.
Boston-just a for the non-certified it was a straight 4%, okay any discussion on those? I'm going to make a motion that we do not accept the balanced salary scales, I'm going take us one at a time, that we do not take the salary scales or the assistant principal and above with $3,000 based on 200 days-we go off the teachers scale.
Bray-the ’23-24 teachers scale with $3000?
Boston-right I'm just making a motion just to get it out there that we reject the balanced scales and the assistant principal and above with ’23-24 with $3,000 added so that we would just go off the teacher scale that's where my motion is right now.
Hale- second it
Boston-okay so we have a first and second, that eliminates those sheets of paper. Chris?
King- trying to make sure I'm with you, we're looking at this sheet approving?
Boston- which...I don't know what this sheet is.
King-’23-24 teacher plus $3,000.
Boston-I didn’t address that one.
King- okay you're wanting to drop the assistant and above?
Boston- yes ’23-24 plus $3,000.
King-you said and the balanced sheet
Boston- and the balanced, the ones that are green, yeah drop those out of our proposals.
King- I think that's what we want to do so yes.
Boston okay Anita you seconded motion, Chris you think yes okay and I vote Yes so we’ve dropped the balanced scales. Okay so I'm going to go one step further and make a motion that we accept the classified and the safe school counselor salary scales with a 4% increase.
Hale- we're taking the classified with the 4%?
Boston-classified at 4% and the safe school counselors at 4%.
Hale- yes, I second that yes.
Boston-okay so we've got a second, Chris votes yes Anita yes okay and I vote Yes so we've got those salary scales at least that have been looked at and the school counselors. What that leaves us with is the teacher scale plus the 40/80/80 for us to consider in doing the admins on.  Can we go-ahead-is everybody happy with the ’23-24 teacher scales plus $3,000?
Hale/King- Yes/I think so.
Boston-I'll make a motion that we accept that. Pull out the ’23-24 teacher plus $3,000 -I made a motion that we go ahead and approve that.
Hale-this is just for teachers not for supervisors?
Boston- not yet.
Hale- so it's the teacher scale plus $3,000 is what you're saying?
Boston-Yes.
Hale- okay I'll second it.
Boston-you don't sound happy- I'll be more than happy to withdraw my motion give me another proposal.
Hale-no, no.
Boston- Chris
King-so it's just for teachers?
Boston- just teachers only let's go ahead and get that one behind us.
King- not sure I understand...
Boston-we're taking this...we’re just taking this for teachers we have not addressed admin yet. King-when are we going to do that?
Boston-I'm taking it one step at a time; I’d be more than happy to entertain any kind of a motion. King-I would like to amend it to use this as the base for everybody certified.
Boston- well then I'm going to ask that we-I want to table the admin till I can take it home and calculate this out and see what we're looking at as far as where we are currently and what that does to the admin salaries and I have not done that and so these if you want to keep the teacher and the admin together I'd be more than happy to do that but I would just like an opportunity to revisit that.
King-so I think that's what we do, we have one scale then you go back and look at the add-ons.
Boston-well and I've got that but I would really like some time to and I’d like to table just those two particular salaries so I can take it and sit-down and work with it yeah.
Hale- but I thought we just said that doing the 40 80 80 on top of the teachers might work.
Boston-if our intention is to give everybody $3,000 then I want to see what taking this one teacher base is going to look like doing the 40 80 80 compared to their education, their years of service, and see what that's going to do to their salaries now and I've not looked at that but that's going to add about another $162,000 you said?
Bray-$162,832.
Boston- and I'd like to have the opportunity to do that.
Hale-so we're not we're not going to vote on the teacher scale?
King- well I think that Mr. King has made a motion-it doesn't have a second yet but what did...
King- my amendment was to take this one scale-’23-24 teacher plus $3 ,000 as our base salary for all certified.
Boston- okay not addressing the admin...
King-I’ve not addressed that yet.
Boston-you've not addressed that yet okay I’ll second-I'll second his-I made the motion in first place-you amended it to just taking this as our base?
King-correct.
Hale-second it.
Boston-okay I'll agree with that. Mr. King?
King- yes
Boston-Ms. Hale?
Hale- yes
Boston-and I vote Yes so we' got the teachers now when it comes to the admin could we table that until I have an opportunity to put the calculator to it?
King-I think you can.
Boston-ok, I'll make a motion to table that until I can I get the opportunity to take a look at that.
Hale-okay second.
Boston-okay all in favor?
Hale/King-Aye.
Boston-okay so we have tabled the admin for the moment so next on the agenda it would be the budget assumptions, Mr. Stepp would you like to?
Stepp-yeah so the budget assumptions are things we’re projecting so the 4% raise and their step raise you just approved to move on to the board so the certified employee balanced scale sheet we're not doing now so some of your actions today have knocked that out so we have a scale that you looked at, Insurance this is now official...
Bray- no not official.?
Stepp-not official yet so we're predicting total 6% but it's only 3% up to January and we're still waiting on them to tell us exactly what that number is so we're projecting that.
Boston-what’s reflected in the budget, 3%?
Bray- 3%.
Boston- okay if it changes in January what happens?
Bray- it will I mean it'll go up we just don't know how much, it does that every year; the insurance runs from January to December-we always do it like this I just don't know right now what that is.
Boston-but reflected in the budget is 3%.
Stepp- and we're working approximately at $10 million for benefits and the TCRS for retirement rates still haven't been sent out.
Bray-no, no, no 8.75.
Stepp-8.75 now so you can change those to 8.75.
Bray- that's for classified.
Hale- what is it for teachers?
Bray-9.
Boston-so it is going to be nine okay.
Stepp- currently no increase on life or dental insurance as of right now then just looking at cost, overhead cost we got 10% increase on most software programs that we're using now then that's a guesstimate still; based on 357 teaching positions so...
Bray- that's regular instruction.
