How do you have any reflections you'd like to offer right off the bat? Yeah, the first I need to see the chief of staff immediately after this, because I'm getting tired of following first Stephen B. Loose, and then these three incredible presenters here today before I make any comments. So George, come see me right after this, please. So at the risk of being known after this as Captain Obvious instead of Admiral Howe, let me offer you a couple of reflections on professional ethics over the course of my career. So about 34 years in uniform if you include the time at the Naval Academy, just under four years as a flag officer and just over a month here as the president here at the Naval War College. And during that time I would offer that a couple of observations that might be interesting to you. First is changes in how I think about trust. And the second would be the relationship between the profession of arms, leadership development, ethical development, and the role of education in that triangle or in that trio. So first let me hit trust. Over the course of my career I have grown increasingly aware of the significance of trust in all we do. I would say that early on it was pretty tactical and it was an understanding of the importance of trust in the effectiveness of small teams. As I grew in responsibility, started to understand too that it wasn't just small teams, it wasn't just interpersonal connections that trust enabled, but rather larger organizations too. And then most recently, out at Special Operations Command Pacific, I came to understand that large organizations within the United States military that trust between those organizations is essential. And beyond that, the trust between partner nations was absolutely a fundamental and key component for effective coalition and multinational operations. So that's trust has grown and is important over time, but it wasn't always that way. Over the course of those years, when I look back now at it, I would offer that there were times when I was not thinking deliberately about trust, that there were times where I had grown to take trust for granted. And I don't know if that was a result of perhaps a good command that I was in or a good organization or some good leadership, but there were definitely times over the course of my career where trust was not a part of my thinking. I was not concerned with it. We were concerned about other things. Most recently, operationally in Afghanistan, I became very acutely aware, like a spike in my awareness of trust, and that was the trust that society places in military leaders. And it was there in Afghanistan when you were faced with really the almost penultimate expression of a trust in a society and an organization, a profession, and that was the trust in that nation's greatest asset, and that is the sons and daughters, the lives of our sons and daughters, and the trust that the nation places in military leadership to employ that national asset with judicious wisdom, balancing cost, potential costs, and gains. As the journey continued, and I show up here at the Naval War College and engage in some discussions on the nature of the profession and with Admiral Klein, I have further advanced kind of that notion of trust, and that is it wasn't just the trust that the society placed in us by giving us this national treasure in order to go out and do our mission, but it was absolutely the trust that the society placed in the profession itself and the necessity of that trust in order for us to be able to do that very thing. That trust, as Dr. Cook mentioned earlier, that trust enables us, and that trust in the profession enables us and gives us that level of autonomy that I would offer is absolutely required for effective military operations in the VUCA environment that everyone has talked about today. So again, over the course of my time in the military, what trust has meant to me has varied over time, but I think I've got a pretty clear focus right now on just how important it is, and I would offer to you if you were able to begin your academic year thinking more explicitly about trust and think more explicitly about trust for the rest of your career, you will be a better officer than I was during those time periods when I was taking trust for granted. One final thought on trust, come to understand trust as something that is always dynamic, never static. Every day in every way, trust between individuals, trust between organizations, trust between nations, it is either increasing or decreasing, and what's happening to that level of trust is a reflection on the interaction between those entities. So please never take trust for granted, think explicitly about it over the course of your career, and know that in every way and in every action that you take across your network, you are either increasing or decreasing trust, and that's going to have an impact on your immediate team, your organization, your service, and later perhaps even the United States. The second, let me just very very quickly, the relationship between the profession of arms, leadership development, and ethical development.  If we have any discussions, if you think, and as you approach your own leadership development, perhaps your ethical development over the course of study here, and you do so without thinking about the profession of arms, without linking it to a framework of your obligation to the profession in which we serve, then I've offered you'll be doing it incompletely. The Navy published its Navy Leader Development Strategy just last year. In that strategy, we've called out the four components to develop leaders, enlisted leaders, officer leaders across the continuum of their career from E1 to O10, but we've called out the four components and we highlight the two components that the Navy has historically done very well. An emphasis on training and an emphasis on experience. So two areas in which we have historically done well. More importantly though in that leadership development strategy, we've called out the critical role of education in that in developing leaders. And I would offer that as we think about our mission of developing you as leaders in the future, we want to ensure that your understanding of education, so critical guided reflection, as Dr. Johnson had mentioned, the role of that needs to be combined