Oct 21, 2026 October 21, 2025 - Work Session - Finance

[00:00:09]

GOOD EVENING, AND WELCOME TO THE OCTOBER 21, 2026

[1. Public Session - 7:00 p.m.]

PLEASE RISE FOR THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE.

ALL: I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS.

ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.

JACKIE DE ANGELIS: OK, THANK YOU.

TONIGHT'S MEETING IS A BOARD WORK SESSION FOCUSED ON SCHOOL FINANCE AND THE CONSIDERATIONS THAT WILL SHAPE OUR 2027, 2028 BUDGET.

UNLIKE OUR REGULAR BUSINESS MEETINGS, WORK SESSIONS, WE GIVE THE BOARD AND ADMINISTRATION AN OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE A DEEPER DIVE INTO A TOPIC AND HAVE A MORE EXTENDED DISCUSSION.

OVER THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS, OUR DISTRICT HAS WORKED HARD TO MANAGE RISING COSTS WHILE PRESERVING THE STRONG EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS, OPPORTUNITIES, AND STUDENT SUPPORTS THAT OUR COMMUNITY VALUES.

WE'VE ALSO WORKED TO MAINTAIN A STRONG FINANCIAL POSITION SO THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO DELIVER AN EXCELLENT EDUCATION FOR OUR STUDENTS WELL INTO THE FUTURE.

THAT BALANCE, MAINTAINING THE QUALITY OF OUR SCHOOLS, WHILE PLANNING RESPONSIBLY FOR THE LONG TERM, IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE BOARD'S GOALS AND WILL CONTINUE TO GUIDE OUR WORK AS THE DISTRICT DEVELOPS NEXT YEAR'S BUDGET.

TONIGHT, WE'LL HEAR MORE ABOUT THE VALUE OF PELHAM PUBLIC SCHOOLS EDUCATION, THE BREADTH OF PROGRAMS, THE OPPORTUNITIES AND SUPPORTS, THE OUTCOMES WE SEE FOR STUDENTS, AND HOW WE MANAGED TO SUSTAIN ALL OF THAT IN AN ENVIRONMENT OF PERSISTENT INFLATION AND RISING COSTS.

WE'LL ALSO SPEND SOME TIME DISCUSSING UNIVERSAL PRE-K, WHICH NEW YORK STATE IS REQUIRING US TO BEGIN OFFERING ON A LIMITED BASIS NEXT YEAR AND OUR ATHLETIC PROGRAM, WHICH HAS BEEN A TOPIC OF COMMUNITY DISCUSSION OVER THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS.

WE HAVE A WONDERFUL, ROBUST ATHLETIC PROGRAM.

AND WE CONTINUE TO HEAR FROM FAMILIES INTERESTED IN ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS.

AS WE LOOK AT HOW TO SUSTAIN THE PROGRAM, WE ALSO WANT TO UNDERSTAND WHERE THERE MAY BE OPPORTUNITIES TO THOUGHTFULLY EXPAND WHAT IS OFFERED.

FOR MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY WHO MAY BE LISTENING, TONIGHT IS ALSO THE FIRST OF MANY OPPORTUNITIES TO LEARN ABOUT THE ISSUES AND CHOICES THAT SHAPE NEXT YEAR'S BUDGET.

OUR GOAL-- THE BOARD'S GOAL THIS EVENING IS TO HEAR FROM THE ADMINISTRATION, BREAK INTO SMALLER GROUPS OR TWO GROUPS FOR A MORE IN-DEPTH DISCUSSION, AND PROVIDE SOME INITIAL GUIDANCE AS THE BUDGET DEVELOPMENT PROCESS GETS UNDERWAY.

SO WITH THAT, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO DR. CHAMP.

CHERYL CHAMP: DO WE NEED TO DO A CLERK PRO TEM?

[2.1 Motion to Appoint Clerk Pro Tem]

DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE A CLERK PRO TEM DR. CHAMP? AUDIENCE: SO MOVED.

AUDIENCE: SECOND.

JACKIE DE ANGELIS: ALL IN FAVOR? AYE.

CHERYL CHAMP: THANK YOU.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

[3.1 Work Session - Finance]

WE'RE EXCITED TO BE HERE TONIGHT.

I KNOW THE FORMAT IS VERY DIFFERENT FOR ANYONE WHO MIGHT BE TUNING IN.

BUT AS JACKIE SAID, OUR GOAL TONIGHT IS TO SPEND SOME TIME GIVING THE BOARD A CHANCE TO HEAR SOME OVERVIEW OF INFORMATION, A LOT OF ON THE FINANCIAL SIDE, AND HAVE A CHANCE TO HAVE SMALL GROUP CONVERSATION, DIG DEEPER INTO NOT ONLY THE PROGRAMS THAT WE'VE BUILT, THE SUSTAINABILITY AROUND THOSE PROGRAMS, AND ALSO THE FINANCIAL LANDSCAPE TO HELP SUPPORT THOSE AT THE SAME TIME, ALL OF THAT WITH THE GOAL OF THEN HELPING TO PROVIDE GUIDANCE TO MYSELF AND THE CABINET AS WE THEN BEGIN THE BUDGET PREPARATION PROCESS.

SO WE WANT TO BE CLEAR ABOUT WHAT VALUES, PRIORITIES ARE FOR THE BOARD, FOR THE DISTRICT, FOR THE COMMUNITY, SO THAT WE CAN HELP CRAFT A VERY RESPONSIBLE AND RESPONSIVE BUDGET.

SO WE DO ANTICIPATE-- I'VE GOT A SLIDE AT THE END.

BUT JUST A REMINDER, WE'RE EARLY IN THE PROCESS.

OCTOBER IS TRADITIONALLY OUR BOARD GUIDANCE MONTH.

THE BUSINESS OFFICE IS ALREADY STARTING TO ASSEMBLE THINGS.

AND WE'LL HEAR A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT AS WE GO THROUGH TONIGHT.

WE DO PLAN TO FOLLOW TONIGHT'S WORK SESSION UP WITH A THOUGHT EXCHANGE TO THE COMMUNITY.

SO ONCE WE DO THE BOARD WRAP-UP FOR THE EVENING, THE INFORMATION SUMMARY OF OUR WORK SESSION WILL GO OUT, AS WELL AS A SURVEY WITH THAT, TO START TO ALSO GATHER SOME INSIGHTS AND INFORMATION FROM THE COMMUNITY AS WELL.

SO OUR NEW PARTNERSHIP WITH THOUGHTEXCHANGE, THEY'VE GOT A SERIES OF BUDGET ENGAGEMENTS THAT THEY'VE DONE WITH OTHER DISTRICTS THAT HAVE HELPED TO INFORM, HELP TO UNDERSTAND COMMUNITY PRIORITIES AS WE HEAD INTO BUDGET DEVELOPMENT AND BUDGET VOTE.

AND THEN ULTIMATELY, THEY EVEN HAVE SOME EXIT POLLING STRATEGIES.

SO A KIND OF A CADENCE OF SEEKING FEEDBACK FROM OUR COMMUNITY AND FROM OUR STAKEHOLDERS AND GIVING US, TOO, THEN THE ABILITY TO PROVIDE, THIS IS WHAT WE HEARD, THIS IS WHAT WE'RE DOING WITH IT, AND THIS IS HOW IT'S INFORMING OUR BUDGET DEVELOPMENT EACH YEAR.

SO WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT.

SO MORE TO COME ON THAT.

AS WE BEGIN TONIGHT, WE WANT TO START ANCHORED IN OUR VALUES.

WE NEED TO KNOW WHY DO WE DO WHAT WE DO.

[00:05:02]

OUR FOCUS IS FINANCES.

AND I KNOW THE BOARD KNOWS THIS, JUST TO SAY IT AS A REMINDER, OUR RESOURCES PARALLEL OUR VALUES.

SO IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT, AS WE'RE APPROACHING FINANCES, THAT WE'RE PUTTING OUR STUDENTS AT THE CENTER.

WE'RE PUTTING OUR VALUES OF COMMUNITY AND BELONGING, WELLNESS AND BALANCE, LEARNING AND GROWTH AT THE CENTER OF OUR WORK.

AND THEN AS WE CELEBRATE WHAT WE'VE BUILT AND THE EXPERIENCES WE'VE GIVEN TO OUR STUDENTS, THE EXCELLENCE THAT IS DEMONSTRATED AS A RESULT OF THOSE, AND THEN ULTIMATELY, WHERE DO WE LOOK FOR THE FUTURE.

IT'S IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER AND STAY GROUNDED THERE.

THE BOARD, I KNOW, IS VERY AWARE OF THE THINGS ON THESE SLIDES, BUT WE DON'T WANT TO TAKE THEM FOR GRANTED.

WE'RE IN, I BELIEVE, THE THIRD YEAR OF OUR STRATEGIC PLAN.

SEVERAL BOARD MEMBERS ON THIS BOARD WERE PART OF THAT PLANNING.

SO WE CONTINUE TO PROGRESS THROUGH THAT UNDER THE THREE BRANCHES OF PERSONAL GROWTH AND ACHIEVEMENT, BELONGING AND WELLNESS, AND FACILITIES AND SUSTAINABLE LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS.

SO JUST A COUPLE HIGHLIGHTS THERE SHOWED FOR YOU.

WE'RE GOING TO TOUCH ON MANY OF THESE THINGS AS WE GO THROUGH TONIGHT'S PRESENTATION.

SO YOU CAN ACTUALLY SEE THE WORK THAT HAS HAPPENED.

WE'RE GOING TO BE FOCUSING PROBABLY LARGELY ON ALMOST A 10-YEAR TIME FRAME THAT WE'RE REFLECTING ON.

PART OF THAT I WOULD SAY, JIM AND I, THIS IS OUR 10TH YEAR IN THE DISTRICT.

SO IT'S SOMETHING, I THINK, THAT'S VERY REAL AND FRESH TO US.

SO IT'S THE DIRECT RESULT, I THINK, OF A LOT OF OUR WORK AND THE WORK OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE TEAM AND THE WORK OF BOARDS AND ADMINISTRATORS UNDER.

NOW, I THINK IT'S ABOUT THREE DIFFERENT STRATEGIC PLANS IN THAT 10-YEAR TIME FRAME.

BUT IT ALSO GIVES US A GOOD DECADE.

IN EDUCATION, YOU NEED A LITTLE TIME FOR THINGS TO TAKE ROOT.

SO IT'S A GOOD SNAPSHOT POINT IN WHICH TO TAKE A LOOK BACK.

SO AS WE CONTINUE TO WORK OUT THE STRATEGIC PLANS FOR THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS, WE'VE TRIED TO TIE WHAT IS A LOT OF WORK IN THESE DIFFERENT BUT OVERLAPPING AREAS INTO SOME MORE TANGIBLE GOALS FOR US.

AND THE BOARD KNOWS THIS.

OUR THREE BIG ROCKS, THE BIGGEST PRIORITIES WE FOCUSED ON FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS.

FIRST, UNDER SUSTAINABLE SYSTEMS OF SUPPORTS FOR ALL STUDENTS, WE EXPANDED THAT TO SYSTEMS OF SUPPORTS FOR ALL LEARNERS.

FOCUS SPECIFICALLY ON HOW ARE WE GOING THROUGH THE NEW YORK INSPIRES TRANSFORMATIONS.

WHAT ARE WE DOING AROUND INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY? SO WE HAD A WONDERFUL TURNOUT AT THE PARENT SESSION ON OCTOBER 13, FOLLOWING OUR LAST BOARD MEETING, WHERE MR. SEBALOS AND MS. DELMASTRO PRESENTED ON OUR APPROACH TO SCREEN TIME AND AI AND INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY IN GENERAL.

SO WE'RE GLAD FOLKS ARE CONTINUING TO ENGAGE ON THAT.

WE HAVE A BOARD COFFEE, I BELIEVE TOMORROW MORNING, 9 O'CLOCK, SHEA STATION.

SO WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO CONTINUING THAT CONVERSATION THERE AT UPCOMING PTAS, ET CETERA.

SO CONTINUED ENGAGEMENT AROUND THOSE TOPICS.

AND THEN OF COURSE, WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON OUR MTSS IMPLEMENTATION AS WELL.

AND AS YOU WILL SEE, AS WE GO THROUGH WHAT WE'VE INVESTED IN OVER THESE LAST 5 TO 10 YEARS, A LOT OF IT WILL ANCHOR ESPECIALLY AROUND THAT MTSS PROCESS AREA AS WE FOCUSED ON THE SYSTEMS OF SUPPORT.

SO WHAT ARE THE THINGS THAT WE'RE PROUD OF? WHAT DEFINES WHO WE ARE, WHO PELHAM IS? AND WHAT KIND OF PERSONIFIES THOSE VALUES? SO FIRST AND FOREMOST, FROM DAY 1 THAT I'VE BEEN IN THE DISTRICT, CONTINUES TO BE THE CASE, A TALENTED FACULTY AND STAFF IS A KEY CORE OF WHO WE ARE AND WHO WE CONTINUE TO BE.

SO INVESTING IN THE HIRING PROCESS, FINDING, RETAINING THE HIGHEST QUALITY STAFF AND THEN CONTINUING TO HONE OUR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND SUPERVISION PROCESSES HAVE BEEN REALLY CRITICAL WORK THAT'S BEEN HAPPENING IN THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS, ESPECIALLY SINCE DR. FITZGERALD HAS TAKEN OVER.

A LOT OF THE WORK THAT SHE'S BEEN ABLE TO FOCUS ON, HAVING THAT AS A DESIGNATED POSITION HAS REALLY BEEN THAT WHOLE PIPELINE OF DEVELOPMENT, AS IT BECOMES HARDER AND HARDER TO FIND HIGH-QUALITY TEACHING STAFF AND HIGH QUALITY STAFF ACROSS THE BOARD REALLY BECAUSE OF THE POOL OF CANDIDATES.

MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE, IT'S JUST A DIMINISHING POOL.

TO BE ABLE TO CONTINUE TO RECRUIT THE BEST TALENT FOR PELHAM HAS BEEN GREAT TO HAVE A DEDICATED OFFICE TO THOSE EFFORTS.

AND THEN HOW DO WE DEVELOP THEM ONCE THEY COME HERE? AND HOW DO WE CONTINUE TO BUILD OUR SCHOOL CULTURE AT THE ADULT LEVEL IN ADDITION TO THE STUDENT LEVEL? SO THAT'S ALWAYS BEEN A VALUE TO US, CONTINUES TO BE PART OF WHO WE ARE.

WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE AS IT ROLLS OUT INTO STUDENT LEVEL EXPERIENCE? SO THAT'S ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE AND ROBUST OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS.

SO THESE ARE THE PROGRAMS, AS YOU SEE, THAT WE'VE INVESTED IN AND TALKED ABOUT MANY TIMES THAT PERSONIFY WHAT WE VALUE AND BELIEVE.

SO EVERYTHING FROM WORLD LANGUAGES, SEAL OF CIVIC READINESS, OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS TO ENGAGE AT HIGH RIGOROUS LEVELS AT THE SECONDARY LEVEL TO COLLEGE LEVEL COURSEWORK.

LEANING ON THE RESEARCH THAT WE KNOW ABOUT STUDENTS HAVING OPPORTUNITIES FOR RIGOROUS COURSEWORK AT THE COLLEGE LEVEL, KNOWING THAT THERE'S RESEARCH TO SUPPORT STUDENTS BEING INVOLVED IN ATHLETICS AND EXTRACURRICULAR OPPORTUNITIES.

[00:10:04]

SO OUR INVESTMENTS, AS YOU THINK ABOUT THEM, REALLY DO CENTER ON SOME OF THOSE HIGH-LEVEL SYSTEMS. SO PROVIDING HIGH QUALITY, CHILD-FOCUSED EDUCATION, WHICH COMES FROM OUR STAFF AS A STARTING POINT.

SO HOW DO WE INCREASE OPPORTUNITIES FOR PROFESSIONAL LEARNING? SO WE CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THEM.

HOW DO WE MENTOR NEW TEACHERS? WE'RE NOW IN THE PROCESS OF STARTING TO REDEFINE TEACHER EVALUATION, WHICH IS REALLY EXCITING BECAUSE THE STATE MOVED US TO A VERY COMPLIANT APPROACH 10 TO 15 YEARS AGO.

WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY NOW TO MOVE BACK TO A MUCH MORE SUBSTANTIVE APPROACH.

AND THAT'S WHAT WE WANT TO DO IN IS TO BE THOUGHTFUL ABOUT HOW WE SUPPORT OUR EDUCATORS AS THEY ARE THE DIRECT SUPPORT FOR OUR STUDENTS.

WE'VE ALSO WORKED OVER THE YEARS TO INCREASE OPPORTUNITIES TO MEET THE NEEDS OF ALL STUDENTS, NOT JUST THOSE WHO NEED SUPPORT OR THOSE WHO ARE READY FOR AP COURSE CHALLENGES.

BUT WHAT ARE WE DOING TO INCREASE OPPORTUNITIES ACROSS THAT SPECTRUM FOR ALL STUDENTS? AND THAT IS PART OF WHAT WE LOOK AT THROUGH OUR MTSS PROCESS, WHAT ALL STUDENTS NEED, WHETHER IT'S SUPPORT OR ENRICHMENT ANYWHERE ALONG THE CONTINUUM.

THROUGH THAT, WE'VE INCREASED COURSE SELECTION OFFERINGS.

WE'VE INCREASED THE NUMBERS OF STUDENTS GOING INTO OUR HIGHER LEVEL COURSES BY ADDING SUPPORTS RIGHT WITHIN THE NORMAL PROGRAM.

WE'VE EVEN OPENED THE DOORS OF ACCESS TO OUR BOCES VOCATIONAL PROGRAMS. AND I'VE SAID IT BEFORE, I'LL SAY IT AGAIN.

WHEN JIM AND I STARTED, WE LIMITED IT TO 10 STUDENTS.

WE'RE CLOSE TO 30 STUDENTS NOW ATTENDING.

AND THAT'S WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY FOR STUDENTS WHO CHOOSE THOSE PATHWAYS.

SYSTEMS OF SUPPORT.

WE'VE ALREADY MENTIONED MTSS.

WE'VE ALSO, AS THE BOARD KNOWS, INVESTED SIGNIFICANTLY IN GROWTH IN INTEGRATED CO-TEACH, SOMETHING THE DISTRICT DID NOT HAVE AT THE ELEMENTARIES FOR EVER UNTIL THE LAST FEW YEARS.

AND WE TOOK THE PLUNGE ABOUT FIVE YEARS AGO, KNOWING THAT IT'S A BIG LIFT AND IT'S AN IMPORTANT INVESTMENT FOR A DISTRICT OF OUR SIZE WITH NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOLS.

THAT WAS ALWAYS OUR CHALLENGE.

SO TAKING THE CHALLENGE ON AND BEING STRATEGIC ABOUT PLACEMENT, WE'VE INVESTED THERE AND GROWN THAT BY ABOUT A TEACHER AND A GRADE LEVEL PER YEAR THROUGH THE ELEMENTARIES.

THIS YEAR, WE NOW HAVE K-4 INTEGRATED CO-TEACH.