Stepp-regular instruction correct. I've asked to add that the interventionist to cover the law the K4 tutoring law, I've asked for high school counselors and high school assistant principals five extra days each, there is a very high demanding position they have and I know the counselors and AP’s work outside of their contract days currently so.
Hale-so when you ask for these you're saying add it to their salary?
Stepp- add five days to their contractual working agreement.
Hale- okay.
Stepp- so they're at 210 right now so they'd be at 215.
Hale- okay and you're saying that they work it anyway?
Stepp- yeah like counselors do scheduling all summer, the high school yeah there’s a lot that the counselor school counselors do and AP’s also.
Hale-so you’re just asking that we pay them for the extra days that they do even though they've been doing...
Stepp-yeah it’s a very high demanding job at the high school level just bigger kids bigger problems or bigger things to do.
Hale- exactly thank you.
Stepp-five extra days for the CTE coach plus 10 extra for the guidance coordinator so these are people that work directly with the school counselors and the CTE programs so there's a lot of planning that goes on in between school days as far as summer and then we got teacher laptops at three schools that's on the cycle and the workman's comp increased 25% over this past budget or this current budget year.
Boston-we always do three schools do we not?
Stepp-it’s on a rotation.
Safdie- I didn't catch the workers comp insurance cost per year.
Bray- it's gone up 25% about what it was this year-that's just the workers comp that's not the property insurance.
Boston-that's it's about what $71...
Bray- another $80,000.
Boston-about another $80,000.
Bray-of course workers comp is based on salaries so as salaries goes up that rate goes up, but they did reassess all of our properties and the property values they're using are also higher so all kind of hit in one year.
Boston-of course it did.
Stepp- so these are the variables that will change as we start getting hard numbers.
Boston-and the assumptions are already in built into the budget?
Stepp-correct.
Boston- can I ask a question, I have been  asked this the interventionist they're going away with ESSER.
Stepp-ESSER Federal money is going away and that was on average two people per building the Tennessee all corp for tutoring is also going away and that could be from one to two maybe even three people depending on the buildings so those positions everyone knew after three years the board had said after three years those positions go the trick that happened was governor Lee passed the third grade retention law in fourth grade and it's leading into fifth grade now so they're modifying that bill as we speak and the requirement by law is we have to provide from kindergarten to fourth grade tutoring for those students that meet the qualifications for that.
Boston-so that's third grade to...
Stepp-kindergarten to fourth grade so what I'm proposing is eight hopefully certified 120-day contracts and 180 day for Pine View to continue with the tutoring programs.
Boston-what and I know it would be...
Stepp- that will not come close to replace the adults that were in there through federal and state money that has gone away.
Boston- and I know that's $369,000 I think is what we calculated.
Stepp-to replace all the interventionist through both of those programs it's $1.2 to $1.3 million. Boston-what if we put two interventionists in each building?
Stepp- part-time or fulltime? we got benefits...
Boston-I'm talking about 120 day contracts.
Stepp- 120 day...
Boston-would that just double the amount that we are looking at right now?
Bray-theoretically.
Boston- 369 and 369. What would be your recommendation on that Mr. Stepp?
Stepp-well looking at that and then looking at the next few agenda items the interventionist, the part-time right now I think long-term we can cover. I think once we start adding more personnel and more cost, I mean we have to maintain that as we go throughout the years so, can we afford that this year, yes; can we keep affording it year after year, I think it's going to be kind of tough with us having two more years of pay increases.
Stout- so your recommendation is what's on the assumption sheet?
Stepp- yes.
Stout- the 8 120 days.
Stepp- can they use more interventionist? 100%. I know it's a big hit to lose all those positions but my understanding was before I came here the board made it clear three years and then not to continue those.
Boston- oh it was made very clear it's just that with this third grade and fourth grade this has become a very important part of regular instruction; those kids need the extra assistance.
Stepp- I agree.
Boston-if we put that money into our students, it's 120 days, do we provide-we don't provide benefits for 120 days?
Bray- that's where we need to be very clear because the cost goes up exponentially if they become full-time people.
Boston-but if we did 16 that's $738,000 and I realize the cost but I also want to realize the benefit that these kids are going to get from that and that's why is the kids so you know I'm not making a motion on that yet because I want to...
Stepp- I've took notes.
Boston- but if you would be so kind, but I agree with you it's a reoccurring experience and we said three years ago when ESSER came in there's no way we can maintain all of those positions we just can't do it but if you look at our students and the way that our children have increased and the schools have increased and our scores are getting better is that, is the interventionist part of that?
Stepp-yeah oh yeah that that's why they were created for to close the gap on learning loss.
Safdie-and are there any grants or other stipends that...
Stepp- not currently that they're telling us about. Federal money is changing too so a lot of them use Title One money and this year we found out that our final  allocation was short $127,000 the way the federal money works you get quarterly allocations throughout the year and we were surprised that there was that big of a cut in our allocation because we had planned for a certain amount now we're able to make it so none of the schools are going to lose anything but that happened in almost every county; some counties it was twice what we lost and some it was a little less depending on their size, so currently there's some auditing going on at the state department where the money has been changing, we realized some money in one area or two areas it was a lower amount and we lost title one we lost a lot of money so we're just-right now we're trying to see where the dust is going to settle.
Boston- do we have any idea when that might be?
Stepp-when?
Boston- how much that that might be, is that $127,000?
Stepp- as of right now I think that's the number, I'm going to send y'all an email that we worked on today after this meeting so you can see what the federal breakdown is because it has changed so I want you to be able to see that.
Stout- Mr. Stepp in regards to the interventionists with coming off of covid I know we had a larger group of students that were needing some assistance since we had the virtual with the testing that we've done this year do you have an idea are we looking at that many students that are going to require that going into next year or has that reduced now that we've had some catchup time?