with this overarching framework of the profession of arms and all that you do in order to emerge on the other end with the full service treatment and better at the end of the car wash than at the beginning. Education versus training, final thought, the the these two terms were all not not quite synonymous for me as I showed up here at the college but close to being synonymous. Been able to crystallize in my own mind, I believe a difference between the two, but I would just offer one final kind of analogy as you as you approach education not training over the course of your time here at the Naval War College and as you engage in your own professional development. And that is I'd like to draw or extend a little bit of analogy of the psychologist Carl White who talks about why a compass is more important for the operational environment that we face today than a map. Training prepares us well to be able to execute known tasks. Training helps us prepare for effective operations in a known environment known tasks are going to help you execute in a known environment. Education on the other hand is different education is going to help you prepare for the unknown environment so the VUCA environment that we talked about a little while ago and Carl White will talk about the compass and the and the map and training is more like giving you a map and that is charted terrain it's terrain that you know it helps you find your way in in known terrain training will help you in such an environment. In an unknown environment though a compass and education is what will give you a a compass and I would hope that at the course of this at the end of this year that you will leave the education with a compass and a compass which is kind of headed towards that profession of arm so in an uncertain environment when you when you're heading into uncharted territory you don't know exactly where you are to help you find your way in such an environment. You've got a compass that instead of headed towards north it's going to head you towards that which we hold true in our profession and that compass will prepare you for that uncertain and ambiguous future that we face. So again thanks for the opportunity just provide those comments and Dr. Cook I'll turn it back over to you for moderation. Thank you sir. Let me just start with one question for Admiral Klein because I have this really strong interest in Jonathan Haidt's work too. I'm just rereading his other book The Righteous Mind which is I think one of the most interesting books I've read in the last 10 years but I was really struck by the point you made that he are so strongly that what he calls the intuitionist elephant is the way we normally make moral decisions and that the the reason the monkey on the back of the elephant the re-creator is only a marginal influence when the elephants were really willing to listen to it. And then you made the point that in whenever we address ethical training or education in a military we we're almost always talking to the monkey we're talking to the rider. What would it mean to talk to the elephant how would we do it? So the path that we create is something that the sergeant staff Sergeant Diem and Justin Watt were the two presenters at the army conference a couple weeks ago and it was really amazing. Sergeant Diem who's now recruiting for the army so you should get some good people wherever he's recruiting he was able to link something as simple as why inside of a squad or a bulletin why it's important to do something as basic as blouse your boots blouse your trousers right is that going to make you more combat effective? He would argue yes because if you start with okay blouse your trousers right he would he said as he walked as he walks around and kind of talks to people this is a staff sergeant all right he walks around and and organizations he's been associated with where there's no uniform discipline no this kind of uniform discipline if you're not getting the small things right chances are you're not getting the big things right and so that is that's one of the really basic ways to start creating the path for the elephant but as Admiral Howe just talked about right so there's time for your education in the next 10 months but as Dr. Johnson talked about guided reflection guided reflection is another way to help create that path right you're not going to start with guided reflection you're going to start with really basic things keeping your shoes shined you know marching in formation correctly these are all really things that help you assimilate as a group and know they're you you don't by themselves they don't make you a better person but the fact that you know that everybody else in the group upholds standards no matter small or large they uphold the standards and and so one of the things one of the problems that the Blackhearts that the Blackhearts book talks about is the fact that there was this there were some of the leaders inside the organization who kind of compared their organization and how cool they were by violating all these rules against the bureaucracy that was the army and and people fell for it and and you could see the contrast between organizations that paid attention to even the small standards against an organization that threw all that out the window and said no I have a much better way so that's getting Dan Ariely's t-shirt working for you yeah okay we have about half an hour Admiral Howe has a hard constraint at 1530 so you'll need to and at that point I know it's the first day but please don't be shy as Admiral Kelly says you have microphones on the seats behind you so please we have some time well they're thinking of a question I want to pee back with two statistics for the U.S. students that talk about trust we are a trust-based organization within ourselves there is a study a survey done in 2010 for the Department of Defense that also did statistics across the U.S. and the an indicator of trust what one of the indicate one of the questions they asked was would you report misconduct and and 29% of the DOD the U.S. Department of Defense respondents said they feared reprisal and they would not report misconduct 29% and so you're like okay you know this is the first week of class what does 29% mean well I don't know what 29% means but in my public math mind it's about a third the other