SO WE HAVE TWO MORE YEARS OF GROWTH TO BE THINKING ABOUT, WHICH WILL THEN GIVE US A FULL CONTINUUM OF ICT FROM KINDERGARTEN ALL THE WAY UP THROUGH WHERE STUDENTS MEET THEIR GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS.

AND OF COURSE, WE'LL BE RETHINKING GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS, TOO.

SO WE'LL HAVE TO KEEP LOOKING AT WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE FOR OUR STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS THAT ARE COLLEGE-BOUND STUDENTS, THAT ARE GOING THROUGH THE TYPICAL ACADEMIC PROGRAM.

BUT IT'S BEEN GREAT TO BE ABLE TO GROW THAT WORK AND SEE THE RESULTS OF THAT IN OUR STUDENTS.

ALSO, WE'VE INVESTED MORE IN SPECIAL CLASSES.

AND TRACY WILL ADD A LITTLE BIT OF COLOR FOR US SHORTLY IN THE PRESENTATION.

WHILE OUR CLASSIFICATION RATE AS A DISTRICT IS STILL HOLDING AT ABOUT 13%, THAT'S VERY LOW.

WE'VE BEEN, I THINK, ANYWHERE BETWEEN 11% TO 13% IN MY TIME IN THE DISTRICT.

I THINK REGIONALLY, IT'S CLOSER-- I'M LOOKING AT TRACY, ABOUT 19? 18, 19? THANK YOU.

20 STATEWIDE.

SO ABOUT 16% REGIONALLY.

WE'RE AT 13.

REGION IS 15.

STATE IS CLOSE TO 20, 18% TO 20%, OF CLASSIFIED STUDENTS IN THE DISTRICT TO SPECIAL EDUCATION CLASSIFICATION RATE.

SO WE'VE SEEN OUR SPECIAL CLASSES INCREASE IN ADDITION TO OUR ICT, GROWING OUR INTEGRATED CO-TEACH, BECAUSE OF THE INTENSITY OF STUDENT NEED.

WHILE OUR CLASSIFICATION RATE IS HOLDING, THE INTENSITY OF NEEDS OF OUR STUDENTS HAS INCREASED.

AND SO WE'RE ADDING THINGS LIKE ADDITIONAL SPECIAL CLASSES.

AND AGAIN, WE ADDED A NEW KINDERGARTEN 812, NOT THIS YEAR BUT THE PRIOR YEAR.

SO WE'RE CONTINUING TO SEE THOSE KINDS OF AREAS OF GROWTH.

AND EVEN FOR OUR STUDENTS WHO ARE GOING OUT OF DISTRICT, MORE SIGNIFICANT NEEDS THAN WHAT WE'VE SEEN IN THE PAST AND NEEDS BEYOND WHAT WE'RE ABLE TO PROVIDE HERE.

SO WE CONTINUE TO SEE THAT.

AND THAT'S A PATTERN THAT'S SEEN REGIONALLY AS WELL.

504 OVERSIGHT.

AGAIN, ANOTHER SLIDE, WE'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT.

BUT THAT'S CONTINUING TO BE AN AREA OF GROWTH AS WELL IN PROVIDING THE APPROPRIATE SUPPORTS THERE.

ENL, WE HAVE SMALL NUMBERS, RELATIVELY SPEAKING.

BUT SMALL NUMBERS CAN STILL HAVE AN IMPACT, WHICH WE'LL SEE BUDGETARILY AS WELL COMING UP IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF SLIDES.

AND AS I MENTIONED BEFORE, WE'VE WORKED TO INCREASE SOME OF THOSE SUPPORTS FOR STUDENTS WHO ARE MORE IN THAT MIDDLE READINESS LEVEL.

THINGS LIKE ADDING SEMINAR CLASSES ONTO COURSES, PROVIDING DROP-IN TUTORING FOR MATH, INCREASED INTERVENTION, STAFFING, K THROUGH MIDDLE SCHOOL.

SO THESE HAVE BEEN THE AREAS OF INVESTMENT BECAUSE WE BELIEVE IN THOSE SYSTEMS. WE BELIEVE IN INVESTING IN THEM.

YOU PROVIDE THE FOUNDATION, AND STUDENTS WILL THEN BLOSSOM FURTHER DOWN WITH A STRONG FOUNDATION.

[00:15:03]

AND AGAIN, AS I SAID, OUR SCHOOL CULTURE, WE KNOW, IS THE FOUNDATION FOR THE WORK THAT WE DO UPON IT.

SO MAKING INTENTIONAL EFFORTS AND SYSTEMIC EFFORTS TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL STUDENTS FIND A PLACE WHERE THEY FEEL A SENSE OF BELONGING AND WELLNESS AND SAFETY.

EMOTIONALLY, THEY'VE GOT THE SUPPORTS THEY NEED.

WE'VE INVESTED THERE AS WELL.

AND THEN AS A RESULT OF THOSE PIECES, A RIGOROUS CURRICULUM AND THE APPROPRIATE LEVELS OF SUPPORTS AND ENRICHMENT, STUDENTS THEN FLOURISH.

SO THAT'S WHAT WE'RE SEEING ON THE RETURN SIDE.

SO AS WE'VE TALKED ABOUT BACK REALLY DURING THE BUDGET SEASON, BUT JUST AS A REMINDER, OVER 80% OF OUR STUDENTS ARE ACHIEVING AT PROFICIENCY OR MASTERY LEVEL IN MOST CASES ON OUR ELA AND MATH STATE ASSESSMENTS AT THE 3 THROUGH 8 LEVEL.

THEY'RE ALSO ACHIEVING AT LEAST THAT LEVEL AND EVEN HIGHER AT REGENTS EXAMS. AND WE KNOW THAT REGENTS WILL BE CHANGING, BUT THAT IS OUR CURRENT MEASURE OF WHERE THINGS STAND.

SO WE'RE REALLY PROUD OF THEIR ACHIEVEMENT THERE.

EVERY YEAR, WE CONTINUE TO HAVE NATIONAL MERIT COMMENDED, SEMIFINALISTS AND FINALIST STUDENTS.

THIS YEAR IS NO EXCEPTION.

SO I THINK WE HAD ONE STUDENT ACHIEVING AT THE SEMIFINALIST LEVEL.

AND I BELIEVE WE HAD 13 COMMENDED STUDENTS, WHICH I THINK IS THE LARGEST IN THE HISTORY OF THE SCHOOL.

WE CONTINUE TO HAVE STUDENTS ACHIEVING AT WESEF IN SCIENCE TALENT SEARCH AND EVEN PERIODICALLY AT THE INTERNATIONAL SCIENCE ISEF LEVEL.

WE HAD A HUGE NUMBER OF STUDENTS THAT QUALIFIED FOR ALL STATE AREA, ALL STATE AND ALL STATE MUSIC.

WE'LL BE RECOGNIZING THEM AT OUR NEXT BOARD MEETING.

WE CONTINUE TO GET ROGER REES AND JIMMY AWARD NOMINATIONS THROUGH OUR PERFORMING ARTS PROGRAMS. OUR FORENSICS DEBATE TEAM, WE'RE ALREADY GETTING WEEKLY EMAILS FROM MR. BECK AS HE COMES BACK FROM OUR COMPETITIONS.

SO CONTINUING TO SEE STUDENTS RISE TO THAT LEVEL OF EXCELLENCE IN BEING IDENTIFIED IN THEIR AREAS OF INTEREST AS THEY CONTINUE TO PURSUE THEIR PASSIONS.

AND EVEN WE INCLUDED SOME DATA THERE ON CLIMATE SURVEYS.

WE'RE GETTING READY TO LAUNCH THE FALL STUDENT [INAUDIBLE] IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS.

WE'VE REVISED THOSE AND UPDATED THEM IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THOUGHTEXCHANGE.

SO BY DOING THAT, WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO PULL THE OLD DATA IN, BUT ALSO THEN USE THE NEW SURVEY IN OUR THOUGHTEXCHANGE TOOL TO GAIN ADDITIONAL INSIGHTS ACROSS THOSE DATA SETS TO HELP US CONTINUE TO FOCUS OUR AREAS OF GROWTH TO WORK ON SCHOOL CULTURE.

BUT WE'RE SEEING SOME GREAT THINGS THERE ALREADY.

IF YOU LOOK AT EVEN SOME OF THE DATA THAT WE INCLUDED, MORE THAN 3/4 OF MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS AND OVER 90% OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS FEEL SAFE IN THEIR SCHOOL.

THAT'S FOUNDATIONAL LEVEL OF BLOOM'S TAXONOMY, OF WHAT PEOPLE NEED TO DO TO THEN MOVE TO THOSE UPPER LEVELS OF ACTUALIZATION.

SO WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT THAT AND PROUD TO KEEP WORKING ON THAT.

AND YOU CAN JUST SEE SOME OF THE QUICK HIGHLIGHTS OF SOME OF THOSE ACHIEVEMENTS THAT WE HAVE ALREADY SEEN THIS YEAR.

ANOTHER AREA, WE'VE TALKED A LOT ABOUT THE PROGRAMMATIC SIDE.

I WENT THROUGH IT VERY QUICKLY BECAUSE I KNOW THE BOARD WAS WITH US THROUGH MOST OF THAT.

THE OTHER AREA OF SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT THAT I THINK IS WORTH HIGHLIGHTING AND IS ALIGNED TO OUR STRATEGIC PLAN HAS TO DO WITH SPACE AND TIME UPGRADES.

SO WE KIND OF LAID OUT SOME OF THE KEY CATEGORIES.

CERTAINLY, OUR 2018 BOND, BUILDING A NEW HUTCHINSON SCHOOL WAS SIGNIFICANT.

THAT'S WHERE WE TURFED MOST OF GLOVER.

AT THAT POINT IN TIME, WE HAD ONE TURF FIELD AT THAT POINT IN TIME.

AT THIS POINT, EVERYTHING, EXCEPT RICHIE BELL FIELD IS TURFED, WHICH GIVES US A MUCH MORE EXPANDED USABILITY OF THE FIELDS.

WE'RE LESS DEPENDENT ON WEATHER CONDITIONS BECAUSE IF IT RAINS, AS LONG AS IT'S NOT LIGHTNING AND THUNDERING, WE CAN BE OUT THERE.

AND WE'LL BE ABLE TO GET OUT THERE SOONER IN THE SPRING, STAY OUT LATER IN THE FALL, STAY OUT LATER AT NIGHT, BE ABLE TO SUSTAIN MORE WEAR AND TEAR ON THE FIELDS BECAUSE OF THAT TURF, WHICH IS A GREAT THING FOR OUR STUDENTS.

CERTAINLY ADDS LONG TERM TO UTILIZATION, WHICH CERTAINLY HAS LONG-TERM IMPACTS TO THINK ABOUT.

THROUGH THAT, WE WERE ALSO ABLE TO IMPROVE SAFETY AND ADA ACCESSIBILITY AT PROSPECT HILL, EXPAND SOME CLASSROOMS AND DO ONGOING MASONRY WORK.

OUR 2025 BOND, SOME SIMILAR THEMES THERE WITH UPGRADING INFRASTRUCTURE, WHICH THAT WORK BEGAN THIS PAST SUMMER.

REALLY, I THINK WE'LL BE SEEING IT IN EARNEST AS WE APPROACH THIS NEXT CYCLE.

BUT THAT'S REALLY UPGRADING, IN ESSENCE, OUR 100-YEAR-OLD BUILDINGS DISTRICT-WIDE FOR THOSE CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE PIECES TO MAKE SURE THAT THE LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS ARE UP TO DATE.

THE INTEGRITY OF THE BUILDINGS AND SYSTEMS IS THERE.

UPDATING THE QUALITY OF THE SPACES AS WELL, WHICH THEN, AS WE'VE SEEN ALREADY IN PLACES LIKE HUTCHINSON, WHERE WE'VE DONE THOSE KIND OF UPGRADES.

NOW, THEY'RE BECOMING THE COMMUNITY ASSETS, UPDATING THE COMMUNITY ASSETS.

AND BY WAY OF DOING THAT, PEOPLE WANT TO BE THERE.

MORE OPPORTUNITIES TO USE THE FACILITIES, MORE RESOURCES AVAILABLE WITHIN THE FACILITIES.

AND THE COMMUNITY, OPENING OUR DOORS TO THE COMMUNITY.

[00:20:01]

SO WE'LL SEE THAT AS WE ROLL OUT THE 2025 BOND PROJECTS AS WELL.

ALSO, ADDITIONAL PROJECTS THAT WE'VE SEEN OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS, WE'VE BROUGHT ON THE PURCHASE OF THE PELHAMDALE HOUSE, WHICH NOW SERVES AS THE BUSINESS OFFICE.

THE PURCHASE OF THE FRANKLIN PLACE HOUSE, WHICH WILL THEN SERVE AS MY SUPERINTENDENT'S OFFICE.

IT'LL BE THE SUPERINTENDENT'S OFFICE, ALONG WITH CURRICULUM, TEACHING AND LEARNING, WHICH COVERS REGISTRAR, AS WELL AS HUMAN RESOURCES WILL ALL BE HOUSED IN THAT HOUSE.

AND THEN WE'RE CREATING SPACE AT THE MIDDLE SCHOOL FOR THE PPS DEPARTMENT.

SO THAT WORK IS IN PROCESS AS WE SPEAK, STILL WITH AN ASPIRATIONAL TIMELINE OF MID-YEAR TO MOVE INTO THE HOUSE AND BY NEXT SCHOOL YEAR TO HAVE ALL THE OFFICES MOVED OUT OF RENTAL SPACE AND INTO NEW DISTRICT-OWNED OFFICE SPACE.

ADDITIONALLY, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT SOME OF THE TURF FIELDS.

THERE'S BEEN ALSO OTHER ONGOING CAPITAL REPAIRS ALONG THE WAY AND EVEN NICE THINGS LIKE PLAYGROUND REPLACEMENTS.

WE DON'T THINK ABOUT THOSE THINGS, BUT THOSE ARE CORE TO THE EXPERIENCE OF OUR CHILDREN, NOT JUST THE SCHOOL CHILDREN BUT ALSO THE CHILDREN OF THE COMMUNITY WHO MAY NOT YET BE IN OUR SCHOOLS.

SO A LOT OF WORK HAS GONE OVER THOSE 10 YEARS.

WHEN WE LOOK AT GRANT-FUNDED IMPROVEMENTS, WE'RE VERY BLESSED WITH A GENEROUS COMMUNITY WHO LOVES TO PARTNER ON THINGS, AND EVEN WITH OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS WHO HAVE BEEN REALLY HELPFUL AT GETTING US SOME SIGNIFICANT RESOURCES THROUGH GRANT PROJECTS.

SO THAT'S BEEN PARTNERSHIPS AND COORDINATION THAT HAS CERTAINLY IMPACTED THE WORK OF THE BUSINESS OFFICE AND THE FACILITIES OFFICE AS THEY PARTNER, TO DELIVER ON THE PROJECTS THEMSELVES, TO DELIVER ON THE FUNDING STREAMS FOR THAT.

WE'RE THANKFUL FOR THOSE THINGS AND JUST RECOGNIZE THAT THEY DO ADD TO WHAT WE CAN OFFER TO THE COMMUNITY AND TO OUR STUDENTS.

AND OF COURSE, THEY DO ADD TO THE WORKLOAD TO GET THERE, TOO, AS WELL.

BUT I THINK IT'S CERTAINLY WORTH THE EFFORT THAT WE SEE.

AND THEN MOVING TO SOMETHING YOU PROBABLY DON'T SEE BUT WE THINK ABOUT FROM AN OPERATIONAL MANAGEMENT SIDE, MASTER SCHEDULES ACTUALLY HAVE A HUGE IMPACT ON THE USE OF FACILITIES AND PROGRAM.

SO AS WE THINK ABOUT EFFICIENCIES, AS WE THINK ABOUT WHAT'S THE PROGRAM WE WANT TO OFFER FOR STUDENTS, A LOT OF THAT IS ULTIMATELY STRUCTURED BY THE FACILITIES THAT WE'RE IN, AS WELL AS THE TIME SCHEDULES THAT WE USE.

SO PRIOR TO THE PANDEMIC, WE HAD DONE A REDESIGN OF THE ELEMENTARY MASTER SCHEDULE, WHICH BROUGHT EFFICIENCY TO OUR USE OF STAFFING, WHICH HAS BENEFITED US DOWN THE ROAD.

WE'RE IN CONVERSATIONS ABOUT WHAT MIGHT THAT LOOK LIKE AT THE SECONDARY LEVEL, TOO.

WE'VE GOT TWO CAMPUSES THAT WOULD NEED TO SHIFT TOGETHER.

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT ARE WORKING FOR US? WHAT ARE THINGS THAT ARE NOT WORKING FOR US AND WHAT WE WANT TO DELIVER FOR OUR STUDENTS? AS FAR AS CREATING OPPORTUNITIES FOR BELONGING AND WELLNESS AND CONNECTION, AS FAR AS THE INSTRUCTIONAL APPROACHES AND STRATEGIES THAT WE WANT TO BE USING, AND AS FAR AS PATHWAYS THAT STUDENTS WANT TO ACHIEVE THE ACADEMIC GOALS THAT THEY NEED.

SO WE'RE STARTING TO LOOK INTERNALLY AT THAT.

AND YOU'LL BE HEARING MORE ABOUT THAT IN THE COMING YEARS.

BUT THAT'S A CRITICAL PIECE OF OUR TIME, HOW WE USE OUR TIME IN ACHIEVING OUR GOALS.

SO REALLY, NET RESULT OF THIS SLIDE, IT'S KIND OF ELUCIDATED THERE.

AS A RESULT OF A LOT OF THE FACILITIES PROJECTS, AND SOME IN PARTICULAR, WE HAVE INCREASED SQUARE FOOTAGE THAT WE'RE NOW MAINTAINING.

SO THAT'S TWO HOUSES.

MUCH GREATER USE OF GLOVER.

CURRENTLY, WE HAVE THE SANBORN OFFICES AS WELL.

HUTCHINSON IS A GREATER SQUARE FOOT, MORE SQUARE FOOTAGE IN THAT BUILDING THAN THE OLD HUTCHINSON.

AND WHEN SIMON WAS COMPLETE, IT WILL ALSO HAVE GREATER SQUARE FOOTAGE.

SO GREATER SQUARE FOOTAGE COMES WITH GREATER MAINTENANCE NEEDS, OBVIOUSLY, BUT ALSO ABILITY TO GREATER CAPACITY TO HOST AND USE IT FOR EVENTS, WHICH IS WONDERFUL.

EACH OF THOSE, THOUGH, ADDS ADDITIONAL WEAR AND TEAR THAT WE JUST HAVE TO BE COGNIZANT OF.

SO INCREASED SQUARE FOOTAGE, INCREASE PROGRAM OFFERINGS, AS WE TALKED ABOUT.

THE INCREASED UTILIZATION, THIS, I THINK, IS A GREAT STAT.

JIM'S OFFICE MANAGES BUILDING USE APPLICATIONS.

SO THEY HAVE THE MASS SYSTEM THAT KEEPS TRACK OF EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS IN THE COURSE OF A SYSTEM.