Stepp- yeah I think we'll have less students affected by the law as far as third grade we didn't have a lot last year I think it was eight or nine is that right so it wasn't alot and some of that was parent choice and not the law so fourth grade this year is the year that we are really looking at benchmarks and each principal can tell me which two or three fourth graders they're worried that might get held back because of test scores so they've been tracking those kids the whole time giving them extra help doing everything we can because we learned a lot last year through that third grade.
Stout- so are we looking at that amount shrinking somewhat if we're looking at the number of interventionists that we need by students are we looking at that shrinking compared to what we've had to provide?
Stepp-absolutely that's the goal so right now it looks like it's going to be a smaller number than we predicted.
Boston- what about RTI, is that a total separate?
Stepp- RTI is a program that's also required by law that we already have people in place for, principals have supplement those intervention positions with their Title One money they've added other people to help RTI out and I know the teachers work a lot with the intervention also so there there's several different angles that principals have worked very hard on creating for intervention.
Boston- how many RTI positions do we have?
Stepp-we got one in every building...
Stout- every school.
Stepp- yeah that's budgeted in the GP and then that a lot of times principals will supplement that to their Title One money so they might add a person who does helps the interventionist or is assigned only certain things they intervene so any school that looks a little different according to schedules and which team needs more help or not.
Boston-is RTI is that a...
Stepp-response to intervention came into play probably around 2003 or four I'm not exactly on that so it's been around a while they also have added the past few years a response to intervention for behavior that we're at the beginning stages on with our behavioral positions that we added last year and SPED has a behavioral position that we're working on plus we already have behavioral specialists and the addition of the safe school counselors, social workers are all working towards improving that RTI Behavior side-the intervention for Behavior but that's something we're working on we're slowly taking steps each year on getting better at that and more options.
Boston- but is RTI full-time position is it a 200 day position?
Stepp-it is.
Boston-and is it budgeted through federal/state?
Stepp- it's GP right now it's out of our general and it's been that way for many years so that's part of those certified teachers.
Boston- well with the interventionist going away and how we had what...
Stepp- we still have the RTI in the building because that's ours.
Boston- that's ours.
Stepp- and adding the 120 day gives them another intervention and some principals already thinking about with their Title One how they're going to-the parts that they thought worked great in their building they're trying to figure out how to fund through the federal money the title one money whether it's personnel or programming.
Boston- how much do we get title one money that they-that each building gets?
Stepp- it varies according to how many students qualify through Direct Services in those variables so our highest is in the 300,000 range our lowest would be somewhere between 1 and 200,000 I mean I can get those direct numbers to you, but each school has a different qualifier.
Boston- so each school would get...
Stepp- it's a different number...
Boston-well but I'm saying let's say for instance that Homestead got 300,000-they get that much?
Stepp- not Homestead, it's allocated according to the qualifiers in their building; like our highest economically disadvantage and correct me if I'm wrong supervisors would be Martin I believe and Stone I think I don't have the list in front of me so I don't want to give you wrong information.
Boston- and I'm not going to hold you to it I'm just trying to figure out...
Stepp-Mary Elizabeth is actually here what was your number this year?
Edmonds-I was around 150,000 maybe like 150 to 160 I don't remember the exact number.
Boston- which you could add another person to that with that?
Edmonds- I did I used the majority of my money for personnel, the RTI position is 120 days I have 120 day person and then I have a 200 day person that I have paid out of federal money.
Boston-okay your RTI is a 120 day?
Stepp- so are they Ms. Bray they're all 120 days?
Bray-some of them are paired with an instructional facilitator.
Stepp-so they could be...
Edmonds- I choose-mine is a retired teacher so I don't supplement my RTI position with Federal money, some do; I use my federal money for assistants or I have one certified person.
Boston- so the interventionist that we would pass that we've got allocated now would be in your building; you've got a 120-day RTI person and you take your title one money that you're allocated and you bring in another one.
Edmonds- yes.
Boston- so you've got three interventionists, let's call them interventionist for whatever.
Edmonds- I have three right now, one is paid with GP, one I pay for, and one ESSER pays for.
Boston- okay so ESSER is going away do you utilize those three in your building?
Edmonds- all day everyday they're either pulling small groups or they're pushing into classrooms and working with students in the classroom.
Boston- so the interventionist I'm going to call them for lack of anything else is beneficial to your students?
Edmonds-absolutely.
Boston- okay thank you I appreciate that. Mr. Stepp, I’m sorry.
Stepp-oh you're good you want me to move on from the next couple agenda items.
Boston- I do I do I do okay you've got...
Stepp- with your permission the number six and number seven I like to kind of talk together if that’s okay?
Boston- absolutely, sure.
Stepp- so we received our assessment of all the buildings from Uplands and Ms. Bray, Ms. Kington and I met looked over it looked at all kinds of options of course we have a lot of high dollar maintenance needs this year and what I'm proposing there's a second sheet this is what's on the agenda item that everybody can see so this is the normal rotation that we do every year so what I'm recommending is actually I've combined this and I've combined the next worksheet to come out with the worksheet I have.  It's just one sheet that says needs-there's one that looks like this it's like a half pager.
Boston-the ones on the agenda we're not looking at, is that what you’re telling me?
Stepp-there's a there's a third one and we just got this assessment so we worked all the way up until I left for the teacher of the year Council that I was at right before this so it looks like this
Boston-is it the $4.301?
Bray- okay across the top under amount it'll say ’24-25 time frame/’25-26.
Boston- so we get to break those electrical up?
Bray- we have to.
