[0:00] Alright, at 6:34, I will start the meeting

[0:03] . Hmm, shall we

[0:05] start by listening to citizens' opinions, as usual

[0:07] ? Is anyone online

[0:09] ? Is anyone here? Please

[0:11] tell me right away.

[0:13] Yes, I would appreciate it.

[0:14] Uh, could you hand me the microphone

[0:16] ?

[0:18] Yes, I did

[0:20] n't come to hear the budget announcement tonight, so I was hoping the Finance

[0:26] Committee would inform us at this residents' meeting, just like last time,

[0:30] how serious the future financial situation is

[0:32] .

[0:38] However, there was no sense of urgency among citizens, especially

[0:40] members of the school community

[0:42] , and

[0:46] interest and participation in events such as last spring's budget meeting and tonight's meeting

[0:48] were low.

[0:55] As Michael summarized, and as reported in last week's newspaper

[0:57] , I think it is now

[0:58] important to raise awareness about the Rado issue

[1:00] . But

[1:01] I, I know, too. It is difficult to properly recognize how dangerous the situation could become due to

[1:06] budget cuts that have already occurred and

[1:07] cuts that may occur in the future, even while making a fuss like the boy who cried wolf

[1:15] . What I would

[1:20] like to hear while you explain the school's financial situation is that you continue to remind people how

[1:22] serious the situation is and how much worse it could get in the future

[1:27] . I would like you to raise awareness about which items

[1:33] have been cut,

[1:35] how this affects education and learning

[1:37] , what

[1:38] we aimed for through the strategic plan and what we

[1:40] failed to achieve, and

[1:42] which items

[1:44] may disappear in the future

[1:47] . As you know,

[1:49] such things have happened in the past as well. I remember that various fields,

[1:54] including music and band clubs, as well as

[1:56] sports,

[1:58] disappeared, and we had to hold fundraising events to buy books

[2:02] .

[2:07] Citizens joined forces to save the school

[2:09] . As you know, that

[2:11] organization has produced many elected officials and

[2:13] members of the Future Education Committee

[2:15] , and

[2:17] North Reading United for

[2:19] Education has inspired people to

[2:21] go to the State Legislature and

[2:23] negotiate to secure more funding

[2:24] . However, I am

[2:30] disappointed that such activities do not seem to be taking place more actively.

[2:35] So my point is that when formulating the budget and

[2:38] having these discussions at weekly or bi-weekly meetings

[2:40] , we must convey truthfully—that is, without creating excessive anxiety—that

[2:44] the situation is very serious and could have a

[2:49] serious impact on everything we have enjoyed so far, including facilities and programs

[2:53] .

[2:58] That is all for my thoughts. all

[2:59] right. Yes, Jeff, thank you for the explanation

[3:03] . I

[3:05] fully agree. It looks like we will be able to

[3:09] hear Mr. Conley's opinion tonight

[3:10] , and we are also working on it

[3:13] . We are

[3:15] using social media

[3:16] . The team manages social media every week

[3:18] . As

[3:19] one of the goals of the school committee, we are

[3:24] trying to participate more actively in the local community and attend various events

[3:25] . We are all

[3:30] talking about this issue and making

[3:32] efforts wherever we stand, whether at a theater or a stadium, but we

[3:34] fully understand what you have said

[3:35] . I can do more activities

[3:37] , and I plan to do so in the future

[3:38] . We intend to arrange things like so-called '

[3:40] office visit time' or 'coffee

[3:42] time'

[3:44] . We would like to

[3:45] communicate with the local community through these activities, but we also

[3:52] believe it is important to remind them once again of the work they have done in the past. There is no need to go out of your way to start over things you have already successfully accomplished

[3:56] . We would appreciate it if you could continue to let

[3:58] us know and

[3:59] share your opinions in the future

[4:00] .

[4:01] Well, as you know, I am

[4:04] one of those who hope for a retrial vote to take place in the spring.

[4:06] But preparing for such a campaign

[4:08] takes months, and you can't just

[4:11] cram it three, four, or five weeks before the election

[4:13] .

[4:17] For a school project, I met with as many stakeholders as possible, such as Rotary Clubs and

[4:23] Chambers of Commerce, and

[4:27] produced videos that were

[4:30] broadcast on local cable TV. It requires a lot of people and

[4:33] time, and unless you

[4:34] instill passion in people,

[4:36] no one will step forward to do the necessary work. yes that's

[4:44] right. That is a good point

[4:46] . It seems you are reminding us once again that while focusing on the school committee is

[4:48] important, we also need to pay attention to the local

[4:49] business community and various other fields

[4:53] . that's

[4:55] right.

[4:59] Well, personally, I

[5:01] generally agree. However, I am still in the

[5:10] process of organizing many of the figures. To

[5:11] determine exactly how much difficulty there is, there

[5:15] is no need to calculate the minute details, but you need to

[5:19] get a rough idea of the scale

[5:20] . Because there is a big difference between asking for $1 million and

[5:22] asking for $5 million

[5:25] . The difference is

[5:31] huge, and I don't know exactly yet

[5:33] .

[5:35] It's the stage where you're getting a rough sense of it. That is exactly what we are

[5:38] working hard on behind the scenes right now

[5:41] . And

[5:45] another

[5:47] factor we are trying to understand is the difference in stance between the city and the school

[5:49] . They are not in conflict with each other

[5:53] , but they each

[5:54] have their own needs, and they sometimes cooperate and sometimes

[5:56] conflict. I am

[5:59] thinking about how to coordinate this

[6:00] . And finally

[6:03] , the part we need to focus on in this meeting is the

[6:07] $3.5 million in support required for the construction of modular buildings

[6:08] . We will discuss this part in

[6:10] detail later

[6:12] . I don't want to confuse these two things

[6:13] . To

[6:16] reiterate, I do not intend to add the word "but," but

[6:20] from a strategic perspective,

[6:24] we are

[6:27] aware that there is funding required for the construction of modular buildings, and since there is also a possibility of further requests for additional support, we do

[6:32] not want to completely confuse these two things.

[6:34] Right?

[6:38] Therefore, we are requesting this support early and

[6:41] proceeding separately from the next support request.

[6:45] If both proceed simultaneously

[6:46] , the $3.5 million will

[6:48] be an overfunding, and we do

[6:51] not want that situation. Of course, we need that money

[6:52] . We

[6:53] want to proceed with construction, but we do not want to confuse the two

[6:56] . I will say it again

[6:57] , this is not an excuse. I am

[6:59] merely explaining the basis for the current situation

[7:01] . yes

[7:02] .

[7:03] Anyway, thank you.

[7:05] Welcome.

[7:07] Many people, including ourselves, need to be

[7:09] dedicated and interested like you

[7:11] . We

[7:13] sincerely thank you for that

[7:14] . thank you. yes. Do you have anything

[7:19] else to say?

[7:21] I don't know anyone online

[7:22] .

[7:23] Yes, please tell me. Mr.

[7:25] Freeman, I plan to prepare some materials regarding the parts that have already been cut

[7:26] or their impact

[7:30] . It is a difficult problem.

[7:31] Some people say, "We

[7:33] cut costs a few times in the past, but there were no

[7:34] problems." I

[7:35] heard you say that. I

[7:38] think that is exactly the difficult part. We

[7:43] said from the beginning that these cuts would not be felt immediately. If cuts are made in

[7:45] areas such as class size or special education,

[7:47] the effects may

[7:49] become apparent over time

[7:50] . Yes, the same goes for our

[7:52] world language program

[7:53] . We

[7:55] plan to make a related announcement soon, but the

[7:58] budget cuts we have implemented cannot be reversed within a year

[8:00] . You

[8:02] cannot add the program again. We had to

[8:04] completely change the entire timetable and program

[8:06] , and we are rebuilding it through the NRPS 2030 plan

[8:10] . So, um, as you know

[8:12] , our city's current goal is to

[8:14] clarify the overall problem and

[8:18] identify when the necessary support is needed

[8:20] . Of course, such a preparation process is

[8:22] necessary, but we

[8:23] cannot set an exact timing yet. This is

[8:29] because a strategic approach is necessary, and it is necessary to clarify what support is needed. all

[8:33] right.

[8:35] Does anyone have a different opinion? it's okay.

[8:39] Thank you once again. Then, shall we

[8:43] proceed with the student presentations,

[8:45] Mr. Palmer?

[8:46] hello. Well, regarding important academic

[8:49] matters,

[8:51] upperclassmen received counseling

[8:53] on how to apply to college in the Civics and Government class

[8:55] . We looked in detail into how to obtain recommendation letters from counselors and teachers,

[9:01] how to submit academic transcripts

[9:03] , and how to use the Common App and

[9:05] Naviance

[9:07] . In addition, a financial

[9:11] support information session is scheduled to be held on October 7

[9:12] .

[9:17] As for arts news, the Masquers Broadway

[9:19] Cabaret performance

[9:21] will be held at the PAC this Friday evening at 7 p.m.

[9:23] Tickets can be purchased online

[9:25] , and are $15 at the venue

[9:27] . Last week, a

[9:29] band called Notorious visited an elementary school and

[9:34] held an event to encourage young students to join the choir. The

[9:36] Haunted Playground event is scheduled for October 17

[9:38] . There

[9:41] are also home performances by the band.

[9:44] As for athletic events, the

[9:46] American football game held last Thursday was

[9:48] themed 'Construction' and St. We played against Mary's

[9:51] High School and

[9:52] lost by 4 points. The girls'

[9:54] soccer team lost to Lynnfield High School

[9:55] . The men's soccer team

[9:57] won against Linfield

[9:58] . The volleyball team

[10:00] won against Wilmington and Ipswich

[10:01] . The field hockey team

[10:03] lost to the Manchester Sex

[10:04] . The golf team won against the Sexes in Manchester

[10:07] in the senior night match on Thursday

[10:10] . In addition,

[10:12] our school has a 'Community Care Closet' that provides daily necessities such as

[10:13] clothes and toiletries to students in need

[10:19] , and all students

[10:20] can use it. Tomorrow, an

[10:23] activity fair will be held to

[10:30] introduce the various activities, clubs, and sports offered by North Reading High School to all incoming students.

[10:34] October 9th is an early dismissal day

[10:35] . Monday, October 12th is

[10:38] Columbus Day, so school is closed

[10:40] . The PSAT exam for 2nd and 3rd year students is on

[10:43] October 17.

[10:45] The photo retake is on the 21st, and since the

[10:47] freshman class election was

[10:49] held last Friday, the

[10:51] results are expected to be announced soon. The

[10:54] parent-teacher meeting will be held on the 22nd, and

[10:56] North Reading High School

[10:58] students are

[11:00] scheduled to attend and help. To give you an idea of my student activity

[11:03] report,

[11:04] I am affiliated with DECA (Diego College of the Arts

[11:06] ). DECA is a

[11:11] student organization that helps students learn about business, leadership, and entrepreneurship.

[11:13] I am an executive member of the school DECA

[11:15] , and our group

[11:17] participated in the state competition last year.

[11:19] So, for this year's competition, we

[11:21] further developed last year's project

[11:22] . We

[11:25] created a fictional business called

[11:26] 'Sunrise

[11:28] Sports'. It is

[11:29] modeled after a real building in Wilmington and is located

[11:32] next to Benevento's. We plan to turn this

[11:33] building into a

[11:35] multi-purpose sports and

[11:36] fitness facility for all athletes

[11:37] . Our project

[11:42] focused on helping athletes secure more practice space.

[11:43] In particular, we wanted to improve the reality where many local athletes have to

[11:45] travel long distances to use sports facilities

[11:47] . I

[11:50] also did a lot of research to make the business plan more solid. Although

[11:54] there are no project-related photos or materials, we produced a poster containing all the information necessary

[11:56] for business operations, such as demographics and target budget

[12:00] . That's

[12:03] cool. yes

[12:03] .

[12:05] great.

[12:07] Do you have any questions or comments?

[12:10] What was the most difficult part of that project

[12:11] ?

[12:12] Well, honestly, it was probably a budget

[12:14] issue. Originally, it would have cost $2 million to equip that

[12:18] building with sports facilities, a lawn, a

[12:20] playing field, courts, etc.

[12:28] So, we had to

[12:32] carefully review the budget and

[12:34] come up with realistic solutions.

[12:38] How much was the land purchase cost

[12:40] ?