SO LAST SCHOOL YEAR-- OR '24, '25 SCHOOL YEAR, WE HAD 6,631 DIFFERENT BUILDING USE EVENTS AFTER SCHOOL IN OUR DISTRICT.

AUDIENCE: 6,000? CHERYL CHAMP: 6,631.

AUDIENCE: MORE THAN 6,000.

CHERYL CHAMP: RIGHT.

SO JUST THINK ABOUT THE COORDINATION, THE PLANNING, THE PAPERWORK JUST TO GET SIGNED UP, THE INSURANCES, THE CUSTODIAL WORK, THE SETUPS.

AUDIENCE: AND THAT IS IN BUILDING? OR THAT'S DOES THAT INCLUDE-- CHERYL CHAMP: EVENTS, JIM, A CLARIFYING QUESTION.

DOES THAT INCLUDE ATHLETICS? JIM HRICAY: IF IT'S IN THE BUILDING, IT WOULD INCLUDE ATHLETICS.

IT WOULD INCLUDE AN EVENING CONCERT.

IT WOULD INCLUDE AFTER-SCHOOL CARE.

IT WOULD INCLUDE COMMUNITY USE OF THE BUILDING, RECREATIONAL USE OF THE BUILDINGS.

SO ANY EVENT THAT HAS TO BE SCHEDULED AFTER THE EDUCATIONAL DAY TAKES PLACE.

CHERYL CHAMP: YEAH, IT'S SIGNIFICANT.

AUDIENCE: SO I WAS JUST THINKING, IT DOESN'T INCLUDE FOOTBALL GAMES.

JIM HRICAY: THAT DOES NOT INCLUDE-- THIS DOES NOT INCLUDE OUTDOOR FIELD USE.

THIS IS JUST BUILDING USE.

AUDIENCE: THIS IS JUST-- NOT THE FIELDS?

[00:25:02]

AUDIENCE: WE HAVE SEVEN BUILDINGS, SO-- JIM HRICAY: YES.

YEAH.

AND IT IS SPREAD OUT ACROSS ALL THE BUILDINGS.

BUT CERTAINLY, THIS SITE IS THE GREATEST DEMAND AND THE GREATEST USED FACILITY.

CHERYL CHAMP: BUT THEN EVEN YOU THINK ABOUT WITH THE NEW HUTCHINSON, WE PURPOSELY BUILT A DOUBLE-SIZED VARSITY GYM AS A RESOURCE TO THE COMMUNITY AND A RESOURCE FOR US.

WE CAN NOW HOUSE SOME OF OUR INTERSCHOLASTIC ATHLETICS THERE THAT WE WERE NOT ABLE TO DO BEFORE.

SO IT'S BEEN A GREAT ASSET.

IT'S SERVED OUR PURPOSE TO SUPPORT STUDENT NEED AND PROGRAM.

JIM HRICAY: AS AN EXAMPLE.

I MEAN, RECREATION WILL BE THERE FROM 9:00 TO 6:00 ON SATURDAY.

THE NEXT TWO SATURDAYS.

CHERYL CHAMP: 9:00 TO 6:00 PM.

JIM HRICAY: YES, WHICH IS GREAT.

IT'S A GREAT COMMUNITY USE, AND IT'S BEING USED.

AUDIENCE: I HAVE ONE QUESTION.

JIM HRICAY: YEAH.

AUDIENCE: JIM, IS IT ALL SCHOOL-RELATED ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE USING THE FACILITIES? IS IT, I DON'T KNOW, GIRL SCOUTS? OR IS ROTARY SOMETIMES ASKING, OR OTHER GROUPS? JIM HRICAY: FOR THE MOST PART, OUR USAGE IS REALLY DIRECT COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS.

SO WHETHER IT'S SCOUTS, GIRLS OR BOY SCOUTS, PTAS.

QUITE FRANKLY, THE BUILDINGS ARE RECREATION.

SO QUITE FRANKLY, OUR BUILDINGS ARE REALLY USED SO MUCH THAT THERE'S NOT A LOT OF FACILITY USE AS FORMAL RENTALS THAT YOU MIGHT THINK OF.

IT'S MORE OF OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS AND JUST THAT UTILIZATION, AS WELL AS THE AFTER-SCHOOL EVENTS THAT YOU MAY HAVE, WHETHER IT'S PLAY REHEARSALS AND MUSIC EVENTS AND SPORTING EVENTS, COLLEGE NIGHT, FALL FESTIVALS, ALL SORTS OF THINGS LIKE THAT, WHICH REALLY ENRICH THE COMMUNITY AND THE PROGRAMMING.

CHERYL CHAMP: PASTA NIGHT? AUDIENCE: I JUST DID THE RUDIMENTARY MATH ON THAT BECAUSE I FOUND IT REALLY INTERESTING.

BUT IF YOU DIVIDE-- SO DIVIDE IT BY 365 DAYS ACROSS-- SO IF YOU DIVIDE THE 06,631 BY 365 DAYS, ASSUMING WE HAVE AN EVENT EVERY SINGLE DAY, EXCEPT FOR SATURDAY OR SUNDAY, WHICH ISN'T-- CHERYL CHAMP: WE DO FROM TIME TO TIME.

AUDIENCE: JUST FOR EASY MATH, THIS AVERAGES OUT ACROSS THE SEVEN BUILDINGS, 2 AND 1/2 EVENTS PER DAY AT EACH BUILDING, EVERY SINGLE DAY FOR 365 DAYS.

SO THAT'S A LOT.

SO WE USE OUR BUILDINGS A LOT.

JIM HRICAY: WELL, AGAIN, ALL OF OUR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS TODAY, THERE WAS AT LEAST ONE.

WE RUN AN AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAM AT EACH OF THE ELEMENTARY-- OR WE HOST AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAMS THERE.

AUDIENCE: WELL, WE'RE REALLY USING OUR BUILDINGS.

CHERYL CHAMP: WE ARE, WHICH IS IT'S WONDERFUL.

IT'S A GREAT THING.

THEY REALLY ARE THE HUB OF THE COMMUNITY.

SO IT'S GREAT.

SO JUST TO TAKE A SNAPSHOT OF OUR STAFFING LEVELS, SO WE'RE DOING A LOT, WE'VE ESTABLISHED.

A LOT IN THE SCHOOL DAY, A LOT AFTER SCHOOL.

WE'VE BUILT TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF PROGRAMS TO DELIVER ON OUR STRATEGIC PLAN.

WHAT DOES THE STAFFING LOOK LIKE? BECAUSE WE ARE, FROM OUR BUDGET PROCESS, 80%, 85% OF OUR FUNDS IN ANY GIVEN YEAR GO TO SALARY AND BENEFITS BECAUSE WE'RE A PEOPLE BUSINESS.

IT TAKES PEOPLE TO DO ALL THE THINGS THAT WE DO.

SO ENROLLMENT-WISE, IT'S INTERESTING.

BECAUSE ENROLLMENT-WISE, WE HAVE BEEN RELATIVELY STEADY.

WE'VE FLUCTUATED UP A LITTLE BIT, DOWN A LITTLE BIT, RELATIVELY STEADY.

WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT MAYBE A 30-SOME-ODD DIFFERENCE ACROSS 13 GRADES, THAT'S NOT A SIGNIFICANT FLUCTUATION THERE THAT COULD SPREAD OUT IN ANY GIVEN WAY.

THAT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT'S GOING TO PUSH UP A NUMBER A SECTION DOWN OR UP ONE WAY OR THE OTHER.

SO RELATIVELY, FLAT STAFFING, BUT WE'VE BUILT A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF PROGRAM.

AND I THINK THAT'S THE IMPORTANT PIECE TO THINK ABOUT AS WE LOOK AT OUR INSTRUCTIONAL STAFF.

WHEN WE TAKE A LOOK BACK WHERE WERE WE 10 YEARS AGO TO WHERE WE ARE NOW, AND JIM'S GOT SOME HANDOUTS THAT HE'S GOING TO SHARE FOR THE BOARD WHEN WE MOVE INTO THE DISCUSSION TIME, TO JUST SHOW YOU SOME DIFFERENT THINGS.

AND STAFFING IS ONE OF THE PIECES.

WE HAVE HAD AN INCREASE IN STAFFING OVER TIME.

MOSTLY, AS WE LOOK AT WHAT WERE THE BUCKETS THAT CAME IN, THAT WAS LARGELY RELATED TO INCREASES IN CLINICAL SUPPORTS.

SO INCREASING PSYCHOLOGISTS, SO THAT EACH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL HAD A FULL-TIME PSYCHOLOGIST.

AND THEN WE HAD A FLOATER AS WE TRIED TO WORK ON ADDING THE COUNSELING STANDARDS IN ACROSS THE ELEMENTARY AND MEETING POST-PANDEMIC NEEDS IN PARTICULAR.

WE'VE ADDED SOCIAL WORKERS AT THE MIDDLE SCHOOL AND HIGH SCHOOL, WHICH WE DID NOT HAVE BEFORE.

AND THAT, AGAIN, SPEAKS TO INCREASED LEVELS OF NEEDS ON THE SOCIAL/EMOTIONAL SIDE IN WORKING TO HELP SUPPORT ALL STUDENTS AND FAMILIES.

CERTAINLY, THROUGH THE BUDGET CYCLE, WE'VE TALKED THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS WHERE WE'VE SEEN SIGNIFICANT INCREASES IN FUNDING NEEDS FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION.

PART OF THAT HAS BEEN INTEGRATED CO-TEACH.

PART OF THAT HAS BEEN JUST INCREASED NEED AT THE UPPER LEVELS FOR, AS WE SAID BEFORE, SPECIAL CLASSES, JUST ADDITIONAL CLASSES NEEDED AS DIFFERENT FLUCTUATIONS IN COHORTS CAME THROUGH.

[00:30:02]

SO I SAY IT THAT WAY BECAUSE WE'VE INCREASED-- EXCUSE ME-- INTERVENTION STAFF TO SUPPORT OUR MTSS SPECIFICALLY, AND THAT'S K-8.

WE'VE INCREASED SO THAT WE'VE GOT A BETTER, MORE SOLID SUPPORT STRUCTURE.

WORLD LANGUAGES, WE THINK ESPECIALLY OF FLES, FOREIGN LANGUAGE IN THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL WHERE WE'VE INVESTED FROM THE TIME THAT WE BEGAN TO WHERE WE ARE NOW, WHERE WE'VE GOT A SOLID TWO THROUGH FIVE PROGRAM WOVEN INTO ALL OF OUR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS.

AND THEN WE STILL HAVE CURRENTLY FOUR DIFFERENT LANGUAGES OFFERED AT THE SECONDARY.

AND THEN WE LOOK AT ACROSS THE OTHER ACADEMIC DEPARTMENTS.

WE THINK ABOUT-- WE'VE MENTIONED BEFORE-- INCREASING DUAL ENROLLMENT COURSE OFFERING, AP COURSE TITLES, ADDING IN MORE ELECTIVES, AND TAILORING THE SUPPORTS NEEDED FOR STUDENTS TO ACHIEVE ACROSS THE CONTENT AREAS.

THAT'S WHERE A LOT OF OUR INVESTMENT HAS BEEN ON THE INSTRUCTIONAL SIDE.

ON THE SUPPORT STAFF, AS THE SPECIAL EDUCATION NEEDS INCREASE, DIFFERENT PROGRAM NEEDS AND DIFFERENT INDIVIDUAL STUDENT NEEDS HAVE INCREASED, SO THAT'S WHERE WE'VE SEEN AN INCREASED NEED FOR THINGS LIKE TEACHING ASSISTANTS, MAYBE ONE TO ONE MONITORS IN PARTICULAR.

AS SAFETY-- AS WE'VE WORKED TO INCREASE AND IMPROVE THE SAFETY OF OUR SCHOOLS, AND AS WE LEARN LESSONS FROM DIFFERENT EVENTS THAT OCCUR.

UNFORTUNATELY, IN THIS DAY AND AGE, WE'VE SUPPLEMENTED AND IMPROVED AND INCREASED OUR SAFETY MONITOR STAFF AS WELL.

SO WE THINK ABOUT THINGS LIKE, HOW DO WE SECURE OUR ENTRANCES, WHAT KIND OF TRAINING DO WE WANT FOR THESE FOLKS.

HOW DO WE MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE PROVIDING THE BEST THAT WE CAN IN A REASONABLE BALANCED MANNER? AND IT'S BEEN WONDERFUL, AS WE'VE TALKED OVER THE YEARS, THOSE ARE, IN MANY CASES, THE EYES AND EARS IN THE PEOPLE THAT BECOME THE TRUSTED ADULTS TO MANY OF OUR KIDS AROUND THE BUILDING.

SO HOW DO WE MANAGE THOSE COSTS BUT CONTINUE TO PROVIDE AN APPROPRIATE LEVEL OF SUPPORT STAFF THERE? ON THE ADMINISTRATION SIDE, DESPITE SIGNIFICANT GROWTH, WE REALLY ARE ONLY UP 1.0 FTE OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS IN ADMINISTRATION, AND THAT PREDOMINANTLY COMES FROM THE SPLIT-- FROM WHEN WE SPLIT HR AND TEACHING AND LEARNING INTO TWO SEPARATE DEPARTMENTS INSTEAD OF ONE SHARED DEPARTMENT.

AND I THINK THE BOARD HAS SEEN THE VALUE OF THAT WORK.

AGAIN, THAT'S DR. FITZGERALD AND NOW DR. COMERFORD COMING IN.

IT'S GIVEN US THE ABILITY TO FOCUS ON THAT BEST AND BRIGHTEST OF FACULTY.

HOW DO WE FIND THEM, KEEP THEM, DEVELOPING THEM, DEVELOP THE LEADERSHIP SIDE OF THE EQUATION, PROVIDE APPROPRIATE SYSTEMIC SUPERVISION, AND HAVE ALL THOSE PROCESSES IN PLACE.

AND THEN THERE'S ALSO THE COMPLIANCE FUNCTIONS AND THE ABILITY TO CREATE THE WORK ENVIRONMENT THAT WE WANT THAT SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING ENVIRONMENT WHERE EVERYONE FEELS SAFE AND SECURE AND THAT WE'RE STAYING TRUE TO THE VALUES THAT WE WANT FOR OUR STUDENTS.

WE WANT THAT AMONGST OUR STAFF AS WELL.

AND THEN ON TEACHING AND LEARNING INSIDE TO HAVE A DEDICATED PERSON, GIVEN THE SYSTEMS THAT WE'VE BEEN REALLY TRYING TO SUPPORT AND ALL THE GOALS THAT WE HAVE FOR OUR STUDENTS AND DRIVING THOSE OUTCOMES ACROSS A BROAD ARRAY, HAVING A DEDICATED PERSON THERE HAS BEEN CRITICAL.

CLERICALLY IN ALL THAT TIME, WITH ALL THAT INCREASE AND YOU'RE GOING TO SEE EVEN SOME MORE OPERATIONAL INCREASES ON THE NEXT SLIDE, IT'S ONLY BEEN 1.0 OVERALL INCREASE IN CLERICAL AS WELL, WHICH IS SIGNIFICANT.

THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF WORK ADDED.

THERE'S ALWAYS SOMETHING ADDED ONTO THE PLATE.

THERE IS RARELY SOMETHING TAKEN OFF THE PLATE.

AND MUCH OF THAT HAS BEEN ABSORBED BY OUR ADMINISTRATORS AND BY OUR CLERICAL STAFF, OUR SUPPORT STAFF.

SO TRYING TO FIND GREATER EFFICIENCIES, OBVIOUSLY WE ALWAYS TRY TO DO THAT, BUT WE REALLY HAVE TAKEN ON A LOT OVER THE YEARS AND OUR FOLKS-- OUR TEAM IS REALLY CARRYING A LOT.

AND THERE ARE AT TIMES WHAT WE FIND NOW IS WE LOOK SYSTEMICALLY ACROSS WHAT WE'RE DOING.

YOU'VE GOT REALLY SOME UPPER LEVEL POSITIONS, HIGH LEVEL STAFF, ADMINISTRATIVE LEVEL, DOING SOME WORK THAT COULD BE OFFLOADED ONTO PEOPLE AT A LOWER TITLE AND STILL ACCOMPLISH PROBABLY MORE EFFICIENTLY, EFFECTIVELY, WHICH WOULD THEN ALLOW YOUR UPPER LEADERSHIP TO BE MORE STRATEGIC AND FOCUSED ON THOSE BIGGER PICTURE THINGS AND REALLY DRIVING THE INSTRUCTION AND THE PROGRAMMATIC CHANGE THAT YOU WANT, INSTEAD OF THEM HAVING TO DEAL WITH THINGS THAT REALLY ARE TIME CONSUMING, THINGS THAT NEED TO GET DONE, BUT THAT CAN BE DONE EASILY BY A SUPPORT STAFF MEMBER.

I'LL POINT THIS OUT, THE CUSTODIAL STAFFING.

AS WE SAID BEFORE, WE'VE GONE FROM FOUR SCHOOLS IN A GRASS TURF TO-- NOT FOUR SCHOOLS, SIX SCHOOLS IN A GRASS TURF TO A FULLY TURFED ATHLETIC FIELD, THE SAME SIX BUILDINGS PLUS TWO HOUSES CURRENTLY IN SANBORN OFFICES.

SO OUR FOOTPRINT HAS GROWN.

WE'RE ACTUALLY FUNCTIONING WITH ONE FEWER CUSTODIAN NOW THAN WE WERE 10 YEARS AGO.

SO THAT, I THINK ALONE, THE LEVEL OF FACILITY, SQUARE FOOTAGE, THE PROPERTY THAT WE OWN AND THE LEVEL OF 6,600 AND HOW MANY-- THAT LEVEL OF WORK HAS INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY AND AGAIN,

[00:35:01]

THAT SPEAKS FOR ITSELF, I THINK, AS THE QUALITY AND CALIBER AND DEDICATION OF OUR STAFF, BUT ALSO THE NEED THAT DEFINITELY LIES IN THAT AREA AS WE LOOK TO CONTINUE OUR WORK.

AUDIENCE: SO WITH 6,600 EVENTS IN THE BUILDINGS OVER THE COURSE OF THE YEAR, HOW DOES THAT WORK WITH THE CUSTODIANS? DO THEY COVER THOSE EVENTS? AUDIENCE: JIM, DO I SPEAK TO THAT? JIM HRICAY: YES.

SO WITH OUR DIFFERENT AGREEMENTS WITH OUR DIFFERENT COMMUNITY GROUPS, IF IT DRIVES ANY COST, WE RECEIVE REIMBURSEMENT FOR THAT.

THAT'S BASED ON THE FACILITIES AGREEMENT THAT THE BOARD WORKS THROUGH EVERY YEAR WITH THE REORGANIZATION.

BUT AGAIN, AN EVENT LIKE TONIGHT, THERE'S A SETUP TONIGHT.

THEY'RE HERE BEFORE THE TEAM-- THE DAY GROUP LEAVES, THEY PROBABLY SET UP TODAY.

AND THEN ONCE WE'RE DONE THEY'LL BREAK DOWN THIS ROOM.

AGAIN, THIS IS AN EVENT TONIGHT.