public math I was able to do when I saw the statistics was the average across the U.S. was 14% so in 2010 the level of trust that people could report misconduct was twice as bad as the national average and so that tells me we have work to do because one of the first questions the secretary said is you know after a lot of senior leader misconduct is is there a crisis and I said well no the the level of misconduct while not good is indicative of our flawed human condition and not statistically relevant against historical norms but when you have it when you know that people fear reprisal they fear reporting misconduct due to reprisal at twice the national average it's a cause for concern so okay this is your time please sir good afternoon Paul Russell from the UK we were given an example the earlier in the afternoon about the lawyer who demonstrated good professional ethics by representing a crime he knew to be guilty and I'd like to ask the panel that well I think from a personal perspective on the human level you could argue that that was unethical so what's the panel think has primacy professional or personal? first of all I really appreciate the question because it goes to a very central topic I hope all of us will think about this year if professional ethics is different than personal ethics as I argued pretty strongly that they are then the potential that they'll conflict with each other is significant right and that raises a kind of upper level ethical question for every individual to what degree am I willing to sub subordinate my personal ethics to what the requirements of the profession are the fancy philosopher word for what these professional ethics are role specific obligations obligations that you have by virtue of the role that you're in right and there's always room for discussion whether the existing expectations of professional ethics actually are required by the profession or not that's that's an open discussion we should always be having because organizations are inherently conservative some so some of the rules may just be there because they've been there a long time and we're used to doing it that way but I think the very real possibility for any thoughtful individual that at some point your personal ethics are too out of whack with what are the existing professional standards is always a real requirement I think we saw it in a large way in there in the US military recently with the repeal of don't ask don't tell there were certainly plenty of individuals who had felt very strongly about including openly homosexual people in the services but the the short answer was if that really bothers you to a deep extent then there's the door right this is where the profession has now moved and if you can't not only tolerate this but lead diverse units in terms of of gender orientation then you probably don't belong in the service any longer and that's that's a real possibility for you hold the button down Manuel Martínez from the Spanish Navy my question I would like to go further in that question do you think really think that there is there are private ethics inside one person and professional ethics can you difference inside your brain or shall you behave your from professional and personal it's not possible you you have to behave in in one line in all your life so I think that difference between professional and familiar and you know a sport if ethics is wrong this one ethics is a common behavior in all your life you can't difference you can't be a half an ethic in your professional work or your another in your family or in your personal duties I take the point I respectfully have to disagree with you though I mean the example we just got I mean if you you cannot be an attorney in the United States under the US system if you're not willing to understand that your job is to defend your client to the maximum extent of your ability and are there occasions where that's going to make you morally very uncomfortable as an individual because of what you know about your client sure but if you can't do it you can't do the profession and if that if that tension becomes too palpable for you then it's time to look for another line of work I would add to that I certainly don't think Dr. Cook is arguing that you should have personal ethics separate from professional ethics but I believe what he is pointing out is in terms of the naval profession or in terms of the profession of arms personal ethics is sometimes not enough that there is a further obligation over and above and beyond whatever a personal ethics might be that those of you who wear the uniform or are a member of the profession of arms are called to do so if we use the other example that he used not the lawyer example but the military example as a member of the profession of arms you are given the authority to kill now my personal ethics may be killing is absolutely wrong does not fit in with my 10 commandments or whatever my faith base may be but as a part of my personal responsibility and duty that is my professional ethical obligation to uphold that role so I don't think the argument is suggesting that there are two different things that one certainly your your personal ethics as a foundation is extraordinarily important as a member of a profession but I think what he is also saying on top of that in terms of being a member of the profession of arms there are ethical obligations and duties that must be attended to as well ma'am I'd like to revisit excuse me the idea of maintaining the public trust what happens when an organization or an agency loses that public trust and how do you gain that back short-term medium-term long-term because I think at a certain point it it it also goes up and down if you've lost public trust at you know a congressional level or at a at an agency level or in the media it can permeate all the way through the organization from the top levels down I'm just wondering what would be your prescription for trying to get that back thanks I I would offer that at the end of the day trust is personal and that it is it is inherently a it is a a it's a it's a piece of an attribute of human relationships and so what without a specific incident in mind I think if I had overlying principles to try to reestablish trust it would be to make it personal and then make it persistent you can probably operate