[12:41] Hmm, I don't really remember. I am

[12:45] asking because we had to purchase it anyway, even if it meant exercising the right of expropriation

[12:47] . good night. Yes

[12:49] , you're doing well, right? How are you spending this year

[12:51] ? I'm

[12:52] doing well.

[12:53] Noel wanted to ask, so I'll ask on his

[12:55] behalf.

[12:58] What is the new mobile phone usage policy like?

[12:59] Well, honestly, I'm glad it wasn't as

[13:01] difficult as I thought.

[13:05] I think it's actually gotten better. I

[13:09] think I have many more opportunities to communicate directly with students.

[13:11] In the past, many people kept their distance from each other and just

[13:12] fiddled with their cell phones

[13:14] .

[13:15] How about lunch?

[13:16] Uh, I

[13:18] can't eat lunch because of my internship. So it does

[13:20] n't have a big impact on me, but I

[13:22] heard that it's much better

[13:24] . That's

[13:25] good. Did you

[13:26] hear? Thank you, Jo.

[13:29] What about the internship?

[13:30] Well, at Beat Tone Fitness in Middleton

[13:32] .

[13:33] Ah, yes. I'll see you there. That's

[13:35] good.

[13:36] Yes, I go there a few times a week

[13:37] .

[13:38] Oh, really? Do you teach there

[13:40] , or

[13:42] do administrative work?

[13:43] Um, I mainly do administrative work, but I am

[13:45] preparing to become an instructor

[13:47] . You will probably

[13:48] see me there. That's

[13:49] good. That's

[13:50] good. Hmm, I think it's

[13:52] a bit too early to ask about things like college

[13:54] , and I

[13:56] don't want to get ahead of myself. So, I

[13:57] hope for good results, and

[13:59] thank you.

[14:01] I would love to see you later and share your internship experiences.

[14:02] Yes, I will definitely do that.

[14:03] Thank you so much.

[14:05] Do you have any other questions or comments? Thank you, Sydney. It was

[14:07] really good. thank you. Yes, you are

[14:09] welcome to stay, but it is

[14:11] perfectly fine if you leave. Especially since you probably would

[14:15] n't want to keep sitting around wearing shorts

[14:16] . Yes, thank you very much

[14:18] . thank you.

[14:20] Okay, then, shall we

[14:24] move on to the next agenda item and talk about electric vehicle charging stations

[14:26] ?

[14:29] Dr. Daley, Mr. Connolly, Mr.

[14:31] Michael, I

[14:34] have a few updates.

[14:35] Yes, the updates are as follows

[14:37] . The city

[14:39] selected a company through a bid announcement

[14:40] . A

[14:45] company was selected through a qualification screening process, and a

[14:47] contract was signed.

[14:50] The company ordered a charging station

[14:52] , and is currently waiting for the delivery and installation schedule

[14:54] .

[14:59] We plan to work in cooperation with the City Department of Public Works (DPW) to

[15:09] carry out all necessary work, including excavation and lining. Um,

[15:12] so RMLD is currently

[15:14] waiting for the exact shipping date

[15:16] . That way, we can schedule the installation and

[15:21] work with the Public Works Department (DPW).

[15:30] May I ask some technical questions, such as what type of charger it is, whether it is an Axe charger, and how it connects? I'm not sure

[15:33] . Yes, it's

[15:35] fine. I

[15:37] apologize for causing you unnecessary embarrassment. it's okay

[15:38] . great. I'm

[15:41] sorry, I am currently viewing the attached file

[15:43] .

[15:49] great. Uh, is there anything you would like to discuss

[15:53] ?

[15:59] Thank you for the update.

[16:00] great. Let's

[16:02] move on to the next one. Now, I

[16:08] will give you an update on the Hood School modular project. Would you like to speak

[16:10] ? yes.

[16:13] Well, to make it

[16:13] easier for people to understand

[16:15] , a

[16:17] residents' meeting is scheduled for Monday

[16:18] . A proposal to approve the exclusion of

[16:24] $3.5 million in

[16:26] project debt is scheduled to be submitted at the village meeting on Monday

[16:29] . I won't be able to show you the entire slide material

[16:36] , but I can show it to you if you would like

[16:38] . But it

[16:40] seems like Jeff really wants to see it.

[16:41] I would be happy to show you

[16:42] . This agenda item is also

[16:47] scheduled to be discussed at the village meeting. However, before that, there are a

[16:50] few things I would like to tell you

[16:51] . This project was discussed once again

[16:55] at the city council meeting held on Monday

[16:57] . There have been a few questions

[16:59] , and I will answer them in a moment

[17:00] . The point is that there will be

[17:04] two votes on this agenda item

[17:06] . There is a village meeting vote and a

[17:08] residents' vote to be held in early November

[17:10] . The referendum agenda item

[17:14] number is 11. Yes, it's

[17:17] quite far back on the list. To

[17:20] achieve the debt exclusion we are requesting, it is

[17:23] important to obtain affirmative votes for both proposals.

[17:25] Now, let's take a quick look at the presentation materials

[17:27] . Well, but

[17:29] first, I would

[17:31] like to clearly state what we want

[17:33] . The requested amount is $3.5 million

[17:35] . This agenda item

[17:37] will undergo two votes:

[17:38] once at the general meeting of residents, and

[17:40] again as an agenda item for an election vote

[17:42] . Um,

[17:44] Mr. Freeman,

[17:46] would you mind saying a word? yes

[17:47] . wait a minute.

[17:48] This presentation material

[17:50] has been slightly modified. I

[17:53] would like to receive final approval from everyone.

[17:55] This slide will be distributed to all residents as part of the

[17:57] presentation materials for the residents' general meeting tomorrow morning

[18:00] , so you will be able to take a look at it in advance

[18:02] . Well, I

[18:05] added and changed a few things

[18:07] .

[18:08] Would you like to turn it over?

[18:09] Yes, that is fine.

[18:12] This is one of the changes

[18:13] . I integrated these contents

[18:15] into a single slide. yes

[18:16] .

[18:17] Yes, is there brief historical information about the two schools

[18:20] here? Is that right?

[18:22] Yes, I can show you past photos related to the current situation

[18:26] .

[18:27] And reflecting your feedback, we

[18:30] returned to the originally planned project

[18:31] . I updated the 2024 research report

[18:33] .

[18:35] To avoid confusion, I changed it to Options 1, 2, and 3, and

[18:38] to prevent it from changing back to Options 1 and 2 later, I

[18:40] changed it to ABC. We now

[18:42] call it ABC. Option A is to

[18:45] maintain and expand the modular building

[18:47] , and Option B

[18:53] is to replace the modular building with a modular building. Option C is a plan to replace modular buildings

[18:55] with permanent structures

[18:56] . I will explain the differences between each option and

[19:00] finally tell you why I chose Option B.

[19:03] And these

[19:05] slides

[19:08] are a timeline showing the process we have been carrying out.

[19:10] As you know, this project

[19:14] started with a modular feasibility study in 2024, but Mr. Michael, the

[19:16] capital plan has been in progress for several years, and as you

[19:19] mentioned, it has continued to the point where it was submitted as an agenda item for the town meeting in 2024 and put to a

[19:21] vote

[19:25] .

[19:27] Yes, and what I would like to emphasize here is that

[19:29] we requested the state government's participation through a larger-scale

[19:35] project, the MSBA project, and thanks

[19:43] to the excellent efforts of the entire team, including Dr. Daley, we were able to participate in the program

[19:46] . What I learned while participating in the program is that

[19:54] research

[19:56] and evaluation of the school project alone costs 2 million dollars

[19:57] .

[20:02] Based on this alone, and

[20:05] because there is a possibility that the project scope may expand, the state

[20:06] government will not provide funding unless it comprehensively reviews the entire school and

[20:10] confirms that the project is worth it

[20:14] . So

[20:15] they will tell you to install windows,

[20:17] fix the roof, and do everything found in the overall survey

[20:21] . So, consider a situation where project costs ranging from $

[20:27] 10 million to $20 million are added to the $2 million valuation

[20:32] .

[20:39] Compared to building only modular homes with the $3.5 million we requested, we could not, in good conscience, make such a proposal to the village

[20:42] . Especially considering the village's financial

[20:48] situation, it could not be said that this was the

[20:50] most efficient way to use the village budget

[20:54] . So, we ended up requesting the

[20:58] exclusion of debt to acquaintances as the second option

[20:59] . To

[21:02] reiterate, this process

[21:04] proceeds in two stages. A

[21:06] village meeting will be held next week, and it is

[21:08] scheduled to be put to a vote in early November

[21:10] .

[21:12] I think that explains it sufficiently.

[21:15] Is a two-thirds majority required at the village meeting? Since

[21:16] the exclusion of debt is

[21:17] not land expropriation, it

[21:19] seems that a majority vote will suffice. No

[21:21] , I'm not sure.

[21:22] I think it's just a vote

[21:24] . I

[21:27] think I can check it. It

[21:30] might be on another slide. Yes, I

[21:33] understand that two-thirds is required for debt exclusion, but it

[21:37] seems that this does not apply to land purchases.

[21:38] Is this about the land purchase? I'll have to check

[21:40] .

[21:42] Two-thirds is required for any type of borrowing, so let me double-check

[21:43] . That

[21:45] is a good question.

[21:46] Yes, I'm quite sure, but it might be

[21:48] on another slide

[21:50] . I will check as well

[21:51] . This slide was

[21:53] prepared by the city finance official and

[21:56] covers the current usage status and future vision

[21:58] . We

[21:59] were considering a second option, which is to

[22:02] combine the small space and the food corner module into one

[22:04] . The difference is that

[22:08] Michael received a model of the module last week

[22:10] . So, there are going to be

[22:13] 6 extended modules on the right rear side

[22:17] .

[22:21] And this is

[22:22] another visual aid showing an interior model with a restroom

[22:24] . This is a

[22:28] kind of 2D version. Okay, these

[22:34] are the recommendations. This accounts for an increase of $3.5 million in

[22:38] emergency costs

[22:40] . This is a

[22:44] breakdown of emergency costs and increases. And

[22:47] this is a motion to be submitted to the school committee, no, the

[22:49] selection committee

[22:51] .

[22:54] When reviewing the agenda tonight, we will discuss this item and

[22:55] other items

[22:57] . If

[22:59] there is a motion to approve this agenda item, it will be recorded and

[23:01] shared tomorrow. Did you

[23:03] understand? Yes, here

[23:08] is a question.

[23:09] Yes, I will keep checking

[23:11] .

[23:12] Again?

[23:15] There is a question on the slide a little further ahead. no.

[23:22] This is the starting part. Shall we take

[23:24] another look?

[23:30] Yes, here you go.

[23:37] There is some helpful information here; it says "

[23:44] MSBA senior research" in September 2025

[23:46] . yes.

[23:50] So, um, to avoid

[23:52] confusing the terms or technical jargon there

[23:54] . We

[23:59] had a chance to talk about it, but

[24:01] someone else at North Reading might

[24:03] read it and make a different assumption

[24:04] . So, you

[24:07] could also use a different expression.

[24:11] That is exactly the term.

[24:14] I think we need to think about how to define it. It might be a

[24:16] confusing term for someone reading it for the first time

[24:19] . yes

[24:20] .

[24:21] Alternatively, putting it inside quotation marks and

[24:23] defining it right there would be

[24:25] good.

[24:28] Advanced research required. yes.

[24:30] They are called seniors. That is a technical

[24:32] term. Hmm, it's

[24:36] worth thinking about. yes. That makes sense

[24:38] . yes. Because there is

[24:40] no opportunity to talk. yes

[24:43] .

[24:44] Someone who just reads

[24:46] might make a different assumption. yes

[24:48] . I heard that there were similar opinions regarding the Charles Crutch senior field as well

[24:51] . Is that a

[24:53] field for seniors

[24:54] ?

[24:55] no. yes.

[24:56] That is that

[24:57] person's name. yes. yes.

[25:01] Otherwise, it is very intuitive

[25:03] and easy to understand. Yes, that's

[25:06] good. Do you have any other matters to discuss

[25:11] ? Yes, then let's

[25:16] look at the remaining agenda items. Let's

[25:18] review the agenda items. Yes, in a little while

[25:20] . great. Now, let's

[25:27] talk about the budget schedule for fiscal year 2028.

[25:29] Mr. Connolly, yes, thank you.

[25:32] The purpose of today's meeting is to begin the

[25:41] budget formulation process for fiscal year 2028 in

[25:43] earnest, and to review the

[25:45] key dates and deliverables of the budget schedule to

[25:47] determine whether to approve them

[25:49] . In addition, we plan to discuss the

[25:53] major areas and timing to be covered in the future

[25:55] .