THIS IS ONE OF THE 06,613 THAT WE HAVE.

SO IT'S A LITTLE BIT OF THAT.

I MENTIONED SATURDAY TOWN REC WILL BE USING HUTCHINSON FOR BASKETBALL.

THEY'LL BE BUILT FOR THAT TIME FOR THE CUSTODIAL FOR THAT SO THAT WE'RE REIMBURSED FOR THAT OVERTIME.

AUDIENCE: AND I'LL JUST SAY, JIM, WE HAD TWO EVENTS RIGHT BEFORE THIS EVENT FOR PROFESSIONAL LEARNING FOR THE SECONDARY FACULTY MEMBERS.

SO THIS ROOM HAD TO BE SET UP FOR 60 TEACHERS TO ENGAGE IN PROFESSIONAL LEARNING AND THEN BROKEN DOWN AND RESET UP FOR THIS EVENT.

AND THEN SAME IN THE LIBRARY FOR THAT.

SO IT'S JUST CONSTANT.

AUDIENCE: SO I'M ALSO CURIOUS JUST TO STAY WITH THAT.

DO THEY REIMBURSE FOR DIRECT COSTS OR IS THERE ANY ADMINISTRATIVE-- DO YOU KNOW LIKE-- AUDIENCE: SURE.

I'M FAMILIAR WITH A SCENARIO LIKE THAT.

THAT'S NOT HOW-- THAT'S NOT THE AGREEMENT.

IT'S OUR DIRECT COST FOR THAT.

SO OUR ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT IN THE FACILITIES OFFICE.

NO COST RELATED TO HER IS INCURRED BY A USER.

CHERYL CHAMP: IT'S JUST A STRAIGHT CUSTODIAL.

AUDIENCE: JUST A STRAIGHT RATE THAT WE'VE DEVELOPED.

CHERYL CHAMP: YEAH, KATHRYN.

AUDIENCE: DR. CHAMP, I'M REALLY GLAD THAT YOU INCLUDED THIS SLIDE.

AND MAYBE I'M JUMPING THE GUN BECAUSE I'M NOT SURE WHAT'S ON YOUR NEXT SLIDE, BUT I THINK THIS IS-- SEEING ALL OF THESE NUMBERS LAID OUT LIKE THIS, I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO LOOK AT OUR STAFFING NEEDS AS WE THINK ABOUT THE FUTURE WITH A REALLY CRITICAL EYE.

AND DO WE HAVE ENOUGH SUPPORT TO ADEQUATELY-- DO WE HAVE ENOUGH STAFF TO ADEQUATELY SUPPORT INNOVATION FOR NEW PROGRAMS FOR OUR STUDENTS AND THE CONTINUED DEVELOPMENT OF OUR CURRENT PROGRAMMING TO MAKE IT ROBUST AND ADDRESS STUDENT NEEDS AS THEY CHANGE? DO WE HAVE ENOUGH SUPPORT TO ADEQUATELY-- SUPPORT TO EVEN MAINTAIN FUNCTIONAL AND SAFE ENVIRONMENTS FOR OUR STUDENTS TO LEARN IN AND PARTICIPATE IN ALL OF THESE EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES AND CLUBS THAT WE HAVE FOR THEM? SO THIS IS A REALLY IMPORTANT, I THINK, THING FOR US TO SPEND SOME TIME WITH AND SEE DOES OUR CURRENT STAFFING SET UP SUPPORT OUR FUTURE GOALS, GROWTH AND CONTINUED EXCELLENCE FOR OUR STUDENTS.

CHERYL CHAMP: YEAH, AND I THINK THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT WE'RE THINKING ABOUT TOO BECAUSE AND WE ALL ARE-- WE ALWAYS WANT TO PUT OUR RESOURCES DIRECTLY INTO STUDENT EXPERIENCE.

AND THAT IS FIRST AND FOREMOST AND ALWAYS SHOULD BE.

BUT IF WE'RE BUILDING AND BUILDING WITHOUT A STRUCTURE TO SUPPORT IT, IT'S NOT GOING TO BE SUSTAINABLE FOR THE STUDENTS.

AUDIENCE: NO.

IT'S LIKE AN UPSIDE DOWN PYRAMID.

YOU HAVE A TINY LITTLE FOUNDATION WITH A MASSIVE WEIGHT.

CHERYL CHAMP: THAT'S RIGHT.

AUDIENCE: AND THAT CAN WORK FOR A TIME UNTIL IT DOESN'T.

AND WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE PREVENTING THE INEVITABLE TIPPING POINT.

CHERYL CHAMP: THAT'S RIGHT.

THAT'S RIGHT.

SO YES, YOU'RE GOING TO SEE A BIT MORE THERE.

AUDIENCE: BECAUSE-- WELL, JUST TO EXPAND ON THAT, JUST BECAUSE WE PUT SO MUCH INVESTMENT OF RESOURCES, WHETHER IT'S TIME, MONEY, THOUGHT INTO DEVELOPING THESE PROGRAMS FOR OUR STUDENTS.

AND SO WE DON'T WANT-- CHERYL CHAMP: WE WANT THEM TO BE SUCCESSFUL.

AUDIENCE: WE WANT THEM TO BE SUCCESSFUL AND LAST, NOT CRUMBLE.

CHERYL CHAMP: CORRECT.

SO A FEW OTHER AREAS TO THINK ABOUT, THINGS THAT ARE MAYBE NOT AS OBVIOUS.

ACTUALLY I'M GOING TO MAYBE TAP TRACEY TO SPEAK A LITTLE BIT TO THIS.

AND I WILL SAY BEFORE SHE DOES, WE KNOW-- AND THIS KIND OF SPEAKS REALLY TO, KATHRYN, WHAT YOU'RE SAYING.

OUR COMMUNITY EXPECTS RICH PROGRAMMING AND OFFERINGS TO MEET THE NEEDS OF STUDENTS.

THAT'S WHAT WE WANT TO DELIVER.

THAT'S WHAT OUR COMMUNITY EXPECTS.

[00:40:01]

BUT IT DOES REQUIRE A LOT OF RESOURCES AND CONTINUING TO BALANCE OUR PRIORITIES.

SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THE BOARD HAS ALWAYS ASKED AND WE HAVE DONE IS WE'VE CONTINUED TO MAINTAIN CLASS SIZES WITHIN BOARD GUIDELINES.

AT THE ELEMENTARY LEVEL, ESPECIALLY FOLLOWING THE PANDEMIC, WE'VE KEPT KINDERGARTEN AND FIRST GRADE IN PARTICULAR AT SMALLER SIZES.

WE USED TO GO AS HIGH AS 23.

WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO REALLY CAP THAT AT 21, WHICH I KNOW STILL FEELS-- BUT FOR US, WE'VE GOT TO BALANCE THE SPACE, THE SECTION NUMBERS THAT COME IN EACH YEAR, THE RESOURCES, BUT ALSO RECOGNIZE THAT SMALLER CLASSES ARE IMPORTANT.

SO WE'VE BEEN PROUD TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT.

AT THE SECONDARY LEVEL IS WHERE WE HAVE HAD TO PUSH A LITTLE BIT MORE.

AND EMERSON CAN PROBABLY ATTEST SHE PROBABLY IS SITTING IN A COUPLE CLASSES THIS YEAR WITH MAYBE A LITTLE LARGER SIZES-- 25, 26, 28.

NOT ALL THE CLASSES, BUT THIS YEAR, WE'VE SEEN A LOT MORE HAVING TO PUSH UP TO THAT LEVEL BECAUSE WE'VE HAD TO RUN MORE LEAN ON OUR STAFFING.

I DON'T KNOW IF-- NOT TO PUT YOU ON THE SPOT, BUT IF YOU'VE HAD ANY EXPERIENCE.

AUDIENCE: THE LAST FEW YEARS, I'D SAY PROBABLY FRESHMAN AND SOPHOMORE YEAR WHEN YOU'RE TAKING CLASSES THAT EVERYBODY HAS TO TAKE BECAUSE IT'S LIKE THE MORE GENERAL CURRICULUM, DEFINITELY LIKE HIGHER CLASS SIZES.

BUT AS YOU GET INTO JUNIOR YEAR AND SENIOR YEAR, IT'S VERY SPECIFIC WHAT YOU'RE TAKING.

SO I THINK MY BIGGEST CLASS IS 20 KIDS.

CHERYL CHAMP: OH, THAT'S GREAT.

AUDIENCE: A FEW LIKE MY PHYSICS CLASS IS 14, BUT I KNOW THE OTHER ONE IS LIKE 20 SOMETHING.

SO IT'S LIKE IT KIND OF BALANCES OUT.

BUT I FEEL LIKE MY CLASS SIZES ARE ALL GREAT.

LIKE, NONE OF THEM ARE OVER-- CHERYL CHAMP: ALL RIGHT.

AUDIENCE: OH, GOOD.

CHERYL CHAMP: YAY.

AND WE ALL-- WE TRY TO DO OUR BEST TO SCHEDULE FOR WHAT PEOPLE ARE REQUESTING.

SO THE CLASSES ARE REASONABLE SIZE.

WE JUST KNOW FROM INTERNALLY WE ARE FUNCTIONING A LOT MORE LEAN BECAUSE OF THE FTE REDUCTIONS WE'VE HAD TO TAKE OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS.

I'M GOING TO ASK TRACY JUST TO SPEAK A LITTLE BIT.

SHE'S NOT GOING TO GO INTO GREAT DETAIL, BUT AS THE BOARD SEES ON THE SLIDE HERE, WE WANTED TO JUST REALLY HIGHLIGHT SOME OF THE GROWTH IN STUDENT NEEDS AND SUPPORTS THAT WE'VE SEEN.

AND YOU CAN SEE THE STATS RIGHT THERE-- 21% INCREASE IN STUDENTS WITH IEPS OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS.

AS WE SAID BEFORE, OUR CLASSIFICATION RATE IS STAYING THE SAME, BUT THE NUMBERS OF STUDENTS AND THE INTENSITY IS INCREASING.

WE'VE HAD 148% INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF 504 PLANS.

SO THESE ARE STUDENTS THAT ARE CONSIDERED TO HAVE A DISABILITY, BUT THEY'RE NOT STUDENTS NEEDING SPECIAL INSTRUCTION THROUGH AN IEP.

AND THEN THIS IS OUR FREE AND REDUCED LUNCH PERCENTAGE.

THAT MEANS 15% OF OUR STUDENTS QUALIFY BECAUSE THEIR FAMILY'S INCOME LEVEL IS LOW.

FOR SOUTHERN WESTCHESTER THAT'S A VERY HIGH NUMBER.

AND LET'S REMEMBER, THE PEOPLE THAT WE ARE COMPETING WITH ON OUR STUDENT OUTCOMES ARE THE CHAPPAQUA'S AND THE SCARSDALE AND BRONXVILLE, PEOPLE WHO DO NOT HAVE 15% FREE AND REDUCED LUNCH RATES.

SO THAT IS SOMETHING TO BE INCREDIBLY PROUD OF.

WE'VE GOT A VERY DIVERSE STUDENT BODY AND WE'RE DELIVERING INCREDIBLE RESULTS, AND I WOULD NOT HAVE IT ANY OTHER WAY.

AND THEN, OF COURSE, WE'RE ALSO SEEING, AS I SAID EARLIER, AN INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF L'S.

SO I THINK GENERALLY WE'VE GONE-- ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS, WE'VE BEEN IN ABOUT THE MID 20S AND WE'VE KIND OF CREPT UP INTO THE MID SECONDS.

SO YOU'RE ONLY TALKING ABOUT-- I'M GOING TO SAY 05, 6 STUDENTS MORE THAN WE HAVE NOW THAN MAYBE WE HAD 5, 10 YEARS AGO.

AT THE SAME TIME, THE WAY THAT THE REGULATIONS CHANGED ABOUT 10 YEARS AGO AND THE WAY THAT THAT DISTRIBUTES ACROSS STUDENTS IS SIGNIFICANT BECAUSE OF WE NO LONGER JUST HAVE STUDENTS IN ONE OR TWO BUILDINGS.

THERE'S YEARS WHERE WE HAVE ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS IN EVERY ONE OF OUR BUILDINGS.

SO THAT MAY MEAN A TEACHER MAY HAVE TO GO OVER TO PROVIDE THE REQUIRED INSTRUCTION FOR ONE OR TWO STUDENTS IN ONE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AND THEN ANOTHER SCHOOL.

SO THERE ISN'T A ONE-TO-ONE CORRELATION BETWEEN ENROLLMENT-- IT'S NOT A DIRECT CORRELATION BETWEEN ENROLLMENT AND NEED.

IT'S MORE OF AN EXPONENTIAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ENROLLMENT AND STAFFING NEEDS.

SO NOW THAT I TALKED A BUNCH, I'M GOING TO ACTUALLY TURN IT BACK TO TRACY.

FROM HER PERSPECTIVE, WHAT SHE SEES AND LIVES AND BREATHES A LITTLE BIT IN THE APPS WORLD.

TRACY: THANK YOU, DR. CHAMP.

SO WHEN DR. CHAMP ASKED FOR SOME OF THE DATA RELATED TO GIVING THE BOARD SOME COLOR IN TERMS OF WHERE WE ARE IN TERMS OF OUR STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS, OBVIOUSLY WE COULD SEE THE NUMBERS, BUT WHAT I SAID TO DR. CHAMP WAS IMPORTANT FOR ALSO YOU TO UNDERSTAND IS THE COLOR BEHIND THAT.

BECAUSE WHAT WE'RE SEEING TREND WISE IS THE INTENSITY OF NEED OF STUDENTS CHANGE.

ONE OTHER POINT I THINK THAT DR. CHAMP MENTIONED IS OUR CLASSIFICATION RATES ARE MAINTAINING.

AND JUST AGAIN, THE LAST TIME STATE REPORT CARD DATA WAS AVAILABLE, ACTUALLY WESTCHESTER COUNTY WAS AN 18% CLASSIFICATION RATE AND THE STATE 20.

SO WE'RE AT 13.

AND I THINK WHEN I JOINED PELHAM WE WERE AROUND 10.

[00:45:01]

BUT HOWEVER, THE INTENSITY OF STUDENT NEED IS CHANGING.

SO TWO YEARS AGO, WE HAD TO OPEN AN ADDITIONAL K-2 8-1-2 CLASS.

SO WE'RE SEEING-- AND THAT CAME OUT OF A BUBBLE THAT WE HAD IN CPSA.

SO IN '23/'24 WE HAD THE LARGEST NUMBER OF STUDENTS IN CPSA-- 60-- COMPARED TO THE LOWEST WE'VE BEEN IN THE LAST 10 YEARS, WHICH IS AROUND 30.

AND THE INTENSITY-- AUDIENCE: TRACY, CAN YOU DEFINE CPSA? TRACY: PRESCHOOL CHILDREN IDENTIFIED WITH SPECIAL NEEDS.

SO THAT FLOWS INTO OUR SCHOOL-AGE PROGRAMS. WE HAD TO OPEN ANOTHER 8-1-2 CLASS.

AND AGAIN, THOSE ARE OUR MOST INTENSE STUDENTS WITH NEEDS.

SO FOR EXAMPLE, I WAS IN A BUILDING TODAY TALKING TO ONE OF OUR SPECIAL CLASS TEACHERS, PRE-PANDEMIC, MAYBE IN HER CLASSES SHE HAD ONE OR TWO STUDENTS WITH AAC DEVICES LIKE TALKERS.

NOW, WHEN YOU WALK INTO OUR SPECIAL CLASSES, ALMOST EVERY STUDENT HAS AN AAC DEVICE.

SO THAT IS, AGAIN, JUST INTENSITY OF NEED.

WHAT DOES THAT THEN MEAN? WE CONTRACT WITH AGENCIES WHO DO OUR TECHNOLOGY CONSULTATION.

THOSE STUDENTS WITH HIGHER NEEDS TEND TO NOT HAVE ONE SPEECH AND LANGUAGE SESSION PER WEEK.

THEY HAVE THREE.

SO WE'RE ALSO SEEING BECAUSE OF THIS INTENSITY OF NEED PRESSURE POINTS IN OUR RELATED SERVICES.

WE'RE DOING OUR BEST TO MOVE THE PUZZLE PIECES AROUND.

WE SUPPLEMENT WITH AGENCY RIGHT NOW, BUT WE'RE WATCHING IT VERY CLOSELY.

I'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THIS WITH DR. CHAMP AND MR. RICKY FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS.

WE'RE GOING TO REACH CRITICAL MASS SOON.

AND THE LAST THING I'LL SAY ABOUT OUR PROGRAMMING, AGAIN, DR. CHAMP HIGHLIGHTED IT.

WE DIDN'T HAVE ICT 10 YEARS AGO.

NOW WE HAVE ICT IN DIFFERENT BUILDINGS, SO WE HAVE MORE NEED IN PROSPECT FOR RELATED SERVICES THAN WE HAD BEFORE.

AND ALSO THE TREND WE'RE SEEING IS OUR SPECIAL CLASSES ARE REACHING CAPACITY, WHICH IS IN OUR 8-1-2S TWO OF THEM ARE AT 7 OF 8, ONE OF THEM IS 5 OF 8.

SO IF ANYONE MOVES IN, WE'RE REACHING A BUBBLE.

OUR 12-1-2 ARE AT OUR CAPACITY.

SO WHAT WE'RE ALSO SEEING TREND WISE IS WE HAVE PEOPLE MOVING INTO PELHAM.

THEY WANT TO COME TO PELHAM FOR ALL OF OUR PROGRAMS, BUT SPECIAL ED AS WELL.

AND FOR EXAMPLE, WE HAD I THINK IT WAS EITHER 9 OR 11 STUDENTS TRANSFER IN WITH IEPS.

OF THEM, LIKE SEVEN NEEDED PROGRAMS. WE NEEDED TO PLACE THEM IN A PROGRAM.

THIS ISN'T, WHAT, SOMEONE MOVING IN WHO NEEDED SPEECH OR SOMEONE WHO MOVED IN AND NEEDED OT.

SO WE'RE SEEING A LOT OF INTENSITY OF NEED AND GROWING NEED.

SO WHILE WE'RE DOING A GOOD JOB WITH OUR CLASSIFICATION RATE, SO THAT MEANS OUR TIER 1 PROGRAMMING IS GOOD, THE STUDENTS THAT WE DO HAVE THAT ARE CLASSIFIED REALLY HAVE A HIGHER LEVEL OF NEED THAT IS PUSHING THE LIMIT IN OTHER AREAS THAT WE'RE NOTICING.

THE OTHER THING I WILL SAY, TO DO SOME PROJECTING, AGAIN, TWO YEARS AGO, I BELIEVE NOW IT'S TWO YEARS AGO, THE STATE MOVED THE NEEDLE SO KIDS WHO ARE ULTIMATELY ASSESSED CAN STAY IN SCHOOL TO THEIR 22.

SO AS THESE BUBBLES MOVE UP, WE'RE GOING TO SEE THE IMPACT OF THAT AT THE SECONDARY LEVEL.

WE'RE NOT THERE YET, BUT WE'RE GOING TO SEE IN ABOUT FOUR OR FIVE YEARS.