Stepp-I put all this on one sheet and I'm going to go through it but this is what I proposed for this year and then we're still going to work with Upland on creating a new more detailed rotation for each year that shows lifespan of equipment and roofs and all that so we know each year we're planning on this roof is going to be 25 years old this year and we're going to look at that and they've had these rotations for almost 19 years the current ones with this new assessment that we did we'd like to I'd like to be able to modify it with my team so for one year what I'd like to do this year for maintenance is when you're looking at that rotation I would stop most of that rotation so if you look on the actual sheet the new sheet that I gave you what I'm recommending is Martin electric they assess-it's a one through five scale five being it's at the end of life one being it's like new so in this assessment Martin electric it said end life it's a huge ticket item and it'll have to be done in two phases so this year I asked that we start phase one this year and we move phase two to next fiscal year. Homestead electrical there's a couple things about Homestead but the electrical we do phase one now phase two next year unless because I've asked I'm going to ask about Homestead in a minute and then we've talked about Homestead several times unless we decide to do something else with Homestead but we'll talk about that later and then CCHS fire alarm system it was rated also as it's time to be changed out and it was a high need in there the engineers vision that they look like; Pine View gym roof is leaking right now.
Boston- but did we allocate that money?
Stepp- that was the main building this is the gym.
Boston- so we've got two separate?
Stepp- the main building is going to be taken care of it's already been allocated bid out and on schedule for May so that'll be repaired.
Boston- wait so that was 172 as well.
Bray- $168,000 or $172 somewhere in there.
Stepp- right this is the gym roof it's a separate issue that it's been leaking for most of this year I believe is that correct?
Safdie- Mr. Stepp is there any damage to the gym floor?
Stepp- currently no but if it keeps leaking it's going to.
King-just where they're sliding the buckets around.
Stepp-yeah just where they're sliding buckets.
Boston- it leaves water rings is what it does.
Stout- yeah and when we were out there they just gotten done doing some replacing ceiling tiles and scrubbing the marks off the walls.
Stepp- that was the tarped area so that was the old building and then the gym is the other part. North fire alarm system I have to be done in two phases also or one phase but it's at its time to renovate and fix; Brown roof is 25 years old, so it's been on the rotation. I suggest we don't change that and there's leaks in Brown's roof right now especially in the kitchen area where the light fixtures, if there's a hard rainwater will leak down into those light fixtures. The North renovation I would keep on this one there were several items that were listed on North as being level three or higher that we'll have to address and what I mean the one through three rating scale one is new condition two is good condition three is fair condition but it's time to do the maintenance on it, fix it, replace it whatever because once it gets to four and five poor condition and dangerous condition that's when we want to be hit those threes as we can also so they had several things so I would keep North renovation on there and then all other repairs that's a $2,000 line item in maintenance that covers all the work order items and some of the smaller surprise stuff so that total for this year would be $3.4 so if you look back at that rotation sheet it says $2.5 total is already in the budget so when we take $800,000 of that out of there and reallocate that to go straight to high need things and that's all I've listed here is high need it comes out to $3.4 so to cover that depending on where we decide on salaries and stuff our fund balance is right at $4.3 or will be around there somewhere and that's right at 2 million over what we have to have in...
Boston- you said our fund balance was what?
Stepp- it's projected depending on salaries because this will fluctuate but I believe we're right at $4.3 total is that right at the end of this budget.
Boston-and then 3% of that would be 2.3.
Stepp-2.3 so we got about 2 million in overage in the fund balance so I would recommend that we take right at a million out of fund balance and dedicate it to these projects here so these are the high need I think this gets us where we fix the fours and fives and many of the threes that are about to be fours and fives and that gets us ahead and I even put the next fiscal year on here ’25-26 we would look at the second phases of the electrical and those costs would fall in the next fiscal year so that allows us to really get into the meat of the of the maintenance and then we're going to re-do through a needs assessment and the assessment we have we're going to re redo this and it's going to be much more detailed and that's why you have a last item on there at $35,000 that's the high-end facility maintenance software and they'll take our assessment that we just spent that money on and they'll plan it all out and then we’ll work with them on getting everything planned out so we got projected cost projected year projected lifetimes all of those details on everything that this assessment came from so that's what I propose and would like approved for maintenance for this next year.
Hale- so the $35,000 is for doing another study?
Stepp- no it's the actual application of the study so it’s a facility maintenance software that we take all that information we've collected we get it into a working software where we can plan everything out it'll help us plan everything out lifespans projected cost and it would be everything in the building a water heater a boiler lights whatever that is so it would be each item maintenance facility item that would be that software is just like our sub software there's a certain fee every year we have to pay to use it so you pay the initial setup and then whatever that fee is would be reoccurring each year to keep that software and keep all our maintenance stuff where you guys could just look at it.
Stout-it’d be great.
Boston-on North's assessment according to Upland we had-they were number threes that's the only threes they got was the ceilings, the stairs, the handrails, ceiling finishes and handicapped toilets and we got a five on the back flow prevention, so what's a back flow prevention?
Stepp- backflow prevention is that with the boiler is that correct? Ms. Kington tell us what that is.
Kington- it's a back flow that regulates your water coming into your building, so you don't get any back up going back out into...
Stepp- the domestic water system.
Boston- what kind of expense are we talking about there?
Kington-it would vary on the size of the pipes the pressure of the water how long where they put it.
Boston- I mean are we talking $500,000 are we talking about $100,000; you don't know?
Kington- I’d hate to say Teresa, I don’t know I have to...too many variables there.
Stepp- we're still working on this assessment since it just got here so we've sit and talked through this and she has several things she's going to look at cost for and needs for.
Boston- did North did we do the things for North for last year?
Bray-we pretty much got everything.
Boston- they were on the maintenance report or the maintenance sheet...
Hale-they were supposed to get renovated this year.
Boston- paint and door replacement.
Bray-we’ve done doors.
Boston- okay so the doors are done painting is done okay and bathroom partitions?
Kington- we’ve done bathroom partitions.
Boston- okay so those things okay.
Bray-they're in a similar situation at South they do not have an ADA restroom and that is a significant cost.
Boston- what kind of cost is that?
Stepp-4$0-$50,000.
Boston- just to do an ADA Bathroom and North does not have one?
Stepp- same situation as South.
Bray-that’s one of the things we're doing in South.