[25:58] This is the first step, and the

[26:00] second step is to

[26:02] review the budget targets for fiscal year 2028

[26:04] . This goal must align with the recently

[26:07] approved financial management goals of the Board of Education

[26:09] and the strategic plan of the school district

[26:11] . Well,

[26:17] if you look at the budget schedule, this is a

[26:21] schedule that we have used before, and it

[26:25] is the same schedule that we used in the year we requested a budget increase.

[26:30] The purpose of this schedule is to start with all members

[26:34] agreeing on the key schedule, goals, and deliverables

[26:36] . The

[26:42] annual budgeting process

[26:44] begins with a review of the capital improvement plan, and

[26:46] we review a 3 to 5-year long-term capital

[26:48] improvement plan. This

[26:54] plan is

[26:56] announced in the fall, starting on November 9, and

[26:58] approved on November 30. Once

[27:06] approval is complete, the

[27:08] project will be submitted to the City Capital Improvement

[27:10] Planning Committee for

[27:11] further discussion and deliberation

[27:13] . Internally, we start this process with the

[27:21] principal and budget manager in early November, sometimes in late October

[27:25] . In other words, it means

[27:31] starting discussions internally early on. We

[27:33] always begin the process by reviewing student enrollment projections for the next 5 to 10 years

[27:36] .

[27:38] Therefore, we plan to provide the relevant estimates by December 1st

[27:41] . Check the latest information by considering census data,

[27:46] historical data, and the current status and development of the local community

[27:52] . I collaborate with the City Hall office and the

[28:02] development office to

[28:05] calculate estimates based on this data. So

[28:08] far, we have been able to predict very accurately

[28:09] . This is the

[28:14] starting point of workforce deployment planning

[28:15] . This is because this forecast

[28:17] affects the previous year's workforce deployment

[28:18] . Therefore,

[28:20] this process takes place in early December

[28:22] . Principals and

[28:25] budget managers, please

[28:31] submit staffing requests to my office in early December, right after the Thanksgiving holiday

[28:33] . Well, after that, there will be a

[28:36] lot of internal discussions

[28:38] , and the details of those discussions will be

[28:40] reported to the financial planning team.

[28:43] Members of the financial planning team will

[28:52] publicly announce the details of their discussions regarding revenue plans, financial shortfalls, and current challenges at bi-weekly meetings

[28:54] . These

[28:58] discussions will proceed in earnest from December to February

[29:02] . We plan to announce the draft school budget on February 12 and

[29:12] submit the final budget to the community and the school board

[29:14] . And on March 8, we

[29:20] plan to publicly present the budget proposal to the school committee

[29:22] . We will provide

[29:30] budget-related webinars so that community members can ask questions about the budget and discuss it with me and Dr. Daley

[29:34] . This webinar is scheduled to take place ahead of the

[29:40] open budget hearing on March 31

[29:41] .

[29:45] We plan to hold a budget workshop prior to the school committee's public hearing

[29:49] , which is

[29:51] scheduled for April 12.

[29:54] The public hearing will gather opinions from the local community

[29:56] .

[30:03] If necessary, it is expected that a separate budget workshop will need to be held prior to the

[30:04] budget vote, especially in years with difficult budgets

[30:10] . Therefore, this workshop is

[30:13] scheduled to be held on April 26

[30:14] . The school committee will

[30:18] hold a vote on the budget on April 26

[30:20] , which takes place before the village meeting agenda is

[30:22] finalized. We plan to submit the

[30:25] voted-on

[30:26] budget bill to the Finance Committee on May 5

[30:28] . On May 10th, an

[30:31] official vote on the village meeting agenda is

[30:33] expected to take place at the election committee

[30:34] . And on June 7th,

[30:39] voting will take place at the village meeting on the school budget as well as the entire city budget. As I

[30:42] mentioned before, these key

[30:44] dates serve as important benchmarks for guiding the budget planning process and

[30:48] align with the village's general procedures. Internally, we

[30:51] start preparing much earlier.

[30:54] Discussions with the financial planning team are

[30:56] scheduled to begin in earnest this fall

[30:58] . To give you an idea of the actual figures

[31:01] and the current situation, as you know

[31:03] , this

[31:05] year is

[31:06] expected to be a difficult one

[31:08] .

[31:09] Yes, and I would

[31:11] like to add that there are uncertainties depending on what decisions are made in the future

[31:16] . You may also hold a joint board meeting with other organizations to make an

[31:21] announcement to the public. Yes, you

[31:25] did that. I did that two years ago as well

[31:27] . yes

[31:28] . We

[31:29] usually proceed around early April.

[31:32] I think it would be better to do it a little earlier if necessary

[31:35] . However,

[31:37] nothing has been decided yet. yes

[31:38] .

[31:39] And it may happen more than once

[31:40] , but that

[31:42] is another matter. Anyway, um, yes.

[31:46] Looking at the calendar, I have a

[31:48] question based on what Simon said.

[31:56] I know the current average budget growth rate, but I am asking about it

[31:58] by service level.

[32:01] As for the level-based services, yes, only regarding the level-based services

[32:03] .

[32:06] Excluding any additional requirements from the school

[32:08] , and considering this schedule, would

[32:14] n't it be wise to hold a meeting involving multiple committees in early January? Because by then, we should be able to

[32:20] secure the budget documentation

[32:21] . We should be able to finalize the available cash by Monday

[32:24] . There will also be supporting documents

[32:27] . As Mr. Simon mentioned

[32:30] , we don't know exactly how the services are

[32:33] structured by level

[32:34] yet, but we do

[32:37] know the approximate amount.

[32:38] There is also a budget proposal. I do

[32:42] n't think it's a good idea to wait until March 8th.

[32:45] I think it would be best to proceed as soon as possible. As

[32:50] was suggested several times last year

[32:51] , the key is whether we can encourage participation from other organizations

[32:55] . We

[32:57] believe that we need to actively pursue this issue

[32:58] . Because I know the average scale of the budget increase

[33:00] , and I also know that the budget supporting documents will be available by the end of the year

[33:04] .

[33:04] So, shouldn't we at least do a

[33:06] rough calculation regarding the key points you mentioned by January

[33:09] ? Is this a bread box

[33:11] , a camper van

[33:12] , or the Eiffel Tower

[33:13] ? Do you

[33:15] like my analogy?

[33:17] Yes, that is a good analogy. I think the financial

[33:18] planning team needs to fully understand this part

[33:19] and push it forward.

[33:22] I think I should forget about it in the autumn. I mean the numbers. yes.

[33:24] Hmm, it will probably

[33:27] start coming out around October or November. Because it would be

[33:29] too late if we waited until March 8th

[33:30] . yes that's

[33:31] right. I

[33:32] agree. Then, can we do it in January

[33:34] ? Even if no one

[33:35] wants to be with us

[33:36] ?

[33:37] Yes, you can do anything. Yes,

[33:39] we can do it freely

[33:40] . I just

[33:41] hope that other people will take an interest. yes that's

[33:43] right. I need numbers.

[33:45] And as I mentioned earlier

[33:48] , we are probably not

[33:49] alone in this problem

[33:51] . And because we know that there are many areas where we

[33:57] need to cooperate strategically

[34:00] , "

[34:01] What is the overall figure we face?" You

[34:07] must identify the figures and decide how to present them to the village, either collectively or individually. Yes, that is

[34:08] correct.

[34:10] Hmm,

[34:12] thinking about it with the student representative who was here, there really are so many

[34:17] wonderful activities.

[34:23] If I were a parent looking forward to a play, a

[34:25] soccer match, or a basketball

[34:27] game

[34:29] , I might not be able to attend a meeting or webinar

[34:32] , so it would be

[34:34] helpful to have materials summarizing the event

[34:36] . It

[34:48] seems like it will be another way for people to easily obtain information. yes that's

[34:50] right. When the time comes, to

[34:53] borrow your analogy, I think we will have to put

[34:55] full pressure on the village

[34:57] . yes.

[35:00] So, that means we need to

[35:01] utilize every place we can secure

[35:03] . I fully

[35:04] agree. Ah, yes. And for the

[35:10] marketing materials, I think an easy-to-read summary consisting

[35:12] of 3 to 5 items on one page would suffice

[35:15] .

[35:20] Yes, I understand. The

[35:22] moment she said that, a

[35:24] speech bubble popped up above your head

[35:25] . thank you.

[35:27] Ah, that's a relief.

[35:29] Yes, I think we can discuss the financial plan around January

[35:32] .

[35:33] Yes,

[35:34] at least so that we can grasp the current situation to some

[35:35] extent and discuss it openly at the meeting

[35:38] . Another thing that

[35:40] complicates the issue is that, whether right or wrong

[35:42] , the fire department plan is also

[35:46] likely to be included in the June residents' meeting. yes that's

[35:48] right.

[35:49] So, not only will the tension increase, but

[35:51] scheduling will also be

[35:53] more difficult.

[35:56] What about the senior center? The

[35:57] senior center might be ready in June

[35:59] .

[36:00] There is a possibility. However, those are

[36:02] exactly the thoughts swirling around in our heads

[36:04] . On top of that, a modular

[36:05] curriculum is added

[36:06] . That's right

[36:07] . As you know, if

[36:09] too many thoughts are swirling around, you

[36:11] actually can't do anything properly

[36:13] . So that is exactly what we are trying to

[36:15] sort out right now

[36:16] .

[36:17] In a situation like this, it is very easy for one group to come into

[36:18] conflict with another

[36:20] . We are

[36:22] trying to ensure that such a thing does not happen

[36:23] . Special education, AP, and

[36:27] that, like this. We are

[36:30] really trying hard not to create such a situation. Yes, you

[36:31] understand, right? Yes, you

[36:34] understand. All right.

[36:38] So, it would be worth considering holding a joint board meeting in January

[36:45] . It will probably be

[36:47] held in January, and there will be a

[36:49] follow-up meeting after that. I

[36:50] think it will happen more than once

[36:52] , but I do

[36:56] n't know exactly when yet.

[37:02] How about discussing this with the school committee and adding a preliminary review meeting in January?

[37:04] We will secure revenue-related data

[37:06] . We will

[37:07] determine the service level and

[37:10] discuss it publicly here at least in January.

[37:12] That way, I think we will be

[37:13] able to determine a clearer stance for moving forward in the next direction

[37:15] .

[37:18] Otherwise, March 8th will fly by and it

[37:20] seems like it will be too late. It is the same in any case

[37:22] . When

[37:23] we come here in January, it might feel like

[37:25] pocket money suddenly fell from the sky

[37:27] . Everyone builds a house and ends up

[37:30] paying unexpected property taxes. Although it is a

[37:31] situation we do not want

[37:32] , we must figure out what the situation is by January 1st

[37:34] .

[37:35] Yes, you can do that.

[37:38] During the winter break, we will draft the budget

[37:40] , and in January and

[37:42] February before the presentation, we will spend a lot of time meeting with the financial planning team to

[37:44] grasp the current situation

[37:47] . I

[37:50] think it will be helpful even without discussing specific details. It may be

[37:51] premature, but I will let you know the extent of

[37:54] our current fiscal deficit based on revenue as of December 31

[37:56] .

[37:57] Yes, and based on that information,

[37:59] Jeff and I went to the City Council and said,

[38:00] "We need to discuss this issue

[38:02] ." I

[38:03] think we can say that. all

[38:04] right. I

[38:07] plan to go to the City Council regardless of whether there is a discussion. yes.

[38:09] I think it would be good to hold a public debate first in January

[38:13] .

[38:14] Ah, good. Yes, it's fine

[38:18] .

[38:19] First, it is important to clarify our position and

[38:21] complete all preparations

[38:22] .

[38:25] Yes, that's good. great. I

[38:28] will make corrections. I

[38:31] will add the date. yes. Do

[38:35] you have any other questions? yes. The

[38:45] second submission

[38:48] is the budget targets for fiscal year 2028. This goal

[38:55] aligns with the recently adopted financial management goals. First of all, as we have

[38:58] always done with NRPS 2030 and

[39:00] other strategic plans

[39:02] , we would like to approve

[39:04] the budget for fiscal year 2028 that reflects the strategic plan

[39:06] .

[39:08] Therefore, the school district's strategic plan will

[39:13] lead to various plans and improvements, as it always has

[39:14] . First, we will implement free full-day

[39:19] kindergarten education and

[39:23] continuously pursue the goal of striving for this

[39:25] . Even if we cannot achieve free full-day kindergarten education, we will

[39:31] aim to reduce kindergarten costs.