AND THAT'S GOING TO IMPACT WHAT WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO DO.

BECAUSE YOU CAN'T KEEP KIDS IN A CLASS WITH AN AGE RANGE WHO ARE 14 AND 22.

CHERYL CHAMP: KATHRYN.

AUDIENCE: CAN YOU DEFINE-- YOU DEFINE THE 8-1-2 CLASS, BUT YOU MENTIONED THE 12-1-2 CLASS.

FOR EVERYONE'S BENEFIT, CAN YOU JUST DEFINE WHAT THE 12-- TRACY: SO TYPICALLY OUR 8-1-2 STUDENTS, THAT'S A LOWER RATIO.

SO THAT'S INTENSITY OF NEED.

THAT MIGHT BE A STUDENT THAT AGAIN IS NONVERBAL WHO HAS SOME INTENSE MANAGEMENT NEEDS, WHO MAYBE IS LEARNING A CURRICULUM THAT IS BASED ON MORE FUNCTIONAL LEARNING.

OUR 12-1-2 HAS LESS MANAGEMENT NEEDS.

THOSE STUDENTS STILL HAVE ACADEMIC NEEDS, BUT WOULD TYPICALLY BE ON WHAT WE WOULD THINK WOULD BE A MORE TYPICAL PROJECTORY BUT STILL NEED TO HAVE A SMALLER STUDENT TO TEACHER RATIO TO ACCESS THE GRADE LEVEL CURRICULUM.

[00:50:04]

IN MANY CONVERSATIONS THAT I'M IN, MANY DISTRICTS ARE VERY CONCERNED ABOUT WHAT THAT MEANS, BECAUSE THE STATE HAS MADE IT A LITTLE BIT GRAY WITH IS IT THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR OF THE YEAR THEY TURN 22 OR THE MOMENT THEY TURN 22, BUT REGARDLESS, THEY DON'T PROVIDE ANY FUNDING OR ANY REIMBURSEMENTS FOR THAT TIME.

THE STUDENTS IN SCHOOL AFTER-- AND THESE ARE THE STUDENTS IF YOU'RE IN SCHOOL UNTIL YOU'RE 22, YOU'RE THE HIGHEST NEED STUDENT.

SO THEIR SERVICES ARE VERY EXPENSIVE.

AND ALL OF A SUDDEN NOW A DISTRICT IS LEFT WITH THAT BILL.

SO IT'S A LARGE CONCERN FOR MANY DISTRICTS ACROSS OUR REGION.

CHERYL CHAMP: YEAH.

SO JUST TO ROUND OUT THIS SLIDE AND TRANSITION US INTO SOME OF THE BIGGER PROGRAMMATIC AREAS THAT WE WANT TO HIGHLIGHT TONIGHT.

THERE ARE OTHER INCREASED OPERATIONAL DEMANDS THAT YOU MAY OR MAY NOT SEE THAT OFTEN MANY OF THESE ARE BEHIND THE SCENES.

DATA PRIVACY, CYBERSECURITY, A WHOLE TECHNOLOGY INFRASTRUCTURE, THAT IS A DIFFERENT ANIMAL THAN IT WAS 10 YEARS AGO.

JOHN CEBALLOS HAS DONE A TREMENDOUS JOB AND GROWN WITH THAT, AND WE'VE HAD TO INVEST IN INCREASING THAT DEPARTMENT AS WELL.

AND BOCES HAS CHANGED THEIR MODEL AND MANAGED OFF SITE MANAGEMENT APPROACH, WHICH HAS BEEN JUST REALLY GAME CHANGING, BUT TECHNOLOGY TOUCHES EVERY SINGLE AREA OF OPERATIONS, EVERY SINGLE AREA OF INFRASTRUCTURE IN THE DISTRICT.

SO CYBERSECURITY AND DATA PRIVACY IN THIS DAY AND AGE HAVE TAKEN CENTER STAGE.

SO A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF WORK HAS GONE IN THAT AREA.

WE'RE WELL POSITIONED THERE, BUT IT DOES COME WITH THE NEED FOR SUPPORT.

ADDITIONALLY, WE'VE TRANSITIONED OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS FROM PAPER REGISTRATION, WHERE FAMILIES WOULD COME AND SUBMIT THEIR PAPERWORK TO THE REGISTRAR AND THEN IT WOULD BE PROCESSED THERE.

IT'S NOW ELECTRONIC, WHICH IS ADDING TO-- CHANGE THE WORKFLOW, BUT IT'S MOVED MORE OF THAT WORKFLOW CENTRALIZED, WHICH IS HONESTLY GOOD FOR CONSISTENCY PERSPECTIVE.

BUT IT ALSO AS WE'RE NOW TRYING TO ACCELERATE THAT TO NOT JUST ONE GRADE LEVEL AT A TIME, BUT THREE GRADE LEVELS BEING REGISTERED, IT WENT FROM BEING ABOUT A HALF OF ONE CLERICAL POSITION TO BEING ONE AND A HALF AT THIS POINT, JUST TO MANAGE THAT REGISTRATION SIDE OF IT.

AND THEN OF COURSE, RESIDENCY IS THE OTHER COMPONENT OF THAT, WHICH OUR BUSINESS OFFICE IS HANDLING, WHICH IS VERY COMPLICATED, VERY LABOR INTENSIVE.

WE BROUGHT ON ADDITIONAL LEGAL SERVICES, INVESTIGATIVE SERVICES.

A LOT OF TIME, A LOT OF ENERGY HAS GONE INTO THAT AS WELL.

SO THESE ARE THINGS THAT WE WERE NOT DEVOTING AS MUCH TIME AND RESOURCE TO 10 YEARS AGO.

VERY IMPORTANT AREAS THAT ARE ADDING TO THE WORK ON THE PLATE.

STATE REPORTING.

THAT'S ANOTHER AREA THAT AGAIN IS ALWAYS ADDITIONS.

THERE'S NEVER SUBTRACTIONS.

THINGS THAT GO ON BEHIND THE SCENES.

YOU MAY NOT SEE THAT HAPPENS IN THE BUSINESS OFFICE AND THE DATA OFFICES.

ALL THE LEGAL REQUIREMENTS, HR, YOU NAME IT, IT HAPPENS.

SPECIAL EDUCATION ALL AROUND THE DEPARTMENTS, THINGS LIKE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT.

WE WANT AND NEED TO BE TRANSPARENT AS A PUBLIC AGENCY.

BUT WHEN YOU HAVE BOTS SUBMITTING FOI REQUESTS TO DISTRICTS ACROSS THE STATE AND COUNTRY, WE'RE STILL REQUIRED, NO MATTER WHO SENT THAT IN, TO FULFILL THAT.

SO I THINK ABOUT-- I KNOW MS. VALERIE MILLER'S NOT HERE TONIGHT.

I CAN'T QUANTIFY IT YET, BUT IT FEELS LIKE AT LEAST HALF OF HER JOB NOW IS FOI FULFILLMENT, WHICH IS NOT WHAT IT WAS 10 YEARS AGO.

AUDIENCE: THIS IS SUCH A BIG ISSUE THAT IT'S GOING TO MAKE THE WEST PUTT, I THINK ADVOCACY PRIORITIES.

CHERYL CHAMP: YEAH.

YOU'RE SEEING SOME OF THOSE ADVOCACY PRIORITIES THAT WE TALKED ABOUT OUR LAST MEETING ARE SHOWING UP HERE FOR GOOD REASON.

THE PURPOSE OF IT WAS ONE THING.

IT'S REALLY, IN MY OPINION, EDITORIAL, EXPANDED FAR BEYOND THE INTENT OF FREEDOM OF INFORMATION AND IN WAYS THAT ARE JUST NOT-- IT'S SO EASY FOR SOMEBODY TO FIRE OFF AN EMAIL ABOUT A FOI REQUEST, NOT REALIZING THAT'S DAYS OF WORK THAT IS NOW POTENTIALLY IMPLICATED.

SO DEFINITELY CONCERNS THERE.

AND EVEN THINGS LIKE MAIL IN BALLOTS, WELL INTENDED, GOOD POLICY, BUT THAT IS NOW WORK THAT WAS NOT PART OF THE DISTRICT CLERK'S JOB.

IN A YEAR WHERE YOU'VE GOT A BIG TURNOUT ON VOTE OR CONTENTIOUS VOTE THAT NOW DOMINATES NOT JUST THE MONTH LEADING UP TO THE BUDGET, BUT IT DOMINATES EVERYTHING, LIKE MONTHS.

AND JUST PILES OF WORK COME FROM THAT TRADITIONALLY COULD BE HANDLED BY ONE PERSON.

[00:55:02]

A COUPLE MORE ITEMS. WE'VE MENTIONED THIS, BUT JUST TO BE EXPLICIT, A GREAT THING THAT'S HAPPENED THAT ADDS TO OUR WEAR AND TEAR IS THE EXPANDED AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAMS. WE WENT FROM HAVING AFTER-SCHOOL CARE BASICALLY AT ONE SCHOOL TO NOW HAVING IT AT ALL FOUR SCHOOLS, WHICH IS WONDERFUL.

THE NEEDS OF OUR FAMILIES HAVE CHANGED.

WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO PROVIDE A SPACE, AND PCC, PELHAM CHILDREN'S CENTER HAS STEPPED IN TO EXPAND THEIR PROGRAM.

SO THAT'S WONDERFUL.

ADDITIONAL FACILITIES USE, COMMUNICATIONS SIDE OF THE EQUATION.

WE CERTAINLY HAVE WORKED-- THE COMMUNITY IN THIS DAY AND AGE IS VERY HIGH EXPECTATIONS FOR COMMUNICATIONS, AND WE'VE WORKED REALLY HARD TO BUILD TRUST AND TRANSPARENCY WITH IMPROVED COMMUNICATIONS.

AND I THINK WE'VE BEEN SUCCESSFUL.

WE'VE HAD TO INVEST MORE STAFFING THERE AND MORE TIME AND ENERGY, AND I THINK WE'RE SEEING THE RESULTS OF THAT.

BUT IT'S AN ONGOING INVESTMENT.

SCHOOL SAFETY, WE'VE TOUCHED ON.

UNIVERSAL LUNCH, ANOTHER THING THAT'S A GREAT PROGRAM FOR US.

AND THAT'S NOT ADDITIONAL COST NECESSARILY.

BUT WHAT THAT DOES IS IT'S CHANGED THE STRUCTURE OF OUR FOOD SERVICES PROGRAMS TO A DEGREE.

WE ARE NOT SEEING THE SAME MARGINS THAT WE USED TO BECAUSE NOW SO MANY MORE KIDS ARE AVAILING THEMSELVES OF LUNCH, WHICH IS GREAT, BUT WE USED TO BE ABLE TO HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF REVENUE PRODUCED FROM OUR FOOD SERVICE THAT WE COULD THEN USE TO OFFSET CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CAFETERIA, EQUIPMENT PURCHASES, STAFFING FOR THE FOOD SERVICE PROGRAM.

THOSE MARGINS ARE NOW GONE.

SO IT'S JUST ANOTHER THING.

IT'S A GOOD SERVICE.

IT'S A GOOD THING THAT WE'RE HAPPY TO SUPPORT, BUT IT DOES HAVE A FINANCIAL IMPACT ON WHAT WE DO.

AND THEN FINALLY, UNIVERSAL PRE-K. THIS WAS MENTIONED AND I'M GOING TO ASK DR. COMERFORD TO SPEAK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THIS.

THIS IS AN EXCITING NEW OPPORTUNITY.

IT IS A MANDATE FROM THE STATE.

IT'S SOMETHING I THINK IF WE COULD HAVE, WE WOULD HAVE IN THE PAST.

OUR MAJOR ISSUE HAS ALWAYS BEEN SPACE, CONTINUES TO BE AND SHE'LL TALK SOME ABOUT THAT.

BUT WE ARE LOOKING FOR WAYS TO BRING THIS ON BOARD OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS, BECAUSE WE ULTIMATELY KNOW THAT IT'S GOOD FOR KIDS.

SO, DR. COMERFORD.

CLAIRE COMERFORD: YEAH, JUST TO FURTHER DR. CHAMP'S POINTS, WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO BUILDING UPK HERE IN PELHAM.

IT'S SOMETHING WE'VE BEEN WANTING TO DO FOR A WHILE, BUT OUR MOST PRECIOUS RESOURCE RIGHT NOW IS SPACE.

AND SO WE'RE TRYING TO BE CREATIVE AND THINK OF WAYS THAT WE CAN OFFER A PROGRAM THAT CAN BUILD A STRONG FOUNDATION FOR BELONGING AND LEARNING AND SUCCESS FOR ALL PELHAM STUDENTS BEFORE THEY ENTER KINDERGARTEN.

IN THINKING AND PLANNING FOR THIS, WE'VE CENTERED AROUND THE IDEA THAT WE WANT TO CREATE A HIGH QUALITY PROGRAM THAT REFLECTS PELHAM'S MISSION, VISION, AND VALUES AND THAT IS DISTINCTLY PELHAM AND DESIGNED FOR PELHAM STUDENTS.

SO THAT'S OUR FOCUS.

AND SO THIS YEAR WE'RE TAKING A PHASED APPROACH TO BUILDING UPK HERE IN PELHAM.

THIS YEAR IS ALL ABOUT FINDING COMMUNITY-BASED PARTNERS WHO CAN HOUSE AND RUN THE PROGRAM BECAUSE WE DO NOT HAVE THE SPACE IN DISTRICT FOR IT.

AND SO WE'RE LOOKING TO FIND COMMUNITY PARTNERS WORKING WITH THE BUSINESS OFFICE AND JIM TO PUT OUT SOON REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL, RFPS, FOR COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS WHO WOULD BE WILLING TO PARTNER WITH US TO PROVIDE A HIGH QUALITY EXPERIENCE FOR PELHAM STUDENTS.

NEXT SCHOOL YEAR, WE'RE PHASING IN SLOWLY, OFFERING A LIMITED NUMBER OF SEATS IN UNIVERSAL PRE-KINDERGARTEN THROUGH A LOTTERY SYSTEM, WORKING WITH THE CHOSEN COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATION.

AND WE'RE BUILDING TOWARDS IN '28/'29 OFFERING-- THROUGH A LOTTERY-- OFFERING EXPANDED FULL DAY UNIVERSAL PRE-KINDERGARTEN FOR FOUR-YEAR-OLDS FOR INTERESTED FAMILIES.

SO THE FUNDING STRUCTURE FROM NEW YORK STATE HAS EVOLVED OVER THE COURSE OF THE LAST 10 YEARS.

IT USED TO BE VERY LOW AND NOW IT IS THEY ARE SUPPORTING $10,000 PER FULL DAY ENROLLED STUDENT.

IT USED TO BE ALLOTMENT THAT EACH DISTRICT RECEIVED, AND YOU COULD OFFER AS MANY SPOTS TO STUDENTS AS THE ALLOTMENT ALLOWED.

NOW IT'S 10,000 PER STUDENT WHO'S ENROLLED.

AUDIENCE: CAN YOU DEFINE FULL DAY? CLAIRE COMERFORD: SIX HOURS.

CHERYL CHAMP: AND THAT WOULD BE ALSO ALIGNED TO THE SCHOOL CALENDAR.

CLAIRE COMERFORD: YES.

AUDIENCE: I THINK THAT'S JUST IMPORTANT TO-- CLAIRE COMERFORD: YEAH.

THANK YOU.

YES, SIX HOURS.

AND SCHOOL CALENDAR.

BUT ANTICIPATING THE ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS, THE CLERICAL COSTS, THERE'S A LOT OF OVERSIGHT, CURRICULUM OVERSIGHT FOR THE PROGRAM THAT

[01:00:06]

AND SO WHILE THE 10,000 ISN'T A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE, WE DON'T ANTICIPATE THAT 10,000 PER STUDENT WILL COVER THE FULL COST.

WE'LL ATTEMPT THROUGH OUR RFP TO RESERVE SOME ADMINISTRATIVE FUNDING FROM THE 10,000 AND SEE WHAT WE CAN GET.

BUT WE ALSO KNOW THAT WE'RE ESSENTIALLY ADDING A GRADE LEVEL TO PELHAM PUBLIC SCHOOLS, AND THIS IS GOING TO COME AT THE COST OF MORE THAN $10,000 OF STUDENT.

SO IT'S A WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY AND IT WILL HAVE FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS MOVING FORWARD.

AUDIENCE: SO I JUST WANT TO REITERATE SO EVERYBODY UNDERSTANDS, WE WILL HAVE A SIX-HOUR FULL TIME, WHAT WE CALL FULL TIME, SIX HOUR PRE-K IN THE NEXT COMING YEARS BECAUSE IT IS A MANDATE AND WHAT WE LOVE TO HAVE THE KIDS INTEGRATED AS MUCH AS OUR OTHER K THROUGH 12.

WE DON'T HAVE SPACE.

SO THAT'S WHAT WE HAVE TO ENGAGE A COMMUNITY PARTNER AND ALSO THE $10,000 WHILE IT SEEMS LIKE A LOT, IT IS NOT ENOUGH PER KID TO PROVIDE THE SERVICES THAT WE WANT TO PROVIDE TO THE EXTENT OF HOW PELHAM WOULD LIKE TO PROVIDE THESE EDUCATION TO OUR PRE-K STUDENTS.

SO I JUST WANT EVERYONE TO BE AWARE, BECAUSE WE'VE TALKED ABOUT HOW IMPORTANT PRE-K BUT WHILE NEW YORK STATE HAS GIVEN US A LOT MORE MONEY, IT'S JUST NOT ENOUGH.

AUDIENCE: IN THIS COMING YEAR, AND I THINK YOU MENTIONED THIS, BUT TO REITERATE IT, THIS COMING YEAR, IT'S LIMITED.

AND THEN THE FOLLOWING YEAR IT'S ANY STUDENT-- ANY CHILD-- CHERYL CHAMP: YEAH, ANY CHILD WHOSE FAMILY REQUESTS TO SEE.

AUDIENCE: FOUR-YEAR-OLD.

CHERYL CHAMP: FOUR-YEAR-OLD.

THANK YOU.

IT IS AN IMPORTANT DISTINCTION BECAUSE SOME DISTRICTS IN NEW YORK CITY ARE MOVING TO 3K.

WE'RE FOCUSING ON FOURS.

ANNE MARIE.

AUDIENCE: DR. COMERFORD, WITH WHAT THEY WERE JUST TALKING ABOUT THE LIMITS FOR THE COMING YEAR, DOES THE STATE DECIDE HOW WE LIMIT IT? SO LIKE YOU MENTIONED THE LOTTERY AND I KNOW THAT'S A TYPICAL-- CLAIRE COMERFORD: IT IS TYPICAL.

WE DON'T HAVE TO OFFER PRE UPK NEXT YEAR.

AUDIENCE: OH, WE DON'T HAVE TO OFFER NEXT YEAR? CLAIRE COMERFORD: NO, ONLY '28/'29.

AUDIENCE: I GOT YOU.

BUT WE WANT TO PHASE IT IN.

CLAIRE COMERFORD: THAT'S RIGHT.

AUDIENCE: OK.

YEAH.