Stepp-yeah it's part of their renovation and what we're going to find is as two buildings were built similar times the problems one has the one built similar times about to have it too so that's what we had North electrical South electrical be after Martin and Homestead so we're just those buildings right now we have several buildings that are 40 50 60 years old and Miss Kington’s crew has done a great job to keep everything running but sometimes stuff just gets to the end of life of it you so that's something we’re running into’ just several buildings we're running into that right now.
Boston- well could we get before we make any decisions could we get some kind of idea of a backflow cost because that got number five that got I mean it's critical on North.
Stepp-if you think about it it's a valve and correct me Ms. Kington if I'm wrong it's a valve set up so the water can go in but can't go back out.
Boston- so I mean is that a costly fix or if this...
Stepp-it’s not going to be $500,000.
Boston- okay I'm asking we get..
Stepp- I wouldn't guess I don't know the cost all that stuff now but it wouldn't be a super high cost item.
Stout- but you're projecting that these things in the summary on the engineering report at North would be included in this 750 for the year so we're not looking at additional on top you're saying if we do the 750 that'll take care of what we need to resolve at North whether it be renovation...
Stepp-that's yeah initially that’s what we looked at but like I said we just now went through this so we're going to look at cost of each one of these things so that we can make sure that we work inside of that 750 to fix problems first.
Stout-0 right the priorities first.
Boston- if we've got number twos at North Elementary except for and I'm not sure what ceilings I'll have to go back and look at that stairs handrails ceiling finishes and handicap toilets I'm not sure that that would be $750,000 if we're going off the rotation and we're suspending that anyway then could we make the arrangements to fix those items at North until you can get with your team sit down and reassess what needs to be done and instead of spending $750,000 on a renovation do the things that that are critical and that are number threes and then go back to and reevaluate your rotation schedule because I noticed something that not on there is our tennis courts which is at a $500,000 range.
Stepp- we'll only get more expensive each year.
Boston-right we've got to do some tennis courts.
Stepp- and that we still have a million dollars left in the fund balance after this plan.
Boston- but do I really want to take $500,000 and leave us with only...
Stepp- our variables that that we need to look for in the future is what is the pay increase cost going to be we're not going to have fund balance to save us like it has the last several years so we're really going to have to look at the pay increases we still have a two phase two on two different high cost high need electrical Replacements so I mean that that’s something the Board needs to consider is the variables in the futures because my brain is working what’s sustainable so when we look at required pay raises it's mandated we have to do that I don’t know if TISA is going to go from $7,025 per average daily member per student I don't know if it's going to go up you know almost two grand like it did this year if it does that helps us out another unknown variable is they were talking about in some of the bills doing a $75 per kid facility and maintenance money to issue us we don't know if that's coming so there's just a lot of unknowns right now it’s a very moving target time right now so my idea is sustainability so you know we have to do the pay raises we want to serve the kids interventionist tennis courts whatever it is we just have to as a team make some hard decisions.
Boston- what's the condition because it was not on the maintenance sheet, I guess Mary, whoever, what is the condition of Brown's roof is it I mean it's 25 years old there’s no question does it to be replaced?
Kington- yes ma'am.
Boston- okay
Stepp-in talking with Ms. Kington and Ms. Bray today, Ms. Kington said a roof schedule that rotation has been solid for many years you should not stray from that is that correct Ms. Kington?
Boston- I'm not I mean if you need a roof you need a roof, I was just that’s such a big ticket item that we can't break up in two phases.
Safdie-I'm looking at this sheet that says maintenance needs and it has $3,758, 485.
Boston- that's old one. Kim, in your guesstimations what's it's going to what do you think our take out the 3% because we don’t have a choice about that what do you think our fund balance is going to look like?
Bray- I’m hoping it'll be after 3% I'm hoping we'll have at least a little over million, if we do these projects.
Boston- I'm not talking about doing these projects what I'm looking at is give me a number of where we start.
Bray- right now we are currently with and like I said I have to go and once we it's a lot easier for me to tell you that once we decide on the salary scales because salary and benefits is 85% of this budget. I mean it's 85% when you put the salaries the benefits the taxes this budget is basically people, it’s people and until we get the people square I really am uncomfortable quoting...
Stepp-so the guesstimate that we've put on the budget is $2.3 and some changes required by law that's our 3% and we have approximately $2 million over that so that's why when I presented this we got to $3.4 being the total of what I'm recommending we do next year that's why I said we'll pull 1 million out of that 2 million over that's over the $2.3 we already have and that will cover these very high ticket items for us without getting to where we’re violating law and going too low so that leaves you if we do what I recommended at least one, approximately 1 million and then once the salaries and everything flush out we can have hard numbers.
Stout- that 1 million will be our emergency fund basically above what we’re required to keep.
Boston- last year Chris what did we carry we had $2.3 left over last year?
King-pretty close.
Safdie- again this question is address to all three of you Mary and Mr. Stepp and our beloved’s chief executive officer Ms. Bray. Teresa mentioned North renovation and the question that she asked was do we need to spend $750,000 on North renovation, what is a critical versus a critical need versus a want can you all address that?
Bray-well it’s a need the critical and I'll let Mary say the bathroom situation as far as not having an ADA assessable bathroom,  that needs to be taken care of the kitchen floor is a what they call a quarry tile that's slick it needs to have basically do what we're doing in South and have a different coating put on it that's safety from a safety perspective I see that but the bathroom situation there there’s a bathroom that needs completely renovated and to me that's some of the higher dollar-Mary probably has things a better view of that than I do, there's some stair finishes and some handrails that we need we're doing the same thing at South I look at like what we're doing at South this would be a mirror almost of that. Mary's probably got some other things that she knows much better than I but that's just the things that when I walk through that I see.
Safdie-so I guess the question that I'm asking is we don’t have estimates really at this particular point do we of the actual cost?
Bray/Kington- no. so we might be talking about $500,000 as opposed to $750 and that would provide money for fencing at the Homestead school.