[39:37] Second, we will explore the next steps to increase access to

[39:41] free nursery and

[39:43] kindergarten education, which is a state-level plan under the Opportunities Act, etc.

[39:47] Third, we will

[39:58] develop strategies to restore and maintain jobs in support system sectors that were eliminated or reduced in the previous fiscal year. This is a

[40:02] process of developing the school district, and naturally, it

[40:04] aligns with our strategic plan. As with last year

[40:08] , we clearly demonstrated the impact of the budget cuts from the past two fiscal

[40:10] years and were

[40:13] able to restore some of them

[40:14] . Although the

[40:19] priorities and reasons for the restored items have

[40:20] been clearly explained, there are

[40:22] clearly many items that could not be restored

[40:24] . Therefore, we intend to continue

[40:27] these discussions

[40:29] . While developing a strategy to secure

[40:34] long-term financial stability in line with the school district's strategic plan, we are also keeping in

[40:39] mind the possibility of obtaining approval for an increase in the operating budget

[40:41] . It is already well known that such discussions are

[40:48] underway and will be part of the plan

[40:51] . Well,

[40:54] and as we always have, we will continue to

[41:00] work closely with the Election Commission, the Finance Commission, the City Administrator, and the City Finance Director to

[41:06] continue these discussions in internal meetings of the Finance Planning Team as well as in public joint meetings

[41:08] . Through this, we will discuss

[41:10] short-term and long-term strategies for operational budget support

[41:11] , and we are all aware that a proposal for a

[41:13] 2.5-fold increase in the budget may be necessary in this process

[41:17] .

[41:21] So, I think these are the most important

[41:23] goals. Of course, there are

[41:26] many other internal goals, but I

[41:30] think these represent this year's main goals well. Do you

[41:33] understand?

[41:37] Do you have any questions or comments? Is there anything

[41:42] surprising? yes

[41:44] . What is your biggest financial concern this year

[41:49] ?

[41:52] Well,

[41:54] aside from simply having a lack of budget. Yes, in

[41:55] the short term, both the size of the budget gap

[42:00] and the amount we have to bridge are

[42:02] always concerns

[42:04] . There is always a structural fiscal deficit

[42:05] , and there are also

[42:09] concerns regarding potential revenue shortfalls. I

[42:20] believe that the increase in fixed costs that has existed for some time has started to stabilize to some extent in terms of contractual salary obligations. We have been working hard to maintain

[42:26] operating costs

[42:27] and minimize increases amidst difficult economic conditions

[42:31] . So I am

[42:35] expecting the situation to improve a little

[42:36] . However, the biggest problem is always having to consider the

[42:40] volatility and variables of school budgets,

[42:42] as well as special education and other fields that the Office of Education is obligated to

[42:48] support or wants to support

[42:54] . These areas

[42:57] bring about the biggest changes every year and are the

[42:59] most difficult parts to predict the school budget

[43:00] . It is because the fluctuations are severe

[43:02] .

[43:03] Yes, I agree. And this year is

[43:08] also a year of important contracts

[43:10] .

[43:11] you're right. It will have a

[43:12] significant impact on the budget

[43:14] . I am not trying to blame anyone; I am

[43:16] simply

[43:17] stating the facts. It

[43:21] accounts for a significant portion of the budget, and

[43:22] this year, in particular, is the year for

[43:24] negotiating most of the personnel contracts

[43:26] .

[43:32] Yes, that's good. Do

[43:34] you have any other questions? Hmm, I

[43:38] think I requested a motion for consent earlier. Yes, I

[43:40] requested an approval vote.

[43:42] Yes, is that correct?

[43:43] Yes, would you please submit the motion to

[43:44] approve the budget schedule and budget targets

[43:47] ? Should we proceed separately

[43:51] ? Yes, I have been proceeding with the two things separately

[43:52] . Since you mentioned that there are

[43:55] some changes to the budget schedule

[43:56] , I

[43:57] would like to approve the revised version. We

[44:06] submit a motion to approve the 2020 fiscal year budget schedule with revisions.

[44:09] Second agreement. A motion for consent has been submitted

[44:11] , and there is a second motion

[44:12] . Was there a discussion

[44:13] ? doesn't exist.

[44:16] If you agree, please say "Yes."

[44:17] If you disagree,

[44:19] please say "Yes." It

[44:22] was approved with 5 votes in favor and 0 votes against. Budget target. Yes,

[44:27] as discussed, we submit the motion to approve the 2020 fiscal year

[44:28] budget targets

[44:29] .

[44:30] second. I

[44:31] have an agenda item.

[44:32] Anyone seconding, is there any discussion? does

[44:34] n't exist. Those in favor, say

[44:37] “Me.” Please say that

[44:38] .

[44:39] Who is the one opposing this? It was passed by a vote of 5 to 0

[44:41] .

[44:42] great. thank you. thank you

[44:44] .

[44:46] Then, as I

[44:49] mentioned earlier, let's

[44:51] review the agenda for the village meeting.

[44:58] great. Then, shall we

[45:11] move straight to Agenda Item No. 12?

[45:17] Ah, it's the operating budget. Yes,

[45:21] we also

[45:23] need to review the related operating budget. This is Agenda Item No. 8

[45:29] .

[45:32] Is there any aspect that affects the school?

[45:33] Hmm, is

[45:35] there any aspect that affects the school? I don't think there is

[45:35] . Wait a moment. I'm not sure

[45:38] . I'll check it for a moment

[45:39] .

[45:47] What about the borrowings?

[45:49] No, it

[45:53] seems it has nothing to do with us. The capital budget,

[45:58] too? No, it is

[46:05] not particularly related.

[46:09] Then, let's move on to Agenda Item No. 12

[46:11] .

[46:13] It is an agenda item that requires a 2/3 majority vote.

[46:15] Yes, I

[46:16] think it looks like there was a 2/3 majority vote.

[46:19] Yes, that is

[46:19] absolutely correct. thank you

[46:22] . That's a difficult problem. We managed to

[46:29] resolve it quite well the last few times,

[46:30] you know. Well, as long as the voter turnout is

[46:33] good. yes. It’s

[46:40] not that I’m not worried about double negatives. Hmm, it

[46:47] looks like only the second vote received a majority in favor.

[46:48] Right?

[46:48] Yes, it is a valid vote.

[46:51] Two-thirds of the votes were in favor at the village meeting

[46:53] . yes

[46:53] .

[46:54] Regarding the borrowing

[46:57] , it was good that it received a

[46:59] unanimous vote of approval from the election committee

[47:00] . Well, I

[47:04] 've received positive feedback so far,

[47:07] but I do

[47:08] n't want to get complacent. I think we must continue to do our utmost to pass this proposal

[47:12] . Um,

[47:13] residents, yes.

[47:16] If you would like, I will read the article and

[47:18] proceed with the vote

[47:20] . So, Article 12 is about budgeting for the removal and replacement of modular classrooms at J.

[47:22] Hunneman, J. Turner Hood, and E.

[47:24] Ethel Little schools

[47:31] . The village is

[47:53] considering options such as raising funds through taxes, allocating and transferring unused funds remaining from the previous year's budget, transferring funds through other available sources, or borrowing on the condition of approval for the so-called 'Article 2.5 debt exclusion

[47:54] .' It is to budget an amount that includes all incidental costs necessary to demolish and replace the modular classrooms at J. Turner Hood School and

[48:05] E. Ethel Little School

[48:20] . A long ordinance consisting of eight lines in a single sentence—

[48:26] isn't that really cool? We are clearly

[48:30] sponsors, and this proposal is to allocate funds necessary for the removal and replacement of modular classrooms at

[48:32] J. Turner Hood School and E.

[48:35] Ethel Little School starting September 8

[48:40] . A request for a $3.5 million bond issuance was expected on the condition that the $2.5 debt exclusion proposal be

[48:45] passed

[48:49] . And as

[48:53] mentioned earlier, this was

[48:55] recommended by the unanimous decision of the election committee

[48:57] . The Finance Committee

[49:04] plans to submit recommendations at the village meeting, and I hope they will

[49:06] also make the recommendations unanimously

[49:08] . Other items, for example, the

[49:18] fire department, do

[49:20] not seem to apply. Does

[49:31] anyone have any other opinions or questions

[49:33] ?

[49:36] no. The

[49:39] announcement will also include the impact on single-family homes worth $883,502 (

[49:42] $5,296)

[49:47] . Yes, it

[49:50] is a large amount requiring a two-thirds majority, but it depends on the residents' decision

[49:52] . They

[49:53] will see the presentation

[49:54] . I have been

[49:55] continuously updating you on the situation during the last few residents' meetings

[49:56] . You will be able to check the building's condition

[49:57] and current situation firsthand

[49:58] . A $3.5 million

[50:00] loan is about $5,296 per household per year

[50:02] .

[50:06] When calculated on an annual basis, this amounts to a

[50:17] burden of about $50 per household over the loan period

[50:18] .

[50:19] What is the average burden per household

[50:21] ?

[50:22] How long is the loan term? Do

[50:23] you know?

[50:25] Is it 15 years?

[50:26] Yes, it is 15 years. It

[50:28] matures in 2041.

[50:31] Dr. Daily, is this information

[50:33] included in the visual materials

[50:34] , or will you be sharing it separately at the meeting

[50:37] ? It will

[50:40] be included in the visual materials to be distributed tomorrow, and it will also

[50:41] appear in the residents' meeting presentation

[50:42] . However, it

[50:44] is not in our slides, but it is

[50:45] scheduled to be included in the presentation materials for the residents' meeting.

[50:46] That is calculated proportionally per household

[50:47] . Some furniture will cost

[50:48] less, and some will

[50:49] cost a lot.

[50:50] Of course. Yes,

[50:51] that is based on an average of $883,000

[50:53] .

[50:55] Ultimately, what people will decide is that

[50:57] amount. If we explain the

[50:59] value, background, and

[51:00] feasibility we present, people will

[51:04] judge whether it is appropriate to proceed with the business at that amount

[51:05] . It is similar to how other projects, such as bridge construction projects carried out in the past, were

[51:09] implemented

[51:10] . I

[51:21] think we have prepared well for this project through the past few meetings. I think you

[51:27] sufficiently explained the necessary parts and responsibly demonstrated

[51:29] how you would meet those needs

[51:32] .

[51:33] So I think we've done pretty well

[51:35] . I

[51:36] said 'we,' but actually, it

[51:37] 's all thanks to you.

[51:39] And that is exactly the

[51:40] figure 3.5. Our goal is to

[51:41] spend less than that,

[51:43] right? that's

[51:43] right. That is the

[51:45] amount taking reserves into account

[51:46] .

[51:47] Yes, but I don't

[51:49] want to push the figure of 3.5 too hard

[51:51] . A small margin has been added to cover costs not included in the original estimated range

[51:59] . However, I do

[52:08] not want to imply that the money will return until I know for sure. all

[52:09] right. Is

[52:18] there anything else to discuss regarding the budget proposal for this meeting?

[52:21] I think this is enough.

[52:28] If not, it is fine. Well, there is

[52:37] no need to vote here.

[52:43] The content I would like to inform you of through the presentation materials

[52:44] is the recommendations of the Election Committee and the Education Committee

[52:46] . I would like to show you the presentation materials. It

[52:53] seems to state that the Finance Committee made a unanimous recommendation, but it may have been changed after printing

[52:56] . all right.

[53:03] Then, I will

[53:04] proceed.

[53:05] Could you please wait a moment? Yes, I would appreciate it

[53:07] . I

[53:08] have an agenda item. There are also those who second the request

[53:10] . Do you have a discussion? does

[53:14] n't exist. Those who agree,

[53:15] please agree.

[53:16] approval. approval. What about those who oppose it

[53:19] ? It

[53:19] was passed by a vote of 5 to 0.

[53:20] Now, you just need to write 'The School

[53:21] Committee unanimously

[53:22] recommends' on the slide

[53:23] .

[53:23] Yes, that's good. It looks

[53:25] good. I

[53:27] would like to include her recommendations as well. great. You

[53:28] can add it now. It will

[53:30] definitely

[53:31] be helpful. It was

[53:34] good to have photographic materials

[53:36] . yes

[53:36] .