you know depending on the organization or the issue at the time you'd be able to operationalize those two broad principles in a variety of fashions but I would just offer that at the at the core it comes down to people it needs to be personal and persistent I will add to that just for reference I'm a business school professor by background so I tend to think of these issues from an organizational perspective as well and I am probably going to tell my age here in sharing this analogy Tylenol poisonings Johnson and Johnson maybe you read about it in your elementary school history course well I remember it distinctly because I was at a particular business school where the president where the CEO of Johnson and Johnson at that time actually came and speak during the height of that for those of you who may not know um hard is it as believe once uh once upon a time it used to be you could buy a bottle of astramen and it didn't have that plastic thing around it it didn't have the hard top with the uh triangles you had to line up and all that had was a bottle of cotton and somebody in the Chicago area was injecting those bottles with cyanide I believe it was and several people died consequently people became afraid of all things Tylenol and all things Johnson and Johnson arguably the public trust was completely broken between this firm and society the way Johnson and Johnson succeeded in rebuilding that trust was showing that as an organization it puts the society's best interests ahead of its own organizational interests and I remember this you know um sharing a story at the time when it was hard it was just a crazy thing no one knew where was happening no one knew whether or not their bottle was going to be tainted etc and he said he was having a dinner party and uh he had a splitting headache and so he went upstairs to his medicine cabinet and he grabbed the bottle of Tylenol out of the cabinet and just as he was about to put the Tylenol in his mouth he stopped and he realized this bottle could be tainted and so immediately the next day he called all of his general managers so essentially his two stars and said take every Tylenol product not just the ones that have been tainted every Tylenol product off every shelf dump everything that is in production this the public's interest is way too important so if we align this with what dr cook described in terms of professions that police themselves and our granted autonomy the way you rebuild that trust is showing that you are putting the public's interest ahead of your organizations and certainly by having someone like Admiral Klein who has now been appointed to have that responsibility at the Secretary of Defense's level to say this is important society we hear you is a huge step in all the actions that are going behind that to show that as an organization we are taking responsibility to rebuild that trust because society we think your interests are more important than our interests. One last thing I have to say it's a really excellent question is the essence of being able to be a profession is that you are self-policing and you're perceived as doing it. So if you think about the way military organizations typically go wrong and it was related to Admiral Klein's example of fear of reprisal and reporting it is that they rate loyalty over other values and loyalty is a great value but you know military organizations can overdo it and so part of the education about being a member of the profession is to understand if you understand yourself really as a professional then you understand it's not about loyalty to this individual who may have messed up because they're ruining my t-shirt to use Ariely's term. They're reflecting badly on me and on the organization I care about and so the core value would be to maintain we make sure our central values to maintain the health of that and not to protect individuals who might be acting badly in it. Yes please. Thank you doctor. Captain Duck Howell College of Naval Warfare. Most of our discussion has been perhaps about the internal the interior parts of ethical discussions those things that we ourselves can do and talk about with our peers. Admiral Klein with you here today man perhaps external factors whether it's transparency public interest and specific issues with DOD what is your office seeing as trends or changes and external factors that might affect how we look at ethical discussions inside a DOD lifeline? Sure thanks so some of the things that we're doing is first of all we're trying to find out what programs we already have in place that address character development professional development ethics and and the conversation about the profession because some of these some of these things the army as an example has a really elegant balance of education training and practical experience that where they talk about the profession and where they talk about character development but I think that General Odeirno would tell you that over the past 12 years not everybody has had that opportunity so perhaps a more consistent application of that system across the force as the army you know assuming the army returns to garrison will be an opportunity for them so so that would be one thing one of the other things we're looking at is is best practices how do you how do you how do you show transparency how why how are you transparent and one of the issues that is a symptom I think of of poor leadership is toxic climates or hostile hostile environments and so the navy the air force the army and the marine corps all have different command climate surveys and I'm not sure which one is the most effective but we're going to kind of line them up against each other and figure out between command climate surveys and 360s how much do we know about the environments that are out there working right so a couple weeks ago or I guess it's now a couple months ago we fired the co of the cow pens right and and the navy is very public when we fire a co we're very public we announce it we feed it to the press and navy times always takes they always take it they don't always tell the story the way we would but but there is a degree of recognition that that transparency is helpful it's not helpful when you're the co who who had a minor not an ethical issue but maybe a performance issue where you're kind of painted with the