I WAS WONDERING ABOUT THE ADMISSION PROCESS IF IT'S USUALLY LOTTERY LIKE THAT, OR IS IT EVER BASED ON FINANCES.

CHERYL CHAMP: NO, IT WOULD BE PURELY APPLIED BY THE STATE, AND NAMES WILL BE CHOSEN RANDOMLY ACCORDING TO THE NUMBER OF SEATS, AND THEN A WAITLIST WILL BE CREATED.

AUDIENCE: GOT IT.

OK.

THANK YOU.

AUDIENCE: AND HOW DO WE FIND A-- WE'LL FIND A PROVIDER VIA RFP.

CHERYL CHAMP: CORRECT.

AUDIENCE: I ALSO WANT TO MAKE I GUESS, A QUESTION OR CLARIFICATION.

IN THE PAST OR IN OTHER DISTRICTS, PARENTS WERE ALLOWED TO USE THE THIRD PARTY PROVIDER AND OFFSET THE MONEY THAT NEW YORK STATE WAS GIVING THE DISTRICT TO PAY FOR THAT PROVIDER.

IS THAT GOING TO BE THE CASE OR NOT? NOT IN THE WAY IT'S BEEN KIND OF PUSHED OUT.

CLAIRE COMERFORD: JIM.

JIM HRICAY: SO WE'RE STILL GOING THROUGH ALL THE RULES.

AS WE UNDERSTAND IT RIGHT NOW, THEY CAN OFFER THAT, BUT IT CAN'T BE A REQUIREMENT.

SO CERTAINLY I THINK THE PROVIDERS THIS IS THEIR OPPORTUNITY TO GET PEOPLE IN THE DOOR AND THEN THEY'LL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THAT SURROUND CARE, SO TO SPEAK, THE EARLY MORNING AND THE AFTERNOON THAT MAKES UP THE FRONT END AND THE BACK END AFTER THOSE SIX HOURS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY AND THE TIME PERIOD, THAT IS NOT A SCHOOL DAY.

SO WE'VE GOT THAT AS WELL.

CHERYL CHAMP: YEAH, AND THAT'S OUR UNDERSTANDING IS YOU CAN'T-- PARENTS CAN'T SUPPLEMENT THE SIX HOURS.

BUT MOST PROVIDERS DO USE THAT WRAP AROUND TO MAKE UP-- TO MAKE IT A BUSINESS-- JIM HRICAY: THANK YOU.

WRAP AROUND.

AUDIENCE: VIABLE.

CHERYL CHAMP: VIABLE.

THANK YOU.

THAT'S THE WORD I'M LOOKING FOR.

YEP.

AUDIENCE: I HAVE A QUESTION.

AT THIS POINT, GIVEN THERE'S SOME UNKNOWNS AND PROBABLY SOME ASSUMPTIONS, DO WE HAVE A GENERAL SENSE, THOUGH, OF IF WE TAKE MANY STUDENTS GET $10,000 EACH, THIS IS THE SUPPLEMENTAL.

DO WE HAVE A SENSE AROUND LIKE WHAT THE COST WILL ACTUALLY BE TO THE DISTRICT VERSUS WHAT WE'RE GOING TO GET OR ARE WE STILL KIND OF WORKING THAT THROUGH-- JIM HRICAY: WE KNOW THE GRANT IS $10,000 PER PUPIL, WHERE THE DISTRICT IS PERMITTED TO USE A CERTAIN PERCENTAGE OF THAT FOR THE ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS, KIND OF HOW WE WERE TALKING A LITTLE BIT EARLIER ABOUT OFFSETTING SOME ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS, BUT YOU ALSO HAVE TO FIND A PROVIDER THAT'S GOING TO BE WILLING TO PROVIDE THE SERVICES FOR $10,000 PER PUPIL, OR $10,000 PER PUPIL, LESS THE ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.

[01:05:05]

AND REGRETFULLY, WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY RESPONSES.

AND WE TRIED WITH PROVIDERS IN TOWN AND CONTIGUOUS TO PELHAM.

NEW ROCHELLE PROVIDERS THOSE THAT ARE ATTACHED.

AGAIN, THIS IS A SCENARIO WHERE WE'RE GOING TO BE WORKING VERY HARD TO DO THAT.

WITH THE MANDATE IN TWO YEARS OF A REQUIREMENT, THOUGH, THERE'S GOING TO BE A REAL SHORTAGE OF SEATS AND A REAL PRESSURE THAT'S GOING TO BE LIKE MUSICAL CHAIRS, REALLY-- CHERYL CHAMP: BECAUSE ALL DISTRICTS WILL BE EXPANDED.

JIM HRICAY: ALL DISTRICTS ARE GOING TO BE UNDER THAT SAME REQUIREMENT.

SO THERE'S REALLY GOING TO BE A PUSH AND A LOT OF PRESSURE FOR PEOPLE TO-- SCHOOL DISTRICTS TO GET THOSE SEATS.

CLAIRE COMERFORD: AND I'LL JUST SAY PART OF THE PILOTING FOR NEXT YEAR IS TO GET A BETTER SENSE OF FULL COSTS FOR PLANNING FOR THE FOLLOWING YEAR.

CHERYL CHAMP: BUT THE RFPS WERE REALLY KIND OF NET ZERO.

LIKE IT WAS THEY WERE OUT THERE WITH THE INTENTION OF IT BEING FLAT.

JIM HRICAY: AGAIN, WE WERE AT A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO.

I DON'T REMEMBER EXACTLY WHAT IT WAS.

BUT AS WE LOOK AT IT NOW, WE'LL PUT TOGETHER SOME CRITERIA FOR DECISION MATRIX TO SEE HOW PROVIDERS CAN BE IDENTIFIED.

AND THEN WE'LL GO THROUGH THAT PROCESS.

AUDIENCE: OK.

THANK YOU.

CHERYL CHAMP: SO ANOTHER AREA THAT WE WANTED TO SPEND A LITTLE BIT MORE TIME ON TONIGHT TOO IS AN AREA WE'VE HAD A LOT OF INTEREST FROM THE COMMUNITY, A LOT OF FOLKS COMING, STUDENTS COMING, ASKING FOR GROWTH IN ATHLETICS.

SO WE WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT THE GROWTH THAT HAS ALREADY HAPPENED.

AND THIS IS ANOTHER AREA WHERE WE'VE BUILT AND BUILT AND NEED TO BE THINKING ABOUT, ARE WE BUILDING SUSTAINABLY FOR WHAT WE ALREADY ARE OFFERING.

AND THEN ALSO, HOW DO WE THINK ABOUT WHERE DO WE MIGHT WANT TO GROW IN THE FUTURE.

SO AS WE KNOW, OUR INTERIM ATHLETIC DIRECTOR HAS BEEN TASKED WITH LOOKING SPECIFICALLY AT THIS.

SO HE'S GOING TO BE COMING LATER ON IN THE YEAR WITH AN ANALYSIS OF WHAT HE'S SEEING FROM OUR PROGRAM, WAYS THAT HE CAN RECOMMEND TO SUPPORT SUSTAINABLE GROWTH FOR US.

BUT JUST TO GIVE YOU A PICTURE OF WHERE WE ARE RIGHT NOW, WE HAVE AROUND SOMEWHERE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF 850 STUDENTS THAT HAVE TURNED OUT FOR ATHLETICS IN ANY GIVEN YEAR-- THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS.

POST PANDEMIC, WE'VE SEEN AN INCREASE IN THIS.

SO NOW WE'VE GOT OVER 50% OF SECONDARY STUDENTS ARE COMING OUT IN ANY GIVEN YEAR EXPRESSING INTEREST IN SPORTS.

THEY DON'T ALL ULTIMATELY STAY OR MAKE IT BUT THEY ARE COMING OUT.

EACH YEAR WE'RE UP TO ABOUT 80 TEAMS THAT ARE FIELDED, AND THAT COULD BE MODIFIED, JV, VARSITY, BLUE, GOLD, A, B, IT COULD BE ANY VARIATION OF THAT GIVEN THE LEVEL OF COHORT INTEREST.

ON THE RIGHT, YOU CAN SEE SOME OF THE SPECIFIC TEAM ADDITIONS THAT HAVE JUST IN JIM AND MY TIME IN THE DISTRICT THE LAST 10 YEARS, SPORTS THAT WE HAVE ADDED TO THE CATALOG, AND THESE ARE ONES THAT I THINK ARE IN GENERAL VERY WELL SUBSCRIBED AND HAVE BEEN ADDED AND HAVE SUSTAINED.

SO OVERALL, WHAT WE'VE SEEN IN THE 10 YEARS' TIME IS A 19% GROWTH IN STUDENT PARTICIPATION IN ATHLETICS.

AND THAT'S NOT JUST STUDENTS COMING OUT TO TRY OUT.

THAT'S STUDENTS PARTICIPATING, ROSTERED AND ENDURING THROUGH THE SEASON.

THAT'S SIGNIFICANT AND THAT'S HUGE.

AND TO ME, THAT'S A HUGE, ACCOMPLISHED GOAL OR CERTAINLY A GOAL THAT'S MADE A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF PROGRESS.

BECAUSE I SAID EARLIER, WE KNOW THAT RESEARCH SAYS STUDENT INVOLVEMENT IN EXTRACURRICULARS THERE'S A DIRECT CORRELATION WITH STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT OUTCOMES BECAUSE IT CONNECTS THEM TO THEIR SCHOOL COMMUNITY, DEVELOPS DISCIPLINE, POSITIVE PEER SOCIAL INFLUENCE, ALL THOSE GOOD THINGS THAT ARE HELPING OUR STUDENTS AND IT SHOWS THEM AS MORE WELL-ROUNDED AND HEALTHY STUDENTS AND DEVELOPS A LOT OF CHARACTER SKILLS, LEADERSHIP, ALL THE THINGS.

SO IT'S AN IMPORTANT AREA THAT WE'VE INVESTED IN AND NEED TO BE THINKING ABOUT HOW DO WE CONTINUE TO INVEST FOR THE FUTURE EVERY YEAR.

AND I KNOW DR. FITZGERALD COULD SPEAK TO THIS.

SHE'S NOT GOING TO BUT SHE, I'M SURE, COULD GO ON.

ABOUT 100 COACHES HAVE TO BE CERTIFIED AND PROCESSED EVERY YEAR THROUGH THE HR DEPARTMENT AND THE STATE HAS INCREASED AND CHANGED HOW THEY'VE BEEN HANDLING COACHING CERTIFICATION.

AND WE CERTAINLY WANT THAT EVERY PERSON WHO'S WORKING WITH OUR CHILDREN IS A CERTIFIED COACH.

SO THAT'S BEEN A BIG UPLIFT AND A LOT OF COORDINATION BETWEEN THE ATHLETICS OFFICE AND HUMAN RESOURCES OFFICE THAT HAS INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY IN THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS.

ALL OF THIS WE'VE BUILT OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS, WHILE STILL MAINTAINING ONLY ONE ATHLETIC DIRECTOR AND ONE CLERICAL SUPPORT, AND THAT IS A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN WORKLOAD THERE, TOO.

ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE LEARNED A COUPLE YEARS AGO IS A LOT OF DISTRICTS HAD ADDED TO THE BACK END OFFICE OF THEIR ATHLETICS DEPARTMENTS, WHETHER IT'S ASSISTANTS, WHETHER IT'S SCHEDULERS, A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT PIECES.

SO THE BOARD HAS BEEN SUPPORTIVE OF INVESTING A LITTLE BIT MORE

[01:10:02]

SO THINGS LIKE A LOT OF DISTRICTS BROUGHT ON SCHEDULERS TO HELP-- BECAUSE OF YOU'RE WORKING IN FOUR OR FIVE DIFFERENT SYSTEMS. WHEN ANYTHING MOVES, A PRACTICE MOVES, A GAME MOVES, YOU'VE GOT MULTIPLE DIFFERENT PORTALS THAT YOU'RE HAVING TO WORK IN, BETWEEN BOCES, BETWEEN YOUR OWN COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS, SCHOOL USE, FACILITIES USE COMMUNICATION SYSTEM.

AND THERE'S A DOMINO EFFECT FOR EVERY SINGLE MOVE.

THEN WHEN YOU THROW ADDITIONAL SPORTS ON IT, AND THEN YOU'VE GOT OUR LIMITED FIELD SPACE WHERE WE HAVE TO STACK PRACTICES AND GAMES, MEANING WE START 3:30, 04:00 O'CLOCK AND WE'RE POTENTIALLY GOING TILL 8:00, 9 O'CLOCK AT NIGHT.

WE'RE STACKING HOURS AND THEN RECREATION IS COMING BEHIND US AND TAKING ANY OTHER SPOTS AND FILLING THEM IN.

ANY CHANGE THERE, WHETHER IT'S A WAY TO-- A TEAM THAT MAKES A CHANGE BECAUSE THEIR BUS IS LATE OR THEY'RE-- A GRASS FIELD THAT GOT RAINED OUT AND THEY CAN COME TO OUR PLACE FOR A TURF FIELD, ALL OF THOSE THINGS START A WHOLE DOMINO EFFECT OF COACHES, ATHLETIC DIRECTORS, CLERICAL SUPPORTS ALL TALKING.

REFEREES HAVE TO CHANGE, BOTH THESE SCHEDULES HAVE TO CHANGE, BUSES HAVE TO CHANGE.

ALL OF THAT HAS TO BE REDIRECTED IN REAL TIME PRETTY MUCH EVERY SINGLE DAY.

SO IT'S LIKE BUILDING A MASTER SCHEDULE EVERY DAY, CHANGING A MASTER SCHEDULE EVERY DAY.

AND AS WE'VE GROWN, PROGRAMMED, THOSE NEEDS HAVE INCREASED.

SO THE BOARD HAS SUPPORTED THE ADD OF A PART TIME SCHEDULER TO HELP WITH THAT WORK.

THIS YEAR, OUT OF EXISTING ATHLETIC BUDGET, WE ADDED AN EQUIPMENT MANAGER, WHICH WE ALREADY CAN TELL IS GOING TO BE PAYING ITSELF BACK BECAUSE WE'RE ABLE TO KEEP A MUCH BETTER CONTROL ON OUR INVENTORY OF ATHLETIC UNIFORMS AND EQUIPMENT, WHICH WILL MORE THAN OFFSET THAT.

BUT THESE ARE BABY STEPS, AND WE NEED TO BE THINKING ABOUT, AGAIN, SUSTAINABLY, HOW DO WE SUPPORT THE OFFICE AND THE PROGRAM THAT WE'RE CURRENTLY OFFERING, WITH OVER 80 TEAMS BEING FIELDED EACH YEAR.

AND ALSO WE KNOW THAT THERE ARE TEAMS COMING.

THERE'S STUDENT INTEREST IN A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT AREAS, AND THE COMMUNITY HAS COME TO US LOOKING FOR A CONTINUED INVESTMENT HERE.

SO ANY QUESTION BEFORE WE MOVE ON THAT ONE? NATALIE.

AUDIENCE: SO, I LOVE THE KIDS TAKING SPORTS.

I HAVE THREE IN MY HOUSE THAT LOVE SPORTS.

WITH KIDS PLAYING SPORT, WE ALSO GET THE PARENTS OF KIDS WHO TAKE SPORTS.

SO I DO THINK THE ATHLETIC OFFICE IS VERY UNDERSTAFFED FOR THE REQUEST OF THE CHILDREN, THE PARENTS, THE ADMINISTRATIVE NIGHTMARE THAT COMES WITH BUSES AND FIELD USAGE.

THE FACT THAT WE ONLY MANAGE WITH THIS SMALL AMOUNT OF ADMINISTRATIVE PERSONNEL, IT'S INSANE BECAUSE IT'S JUST THERE'S SO MUCH GOING ON AT ANY GIVEN TIME IN THESE FIELDS OR WITH ANY CHILD THAT HAS A SITUATION.

I SEE IT MYSELF AT HOME, JUST MANAGING THEM ON MY SIDE.

SO I COULD JUST IMAGINE WHAT ONE ATHLETIC DIRECTOR WITH ONE CLERICAL SUPPORT COULD GO THROUGH.

SO I DO THINK WE NEED TO TAKE A LOOK AT THAT OFFICE.

AND AS IT PAINS US TO SPEND MORE, THERE ARE NEEDS THAT WE HAVE TO MEET.

CHERYL CHAMP: AND I APPRECIATE THAT.

AND WE HAVE AMAZING PEOPLE IN THAT OFFICE, THANKFULLY.

THEY'RE IN COMMUNICATION ON COMPUTER.

THEY'RE AT NIGHT, THEY'RE ON THE WEEKENDS, THEY'RE ON HOLIDAYS.

THEY ARE THERE TO MAKE SURE THAT THE BUSES COME AND THEY PICK THE KIDS UP AND THEY GET WHERE THEY NEED TO BE.

BUSING HAS NOT BEEN EASY IN THESE LAST-- SINCE THE PANDEMIC, BUSING HAS BEEN PROBLEMATIC.

THAT'S MY DIPLOMATIC WORD.

AUDIENCE: EVEN JUST MAKING SURE THE UNIFORMS ARE WHERE THEY NEED TO BE, THE DAYS THEY NEED TO BE GIVEN, IT IS A LOGISTICAL NIGHTMARE.

CHERYL CHAMP: YEAH.

SO I APPRECIATE THAT.

SO JUST MOVING QUICKLY NOW I THINK SO WE CAN GET TO OUR DISCUSSION POINT.

AGAIN, THIS IS SOME FAMILIAR TERRITORY FOR THE BOARD.

JIM'S GOING TO JUST ADD SOME COLOR HERE.

AS WE TALKED ABOUT THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, WE'RE EXPERIENCING SIGNIFICANT FINANCIAL PRESSURES OVER THESE LAST SEVERAL YEARS, ESPECIALLY AS THE ECONOMY HAS CONTINUED TO OUTPACE THE GROWTH OF THE TAX LEVY AND OUR ABILITY TO RAISE REVENUES.

SO WE'RE BUILDING PROGRAM.

WE'RE DELIVERING MORE AND MORE FOR OUR KIDS.

A LOT OF ADDED PRESSURES ON US INTERNALLY AND ALL THE WORK THAT EVERYTHING WE'VE TALKED ABOUT HERE AND AT THE SAME TIME, RISING SALARY AND HEALTH, RISING UTILITY COSTS, RISING TRANSPORTATION COSTS, RISING INSURANCE COSTS, AND FOLKS ARE EXPERIENCING THESE IN ALL REALMS. AS WE'VE TALKED ABOUT INCREASING NEEDS IN SPECIAL EDUCATION, EVEN THINGS LIKE CHANGES TO TIER SIX PENSION, THAT WILL EVENTUALLY HAVE IMPACTS FOR US AS WELL THAT WE'RE THINKING ABOUT.

SO THE COSTS ARE CONTINUING TO OUTPACE OUR REVENUE GROWTH.

I KNOW JIM WANTED TO JUST DO A LITTLE BIT OF COLOR ON FINANCIAL FORECAST, WHERE WE ARE IN THAT PROCESS, AND ANY OF THOSE ADDITIONAL PRESSURES WE SHOULD BE THINKING ABOUT.