[53:39] I'm not sure if videos are possible. I have visited both schools in

[53:43] person and know the

[53:45] serious problems there

[53:47] well because I saw them firsthand. Looking at the photo, I thought,

[53:49] "Ah, that's it. So this is what it looked like

[53:51] ." I wanted to. However, I

[54:00] thought that other voters might not have seen firsthand how serious this problem is

[54:02] . That

[54:07] is a good point. yes.

[54:09] So, I was wondering if it would be helpful

[54:11] .

[54:14] Yes, I will create materials for you to share on social media

[54:17] . I think a short video of 1 minute 30 seconds or 30

[54:21] seconds would be good

[54:23] . yes

[54:24] .

[54:25] Emphasizing urgency is

[54:26] always a good idea. yes

[54:27] .

[54:29] Visual materials are also really helpful

[54:31] .

[54:31] Why aren't you waiting?

[54:32] And should

[54:34] n't someone at least do a simple dance?

[54:35] Something like that. You know

[54:38] there's a flame ad on the website.

[54:38] sorry.

[54:39] That commercial shows that I've gotten older

[54:41] . Mr.

[54:42] Freeman, were there any other articles

[54:44] ?

[54:44] No, as far as I know, there is

[54:46] n't. Well, they are covering good topics,

[54:49] but there weren't any

[54:51] articles directly related to us

[54:53] . Um, and we have talked about this

[54:57] before, but

[55:00] there is something I would like to mention again. We

[55:03] usually only

[55:06] vote on and submit recommendations regarding articles that have a direct impact on schools

[55:08] . Yes, whether it is a budget item or the

[55:13] use of the city budget

[55:15] , one

[55:17] could argue that there is an indirect impact. We

[55:19] understand that point as well. However,

[55:20] we intend to focus only on items that have an

[55:29] absolutely direct impact on the school, rather than indirect influences

[55:32] .

[55:34] And our logic is as follows

[55:36] . This is my position, and

[55:38] I will stick to it

[55:39] . Yes, that's good. Then, shall we

[55:45] move on to the first review of the ACLR policy? This part is

[55:49] related to the Protection Act

[55:51] . To

[55:56] put it simply, we are

[56:02] reviewing whether to include these procedures as part of the school board policy

[56:04] . Many school districts are

[56:10] bypassing these procedures to avoid requiring approval for all updates

[56:11] . This procedure

[56:15] applies to items that change more frequently, such as names and information updates

[56:17] . However, just like

[56:22] when the regulations were introduced last time, this

[56:26] procedure had to be prepared and

[56:27] posted on the website by September 1st.

[56:31] So, we developed this procedure

[56:33] . In my opinion, it would be

[56:45] better to skip the two approval steps or proceed directly to the full approval process. Basically,

[56:50] procedures have been established by specifying the names of those in charge, such as the Superintendent of Education and the Principal

[56:52] . As I

[56:55] mentioned last time, we were

[56:58] following this procedure internally and

[56:59] knew what to do. This

[57:00] document

[57:03] shows a list of everyone who fills in for me when I am not present

[57:05] . And all of this is in

[57:10] accordance with the Protecting Act

[57:12] . I am

[57:15] reading it right now. sorry

[57:16] . I understand. You are a legal

[57:33] advisor, aren't you? yes. it's okay

[57:42] . Did the school committee members have any opinions

[57:47] ? does

[57:54] n't exist. I have no intention of touching it

[57:56] .

[57:59] The goal is, of course, to

[58:01] pass the first review and move directly to the second review

[58:03] . Because nothing will

[58:05] change anyway

[58:06] .

[58:09] Would you agree to skip the first review and proceed directly? yes. Then, we

[58:11] will move straight to the second deliberation.

[58:13] Yes, would you agree to proceed to the second review by the Policy ACLR

[58:20] ?

[58:24] great. I will now move on to the second reading of the policy ACLR

[58:31] .

[58:32] second. I

[58:33] agree. There is a second request

[58:35] . Do you have a discussion? does

[58:37] n't exist. If you agree, please

[58:39] say "Uh, uh, uh."

[58:42] Who is the one opposing? It

[58:44] was approved by a vote of 5 to 0.

[58:48] Now, consent is required to approve the second reading

[58:51] .

[58:53] great. I agree to approve the second reading of the policy ACLR

[58:58] . second. I

[59:00] agree. There is a second request

[59:01] . Do you have a discussion?

[59:04] If you agree, please say "Uh, uh, uh."

[59:07] Who is the one opposing

[59:09] ? It

[59:09] was approved by a vote of 5 to 0.

[59:11] great.

[59:11] thank you. I

[59:18] have one more question. You mentioned that it has already been approved and

[59:20] will not be changed

[59:21] , but

[59:23] how quickly did other regions implement this policy

[59:28] ? We are making quite

[59:29] rapid progress.

[59:30] Well, it varies slightly from region to region, but it is

[59:32] generally similar

[59:33] . We were able to pass it because we processed it at the August meeting, that is, the first

[59:35] deliberation

[59:36] .

[59:38] Other regions processed it only in September

[59:39] , skipping the first deliberation and

[59:41] moving directly to the second deliberation

[59:42] . yes

[59:43] . And honestly, the policy wording

[59:47] seemed like it was drafted in collaboration with the legal team

[59:49] . yes

[59:50] . And they also

[59:51] provided it to us, so we

[59:52] copied it exactly. Thanks to you, the

[59:55] work was able to proceed much faster

[59:56] . I felt

[59:59] that point in a passage I just read as well

[1:00:01] . Yes, it seems you have

[1:00:06] reviewed it very thoroughly

[1:00:07] . yes.

[1:00:08] So it was good. We

[1:00:10] have also updated it. Although everyone is in a

[1:00:12] similar situation, as you know, it is

[1:00:16] rare for regulations to be issued that must be processed within a few days

[1:00:18] . However, this

[1:00:23] bill is urgent.

[1:00:25] Yes, it's

[1:00:25] fine.

[1:00:26] Now, all preparations are officially

[1:00:28] complete.

[1:00:29] One of the things we approved was that

[1:00:31] these materials must be posted on the website

[1:00:33] . Yes, thank you for

[1:00:35] handling this matter promptly tonight

[1:00:37] . Yes, the

[1:00:38] semester has already started, and this

[1:00:40] issue directly affects students in the school system

[1:00:43] . I fully understand

[1:00:44] . yes. Now, let's

[1:00:47] move on to the routine agenda.

[1:00:52] This is the public meeting minutes from November 10. I would like to

[1:00:54] clarify this point

[1:00:56] . Thanks to

[1:00:58] Mr. Elmore's thorough review

[1:01:00] , we discovered that two pieces of data were missing during the process of

[1:01:02] upgrading and organizing the system

[1:01:06] . So, I intend to handle these two cases

[1:01:09] . We are

[1:01:11] carrying out this work on a quarterly basis

[1:01:13] . We are doing tasks such as

[1:01:15] keeping everything up to date, digitizing materials, and

[1:01:19] posting them on the website

[1:01:21] . You

[1:01:25] only need to obtain approval for the materials from November 10 and March 23

[1:01:27] . And you just need to

[1:01:31] process the approval for last month's public meeting as well.

[1:01:35] Yes, I understand. No,

[1:01:39] thank you for reviewing it thoroughly once again. all

[1:01:41] right. Then, would you give your consent to

[1:01:44] approve the minutes to be released on November 10, 2025

[1:01:48] ?

[1:01:50] Yes, let us agree to approve the minutes of the meeting to be released on November 10, 2025, in their

[1:01:53] original form

[1:01:54] .

[1:01:55] approval.

[1:01:56] There is agreement, and there are people who agree

[1:01:57] . Do you have a discussion? does

[1:01:59] n't exist. If you agree, please

[1:02:01] say "Me," "Me," "Me."

[1:02:04] Who is the one opposing? It was

[1:02:05] passed with 5 votes in favor and 0 votes against

[1:02:07] .

[1:02:07] Yes, that's good. We

[1:02:09] will move on to the next item.

[1:02:11] Please continue. Let us

[1:02:15] agree to approve the minutes of the closed meeting on March 23, 2026, in their original form.

[1:02:18] approval.

[1:02:20] great. There is agreement, and

[1:02:21] there are people who agree. Do

[1:02:23] you have a discussion? doesn't exist.

[1:02:25] If you agree, please say "Me," "Me," "Me."

[1:02:28] Who is the one opposing? It

[1:02:31] was passed with 5 votes in favor and 0 votes against.

[1:02:34] Finally, let us agree to approve the minutes of

[1:02:36] the meeting to be made public on September 14, 2026, in their original form

[1:02:38] .

[1:02:40] approval.

[1:02:41] There is agreement, and there are people who agree

[1:02:43] . Is there any discussion? It seems

[1:02:45] there are none, so if you agree, please

[1:02:46] all say "Uh, uh."

[1:02:48] Who is the one opposing

[1:02:49] ? It

[1:02:50] passed unanimously (5-0)

[1:02:51] . great. Now, let's

[1:02:56] move on to the full budget update. We

[1:02:57] looked at the calendar and goals

[1:02:59] . And this is "

[1:03:03] What is the actual budget update for this year?" asks.

[1:03:05] Yes, that is

[1:03:06] correct.

[1:03:09] This is the first budget update for fiscal year 2027

[1:03:11] . This is a summary of

[1:03:19] financial activities up to mid-September

[1:03:21] , divided

[1:03:23] into expenses and salaries in the usual manner

[1:03:25] . We are entering the end of the first quarter of fiscal year 2027

[1:03:30] . As is customary, we were

[1:03:37] busy in the first half of this quarter purchasing supplies and materials for the start of the new school year.

[1:03:41] In addition, as we have always done at the end of the 2026 fiscal year

[1:03:47] , we

[1:03:49] prepaid special education tuition to

[1:03:54] prepare for unexpected tuition costs that may arise this academic year.

[1:03:57] Therefore, we are proceeding with the work of

[1:03:58] finalizing and managing the expenditures for the relevant funds

[1:04:01] . Thanks to the measures taken at the end of last year, we are

[1:04:04] currently able to secure

[1:04:06] some degree of flexibility regarding the relevant cost items

[1:04:08] . However, costs in

[1:04:13] this field, such as tuition and transportation expenses for out-of-town students,

[1:04:15] continue to

[1:04:16] increase. Therefore,

[1:04:21] this is an important measure that has been successfully implemented as we close each fiscal year

[1:04:24] . The need for

[1:04:30] additional academic support, individual

[1:04:32] instruction, and compensatory services for students with special educational needs is

[1:04:33] increasing, and

[1:04:35] these costs have already been

[1:04:37] confirmed and reflected in the report

[1:04:38] . There is a balance remaining in the staff training and

[1:04:41] supplies expense account

[1:04:43] , and the

[1:04:49] expenditure confirmation process is in progress because the need for this will continue throughout the academic year

[1:04:50] . Most payroll accounts are

[1:04:54] within budget.

[1:04:57] We will continuously monitor the potential impact that

[1:04:59] vacations, substitute teacher costs, and

[1:05:00] other workforce changes may have on this sector as the fiscal year progresses

[1:05:04] . The

[1:05:07] meal program has been running smoothly for the first few weeks

[1:05:10] .

[1:05:13] According to initial indicators, more than 70% of students at each school are

[1:05:15] participating

[1:05:16] . This is a

[1:05:21] positive trend that continues into this academic year.

[1:05:26] Generally,

[1:05:28] new expenses are incurred during the fiscal year, and

[1:05:30] some new expenses were incurred in this first quarter as well

[1:05:32] .

[1:05:34] However,

[1:05:38] based on the measures taken to address these changes at the end of fiscal year 2026, the company is

[1:05:39] currently in a

[1:05:41] sound financial position. As we have

[1:05:48] always done, we will

[1:05:50] pay attention to day-to-day operations and

[1:05:55] maintain a conservative but financially sound approach throughout the fiscal year.

[1:06:05] I am not sure if you have any specific questions regarding the contents reflected in this report. However, public utility

[1:06:14] rates are

[1:06:15] expected to be poor. Well, but we

[1:06:20] all know that. Hmm,

[1:06:22] no, that's fine.

[1:06:29] Does anyone have any questions?

[1:06:37] One of the things I have read a lot about recently is that education offices nationwide need to

[1:06:41] invest more budget due to the impact of COVID-19

[1:06:42] . The impact is

[1:06:48] still continuing.

[1:06:50] So, I'm not sure if this will be helpful at

[1:06:52] this point as I'm speaking with Mr. Jeff Smith, but...