same brush you know here's another co relief for cause but but overall that is a measure that is appreciated by the hill it's appreciated by some of our civilian leadership and and while the other services are grappling with how do they show folks that they hold folks accountable senior folks accountable one of the one of the as as dr. Cook just mentioned a characteristic of professions is that they are self-regulating well we like to think that we hold we hold ourselves accountable to a very high degree and the services will each talk about the number of article 15 captains massed whatever your lexicon is about the number of people that we hold accountable I'm not sure the number of people that we hold accountable is as important as the fact that we are equitable and how we apply those standards of accountability and I'm not sure we know how to do that it's probably easier on an individual unit but take that I'm not sure how that scales so that's something that we're trying to grapple with to figure out how do we figure out if we are uniform and how we hold ourselves accountable and that doesn't mean that an e1 and an o5 have the same standard right the DUI example I would argue that if there's no harm an e1 could recover from a DUI an o5 at the other end of the spectrum should have known better is more responsible if they were in a command position they absolutely should know better so there is a different punishment and sometimes it's less and sometimes it's more so it's not it's not something you can just lay out your slide ruler or lay out a program and kind of crunch the numbers it's something that requires a little human input to understand there was one here in the front and then back there commander celiacs german navy and we have we have been talking about trust a long time and I agree totally trust is very important and I think Germany was always very grateful for the support we gained from America however at the moment trust is a little bit um well it's quite a topic at the moment in Germany because n is a and cia and things like that so I'm looking forward to see how united states are going to be able to rebuild this trust again I think it's an important topic at the moment um and now maybe to the question while you have been talking about we should strive to be a better leader I think we have different leadership experiences with different ages too but what is a better leader that was my big question I would argue that a better leader better would be self-defined because as you've already articulated everyone in this room is a leader I would think it is important though to also think about the context in which you are going to moving into you might be an absolutely exceptional leader in your current context but your future context may require something different particularly for talking about the VUCA context volatile in certain complex and ambiguous that requires a different set of skills a different way of thinking perhaps a different way of approaching decisions so maybe the way that you currently make decisions may not be the best approach for the environments that you're going to be entering into I think the biggest challenge is recognizing whether or not you're willing to challenge yourself to be a better leader I certainly can't define that for you you can define better leader for yourself but are you do you recognize the need to continue to evolve and grow do you recognize that your future environments may require a different type of leadership from which you currently have a strength which is why this year is so great right because you have an opportunity to really build upon your existing leadership strengths and take them to the next level one of the things that we have discovered in our research in the college of operational strategic leadership and we work with the research group of students is there's a definite difference between leading at this tactical level and then for the navy at the operational level which for the other services is probably strategic level and it has been pretty poignant in our interaction with flag officers in particular who will note that the way the navy system is designed that they thought they were prepared to lead at the operational level of war and then got there and realized that it was a totally different thing than what they had been trained to do so there's always room for improvement thank you when I mentioned the navy leadership development strategy there were four components and as I think I only got the third one trying to emphasize that education piece but so training and experience historically the navy's done very well now more explicitly than ever the before the navy is emphasizing the role of education deep thinking guided reflection that structured white space to truly advance your thinking I didn't address the fourth component and that's personal development so a recognition that to develop as a leader to be a better leader tomorrow than today part of it is that self-awareness piece part of it is an understanding of constantly assessing where you are at relative to the environment the challenges potential shortfalls and being better so I think it comes back to your your point of being self-defined based on your own capabilities and the environment that you're operating in and I'll give you one more practical application because I agree with everything that was said but it was very interesting there was a Dr. Allison Frigale from the University of North Carolina who gives presentations to senior leaders in the army in the air force and as part of the presentation week or two Dr. Frigale gives a couple hour session on ethics the consequences of power so I would say that one tangible way you can think about yourself improving yourself as a leader because it is very personal is how you look at your subordinates how your subordinates view you power is a very insidious thing and and very impactful so you can have the best intentions and through a little bit of creep you can let power go to your head and it can be very subtle so I would take and flip that though and say how do you evaluate your subordinates think about how you evaluate subordinates Dr. Frigale when in her discussions of power says a lot of times we are very focused on results I'm sure nobody else is impacted by that but we are very results