Boston- well what we-Kim you and I corresponded about this upgrade restrooms exterior doors are the exterior doors is what we have already done.
Bray- we're working on that we bought we have bought a ton of doors.
Boston- so the exterior doors are-I can take that off.
Bray-we're in process. I think we got that handled with some safety money.
Boston- okay sand and repaint vents Windows frames and doors so that's repainting do you have to bid that out?
Bray- that's a that's a bigger job.
Boston-now was that included in the painting that we did last year?
Bray- I don't think so.
Kington- that's a painting for this year, the $200,000 for North painting is this year is going to be done at the end of the school year.
Bray- will they do the vents, they won’t do the vents?
Kington-possibility.
Boston- okay so we could possibly take that off.
Kington- that's for this year but yes you're talking about the assessment Teresa, yes.
Boston- I'm talking about the assessment plus I'm also talking about when we had discussed what North Renovations would include it was going to includes sand and repaint vents Windows frames and door frames window frames and doorframes now is that going to be included in the painting you're doing this summer?
Kington- a portion of it.
Bray- portion of it okay and then epoxy floor I think that's what you said in the kitchen, in the cafeteria.
Bray-yes that’s an undertaking because you have to move all the equipment out of the kitchen and that is a major renovation.
Boston-but how expensive is it?
Bray- I'd have to look I could go back and pull Stubbs paperwork they're doing the exact same thing in South but I know when we walked it with them all of them were saying oh boy you know.
Boston- well the epoxy cafeteria floor was also on the assessment.
Bray-like I said it's a mirror almost of what we're doing at South.
Boston-okay and I think that bid came in at $534,000, $526 something like that.
Bray-little over half a million dollars, because we've done some of the doors and some of the other things, Mary has taken care of that.  
Safdie-each of the schools are still getting $10,000?
Boston- yes.
Stepp-even no cost has went way up yeah it's still the same capital outlay.
Safdie- I empathize with that, I understand.
Boston- okay so if we can we get some idea what the number is going to be?
Stepp- yeah we' already talked about getting that today that was part of our meeting today was trying to get a closer number.
Boston- cause we've already got $2.547 built into the budget and that still gives us the $2.5 left so we would only be pulling a certain amount out of that $800,000.
Bray- right you’d be pulling and addition 8.
Boston-and if there again we've got to do something with those tennis courts it's been three years. Hale-yeah but we also need to do about the fencing.
Boston-well here's my thought on the fencing and we've got $433,000 that we're doing a resolution tomorrow night on for outcome money.
Bray-now your septic is going to come out of that.
Boston-$250,000 we've already discussed that's critical.
Stepp- that'll be bid out and done this summer so it won't be on next fiscal year that's why it's not allocated on here.
Boston-right, but we're moving that over to general maintenance, $250,000 no question has got to come out of that for the Martin sewer because that's a critical issue but that also leaves us about I want to say $180,000 I think I when I calculated it up I needed $12,000 to fence Martin at what we've been quoted why not use the rest of it to fence Homestead not Martin Homestead why don’t we use the rest of it to...
Stepp-when we, I got a recommendation on that when we get down to the actual number eight budget draft, but I can make it now, if we're going to talk about it now.
Boston-go ahead.
Stepp-yeah so what I would recommend to the board and I talked about this the last budget meeting I would make a line item in our budget just for Homestead and dedicate that the overage money that we have or the out outcomes money to that and then possibly look at maybe dedicating some more to that for our short-term and our long-term solutions we're looking at for Safety and Security of Homestead so I would recommend we just make a separate line item put that money in there and then I'd like to create and I've talked a little bit about this had several people ask if we could do an information meeting on just Homestead and the board include the County Commission we all just sit down and Mary Elizabeth and her team me and my team go through all of the Homestead concerns with security and all that kind of stuff so that if there's future bigger things that we need to do which I would recommend we can talk about it and everybody be on the same page as far as the history and the where we're at what the sheriff thinks local law enforcement thinks we can go over the safety assessments we have to do with the state and you can see the high demand areas and all the items that they list is a high need from their viewpoint as far as safety security.
Stout- so start putting money towards...
Stepp- short-term and long-term goals yeah...
Stout- Homestead once we figure out the priorities and we have them there.
Stepp-yeah and that way we can systemically start covering everything if fence is the starting point fence and so on and so forth and we move through a very prioritized list that will be over time everything costs money so we have to figure out what can we do now what could we do partnered with County Commission if that's the direction we go all that kind of stuff and the way I came up with this was there was several requests made to do this I spent a long time with the wonderful Janet Graham and she talked through me through the Crab Orchard process how you guys did that and she said it was a great process and I think it was appreciated by board and County Commission so I'm going to try to lean on her expertise and follow that process with Homestead and it might lead us all the way to a totally different direction or it might be just short-term fixes it but I think we all just need to sit down and talk through it.
Boston-I think I really think we’ve got we've now got two SRO's at Homestead, Jeff Fitzgerald not fulltime but Jeff’s office is out there so unless he's called out to another school he's out there I think if that and the fencing were done that would get us to where we need to be in enclosing those two highways at that point then you address the building and go from there; that would that would be my thoughts.
Safdie- but Mr. Stepp when do you think you'll be having these meetings?
Stepp- as quick as we'd like or you know it depends on the board I mean I sent an email today just letting you know that's what I was thinking and I'll call and talk to each of you to see there something we want to go ahead and get done within this budget process up through June and that way if there is a long-term fix that we have to part with County Commission they can be thinking about that whether they'd want to or not I mean we don't know that but I think it would be very beneficial during this budget time to have a sit down like that and everyone can have the open discussion on where everyone feels the community is on Homestead because there’s a lot of things at Homestead that I have prioritized in my head that I've shared but you know it takes a community to talk through that kind of stuff.