[1:06:55] Yes, it's

[1:06:56] fine. I'm not sure if this will be

[1:06:59] helpful in the context of discussing the budget

[1:07:01] . I'm

[1:07:04] a bit of an eccentric, so I

[1:07:06] read some research materials on this field. yes

[1:07:07] .

[1:07:08] Well,

[1:07:08] however, the situation we are experiencing is not just

[1:07:10] our problem,

[1:07:11] but something everyone is going through

[1:07:16] , and its impact is very widespread

[1:07:17] . Considering the age of the students

[1:07:23] , it will continue to have an impact for the next 10 to

[1:07:25] 15 years

[1:07:26] . The

[1:07:29] few points you just mentioned are

[1:07:31] really being highlighted as important

[1:07:32] .

[1:07:34] Yes, I have

[1:07:36] certainly confirmed that outplacement services have increased since COVID-19

[1:07:42] . That trend is

[1:07:44] continuing.

[1:07:50] General costs have also

[1:07:52] risen due to inflation since COVID-19. And there is a trend of

[1:07:57] hiring more adaptation counselors

[1:07:59] . As you said, that is

[1:08:02] 100% correct. We have previously

[1:08:06] discussed this issue through individual consultations

[1:08:08] . And the impact is clearly

[1:08:11] becoming apparent. It is having an

[1:08:14] impact on almost every field

[1:08:15] . As I mentioned earlier

[1:08:19] , I hope this trend

[1:08:20] stabilizes to some extent

[1:08:22] . However,

[1:08:24] due to inflation, the costs of materials, consumables, and technology

[1:08:26] have increased significantly, and

[1:08:28] transportation costs have also risen considerably

[1:08:29] .

[1:08:36] Capital expenditures on steel, materials, etc., also

[1:08:38] increased. The

[1:08:39] shortage of qualified drivers and fuel has

[1:08:41] affected the transportation sector, and

[1:08:43] this phenomenon is appearing in all sectors

[1:08:45] . Furthermore, the

[1:08:51] need for support systems is growing in both the fields of mental health and learning loss, and

[1:08:53] this trend is continuing

[1:08:55] . Yes, that is correct.

[1:09:02] Two years ago, when the SR fund was reduced and

[1:09:04] workforce reductions became inevitable

[1:09:05] , people said, "That fund was

[1:09:06] for COVID-19

[1:09:07] ." He said.

[1:09:08] However, we stated, "

[1:09:09] These were necessary even before COVID-19

[1:09:10] , and they have merely worsened due to the pandemic

[1:09:11] ." He rebutted by saying

[1:09:13] Now that the funds have run out, we had no choice but to

[1:09:16] reduce the technical staff. Currently,

[1:09:21] our technical team has shrunk so much that we are

[1:09:25] short even of the technical personnel we previously hired

[1:09:27] . And as I

[1:09:31] mentioned before,

[1:09:34] cyber attacks are also

[1:09:35] continuing, although they were not included in today's update. Fortunately, there have

[1:09:39] been no major issues slowing down the pace of work so far, but as mentioned earlier, the heavy workload on the technical team is

[1:09:44] not immediately noticeable, but it has a

[1:09:46] significant impact over time. And

[1:09:50] all the support that was previously needed, such as for mental health issues, has

[1:09:51] definitely worsened.

[1:09:53] Fortunately, we were able to add some positions that were planned last year, but the key

[1:09:59] question is whether we can maintain this workforce going forward. Over the

[1:10:03] past few years, there has been a strong movement in other regions to

[1:10:05] maintain these positions

[1:10:11] . Whether called counselors or whatever

[1:10:14] name is used, that

[1:10:16] workforce must be recruited from somewhere

[1:10:17] . In

[1:10:22] some specific regions I can think of, they had no

[1:10:25] choice but to make adjustments due to budget cuts

[1:10:26] , but I saw them saying, "We do not

[1:10:28] want to fire the counselors we recently added

[1:10:31] ." Yes, that's good.

[1:10:33] But you have to strike a balance somewhere

[1:10:34] . That is exactly the

[1:10:38] dilemma we will face

[1:10:40] . all right.

[1:10:46] Do you have any other questions or comments regarding the budget update?

[1:10:48] The club has newly opened; have

[1:10:50] registration figures started coming in

[1:10:52] ? I have

[1:10:54] n't seen that figure yet. I think I will be able to

[1:10:56] receive it from the principals soon

[1:10:57] . In particular, I am

[1:11:02] curious how parents are checking the status of their registration fee payments. I

[1:11:04] understand that there were problems with using the portal last year.

[1:11:06] Yes, that problem is being resolved

[1:11:08] . I am

[1:11:10] aware that there are many complaints regarding the fees

[1:11:11] . I don't like that fee either

[1:11:14] . Yes,

[1:11:16] in particular, some

[1:11:17] people said, "

[1:11:18] I understand the user fees, but the credit

[1:11:20] card payment at the end is the problem

[1:11:22] ." Therefore, we are

[1:11:25] continuously consulting with companies and local governments

[1:11:27] . Well, I would

[1:11:42] like to briefly mention the matters that Michael and I have reviewed and testified about regarding special education grants, out-of-district school district costs, tuition, and the relationship between tuition increases and financial liability. This part

[1:11:46] is currently under review. Well, a year

[1:11:49] ago, I also

[1:11:51] conducted an in-depth investigation into transportation costs

[1:11:53] . As you may have seen in the recent news

[1:11:56] , the results are

[1:11:57] emerging.

[1:12:01] Several cases have

[1:12:03] been raised regarding bus transportation costs, and these costs have

[1:12:04] skyrocketed out of control

[1:12:06] . Efforts to normalize these costs are

[1:12:10] underway. I

[1:12:13] sincerely thank you for your efforts

[1:12:14] . thank you.

[1:12:23] Yes, do you

[1:12:24] have any other questions regarding the budget update? Yes, let's

[1:12:28] move on to the staffing status

[1:12:30] . There are a few personnel-related

[1:12:33] updates. To

[1:12:35] put it simply,

[1:12:36] Blanchard School has a long-term substitute

[1:12:38] teacher. Meghan Vaughan and

[1:12:41] Olivia Peake are

[1:12:43] working as substitute teachers for the building. Uh, Karen

[1:12:45] Thistle is a long-term substitute teacher for special education in middle school

[1:12:47] , and Katie

[1:12:49] Scott is a part-time rotating nurse

[1:12:51] . I would like to reiterate that

[1:12:56] these are

[1:12:58] not new hires, but personnel filling in for teachers who are on

[1:12:59] leave, have resigned, or have

[1:13:01] vacant positions due to various reasons

[1:13:03] . This

[1:13:06] is an update on the workforce status, not new hiring.

[1:13:07] great. Then, shall we

[1:13:10] move on to the donation agenda?

[1:13:18] great. I propose that the school board

[1:13:35] gratefully accept a donation of classroom equipment worth $921.71 from donors for use in Teacher Whitney Cleary's classroom at Hood School

[1:13:36] . approval.

[1:13:38] second. I

[1:13:38] have a suggestion.

[1:13:40] Is there anyone who agrees? I just

[1:13:41] told you.

[1:13:42] sorry. He did

[1:13:44] n't move his mouth, just like a ventriloquist

[1:13:45] . Do you have any opinions? There's

[1:13:46] nobody here.

[1:13:48] If you agree, please say "me." If

[1:13:49] you disagree,

[1:13:51] please say "me." It was passed with 5 votes in favor and

[1:13:53] 0 votes against.

[1:13:55] I propose that the school board vote in favor of the motion to gratefully accept the $175 worth of Sugar Pixels donated to the hood school by Cor van

[1:13:57] Fernandez and Cristian

[1:13:59] Garcia

[1:14:06] .

[1:14:07] second. I

[1:14:08] have a suggestion.

[1:14:10] There is a second person here; is there anyone who would like to discuss this

[1:14:11] ?

[1:14:11] Yes, what is Sugar Pixel? I have the

[1:14:14] same question. Does

[1:14:18] anyone know what Sugar Pixel is?

[1:14:21] if… It looks like something from the movie '

[1:14:23] Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'

[1:14:24] . Is it

[1:14:26] used to monitor blood sugar levels in the school infirmary

[1:14:28] ? That's probably more correct

[1:14:31] . For some reason, I was

[1:14:33] thinking of something like cotton candy, but that would

[1:14:34] n't be very expensive, right? This is the

[1:14:36] exact opposite. that's right. It

[1:14:39] feels kind of nice. Yes,

[1:14:43] things like blood glucose meters. Do I have to

[1:14:44] pay a large sum of money? That's

[1:14:46] cool. Is there anyone else who would like to discuss this

[1:14:48] ? No, there isn't.

[1:14:51] If you agree, please say “Um… um… um

[1:14:52] …”

[1:14:53] approval.

[1:14:54] Oh, I'm sorry.

[1:14:56] Is there anyone who disagrees? It was passed unanimously with 5 votes in favor and

[1:14:57] 0 votes against

[1:14:58] . I

[1:15:03] gratefully accept the $900 donated by the NRMS Parents Association to the School Board and propose that this donation be

[1:15:07] used for the middle school Harold Parker field trip bus expenses

[1:15:08] . This

[1:15:10] is the second proposal. The agenda item

[1:15:11] has been submitted.

[1:15:13] There is a second proposal. Do

[1:15:14] you have a discussion? doesn't exist. Please say

[1:15:16] "Uh, uh, if you agree.

[1:15:20] 5-0 against or in favor. Once again

[1:15:24] , we sincerely thank everyone who generously donates to the North Reading Education System

[1:15:29] . thank you. There are

[1:15:34] currently no subsidies.

[1:15:37] There is a request for an overnight trip.

[1:15:42] There is a trip for the women's ice hockey team's Martha's Vinyard.

[1:15:47] We are the joint team. I am

[1:15:53] planning to go to Martha's Viniard Ice Rink on Saturday, January 16

[1:15:55] . Regarding transportation, we will

[1:16:05] arrange for parents to drive their children there themselves by having them sign a liability waiver agreement. Lin Field

[1:16:07] also proceeds in the same way

[1:16:09] . Well, this weekend is filled with hockey

[1:16:11] games, team building, and a

[1:16:13] once-in-a-lifetime

[1:16:15] experience. I have

[1:16:22] written down the notice sent by the coach and Lin Field here. You ask

[1:16:25] where I'm staying? That

[1:16:27] is a really good question. There aren't

[1:16:31] many cheap accommodations over there

[1:16:32] . I heard that the players have to

[1:16:33] stay together

[1:16:35] .

[1:16:35] Yes, I'm not exactly sure yet, though

[1:16:37] .

[1:16:38] Accommodation costs are much cheaper in January

[1:16:39] . It's really cheap. However, I am not sure if

[1:16:41] the hotel has sufficient capacity

[1:16:43] . Let me tell you a

[1:16:45] personal story.

[1:16:47] A while ago, I

[1:16:50] went to Martha's Vineyard to celebrate my mother's birthday, and there were

[1:16:52] six hockey teams staying at the same hotel

[1:16:54] .

[1:16:56] Really? Is it that weekend? You were

[1:16:58] doing the exact same thing, right

[1:16:59] ? Actually, I asked because I

[1:17:02] really

[1:17:03] wanted to know what happened. yes

[1:17:04] . Was it the Harbor View Hotel?

[1:17:06] Hmm, it's

[1:17:06] not important. I do

[1:17:09] n't remember very well. That weekend was

[1:17:13] extremely cold. So it

[1:17:15] helped with the hockey game.

[1:17:17] okay. Then, a motion for consent would be

[1:17:18] necessary, right? A motion of consent is

[1:17:20] required.

[1:17:21] It's really chaotic.

[1:17:22] All right. I will

[1:17:24] look into that information and let you know again

[1:17:24] .

[1:17:25] No, I think we asked because we were a bit curious

[1:17:27] . Well, you just have to

[1:17:28] stay in a safe place

[1:17:30] . Yes, it wasn't really

[1:17:31] necessary, but I just

[1:17:32] asked out of curiosity

[1:17:33] . Well

[1:17:34] then, I will submit the motion to approve the trip for the women's ice hockey team's

[1:17:36] Martha's Vinyard

[1:17:38] .

[1:17:38] approval. The motion has

[1:17:40] been received. There are

[1:17:41] also those who second the request. Do

[1:17:42] you have a discussion? doesn't exist.

[1:17:44] If you agree, please say "I agree.

[1:17:45] " If you

[1:17:46] disagree, please say, "

[1:17:47] I agree." It

[1:17:49] was passed with 5 votes in favor and 0 votes against.