oriented and when we document performance whatever form you use when we document performance we seldom pay any attention to the process associated with getting those results so I would tell you that I take I have taken this non-tile-and-all pill myself to say how I think I know my subordinates and I think I know but I will tell you that I pay a lot more attention as I talk about people that I make sure it's not just the results I'm talking about but that we hold people accountable for the process they use to get results I don't want to dodge your question about the trust between Germany for example in the United States I think it's very important I mean I want to tee it up as a as an important strategic question for you all to think about this year actually and I think it's clear the United States did a number of things that were out of its traditional character and in some cases out of its traditional legal standards over the course of the last 10 years and change in the belief that they were they were necessary for national security not all of us agree about that but that was the judgment made by our leaders but clearly one of the costs of that especially has become revealed is eroding trust with close allies such as Germany and other places and so how to balance you know making those kind of unilateral decisions about security versus the maintenance the importance of the maintenance of alliances the maintenance of trust among the allies is a very difficult strategic question and I don't think we'll answer it in 30 seconds from the stage here but I hope it's one you'll explore there was one in the back please that's probably the last one good afternoon Colonel Bob Mathers army college of naval warfare man your comments about subordinates and assessing them is a great segue into my question which was about professionalism and how we spot assess recruit and promote within our own and the criteria we use for that within a profession we have as a military we're probably the closest thing organization we have to a true meritocracy in our country at least we like to think that we are and we assess these forms and and boards and criteria for spotting assessment recruiting promoting the next generation of leaders at the same time I've been told by several more than one assignments or detailing officer that you know everybody looks pretty much the same on paper but reputation always precede you and those of us who have been in small communities like aviators special operations know that your reputation precede you before you arrive at a place and yet the problem is that when one of us signs off on a nomination packet for something you know if I don't know the person but I know someone who does and they can tell me whether they want this person to be on their team and their foxhole or whatever so I'd like your thoughts on how we as an organization maintain that role of a meritocracy based on those objective criteria and those things that we can quantify assess receive versus becoming a good old boy network where I just want the people who I can trust and I like but that runs the risk of prejudice bias preconceived notions and all types of abuses as as that ties in with you said press or cook the self-policing organization so there's a so there's a couple different things woven into what you say first of all I think that when we document performance we fail to do as thorough a job documenting character some would call it moral competence when we talk about competence we're usually thinking tactical and technical competence we don't think about moral competence and I think since about General Schwartzkopf we've stopped calling it moral competence we call it character and General Dempsey has done that for the last couple years he's talked about tactical and technical competence and then character there's a couple ways that we're in conversations with the services to to crack the nut that you talk about because part of it has been brought about by our zero defect mentality we are very concerned to document we're very concerned to document any slight aberration because we want our person to be promoted on the same level with the other person right with with people we don't know which is a very human reaction we all so if we're ducks we we like the ducks that we see and we promote other ducks which is why it's very important to have a diverse set of personalities not just gender not just color not just religion but look for diversity at every turn and I don't say that just because I've been joined for the last three years because that's another level of diversity all all itself but so we can I think we have to deal with the zero defect mentality because I think the symptoms we're seeing are that we don't document reality we document what we really want people to know about us and about our subordinates so I think we start with what is right look like what is correct what is good really look like and I think we've got down to a science tactical and technical but I I think we have to develop a language and a lexicon and a standard for what good character looks like and that's that's where I'd start and there's lots of other things to your question but but I I think I don't know if anybody else has anything to say on that but I think that's where you start and there's a there's a whole series of steps in between that are that are some roll up your sleeves hard work to do how do we select I think the processes that we use to select people are about right I think it really the army as an example right redrafted recrafted their evaluation system went into effect on the first of April you added blocks to talk about character the navy has blocks on their fitness their fitness report to talk about character now it's time to have the conversation lots more to say but I promised Admiral how we'd get him out of here at 1530 and I think we'd need to quit thank you I don't know if you were getting me that the handoff I was going to mention about the the selection process there at naval special warfare so I just very very quickly I think Admiral Klein was hitting on the the conversation is really just beginning to get after that point and how do we it will ultimately always be subjectively but more objectively than today how do we assess character as part of selection assessment there is some work