JIM HRICAY: YES, THANK YOU.

SO AS DR. CHAMP MENTIONED, ALL OF THOSE THINGS THAT WE

[01:15:03]

HEALTHCARE IS AN EXPENSE THAT'S BEEN GROWING AT A MUCH FASTER CLIP THESE LAST FEW YEARS THAN ANY OF US WOULD PARTICULARLY LIKE, USUALLY IN THE PHARMACEUTICALS AREA.

BUT NONETHELESS, THAT'S AN INCREASE, AND WE'VE SEEN ABOUT 10% I THINK WAS LAST YEAR'S INCREASE.

WE WORK IN A COOPERATIVE.

WE'RE ALWAYS WORKING TOWARDS TRYING TO WORK TOWARDS WAYS TO REDUCE THOSE COSTS AND MITIGATE IT.

BUT THOSE ARE REAL COSTS.

UTILITY EXPENSES.

I'VE LOOKED AT MY CONTACT BILL RECENTLY.

THERE'S NOT A LOT OF CHANGE IN USAGE, BUT THERE'S A CHANGE IN COST.

WE HAVE THE ADVANTAGE OF WORKING THROUGH THE NEW YORK STATE POWER AUTHORITY FOR SUPPLY OF OUR ELECTRICITY, WHICH IS TERRIFIC.

BUT AT THE SAME TIME, WE DO RECEIVE OUR DELIVERY SERVICES THROUGH CON EDISON, SO WE INCUR THAT SAME EXPENSE.

WE'VE BEEN PRETTY FORTUNATE MORE RECENTLY.

THIS IS ONE AREA WHERE WE'VE BEEN FORTUNATE WITH TRANSPORTATION IS THIS PARTICULAR CONTRACT WE HAVE INCLUDES FUEL.

SO WE'VE BEEN A LITTLE BIT HEDGED ON WHAT WE'RE SEEING.

THESE ARE ALL DIESEL BUSES.

AND SOME OTHER DISTRICTS ARE REALLY-- SOME OTHER CONTRACTS YOU PAY FOR THAT FUEL SEPARATELY.

IN THIS PARTICULAR CONTRACT, AT LEAST WITH OUR DAILY BUSES WHERE IN-DISTRICT OR OUT OF DISTRICT STUDENTS WERE HEDGED ON FUEL BECAUSE THAT'S INCLUDED WITH THE COST.

OTHER LIABILITY, INSURANCES.

I THINK WE'RE STARTING TO SEE THAT TEMPER A LITTLE BIT.

THOSE INCREASES WERE MORE SIGNIFICANT THE LAST FEW YEARS.

TIER 6 PENSIONS, THAT'S BEEN AROUND ABOUT-- THAT CAME OUT RIGHT AFTER THE-- IN '08/'09.

SO I THINK ABOUT HALF OF THE EMPLOYEES-- IT WAS AFTER THE RECESSION.

SO ABOUT HALF OF THOSE EMPLOYEES NOW FALL INTO TIER 6, WHICH IS A PENSION LEVEL THAT WAS CREATED TO PROVIDE LESS BENEFITS SO THAT IT WOULD COST LESS.

BUT THE RETIREMENT AGE WAS RECENTLY SPUN UP FIVE YEARS.

SO IT WAS GOING TO BE 63.

NOW IT'S GOING TO BE 58.

THAT'S GOING TO BE INCORPORATED INTO THE ACTUARIAL FORMULATION.

AND EVENTUALLY, THAT'S GOING TO ROLL BACK TO ALL PARTICIPANTS WITHIN THE PENSION SYSTEMS. AUDIENCE: I HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT THAT BECAUSE MY UNDERSTANDING OF STATISTICS IS THAT IT WAS CREATED-- AUDIENCE: EXCUSE ME.

AUDIENCE: THANK YOU.

I CAN'T LOOK AT YOU WHEN I TALK.

WAS THAT IT WAS CREATED TO OFFSET THE RECOGNITION OF THE STRAIN THAT THE TAX CAP WAS GOING TO PUT ON DISTRICTS.

IT CAME OUT OF A 2011 EXECUTIVE ORDER FROM GOVERNOR CUOMO TO REVIEW TAX, TO REVIEW MANDATE RELIEF.

BECAUSE GOVERNOR CUOMO WAS GOING TO ENACT THE TAX CAP.

SO THEY WANTED TO THROW DISTRICTS A BONE, BASICALLY, AND SAY, WELL, WE'LL REVIEW WHAT IMPACT UNFUNDED MANDATES IN RECOGNITION THAT THE STATE LIKES TO GIVE OUT UNFUNDED MANDATES TO SCHOOL DISTRICTS AT A VERY HIGH RATE.

WHAT CAN WE DO TO HELP OFFSET THE STRAIN THAT THIS TAX CAP WILL PROVIDE, OR WILL PUT ON SCHOOL DISTRICTS? A COMMISSION WAS PUT TOGETHER, 300 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR MANDATE RELIEF AND REFORM WERE COMPILED AND TWO OF THEM WERE ENACTED AND TIER 6 WAS ONE OF THEM IN 2011, AT LEAST MAYBE MY DATES ARE WRONG.

BUT NOW WE'RE WALKING THAT BACK WITHOUT RECOGNIZING OR CHANGING ANYTHING TO THE TAX CAP.

SO WE ARE FURTHER STRAINING THE SYSTEM.

AND THIS IT'S NOT REALLY ABOUT THE GOODNESS OR BADNESS OF ANY OF THESE POLICIES.

IT'S JUST THE FINANCIAL REALITY THAT ALL OF THESE DECISIONS HAVE ON SCHOOL DISTRICTS.

SO IF WE ARE REPEALING TIER 6, WE ALSO NEED TO TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION OR BE AWARE OF THE FURTHER FINANCIAL STRAIN THAT THAT'S GOING TO PUT ON THE DISTRICT IN CONJUNCTION WITH ALL OF THESE OTHER MANDATES THAT WE ARE DEALING WITH.

BUT I'M SORRY IF MY FACTS ARE NOT RIGHT.

I DON'T MEAN TO-- JIM HRICAY: WELL, THERE WAS A-- SO MOST OF THE PEOPLE-- THE LAST SIGNIFICANT TIER PRIOR TO THAT WAS TIER 4.

AND THE IMMEDIATE REACTION TO THE RECESSION WAS TIER 5.

SOON THEREAFTER FOLLOWED BY TIER SIX.

IT KIND OF HAPPENED-- SIMILARLY IN THE '70S YOU HAD TIER 3, AND THEN TIER 4 WERE KIND OF CLOSELY SPACED TOGETHER.

THERE'S NO DOUBT THAT TIER 6 WAS MORE ADVANTAGEOUS TO ORGANIZATIONS LIKE OURS, BECAUSE IT PUSHED THE RETIREMENT TIMELINE OUT FURTHER.

THE CONTRIBUTION LEVELS WERE DIFFERENT.

SO THAT, AGAIN, ALL OF THE THINGS THAT SEEMED A LITTLE RICH TO FOLKS FOR TIER 4 OR TIER 5, IT KIND OF ADDRESSED THOSE ITEMS.

[01:20:02]

IT'S NOT OBVIOUSLY ONE TO ONE IN THE MARKET, BUT THERE IS A BOARD OR THE CONTROLLER THAT MANAGE IT.

SO THE HEALTH OF THE PENSION IS REALLY DEPENDENT ON THE HEALTH OF THAT FUND.

AND WHEN THE FUND DOES REALLY WELL THAT'S GREAT FOR ALL OF US BECAUSE THAT IMPACTS OUR CONTRIBUTION RATE.

BUT WHEN THE FUND IS NOT DOING AS WELL, IT HAS THAT OPPOSITE EFFECT.

AND THAT'S WHERE WE FEEL THAT.

AND THEY SMOOTH THAT OUT OVER WHETHER IT'S FIVE OR 10 YEARS, WHATEVER THAT ACTUARIAL CORRIDOR IS.

I'M NOT IN THOSE MEETINGS.

BUT AGAIN, THEY FOLLOW THOSE ACTUARIAL PRACTICES TO MAKE SURE YOU'VE GOT THE RIGHT CORRIDOR FOR FUNDING.

AUDIENCE: THANK YOU.

CHERYL CHAMP: SO JUST TO ROUND THIS OUT AND GET US TO DISCUSSION.

AGAIN, THE BOARD I KNOW IS AWARE OF THESE, BUT THESE ARE THE THINGS THAT WE'VE BEEN DOING OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS, AT LEAST SPEAKING SINCE, JIM AND I HAVE BEEN HERE TO TRY TO MANAGE THESE PRESSURES.

THE FIRST FEW YEARS HERE, I THINK THINGS WERE IN A BETTER POSITION.

THE CPI WAS A LOT.

IT WAS ACTUALLY LOWER THAN THE TAX CAP LIMIT.

SO WHEN THEY WERE PARALLELED, IT WAS A LOT EASIER BECAUSE REVENUES WERE RISING SIMILAR TO EXPENSES.

BUT AS INFLATION HAS OUTPACED REVENUES, WE'RE TRYING TO PULL OUT EVERY TOOL IN THE TOOLBOX TRYING TO DO THIS.

SO REDUCTIONS THROUGH ATTRITION, REDISTRIBUTION OF STAFF, ABSORBING AND REDISTRIBUTING WORKLOADS, EFFICIENCIES, ET CETERA.

SO WHAT ARE THE THINGS THAT WE CAN CONTROL THAT WE CAN TRY TO CHANGE AND PUT SOME MORE CONTROLS AROUND? AS I SAID EARLIER, THINGS LIKE RESTRUCTURING MASTER SCHEDULES, EVEN SHIFTING TO SHARED SERVICES SO WE CAN CAPITALIZE ON BOCES AID, INCREASING CLASS SIZES IN A WAY THAT'S STILL WITHIN GUIDELINES BUT STILL HELPS US TO SQUEEZE A LITTLE BIT MORE.

WE'VE EVEN LOOKED AT THINGS-- AND I APPRECIATED THE COMMUNITY'S HELP ON THIS, ADVOCATING FOR INCREASES IN STATE AID.

AND WE'VE SEEN THE INCREASES IN THE FOUNDATION AID, WHICH IS WONDERFUL.

SO WE'RE SEEING BENEFITS OF THAT.

SEEKING GRANTS, WORKING WITH PARTNERS TO BRING FUNDING IN, WORKING WITH ELECTED OFFICIALS TO BRING FUNDING IN.

WE'RE DOING EVERYTHING THAT WE CAN DO TO MANAGE.

AND AS WE'VE SEEN, I THINK, THROUGH THIS LAST BUDGET CYCLE IN PARTICULAR, WE'RE VERY, VERY LEAN AT THIS POINT IN TIME AND FEEL LIKE FURTHER CUTS REALLY WOULD GET TO THE POINT OF BEING MEANINGFUL TO THE PROGRAM THAT WE WANT TO PROVIDE TO OUR STUDENTS.

SO ADDITIONALLY, WE'VE BEEN WORKING TO STRATEGICALLY MANAGE OUR USE OF RESERVES AND FUND BALANCES, AGAIN, AS WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THERE.

I'M JUST GOING TO LET JIM OPINE AGAIN FOR A MOMENT THERE AS WELL, BECAUSE I KNOW AT THE SAME TIME, WE'VE BEEN WORKING TO FOLLOW BOARD GUIDANCE EACH YEAR AS WELL ABOUT BEING THOUGHTFUL, BEING OFFERING PROGRAM, MAINTAINING PROGRAM, OFFERING THAT BROAD, RICH PROGRAM, BEING THOUGHTFUL ABOUT ADDS.

ALSO, WE'VE HAD A LOT OF CONVERSATION HEADING INTO BOND ABOUT MAINTAINING A TRIPLE-A RATING.

SO THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT FACTORS AND COMPETING INTERESTS THERE.

SO, JIM, I'M GOING TO LET YOU SPEAK TO THAT BECAUSE YOU WILL DO IT IN A WAY THAT IS MUCH MORE ELOQUENT THAN ME.

JIM HRICAY: SO YOU MENTIONED FUND BALANCE.

AND JUST TO GIVE THE LEVEL SET FOR EVERYBODY, FUND BALANCE, THINK OF IT AS YOUR SAVINGS ACCOUNT.

AND OVER THE YEARS, THE DISTRICT HAS HAD FUND BALANCES.

AND COMING OUT OF COVID AND DURING THE COVID YEARS, THE DISTRICT DID ACCUMULATE MORE FUND BALANCES, AS MANY DISTRICTS DID IN THE AREA.

AND COMING OUT OF THAT, THE BOARD HAS BEEN DELIBERATE IN USING SOME FUND BALANCE FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES, USUALLY NON-RECURRING PURPOSES.

SO SOME EXAMPLES ARE REPLACEMENT OF THE HVAC UNITS ON THE ROOF OF THIS BUILDING, PLAYGROUNDS, THE PURCHASE OF THE HOUSE ACTUALLY FOR THE BUSINESS OFFICE AND FOR FRANKLIN AVENUE, THE HOUSE THAT WILL BE REFURBISHED THERE, ALL OF THOSE TYPES OF THINGS.

AND THAT'S BEEN VERY GOOD.

BUT YOUR FUND BALANCE ALSO PLAYS A GOOD ROLE.

IT'S A BUFFER.

AND AS WE LOOK AT OURSELVES AS AAA RATED S&P DISTRICT, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT-- WE WANT TO SEE HOW WE MEASURE TO OUR PEER DISTRICTS.

THERE ARE ONLY THREE OTHER DISTRICTS THAT CARRY THAT SAME LEVEL OF RATING.

SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE HOW WE RATE TO THEM.

AND QUITE HONESTLY, AS A PERCENTAGE OF BUDGET, WE'RE LOWER THAN THOSE OTHER THREE DISTRICTS.

AND AS A TOTAL AMOUNT OF FUND BALANCE, WE ARE LOWER THAN THOSE DISTRICTS.

SO IT'S ALWAYS A BALANCING ACT OF WANTING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN HOLD TO MAINTAIN THAT AAA RATING, BECAUSE THAT CAN ALSO SAVE US MONEY WITH LOWER INTEREST RATES AND THAT GENERATES RETURNS FOR EVERYBODY, BECAUSE YOU PAY LESS WHEN YOU BORROW MONEY AND ALSO NOT HOLD ON TO OR WHAT PEOPLE MAY THINK OF HOARD ALL THIS MONEY AND JUST SIT ON IT AND NOT DO ANYTHING WITH IT.

SO IT'S KIND OF THAT BALANCING ACT AS YOU GO THROUGH IT.

AND EVERY YEAR, WE DO USE SOME OF THAT FUND BALANCE TO HELP NOT TAX PEOPLE, WHICH IS HELPFUL.

[01:25:02]

THE AUDITORS WERE AT OUR LAST MEETING.

THEY SHOWED NET OPERATING RESULTS OF ABOUT HALF A MILLION DOLLARS DEFICIT, MEANING A FUND BALANCE DRAWDOWN.

BUT IF YOU DIG A LITTLE BIT DEEPER AND YOU LOOK AT ABOUT 425,000 OF THAT WAS RELATED DIRECTLY TO A TAX CERTIORARI, WHERE WE HAD A SPECIFIC LIABILITY AND MONEY SET ASIDE FOR THAT SPECIFIC LIABILITY, WHICH IS SMART PLANNING.

WE'RE REALLY LOOKING AT A LITTLE BIT LESS THAN $100,000 DEFICIT YEAR OVER YEAR, WHICH IS PRETTY GREAT ON A BUDGET CLOSE TO $100 MILLION.

THAT'S BASICALLY AN EVEN BUDGET.

SO THAT'S A GOOD PLACE TO BE.

BUT WE WANT TO BE AT A PLACE WHERE WE'RE NOT SHOWING CONSISTENT DRAWDOWNS OF OUR FUND BALANCE BEING USED TO PAY FOR OUR REGULAR RECURRING COSTS, LIKE SALARIES OR THE LIGHTS OR THINGS THAT WE KNOW ARE GOING TO OCCUR EVERY YEAR.

SO I THINK THE COMMUNITY HAS DONE A GOOD JOB OF TRYING TO BE TRUE TO THAT, AND AT THE SAME TIME, USE THE MONIES PRUDENTLY WHEN YOU CAN AND WORK THAT BALANCING ACT.

CHERYL CHAMP: SO THEN JUST TO CLOSE THINGS OUT FOR THIS PORTION, WHAT WE'RE THINKING ABOUT IS, AS WE THINK ABOUT THE BUDGET RESTORATION OF CUTS IN CRITICAL AREAS, SOME OF THE CUTS THAT WE MADE LAST YEAR WERE ONES THAT WE KNOW WE CAN SUSTAIN TEMPORARILY, BUT WE'LL NEED TO THINK ABOUT PERMANENT SOLUTIONS TO SOME OF THOSE AREAS, THE SUSTAINABILITY OF OUR EXISTING PROGRAMS FROM BOTH THE FUNDING AND ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE, AS WE'VE TOUCHED ON MANY TIMES TONIGHT.

AND THEN RESOURCES NEEDED TO FULLY DELIVER ON OUR STRATEGIC PLAN AND VISION FOR OUR STUDENTS.

SO WHAT WE'RE ASKING THE BOARD NOW AND WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO, WE'RE GOING TO ACTUALLY GO OFF CAMERA FOR A LITTLE BIT TO HAVE SMALL TABLE DISCUSSION.

SO AS WE DO IN MANY OF OUR WORK SESSIONS, WE'RE GOING TO ASK YOU FOR ABOUT THE NEXT, I'M GOING TO SAY 20 MINUTES, BECAUSE WE ARE RUNNING LATE TONIGHT TO JUST HAVE A DISCUSSION AT YOUR TABLE ABOUT-- YOU'VE HEARD A LOT TONIGHT-- WHAT DO WE MOST VALUE AS WE'RE THINKING ABOUT HEADING INTO THE BUDGET.

WHAT ARE THE THINGS THAT ARE MOST IMPORTANT TO US AS A BOARD? WHAT SHOULD THE DISTRICT BE PRIORITIZING IN LIGHT OF THE FINANCIAL PRESSURES THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT AND UNDERSTANDING THOSE PRESSURES AND THAT WE'VE GOT TO SOMETIMES MAKE TOUGH CHOICES? AND THEN ULTIMATELY, WHAT'S YOUR GUIDANCE FOR US AS WE HEAD FURTHER INTO THIS BUDGET PROCESS? SO I'M THINKING WE'LL TALK AT TABLES FOR ABOUT 20 MINUTES.

JIM AND I ARE GOING TO SPLIT OURSELVES UP.

CERTAINLY THE CABINET IS HERE AS A RESOURCE.

JIM AND I CAN GO BACK AND FORTH ACROSS TABLES WITH QUESTIONS.

JIM'S GOT SOME HANDOUTS-- JUST SOME ADDITIONAL BACKUP INFORMATION TO SUPPLEMENT WHAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT TONIGHT.

SO WE'RE GOING TO ASK YOU TO TALK ABOUT THESE QUESTIONS IN ABOUT 20 MINUTES, A LITTLE BIT BEFORE 9:00 O'CLOCK TO COME BACK AND ASK MAYBE ONE PERSON AT YOUR TABLE BE THE REPORT OUT AND COMMON THEMES THAT YOU ARRIVED AT AS A TABLE.