[1:17:51] great. Social media? Hmm

[1:17:57] , yes, it would be good to post budget information and agenda items

[1:17:59] . Are you

[1:18:04] referring to the budget schedule and agenda

[1:18:06] ? yes. It would

[1:18:09] probably be best to discuss this at the management meeting

[1:18:11] . all

[1:18:17] right. This

[1:18:19] is a subcommittee update. The Art

[1:18:20] Subcommittee held a meeting on September 15

[1:18:22] . Yael, could you please update me on that part

[1:18:26] ?

[1:18:27] I'll give it a try. I couldn't take

[1:18:30] notes because I was listening while driving

[1:18:32] . are

[1:18:33] you okay.

[1:18:34] Hmm, but you joined a bit late too,

[1:18:36] didn't you? From what I heard,

[1:18:42] there was a discussion about a vehicle for the performing arts team, but I missed it

[1:18:44] . What was discussed

[1:18:45] ? I'm not sure.

[1:18:49] Does that mean you have a vehicle and are using it? yes.

[1:18:51] Well,

[1:18:51] I thought it was

[1:18:54] right for the art team to have priority.

[1:18:55] However, an agreement was reached that if it is

[1:18:56] not used, the sports team can use it one more time

[1:18:59] . yes

[1:19:02] . There was also a discussion about Venmo

[1:19:05] , and after the meeting, they wanted to find out if there was a way to handle

[1:19:07] all purchases using Venmo

[1:19:12] . yes

[1:19:12] . It is not possible at present

[1:19:14] . The

[1:19:16] way people use personal Venmo.

[1:19:18] I think that was the question. yes

[1:19:19] .

[1:19:24] There was also a discussion about young students' participation in performing arts. I think that

[1:19:32] story came about because there were cases in the past where young children, not high school students, were cast, like the kids in movies such as 'Beauty and the Beast'. We are

[1:19:42] thinking about how to recruit such children and what policies to establish.

[1:19:48] Yes, that is a slightly different story. What

[1:19:50] we were trying to explain is that

[1:19:52] sports teams must go

[1:19:54] through an exemption procedure to recruit middle school students

[1:19:56] . There should be corresponding procedures for sports clubs as well

[1:20:00] . You can't just

[1:20:01] suddenly field an 8th grader like in field hockey

[1:20:03] . The sports club has a

[1:20:05] separate procedure for that. yes

[1:20:07] . All right. Hmm, let's

[1:20:12] see. The high school piano

[1:20:15] needs stage lighting. I

[1:20:18] know that a high school piano is needed. yes

[1:20:19] . I'm

[1:20:21] not looking for anything specific, I just want to

[1:20:22] replace my existing upright piano

[1:20:24] .

[1:20:27] Upright piano

[1:20:29] .

[1:20:29] Stage lighting is also needed.

[1:20:31] Jeff, did you attend the discussion about theater lighting in

[1:20:32] time? I remember

[1:20:34] what we talked about, though

[1:20:35] . I'm good at taking notes, so I do

[1:20:39] n't remember much. I

[1:20:42] apologize if you do not remember the details regarding the theater lighting

[1:20:44] .

[1:20:44] Hmm, let's see. I

[1:20:49] remember the story about the Performing Arts Handbook

[1:20:51] . The opinion was that clear guidelines are needed across the performing arts

[1:21:00] , just like

[1:21:02] sports regulations

[1:21:04] . There was also talk about private lessons

[1:21:14] , which seems like a topic that many

[1:21:19] people would be interested in

[1:21:20] . However,

[1:21:30] rather than the method of foreign language education like Global Child, where

[1:21:31] children simply come for individual lessons, I

[1:21:35] think it should be operated like a systematic program. It

[1:21:38] looks like Jeff wants to play the accompaniment.

[1:21:39] So that’s why you’re continuing your wife’s work and

[1:21:43] recommending family members as accompanists,

[1:21:44] right? My

[1:21:46] family will apply directly and

[1:21:48] see the results.

[1:21:53] And as always, a position may

[1:21:54] open up as needed

[1:21:56] . For example, things like 6th grade a cappella,

[1:21:58] marching band, and winter percussion

[1:22:00] . Hmm, things like this

[1:22:04] . I wanted to see if there was any important news

[1:22:09] . I know that the kiln is

[1:22:11] still not working

[1:22:12] . Is there a problem with the kiln

[1:22:14] ? It's a

[1:22:15] new kiln, but it's not

[1:22:16] working.

[1:22:18] No, there is a kiln. It's just that

[1:22:21] problems keep occurring with the kiln

[1:22:23] .

[1:22:23] Why is that? Has it always been this kind of problem

[1:22:25] ?

[1:22:26] Yes, that's right. It has been a problem for 10 years

[1:22:28] . Yes, I

[1:22:30] know. It seems like it's been like that every time since I joined the art club

[1:22:35] . Well, I

[1:22:39] think another point worth discussing is that there are

[1:22:42] ongoing discussions regarding schedule adjustments

[1:22:44] . The point is that we need to resolve scheduling conflicts not only between the art club but also

[1:22:56] between the use of various facilities as a whole

[1:22:57] . This

[1:22:58] part was also discussed a little

[1:23:00] . However, another story

[1:23:04] came up: I joined the Art Subcommittee for the first time this year

[1:23:08] . As a new committee member

[1:23:12] , I would like to clearly tell the villagers how excellent our local

[1:23:14] art program is

[1:23:19] . Of course, the art

[1:23:24] program is not against the athletic team

[1:23:25] , but it is really obvious

[1:23:27] how excellent the art education in our region is

[1:23:30] . As you know, one of the discussions was to

[1:23:37] use us as a model for other villages

[1:23:39] . It was a method of teaching other villages

[1:23:41] how to run our art program and how to

[1:23:45] provide art education to other villages

[1:23:47] . So, we are becoming a model

[1:23:49] for other villages in many ways

[1:23:50] . We are being referenced

[1:23:52] throughout the state in the financial sector, and

[1:23:55] now we are also being utilized in the arts sector

[1:23:56] . I think this is a

[1:24:03] good

[1:24:05] example showing that, despite being a relatively small community, it exerts a significant influence on surrounding villages. That's really

[1:24:06] cool. Well, I have

[1:24:11] nothing more to say. Do

[1:24:13] you have anything else to say regarding art

[1:24:14] ? yes. Physical Education Subcommittee,

[1:24:17] Dr. Daily. I

[1:24:24] wanted to provide an update on the current status of participation rates across autumn sports.

[1:24:29] Participation rates are good in all events.

[1:24:31] And our new assistant

[1:24:33] coach has been promoted to field hockey head coach

[1:24:35] . We promoted an in-house

[1:24:37] teacher to assistant coach

[1:24:39] . There

[1:24:41] are also a few new soccer coaches. We are reviewing the possibility that assistant coach positions for indoor

[1:24:43] track, ice hockey, and softball may

[1:24:45] become vacant

[1:24:48] . I also applied for field hockey 8th grade

[1:24:51] player eligibility

[1:24:53] . We are reviewing whether I can be recognized as a male ice hockey player in the winter

[1:24:58] . Also, since there may be a need for the JV golf team in

[1:25:01] the future, we are

[1:25:05] considering hiring a 0.5 coach for the fall season

[1:25:07] . We are

[1:25:09] continuously discussing the expansion of the golf program

[1:25:10] . While it is important to find coaches so that all students

[1:25:14] can participate

[1:25:16] , Hillview

[1:25:18] High School must also consider the tax implications of the decreasing number of

[1:25:19] golf course users as the number of students increases

[1:25:23] . So, we are

[1:25:26] maintaining a good balance

[1:25:27] . I had a question regarding the track. If

[1:25:31] large-scale renovations

[1:25:33] cannot be done right now,

[1:25:34] how much would it cost to just paint it?

[1:25:36] So, let's take a look at that part

[1:25:37] . We will also continue to discuss the issue of container storage in the multi-purpose sports field

[1:25:39] area

[1:25:42] . We will also proceed with work to

[1:25:44] further finalize the contract with the cooperative

[1:25:48] . We plan to form a subcommittee regarding advertising

[1:25:51] , and this is a matter that was

[1:25:53] discussed here and at the subcommittee meeting

[1:25:54] . It seems that both the Physical Education Department and the

[1:25:57] School Committee are interested in this matter

[1:25:58] .

[1:26:00] Therefore, it seems we need to form a committee and

[1:26:03] begin a full-scale review

[1:26:05] . And I

[1:26:09] think this is all there is

[1:26:11] . Looking at the big picture

[1:26:13] ,

[1:26:15] there are no projects currently in progress. I just

[1:26:17] sent you an update. Yes, I

[1:26:20] think this is enough.

[1:26:24] thank you. I also

[1:26:26] spoke about the fire station building committee

[1:26:28] . Team, it

[1:26:32] was a good discussion. We will

[1:26:34] hold three meetings over the next four weeks to

[1:26:36] make continuous progress

[1:26:37] . One

[1:26:40] of the agenda items to be discussed at Monday's town meeting is the

[1:26:47] allocation of funds for the design and study of the final project

[1:26:49] .

[1:26:52] The committee's primary

[1:26:53] goal over the next three meetings is to decide whether to narrow the location of the state fire station to

[1:26:59] the west or downtown

[1:27:01] , and how to utilize the

[1:27:03] existing site based on that decision

[1:27:07] . Then, we will evaluate the

[1:27:12] two discussed candidate sites, namely Main

[1:27:14] Street Nos. 84-86 and

[1:27:16] Nos. 73-75. Each

[1:27:20] site

[1:27:21] has several variables depending on the progress method.

[1:27:24] Therefore, the committee will first review whether the western

[1:27:26] site will become the main fire station

[1:27:28] or an auxiliary fire station

[1:27:30] , and then

[1:27:32] discuss the schedule and associated costs for each project

[1:27:33] .

[1:27:36] Funding to be approved at Monday's town meeting will

[1:27:41] help with further design based on the committee's decision over the next few weeks. There must be a

[1:27:45] lot of interesting things to do.

[1:27:47] Jeff That's

[1:27:47] cool.

[1:27:49] Wherever the team goes,

[1:27:51] fun things always follow.

[1:27:52] Fun things follow

[1:27:54] ! That's

[1:27:55] cool. Do you have any questions for the team

[1:27:57] ? Well, the Drug Abuse

[1:28:00] Coalition held a meeting on September 28

[1:28:02] .

[1:28:04] Really? It's a little different. Actually, it is the

[1:28:08] mental health well-being team, and we

[1:28:10] held a meeting on the 24th. Ah,

[1:28:13] I see. Laura Miranda

[1:28:15] led the meeting. There were a few

[1:28:19] really good things

[1:28:20] . You have provided an update

[1:28:24] regarding the free counseling corner operated by the library

[1:28:26] . It is said that although

[1:28:33] there are difficulties because too many parents and adults come, its

[1:28:35] popularity among teenagers is

[1:28:37] gradually increasing

[1:28:39] . School has just started, so I'm not

[1:28:45] sure yet how it will run this fall

[1:28:46] . There was also in-depth discussion regarding planning an art project exhibition related to mental health

[1:28:54] . We are also considering providing audio so that exhibition

[1:29:00] visitors can listen to the stories and voices

[1:29:01] contained in the artworks using headsets or mobile phones

[1:29:06] .

[1:29:13] So, to make it accessible to individuals

[1:29:15] , we discussed various ways to directly participate and explore through diverse channels such as schools, libraries, and online platforms

[1:29:22] . This

[1:29:27] is a project currently in progress. We are

[1:29:29] scheduled to meet again on October 22nd

[1:29:31] . This is the

[1:29:34] main content of this meeting. Ah,

[1:29:37] good. Mr.

[1:29:39] Freeman,

[1:29:40] yes. yes. Hmm,

[1:29:43] should we create a subcommittee? Although

[1:29:45] a committee regarding drug abuse already exists and

[1:29:47] held a meeting today, it is the

[1:29:53] only committee with which we have an official contact person. The mental health

[1:29:58] committee is also part of the CIT group;

[1:30:01] has a school representative ever participated? I

[1:30:09] think I can answer that. yes

[1:30:10] . I

[1:30:12] apologize for not being able to attend the CIT meeting today.

[1:30:16] Did you attend?