and I don't know if there's other frogmen in the audience that know more about it than I do and actually Admiral Klein I believe you've got more situational awareness on it than I do but I know my own personal community right now at our basic training course is working very heavily on gaining inputs from other classmates and instructors and really looking at at assessing what has predominantly been a very physical assessment process and turning it into one that while there's still a very physical piece of it it is one that is very deliberately and explicitly addressing characteristics of a good teammate as part of that selection process so there is no easy answer to it but I believe that the the discussion has begun there is good thinking about it soon I hope there will be good movement on it also and then across across the Navy and across the services so yeah doctor thanks again first epic symposium I would imagine when we get around again for the for the next ones we'll have even a more informed conversation based on your own discussions thoughts exchanges in your lectures and in your seminars and I look forward to seeing you there thanks again have a great academic year


At 633, we will call the Rochester Stockbridge Unified School District Remote Public Informational Hearing into session. Notice an agenda for April 27, 2021. And May 3, which is the voting day, 2021. All to order. Are there any additions or deletions to the agenda? Not hearing any. We'll go to. So I just think I need to explain Jamie. There are public comments throughout this, but we're not necessarily taking public comment after each article. Well, I think there will be an opportunity for questions or comments after each article, which comes later in our slide presentation. OK, good. So you want to just go right to that? Yeah, I shot you an email. I saw your email. I think if we do our presentation, it should flow nicely. And at the end, it does allow for questions and comments on each article, as well as folks could definitely ask questions and comments on the budget. Very good. I think that's the way to proceed. Looks very nice. All right. So our principals are going to take the lead on the majority of this first part. So Bonnie and Lindy. Yes, so welcome to everyone. And we're glad that you're here with us on this really gorgeous spring evening that we haven't had very many of. So thanks for joining us. And just some introductions in case you're not familiar with everyone. Ethan Bowens here and he's the chair of our Rochester Stockbridge Unified District Board. Amy Wilt is here, and she's the vice chair. Jenny Austin is our clerk, as well as a board member. We have Carl Grappi, Justine Kalakis, and Megan Payne, who are also board members as well. We have Superintendent Kanarney or Jamie Kanarney, myself and Bonnie Born. And then Tara is here as well, I believe, as the business manager for the entire SU. So some details, because this is unique again this year about our budget vote is we have two informational meetings. It's not like there's different content. Either night, it's the same content. But in case you couldn't make one, you can make the other, or you're welcome to join us for both. Our second informational meeting will be next Monday, May 3rd at 6.30 PM, and it'll be remote as well. In each town, we will be voting by Australian ballot on Tuesday, May 4th, beginning at 10 AM and ending at 7 PM at both town offices in Rochester and Stockbridge. You can request an F&T ballot online or by calling the town clerk's office in your respective town. They are not mailing ballots out this round, like was done in our general election for town meeting day. If you have an outstanding F&T ballot that you've requested, but you don't think it'll get there in the mail-in time, feel free to drop it off to your polling place, your respective town office, by 7 PM on May 4th. Whenever you're ready, Ray. So there are similar yet different ballots. And the reason they're different by town is because in March, it was voted that each town will vote for their respective board members. And that is the only difference is for the seats on the board. And we'll go through the specific articles, like Jamie said, at the end to talk about how much our budget is for and what you're voting on, specifically. And I'll just add, I know there's been some confusion because there's a lot of write-in for candidates. And so the issue with that is, is that we needed candidate consent forms completed within 30 days of the election. And Bill Egerton did complete his in Stockbridge. So he is on the ballot for the remaining two years of Carl's seat, which Carl will be vacating. But do know that folks can definitely pursue writing campaigns. We've had successful writing campaigns in the past. And we know that this is part of the clunky part of going to an Australian ballot when folks are used to nominating and electing folks from the floor. So we do apologize that there's not more names on those ballots. But certainly, you can write folks in on those ballots. And we encourage you to do so. And I'm not aware of anyone who's planning to pursue a writing campaign yet in Stockbridge for the three-year seat. Do you know of someone, Lindy? I believe Patrick Hudson put his name out there for the three-year seat. Great. So Patrick Hudson, the spelling is important for Stockbridge residents. And I believe Amy Wilt plans on putting her name out there once again for Rochester. So please make certain you spell those folks correctly so we can get them elected and get them on the board. Is it my turn now? It is your turn. OK. So just some welcome thanks again for joining us tonight. We've done some changes at the WRBSU offices. One of the things that we've been hyper-focused on is ensuring that we're being fiscally responsible and trying to ensure that we're running surpluses across our local districts and at the SU offices. And so we are projecting surpluses in almost all of our districts. I think I'm optimistic that we are going to realize surpluses in all of our districts and at the SU. Folks have been working incredibly hard. We did do some restructuring in the central office for next school year. And what we did is we did eliminate several different admin positions that are here within the central office with a focus on trying to get those