AND THEN WE'LL USE THAT TO SHARE OUT FROM THE TABLES AND THEN ULTIMATELY LOOK FOR WHAT'S A COMMONALITY ACROSS THE GROUPS.

AND THEN WHAT WOULD YOU OFFER TO US BY WAY OF DIRECTION AS WE MOVE FORWARD.

OK.

ANY QUESTIONS? CHRIS: REMIND ANY VIDEO WILL BE ON BUT THERE WILL BE NO AUDIO.

CHERYL CHAMP: EXCELLENT POINT.

THANK YOU, CHRIS.

YEAH, SO JUST BECAUSE WE'RE GOING TO HAVE SMALL GROUP CONVERSATION, THE AUDIO WILL BE SHUT OFF.

THE VIDEO WILL BE THERE.

WHEN WE'RE READY TO DO THE REPORT OUT.

WE'LL COME BACK ON AUDIO SO THAT FOLKS CAN HEAR THAT REPORT OUT AS WE END THE MEETING.

THANK YOU.

OK.

SO THANK YOU ALL.

IT'S A VERY THOUGHTFUL CONVERSATIONS AND-- IT'S A FUN CONVERSATIONS GOING ON, I SEE.

SO JUST BY WAY OF QUICK WRAP UP, I'M THINKING MAYBE WE CAN JUST MAYBE DO A LITTLE BIT OF BACK AND FORTH.

I WOULD SAY ROUND ROBIN, BUT IT'S REALLY ONE REPORTER AT TWO DIFFERENT TABLES.

SO WE'LL GO BACK AND FORTH STARTING-- AND I KNOW AT OUR TABLE-- NOT SURE ABOUT YOURS-- BUT WE KIND OF WOUND UP WRAPPING THE VALUE AND PRIORITIZATION QUESTIONS TOGETHER.

SO MAYBE WE'LL JUST DO ONE AT A TIME.

GO BACK AND FORTH.

IF SOMEONE'S ALREADY SAID YOURS OR A VERSION OF IT, THEN WE'LL CONSIDER IT COVERED AND SEE.

WE'LL GO BACK AND FORTH UNTIL WE RUN OUT OF VALUES AND PRIORITIES.

SO OUR ILLUSTRIOUS PRESIDENT, WOULD YOU LIKE TO START US OFF? JACKIE DE ANGELIS: OK.

SO WE DISCUSSED STRONG ACADEMIC OUTCOMES AND ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE AS SOMETHING WE VALUE, SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL LEARNING AND WELLNESS AS SOMETHING THAT WE VALUE, HAVING WORLD CLASS FACILITIES.

WE VALUE STUDENT GROWTH AND THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE, STUDENT VOICE.

AND WE JUST WANT TO SAY WE VALUE THAT GROWTH AND EXPERIENCE AT ALL LEVELS-- ELEMENTARY TO MIDDLE SCHOOL THROUGH HIGH SCHOOL.

[01:30:02]

AND THEN WE ALSO WANT TO PRIORITIZE THE NEEDS OF THE STAFF TO BE ABLE TO DO THEIR BEST WORK, GIVEN THAT THE STUDENTS IN THE CLASSROOM ARE CHANGING OVER TIME.

THEIR HIGHER NEED, THEY NEED MORE SUPPORT.

AND SO THEY NEED MORE SUPPORT FROM THEIR TEACHERS.

SO TO PRIORITIZE THEM AS WELL.

CHERYL CHAMP: ALL RIGHT.

EXCELLENT.

I DON'T KNOW WHO'S THE REPORTER IN-- JIM HRICAY: I'VE BEEN DELEGATED.

CHERYL CHAMP: OK.

SO IF JACKIE ALREADY SAID SOMETHING YOU DON'T HAVE TO SAY IT AGAIN.

JIM HRICAY: I'LL SAY IT THE SAME WAY, BUT VERY BRIEF.

CHERYL CHAMP: IF YOU WANT TO ADD TO IT, ADD A LITTLE COLOR.

JIM HRICAY: I PROMISE-- CHERYL CHAMP: PIGGYBACK, HOWEVER YOU'D LIKE TO HANDLE IT.

JIM HRICAY: WE HAD A VERY ROBUST CONVERSATION, AND I THINK MANY OF THESE ITEMS TRACK ALONG THE SAME STORY-- ACCESS FOR ALL, A HIGH ACHIEVEMENT DISTRICT, ROUNDED CHILD DEVELOPMENT, AND ROBUST OFFERINGS FOR ALL.

AS WE LOOK AT THOSE PRIORITIES, KEEP WHAT WE HAVE, PRIORITIZE THE CLASSROOM, HIGH QUALITY STAFF AND CONSISTENT WITH OUR STRATEGIC PLAN.

CHERYL CHAMP: OK.

EXCELLENT.

SO IT SEEMS VERY, VERY CONSISTENT AND VERY, VERY-- JIM HRICAY: AND WE WEREN'T LISTENING TO EACH OTHER.

CHERYL CHAMP: YES, RIGHT.

SO NOW TO GUIDANCE.

OUR GOAL FOR TONIGHT IN WHAT WE WILL WALK OUT ARE-- THE MARCHING ORDERS BY WHICH WE WILL LEAVE TONIGHT.

[INAUDIBLE] JACKIE DE ANGELIS: AS YOU THINK ABOUT THE BUDGET, THE BOARD, I'M GOING TO SPEAK FOR ALL OF US.

CHERYL CHAMP: AND I WAS GOING TO SAY TOO, IF WE NEED ANY CLARIFICATIONS OR TALK THROUGH ANYTHING ONCE BOTH TABLES HAVE SHARED, BY ALL MEANS, I THINK THAT WOULD MAKE SENSE.

JACKIE DE ANGELIS: TO PRESERVE THE PROGRAM IN THIS BUDGET I THINK WE NEED TO SEE DIFFERENT VERSIONS OF THE BUDGET AS WE GO INTO THIS PROCESS.

SO WHAT IS THE BUDGET TO MAINTAIN CURRENT SERVICES? WHAT DOES THE BUDGET LOOK LIKE WITH UNIVERSAL PRE-K? AND THEN AVERSION BEYOND THAT AS WELL, WE WANT A BUDGET THAT MAINTAINS THE DISTRICT'S STRONG FINANCIAL POSITION.

WE WERE TALKING ABOUT USE OF FUND BALANCE, PRESERVING THE AAA BOND RATING AND CONTINUING TO HAVE A LOW FISCAL STRESS SCORE.

SO HAVING A STRUCTURALLY SOUND BUDGET-- I KNOW WE WILL.

AND THEN WE ALSO, I GUESS I WANTED TO POINT OUT WHEN WE SAY PRESERVING OUR PROGRAM, WE DON'T WANT YOU TO BE AFRAID TO IF SOMETHING NEEDS TO CHANGE IN TERMS OF PROGRAM, WHETHER THAT BE UP OR DOWN OR SHIFTING RESOURCES TO SOMEWHERE, PLEASE DO THAT AS WELL.

AND THEN APPLYING SYSTEMS THINKING TO ANY NEW INVESTMENTS.

SO IF THE OUTCOME IS THAT THERE NEEDS TO BE MORE ADDITIONAL STAFF, INSTEAD OF IT JUST BEING ADDITIVE, THINK ABOUT HOW-- IF THERE'S A WAY TO RETHINK THE RESPONSIBILITIES OR IMPROVE EFFICIENCIES IN SOME WAY WITH THAT ADDITION OF STAFF.

CHERYL CHAMP: OK.

VERY GOOD.

OK.

JIM HRICAY: COMING TO THIS GROUP, I THINK AS THE BOARD'S GUIDANCE FROM THIS TABLE, REALLY IT WAS REALLY MAINTAIN THOSE TWO ITEMS IN THE FIRST TWO QUESTIONS, MAINTAIN WHAT'S VALUED AND WHAT THE PRIORITIES ARE.

SO LOOK AT THAT CURRENT SERVICES, NOT LOOKING AT ANY REDUCTION OF SERVICES, BUT AT A MINIMUM, MAINTENANCE OF THAT.

MATCHING WHAT WAS SAID EARLIER TOO, LOOKING AT DIFFERENT OPTIONS, LOOKING AT EFFICIENCIES.

AND AT THE SAME TIME BEING RESPECTFUL AND UNDERSTANDING THE BOARD'S RESPONSIBILITIES TO OUR STUDENTS AND TOWARDS OUR COMMUNITY AS WELL.

BECAUSE THOSE ARE THOSE RESPONSIBILITIES.

AND IT'S ACKNOWLEDGING THAT.

[01:35:02]

WE TALKED ABOUT UPK.

IT'S A WONDERFUL PROGRAM.

IT'S PROBABLY NOT ONE THAT WOULD GET TO THE TOP OF THE LIST OUT OF ALL OF THE OTHER PROGRAMS THAT WE HAVE RIGHT NOW, BUT THE STATE HAS PLACED IT AT THE TOP OF THE LIST.

SO THAT'S JUST SOMETHING THAT'S GOING TO HAVE TO BE LOOKED AT AND WORKED ON AS PART OF THAT PROCESS.

CHERYL CHAMP: GREAT.

SO ANY CLARIFYING QUESTIONS FROM ONE GROUP TO THE OTHER? ANYTHING YOU HEARD THAT YOU'D LIKE TO KNOW A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT BEFORE WE WRAP UP TONIGHT TO UNDERSTAND, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE KIND OF AGREED ON THE GUIDANCE AND THAT WE UNDERSTAND THAT WE NEED TO MAKE I? PRETTY CLEAR.

AUDIENCE: NO, I THINK WE'RE PRETTY ALIGNED.

JIM HRICAY: A LOT OF OPTIONALITY IS WHAT WE'RE HEARING.

AUDIENCE: AND JUST TO ADD TO THAT, I MEAN, WE DID TALK ABOUT-- WE ALWAYS WANT TO DEEPEN-- OH, SORRY.

WE ALWAYS WANT TO LOOK TO THE FUTURE AND LOOK AT THE STRATEGIC PLAN AND DEEPEN-- WE TALKED ABOUT DEEPENING SOME OF THE PROGRAMS AND THE WORK.

AND, GIVEN THE SITUATION, THE FINANCIAL SITUATION, THE ENVIRONMENT.

AND AGAIN, WE REALLY LANDED ON KEEP WHAT WE HAVE AND BE ABLE TO TALK ABOUT WHAT ELSE IS NEEDED AND TO BE ABLE TO EVALUATE SOME OF THOSE RETURNS THROUGH A DISCUSSION.

AUDIENCE: AND I DON'T THINK-- OH SORRY.

AUDIENCE: GO AHEAD, KATHRYN.

AUDIENCE: IT'S ALL RIGHT.

I CAN SEE YOU.

SO YOU-- OK, I'M GOING BECAUSE YOU'RE LAUGHING.

SO WHAT I MENTIONED AND WE DISCUSSED IN THE GROUP IS, I THINK WHAT WOULD HELP TO KNOW IS TO KATHRYN'S POINT ABOUT THAT PYRAMID, LIKE IN MAINTAINING THE GREAT PROGRAMMING THAT WE HAVE BEEN MAINTAINING, IF YOU COULD DEMONSTRATE, YES, HERE'S WHAT THE BUDGET WOULD LOOK LIKE, AND WE MAINTAINED WHAT WE HAVE, BUT THESE AREAS ARE STRETCHED SO THIN THAT WE'RE AT RISK OF X, Y AND Z.

SO IT'S HARD FOR US AS A BOARD TO KNOW THAT.

BUT YOU WOULD KNOW THAT.

SO WE CAN SAY MAINTAIN PROGRAMMING, MAKE SURE WE'RE COVERING UPK ET CETERA.

BUT IF-- AUDIENCE: SUSTAINABILITY AND REALLY UNDERSTANDING THE IMPACT.

AUDIENCE: YEAH.

AND I THINK THAT CAN SHOW UP IN THE DIFFERENT OPTIONS THAT YOU PRESENT.

CHERYL CHAMP: AND WE KEPT COMING BACK TO THE WORD TANGIBLE, LIKE TANGIBLE EVIDENCE OF-- THAT'S KIND OF WHAT I'M HEARING, WHAT YOU'RE SAYING TOO-- SOME TANGIBLE EVIDENCE OF-- AREAS.

YEAH, WHAT'S NOT SUSTAINABLE.

WHAT ARE SOME THINGS THAT WOULD BE DIFFERENT.

AUDIENCE: RIGHT.

LIKE TO ACTUALLY BE ABLE TO SHOW THE COMMUNITY, YES, WE LOOKED AT THIS AND HERE'S WHAT IT WOULD LOOK LIKE IF WE DID AN INCREASE-- IF WE MAINTAIN THE BUDGET.

IF WE'RE NOT ABLE TO SHOW THOSE TANGIBLE OUTCOMES OR POTENTIAL OUTCOMES,-- THEN IT'S HARD FOR US TO TALK ABOUT WHY IT'S NECESSARY FOR IT TO INCREASE BY X PERCENTAGE OR WHATEVER THE CASE MAY BE.

AUDIENCE: AND SOMETHING JUST TO-- I DON'T WANT US TO FORGET ABOUT NEW YORK INSPIRES PORTRAIT OF A GRADUATE.

SO WE'VE TALKED ABOUT UPK AND THE IMPLICATIONS THAT WILL HAVE ON THE DISTRICT.

BUT WE'RE ALSO GOING THROUGH A COMPLETE OVERHAUL OF THE WAY NEW YORK STATE WANTS SCHOOL DISTRICTS TO THINK ABOUT EDUCATION AND WHAT THAT MEANS FOR THEIR STUDENTS.

AND WE MAY ALREADY BE DOING MANY OF THE THINGS THAT NEW YORK INSPIRES, WANTS US TO ACCOMPLISH.

AND I THINK CLAIRE AND HER TEAM AND THE REST OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE CABINET IS REALLY TAKING A DEEP DIVE.

BUT WE MIGHT ALREADY BE DOING THOSE THINGS, BUT WE'RE NOT TRACKING THEM.

AND SO THERE'S GOING TO BE RESOURCES OF TIME AND MONEY THAT IT WILL TAKE TO TRACK IT.

AND THEN ALSO IMPLEMENT ANY CHANGES THAT WE NEED TO DO TO BE IN LINE WITH THAT.

AND SO I DON'T WANT US TO FORGET ABOUT WHAT THE IMPLICATIONS THIS TRANSFORMATION WILL HAVE ON OUR DISTRICT.

AUDIENCE: WILL YOU KNOW THE YEAR DURING THE BUDGET CYCLE? CHERYL CHAMP: AS FAR AS NEW YORK INSPIRES? AUDIENCE: YEAH.

LIKE WHAT-- CHERYL CHAMP: IT'S NOT GOING TO BE-- I KNOW CLAIRE'S IS FOLLOWING THIS CLOSELY.

AUDIENCE: I KNOW WE'RE DOING A LOT OF WORK ON IT.

YOU'RE DOING A LOT OF WORK.

CHERYL CHAMP: BUT I KNOW THAT THE NEXT STEP OF REGULATION CHANGES IN LANGUAGE AROUND EVEN THE REGENTS, THE CHANGES IN THE REGENTS EXAMS, I THINK THAT'S NOT UNTIL FEBRUARY, MARCH-- AUDIENCE: FEBRUARY.

AUDIENCE: FEBRUARY THAT WE'RE GOING TO GET MORE CLARITY FROM THE STATE.

MAYBE IN THE MIDST OF BUDGET SEASON, WE WILL GET SOME ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.

AUDIENCE: OK.

AUDIENCE: YEAH.

I KNOW WE'VE TALKED-- WE'RE DOING THE ASSESSMENT AUDIT THIS YEAR.

[01:40:01]

AND SO THAT'S GOING TO-- THAT WILL BE THE DISCUSSION AS WE MOVE INTO THE BUDGET SEASON FOR SUMMER CURRICULUM WORK AND THEN IN SERVICE OFFERINGS FOR EDUCATORS, BECAUSE IF WE'RE REVAMPING OUR ENTIRE SYSTEM ASSESSMENT SYSTEM, THEN INSTRUCTION NEEDS TO ALSO BE ALTERED.

AND THAT TAKES TIME AND COLLABORATION.

BUT IT'S PHASED.

SO WE'RE LOOKING AT FIVE YEAR PHASE IN FOR TOTAL COMPLETION.

SO IT'LL BE OVER THE COURSE OF MANY YEARS THAT WE'LL BE REWRITING AND WORKING TOWARDS THAT.

CHERYL CHAMP: OK.

ANY LAST WORDS BEFORE WE WRAP FOR THE EVENING? I'M IN THE LAST PAGE OF MY NOTEBOOK, SO I'M OUT OF SPACE FOR NOTES.

THANK AUDIENCE: EVERYONE FOR THEIR WORK ON THIS.

CHERYL CHAMP: VERY WELCOME.

THANK YOU ALL.

APPRECIATE THE CONVERSATION.

THANK YOU, JIM, AND THE WHOLE CABINET FOR A LOT OF TIME AND ENERGY WENT INTO TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE COULD COME TO YOU TONIGHT WITH A COHERENT PLAN THAT KIND OF LED US THROUGH SOME THOUGHTFUL WORK AROUND WHERE WE'VE BEEN AND WHERE WE'RE HEADING.

SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR GUIDANCE AND WE'LL DO OUR BEST TO WORK ON THAT.

AND WE'LL COME BACK TO YOU SHORTLY.

LAST SLIDE FOR THE PUBLIC IS JUST A REMINDER.

FEBRUARY 22ND WILL BE THE FIRST LAUNCH OF THE SUPERINTENDENT'S BUDGET.

SO WE'LL TAKE EVERYTHING FROM TONIGHT.

WE'RE CERTAINLY GOING TO BE HAVING MORE CONVERSATIONS BETWEEN NOW AND THEN.

JIM'S OFFICE IS GETTING MORE AND MORE INFORMATION ON THE REVENUE SIDE, SO WE'LL LAUNCH ON THE 22ND OF FEBRUARY.

MARCH AND APRIL WE'LL CONTINUE TO HAVE PUBLIC DISCUSSIONS LINE BY LINES.

WE'LL BE DOING AN ADDITIONAL THOUGHT EXCHANGE ENGAGEMENT AROUND MARCH TO GET A SENSE OF COMMUNITY THOUGHTS AND PRIORITIES AS WE'RE DEVELOPING AND REFINING THE BUDGET.

AND THEN THE VOTE IS MAY 18TH, AND WE'LL HAVE AN EXIT POLLING AFTER THAT AGAIN AS WELL, TO SEE HOW WE DID.

THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH.

I THINK WE NEED TO CLOSE.

AUDIENCE: DO I HAVE A MOTION TO ADJOURN? CHERYL CHAMP: HERE WE GO.

AUDIENCE: SO MOVED.

AUDIENCE: SECOND.

AUDIENCE: ALL IN FAVOR? AUDIENCE: AYE.

AUDIENCE: THANK YOU.

CHERYL CHAMP: OK.

THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH.

* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.