Stout- I'm on board with doing that as soon as we possibly can sit down and do that as a group and talking to some of the Commissioners timing wise it sounds like the sooner the better for them as well because even if it is long-term planning for them to be able to set aside if a bond is needed for them to be able to set aside the money to secure that Bond they have to figure that into their budget as well so the sooner that we can a get a handle on this.
Boston-what kind of bond?
Stout- for if we were needing to build and get a bond to build.
Boston-oh you're talking about the major construction project.
Stout-the full security resolution.
Boston- what are the Commissioners looking at?
Stout- they're not looking at anything yet but in talking with them as far as getting together and planning they want to hear...
Stepp-the mentioned at the education committee meeting that they’d like to meet with you guys.  Stout- yeah so just they were just saying that they had to have a certain amount set aside to secure a bond and they would have to plan for that in the budget.
Stepp- which I haven't asked specifically for anything just to sit down and talk.
Stout-just pass through it figure out how we can get it done.
Boston-okay now that we have a new maintenance proposal, Chris any thoughts? I think we've got to address whether we want to whether we like to or not but we've got to address the tennis courts. Thoughts on that?
Hale- I think we need to get the critical things done first that's why we had the study done but not neglect everything from the original maintenance. I think that we've had we've got some money in there that we can get some of the original like North was supposed to get renovated maybe we can't do the whole amount but we can renovate what we can renovate. I think what Mr. Stepp has proposed is you know what he would like to get away just from that maintenance for this one time because we did come up with some things that are in dire need.
Boston- I think we've got to I think you can't you don't have enough money to-do...
Stepp- and we're going to update all this so once we get through this assessment if we the software through we're going to meet as a team until we have a long-term plan for you guys to look at and go okay budget that year budget that year budget that year it's an estimate because everything changes but we at least have an idea.
Boston- could we go ahead and put you know like we buy computers every year for three schools and we started that back in 2016 and we've not failed on it yet it’s just automatically rolled over each year could you put classroom furniture in that rotation?
Bray- it's in here it's in the capital outlay.
Boston-I saw that but four classrooms is not going to make a difference; you know it is but it's not we've got 357 classrooms and so if you take it off this year for this year and then add it back into or add it to the rotation then you have a starting point and you might could do I think four classrooms was $24,000 and you may be able to do you know seven classrooms a year or whatever let y'all discuss that when you're going through the maintenance rotation and see if we could get and not all classrooms may need classroom furniture that may be something you need to look at.
Bray-I think that's a from what I’ve seen not every classroom needs it but some desperately do. Boston-and if that's the case put it in the rotation.
Stepp- for FY ’25-26 yes.
Boston- and take it off for this year because you know we can use the money in the budget,  four classrooms is not going to make that big of a difference and if I get new furniture and Susie next door doesn't I ain't going to be happy.
Stout- what's the dollar amount attached to that?
Boston- $7,000 a classroom.
Bray-$24,000 this year.
Boston- yeah about $24,000 so if we take that and I'm not making a motion that we remove it just yet I'm just saying that's a thought one that I've looked at and just add it to the rotation just like we did the partitions and things of that nature but if y'all are going to recreate the maintenance rotation that’s a thought.
Stepp-duly noted.
Hale-so do we need to make a motion about doing anything?
Boston- I think we need some-Kim's going to get us some prices on some things before we make a motion to just go ahead and approve this that would be my thoughts-they can get those prices before we make a final decision; there's no doubt that there's some of these electrical...
Hale- we definitely need to get you know move it forward to the full board so that they can you know discuss it, correct?
Boston-we still got a couple meetings to go and get us some prices and let us take a look at what those things are going to cost and what your thoughts Chris, on fund balance what are you going to be comfortable with?
King-I think we're going to have to be comfortable with a million over the minimum to get all this done.
Boston- what is your thoughts about dipping into that to get the tennis courts done?
King-it’s risky.
Boston- I mean that's going to leave us with less than $500,000 if something happens.
Stepp- and to sustain that you have to spend another $500,000 or it's going to be more next year to put Tennis Courts at CCHS so you're looking at two different expenses.
Boston- yeah but you've got I mean we've got to get started on this we put this off for three years and they are only able to use four Courts at SMHS and so where can we squeeze that in is what I'm asking?
Stout- Mr. Stepp what if we can't feasibly figure out how to do the tennis courts with the other maintenance and security items that we're prioritizing what is set up as an alternative for the tennis players the tennis teams?
Stepp-currently CCHS is paired up with up Camp Nakanawa  and SMHS is using their four courts that they have currently so right now they are using things but it's other places or the just the four that work at SMHS.
Stout- do they have an alternative if they can no longer continue to use?
Stepp- at SMHS? We've looked at-I’ll just have to talk with Ms. Smith she's the one that's been and her the coach is actually a professional coach out at Fairfield Glade those courts are being used all the time though I'm understanding they're kind of full so I’d have to talk to Kelly to see if it becomes where they can't use those courts what her options are because I know Dr. Calahan worked his out.
Boston- well we've been using an alternative plan now literally for three years we've got to address it and I know that money is scarce and money is low on the budget maybe there are some things that we can go over and look at and take out and increase and whatever.
Safdie-what the stone Memorial High School tennis courts were deteriorating and so consequently it limited, boiled down to their use of four but at CCHS how many currently how many tennis courts do they have available?
Stepp/Boston-none
Safdie-okay we took away those tennis courts from them when we built the auditorium.
Stepp- they were already not playable.
Safdie- yeah so I think maybe our focus should be on CCHS because we took something away from them.
Boston-we can't but them in there until the auditorium is finished.
Safdie- and the auditorium would finished when?
Boston- September.
Stepp- in that time frame of that quarter yeah.
Safdie-Septemeber, so maybe that should be the plan is to wait until the auditorium is finished and then start with CCHS and build four tennis courts.
Boston- well you'd have to build 6 if you want to hold tournaments. 6 is $500,000?
Stepp-Yeah, 6 is the $500,000.