[1:30:17] sorry. I did

[1:30:18] not receive an invitation. yes

[1:30:20] . Actually, I contacted Amy

[1:30:21] . Invitations often arrive just 5 minutes before the meeting, so I ask,

[1:30:23] "

[1:30:25] When is the meeting?" I was thinking that

[1:30:27] .

[1:30:28] Ah, wait a minute. I'm still in the process of

[1:30:30] receiving invitations, so it

[1:30:33] seems I haven't been connected to Julie yet. All right.

[1:30:34] Then I'll

[1:30:35] send an email to Amy

[1:30:36] . yes.

[1:30:37] great.

[1:30:37] Then,

[1:30:40] what are the other meetings you are attending? It sounds like a separate meeting

[1:30:42] . That is

[1:30:44] clearly separate from the meeting regarding drug abuse, right

[1:30:46] ? Is that right? It

[1:30:49] seems so. yes

[1:30:50] . There are several groups at CIT

[1:30:52] . There is a K-12 action team, and

[1:30:57] there is also a mental health wellness group.

[1:30:59] There is also a mental health well-being group at the school. Traditionally,

[1:31:02] school committee representatives have only

[1:31:03] participated in the drug abuse group, but

[1:31:07] I think we could add other groups if we want

[1:31:09] .

[1:31:10] And Amy Luckowitz is also

[1:31:12] participating in the mental health well-being group

[1:31:13] . So there is a

[1:31:15] lot of overlap. yes

[1:31:17] . So, we have

[1:31:27] discussed Narkan education, its availability, and its connection to overall mental health and alcohol and other drug prevention

[1:31:29] . Although

[1:31:33] today's meeting ended like that

[1:31:35] , regarding drug abuse, we

[1:31:40] discussed how the 'I Decide' curriculum for schools and transition education courses will be structured

[1:31:41] . There were also updates on several

[1:31:46] drug-related issues and various matters currently facing our city

[1:31:51] . Yes, if you

[1:31:55] have anything you would like to add, you may do so

[1:31:58] .

[1:32:00] Yes, contact person.

[1:32:02] Anyway, I will attend. I have been

[1:32:04] attending for several years.

[1:32:05] When is the next meeting? It

[1:32:07] is October 22nd.

[1:32:11] All right. I have

[1:32:13] been attending other meetings as well

[1:32:14] , so I will somehow

[1:32:16] check the invitation and contact you

[1:32:17] . The

[1:32:18] next meeting is on October 26

[1:32:19] .

[1:32:20] great.

[1:32:22] I sent an email to Amy to

[1:32:23] confirm her attendance. I will

[1:32:26] tell you just one thing

[1:32:28] .

[1:32:28] I’ve thought about this for a few minutes and

[1:32:30] discussed it a bit with Michael as well: I think it would be a

[1:32:37] good idea to spend the rest of this year considering the differences between the subcommittee and the liaison officer appointment, as well as the requirements for each

[1:32:39] . And we should also consider what content to post when a vote is

[1:32:41] needed, and whether a member is present

[1:32:43] or not

[1:32:47] . The appointment of a

[1:32:53] liaison officer with the group is

[1:32:55] clearly different from the evaluation or policy subcommittees in which some members of the school committee participate

[1:32:57] . The reporting method is

[1:33:01] different, and the content of the report is also different.

[1:33:03] Yes,

[1:33:03] I agree as well. Over the past few

[1:33:07] years, there have been things people have simply added by saying, "I

[1:33:08] was here," but it would be

[1:33:14] good to organize them in a similar context to what the school committee does. Well, however, in terms of considering what we

[1:33:16] post and how it will be perceived, for

[1:33:19] example, if you

[1:33:26] attend a meeting of superintendents or a subcommittee meeting, you need to consider whether,

[1:33:27] strictly speaking, it falls under the jurisdiction of the school committee

[1:33:30] , and whether reporting the information obtained there here

[1:33:33] falls within your jurisdiction

[1:33:34] or is merely for the

[1:33:35] purpose of providing information

[1:33:36] . To be honest, while

[1:33:40] budget-related decisions are rarely made in the fields of sports or the arts

[1:33:43] , I think there are almost no instances where they have direct decision-making authority, unlike in areas such as financial planning, policy, and

[1:33:45] evaluation

[1:33:49] .

[1:33:51] Right? So I

[1:33:53] thought it was a topic worth thinking about

[1:33:54] .

[1:33:56] Yes, I agree with that opinion as well

[1:33:58] . You and I also spoke briefly before

[1:34:00] . I

[1:34:02] agree as well. Hmm, yes, let's think about it a bit more and

[1:34:05] discuss it in the group

[1:34:07] .

[1:34:08] Personally, I think it is great that all of you

[1:34:10] participate in various groups and

[1:34:11] report the results of your activities

[1:34:13] .

[1:34:14] However, there is a point to distinguish it from a public meeting

[1:34:16] .

[1:34:17] The meeting we are scheduled to attend is

[1:34:19] n't even our group meeting

[1:34:20] . Yes, I

[1:34:22] agree. great. Then, I will let you

[1:34:27] know the schedule for the upcoming meetings

[1:34:29] .

[1:34:35] Adjusting the size of the subcommittee or

[1:34:37] understanding what the subcommittee is will be

[1:34:38] done at a different time, and I will

[1:34:42] attend all meetings as scheduled. The

[1:34:44] schedule for upcoming meetings is as follows

[1:34:45] . The Finance Planning Team is scheduled to meet this

[1:34:51] Friday, October 2 at 8:00 AM

[1:34:53] , the Art Subcommittee

[1:34:55] at 3:15 PM on November 17, and the Sports

[1:34:57] Subcommittee at 12:30 PM on November 18

[1:35:02] . And this is the schedule

[1:35:07] excluding the meeting that Julie just mentioned

[1:35:09] . Hmm, then, yes. yes

[1:35:15] . yes.

[1:35:15] Administrative report required. I have a

[1:35:17] few things to let you know

[1:35:19] . There will be an

[1:35:20] opening ceremony (ribbon cutting ceremony) on Thursday, October 1st

[1:35:22] . Is anyone from the school committee

[1:35:23] attending?

[1:35:27] And there is

[1:35:29] also the opening ceremony of the Northeast Vocational School (Northeast Voc)

[1:35:30] . I will check it out

[1:35:31] .

[1:35:33] There is a form to indicate your attendance. If

[1:35:34] anyone happens to have one, please

[1:35:35] let me know.

[1:35:37] I'm worried about getting a reply with just a few clicks.

[1:35:38] Yes, I know. yes.

[1:35:40] Hmm, but it

[1:35:42] was very similar to the form I received today. It

[1:35:44] was very similar. It wasn't exactly the same, though

[1:35:46] .

[1:35:47] Um, by the way, today

[1:35:49] Mr. Diamond—no, Mr.—

[1:35:51] called and invited me

[1:35:53] . Thank you very much

[1:35:55] . The teacher is also

[1:35:57] looking forward to meeting us

[1:35:58] . There is a

[1:36:01] basic rights workshop on Wednesday, September 30

[1:36:03] . I am

[1:36:07] looking forward to that as well. And I will

[1:36:10] send you the guidance regarding that again

[1:36:11] . We

[1:36:15] held our first implementation team meeting covering grades from kindergarten to 12

[1:36:17] . As mentioned earlier, the

[1:36:20] outdoor activity time

[1:36:21] small groups gathered to continue last year's activities

[1:36:23] , but the general meeting to discuss this year's

[1:36:25] goals and

[1:36:27] form small groups will be held on Wednesday, October 7 at

[1:36:29] 6:30 PM

[1:36:31] . Anyone

[1:36:34] can attend. The small groups formed last year

[1:36:37] were really excellent. We have discussed

[1:36:40] various topics, including mobile phone usage policies, and have

[1:36:44] carried out various activities. I

[1:36:47] look forward to seeing what activities I will be doing this year

[1:36:49] . And

[1:36:57] the meeting on October 26 has quite a few important agenda items

[1:36:58] . To give you a heads-up

[1:37:02] , there will be an

[1:37:03] announcement regarding accessibility

[1:37:05] . The North Reading

[1:37:09] Disability Committee has started an ADA self-

[1:37:10] assessment. This is

[1:37:14] something I have mentioned several times over the years. I

[1:37:18] have attached the document to be included in the next meeting materials here

[1:37:20] . Since we have also requested that a company in Europe

[1:37:28] attend

[1:37:29] , we intend to

[1:37:33] invite them first to ensure time is available. yes

[1:37:37] . The

[1:37:39] next meeting is scheduled for around 7 p.m.

[1:37:41] The company will

[1:37:47] explain the overview of this project, the opportunity given to us, and future plans

[1:37:49] . I am currently reviewing this process in

[1:37:51] advance

[1:37:52] . I understand that an event is also being held in our region around the

[1:37:54] same time

[1:37:56] .

[1:37:59] Well, some items are

[1:38:01] relatively easy to resolve

[1:38:02] , and some have already been resolved or have been

[1:38:04] resolved

[1:38:06] . However, there are

[1:38:09] aspects that need to be addressed over time

[1:38:10] , so we must consider

[1:38:12] financing plans or subsidies necessary for those areas

[1:38:15] . So I wanted to show you in advance

[1:38:17] . I thought it would be better to give you the packet containing the document that I will send you later in advance,

[1:38:19] rather than just giving it to you

[1:38:20] .

[1:38:24] This concludes my report

[1:38:26] . great. It's not opening right now

[1:38:31] . me too. Yes, I

[1:38:33] don't have access rights. yes. it's okay.

[1:38:37] Are you referring to the entire file? yes. yes. it's okay.

[1:38:39] I'll fix it right now. yes.

[1:38:41] You mean the entire file, not the report, right

[1:38:42] ? The document? yes. It will be there

[1:38:44] . I can't see it.

[1:38:46] Ah, here it is. I

[1:38:47] thought I was just there.

[1:38:48] You should be able to see it if you refresh. sorry

[1:38:49] . I can see it now. yes.

[1:38:51] sorry. This concludes my report

[1:38:56] .

[1:38:57] great.

[1:38:58] Thank you for the update.

[1:39:00] Regarding the upcoming agenda

[1:39:02] , there is the town meeting on October 5th, which I have mentioned several times

[1:39:04] . It is important that everyone listening to my voice

[1:39:08] attends. It is of the

[1:39:19] utmost importance that you participate not only in matters related to modular buildings but also in village operations and financial management.

[1:39:22] So please make sure to attend

[1:39:24] . It is this Monday, October

[1:39:29] 5th. Mr.

[1:39:31] Freeman, just as you have done in recent years, we

[1:39:34] plan to provide childcare services for children this time as well

[1:39:35] .

[1:39:36] Yes, that's good. We have

[1:39:37] prepared this for those who need it

[1:39:38] .

[1:39:39] thank you.

[1:39:45] On October 26, as I just mentioned, we are

[1:39:56] scheduled to discuss announcements regarding Direct Access, elementary school improvement plans, budget updates, and high school NEEA SC updates.

[1:40:02] And at the

[1:40:05] regular meeting on November 9 at 6:30 p.m., we are scheduled to discuss the secondary

[1:40:07] school improvement plan, the announcement of the capital improvement

[1:40:11] plan, MCAS, and accountability

[1:40:13] assessment

[1:40:15] . Talking about scores

[1:40:19] is always a fun gathering. There will be many good things ahead

[1:40:20] , and I am

[1:40:22] also preparing plans for the fall semester.

[1:40:23] But above all else, please, please attend the town meeting

[1:40:27] . And

[1:40:29] after you vote, we would appreciate it if you could also attend our meeting on November 9th

[1:40:33] . thank you. I don't

[1:40:40] think I have anything more to say. I ask for your consent to adjourn

[1:40:42] . I will

[1:40:45] say it again.

[1:40:46] Oh, I'm sorry.

[1:40:48] I am currently reading accounting audit data

[1:40:49] . Second agreement.

[1:40:51] Consent, there is a second consent

[1:40:52] .

[1:40:53] May I continue from here?

[1:40:54] No, I just said it's interesting content

[1:40:55] .

[1:40:55] There is consent, and there is a second consent

[1:40:57] . Do you have a discussion? does

[1:40:58] n't exist. Those who agree,

[1:41:00] please agree. yes

[1:41:01] . yes.

[1:41:02] What about those who oppose it? It

[1:41:03] has been approved.

[1:41:04] 5-0. yes.

[1:41:05] Ah, so it's you. At

[1:41:07] 8:15, the Education Committee meeting

[1:41:09] ended.

North Reading School Committee Meeting - September 28, 2026

Transcript