Safdie- I'm not sure that we need to hold tournaments. I think we can get them started and I think Mr. Stepp made a suggestion at the last meeting that because of the orientation of the sun we could build four tennis courts and then four tennis courts which means that...
Stepp-that's at SMHS.
Safdie- well doesn’t that also apply to Stone Memorial, actually CCHS tennis courts are just destroyed at this point so we have an option of building them in any direction and we could build four in one phase and four and next give them eight or four and two. I mean taking away something from students is different from deteriorating and then repairing.
Boston- well we've also been put on notice that those courts are dangerous I think was how the letter was so if somebody gets hurt we've been put on notice.
Safdie- yes we did receive a letter.
Stout- they'll probably have to stop using them at some point and that's why I was asking about alternative locations but I'm with Ms. Hale on this, I definitely want to make sure we're handling the learning expenses the maintenance and the security issues; we have approximately I believe Mr. Stepp correct me if I’m wrong, 25 students that are involved with tennis is that right?
Stepp- I think the total number between both schools is somewhere in that range.
Stout- Okay so we've got to look at what we’re paying by student where we're getting the biggest bang for our buck when we're working on things and we're going to prioritize.
Stepp- I'll get the exact numbers.
Boston-until we get some numbers on the maintenance I'd like to just kind of table that and see where I mean it may come up that we have some accessible funds there. I'll make a motion that we table the maintenance list, the new one new and improved and then take a look at that when we get some, when Ms. Bray gets us some numbers. Mr. Stepp do you have anything else before we go?
Stepp-would you all like to make a motion just to recommend that we add a Homestead line item so we can put the outcome money right into that Homestead line item?
Boston- well we can't because $250,000 of it’s going straight to Martin.
Stepp- right the other portion that we just talked about.
Boston-the $182...
Bray- I’ll need to change that budget amendment.
Boston-well we can make a motion to, we can do a resolution then to for Martin right would we have to do a resolution to Martin to spend the $250,000 on the sews.er project?
Bray-we just have to put it in a different account, to put it in a capital outlay versus maintenance. Boston-I say let's get it moved over first and then make the decision because I'd kind of like for more discussion to be put on Homestead fencing because that resolves the urgent necessary- because those kids are always going to go outside, I mean whether we put it under one key or not they're going outside and that could be an initial conversation.
Stepp-and there's some other options I talked with M Elizabeth about too so...
Boston-what are the other options?
Stepp- moving that playground from the front to the back was something that was discussed that might be more affordable.
Boston- is it fenced around the back even around the back?
Stepp- there is no fence in the back at all.
Stout- so we would still have to look at fencing around the back but then they would all be contained right in the playground area and away from the museum and parking area.
Stepp- that's why I'd like to have kind of a fuller conversation.
Hale-I think we need a fence all the way around it.
Stepp-if all the playgrounds are in the back, then for sure in the back, we got the playground out front then we need to look at those options too.
Nichols- and if you do a playground out front, you're going to have to do guard Shacks because there'll have to be...
Stepp- it's already there's already one there so what Ms. Elizabeth and correct me if I'm wrong if I'm saying this wrong talking very generically has looked at that being a possibility of movement.
Hale- but would that be a scheduling problem with who's using the playground if they're all together?
Elmonds-we have the football field that is no longer used for football and we could put a new playground back there and that would there is part of the back is already fenced so it would just be filling in those empty places and that would have all of our playgrounds on the back of the building and would completely eliminate anyone coming from the tower.
Hale-who uses the front playground?
Edmonds-I have second through fourth graders that use it right now.
Safdie- that's an interesting idea.
Stepp- well we're trying to look at all the options, so we do the absolute best option and all these are good solutions everything that's been said is things that we need to do at Homestead.
Stout- it's going to be a combination of things in order to make sure it's as secure as possible.
Stepp-that’s why I think just having a line item that money goes there we do fencing or whatever and then we can continue as we decide after meeting we want to put more emphasis there then we can put more emphasis there.
Nichols-in the back gets the kids away from both highways.
Safdie-you still have Rector Road.
Nichols- yeah but that's not near as busy as 127 and 68, I live out there it’s a zoo right now.
Stout- or the museum people are coming and going from the museum.
Nichols-so much traffic, I talked to Mary Elizabeth the other day she was telling me about the people who picnic during school hours-they think that's the tower picnic area so she has to go out there and break up a picnic and send a family on their way because people just stop and picnic.
Hale-we should make a motion for a line item is that what you're asking?
Stepp- I recommend having a line it for Homestead because I think there's going to be more than just this initial short term.
Hale- yeah so I'd make them uh motion that we put a Homestead on the line item.
Boston-on the capital outline?
Hale- say again?
Boston- on the capital outlay, is that where it’d go?
Hale- yes on the capital outlay.
Bray-for this year or next year?
Stout-well it's this money from this year right and then we would just carry that line item over to next year?
Stepp- it would stay a line item.
Bray-it would roll the money to Homestead out of the budget.
King- I'll second the motion.
Boston- now $433,000 is going to general maintenance after tomorrow night so we could actually do a second motion removing that and putting that in-one in for Martin or if it's already in general maintenance, you can just do Martin and then transfer the $182,000 185 whatever it is into capital outlay into Homesteads line item?
Bray-we would just do a resolution.
Stepp-and that shows the board is serious about working on a Homestead.
Clark-(audience member) you have second on the table.
Hale- yes, I made a motion that we...
Boston-thank you, appreciate that.
Hale-I made the motion and Chris seconded it.
Boston- for the line item Homestead? All in favor?
Hale/King-aye.
Boston-all opposed? Your line item has been created. It is 10 till 8, what I would like to do is make a motion to adjourn for this evening and come back and let's go ahead and try to look at... well I'll make a motion to adjourn where we are right now.
King-second.  
Boston-okay Chris seconds, all in favor?
King/Hale-aye.
Boston-all opposed? Meeting adjourned

 

Discussion:  The meeting was adjourned at approximately 8:00pm