consolidated federal grant funds out into your buildings to provide an increased intervention and supports for students. I've been hyper-focused on and when we've analyzed budgets is to do zero-based budgeting where we didn't look at what we had prior, but focused on what do we need and look through the lens of how is that going to impact students in increased student achievement. And that's been the compass in regards to how we've guided that work. And so there are some things that will be covered via both our recovery effort funds through the ESSER funds and through the consolidated federal grants. So I know that there's been concerns about some reductions in like winter wellness and things that ties beautifully with our recovery fund efforts and ESSER grants. So I want folks to know that we are gonna continue to fund those things. Those things just are not funded through your local district budget. They will be covered though via those recovery funds. And we also are looking to bring you in an additional 1.0 FT math interventionists to support your students in both campuses. And so we didn't currently have anyone devoted to math intervention and we were looking to bring a board math interventionists in all of our buildings next school year. As I said, we've been hyper-focused on being fiscally responsible and continuing the work that had already begun in creating a comprehensive system of supports that we call a multi-tiered system of supports where we're trying to get early intervention and support to students. It's critical that we get that intervention in place in the pre-KK one, two years because we know more and more research is showing that students are making decisions about their future in grades four and five. And we can actually start to predict high school completion in grades four and five. And so, yeah, big predictor of that is is students being able to read on grade level and the on grade level in mathematics in grade three. So when we look back at no child left behind and the work that occurred there, even though that was a punitive approach, one of the things that I think that really speaks to me from that is is that we do need students on grade level by the end of grade three. And so we're doing a lot of investment at work. On that, we've also been focused on increasing significantly our PD for teachers. And so there's gonna be a hyper focus on an investment in teachers and not necessarily programs. And what I mean by that is, is I'm looking to really increase teacher expertise and content area knowledge so that they can better meet the needs of our students through differentiated instruction. They definitely need tools, but I don't believe that a program replaces high quality instruction. High quality instructions where it's at and teachers or experts and we need to support them by investing in them. And so we are looking to leverage a great deal of investment in professional development for our teachers. And we've continued to increase our interdependence throughout the eight schools. I'm proud to report things like our principals meet on Thursday mornings. Every Thursday morning just to think tank things. There's no one from the central office involved in those meetings. Those are opportunities for them to just plan and work together collaboratively. We were able to open schools five days a week or five days a week across the entire SU now even at our middle and high school. And I don't believe we would be there if we didn't learn and work together. So I'm incredibly proud by the effort that's been put in to bring our schools together, share resources, share ideas and we'll look to continue to foster that. So thank you. So the strategic direction or the direction we're having in right Chester Stocksburg to Unified District is where as Jamie said really trying to strengthen our universal instruction which means every kid is receiving high quality instruction from all our teachers. And that comes through professional development, training, coaching of our teachers, all models that help support and make sure all our students are receiving the highest quality of education in literacy, mathematics, science, social studies possible as well as our essentials. We're also creating our robust multi-tiered system of supports for students. One of our celebrations later on is about how great our students have succeeded socially and emotionally as we've come back to in-person learning and the benefits from that. And we continue to build on those systems that we have in place to celebrate student success whether it's through meeting learning expectations or academic expectations as well. And we're continuing to improve our educational programming opportunities for all our students. Meaning within this budget, it will support next year the addition of outdoor education programming as well as world languages programming in addition to what we already offer all our students. We do work on something that's called a continuous improvement plan. It helps with our grant funding. And one of our big focal points has been looking at the data to really make sure data just driven school-wide goals for preschool through sixth grade across both campuses. And we see that our current goals are focused on student success in mathematics and literacy as well as succeeding socially and emotionally so that they feel like they have the appropriate supports or adults they know they can reach out to within the building as well as interact with their peers. And so we've used that data specifically Star 360 which some folks may have heard us talk which is about recently. It's an assessment tool. It's an online test that students take three times a year in mathematics and literacy and it really helps us drive some of our decision-making. So some celebrations that come from our data as well as things we've just seen in our buildings and our communities. Despite COVID, all our elementary students have maintained the reading levels that they maintained or exceeded the reading levels that they had when they left in-person instruction last March. And we see this in our data across the school years. We have seen students flourish with our return to in-person learning and we've seen that in a couple of ways. The first is the number of offers referrals or people that kiddos who are struggling to learn or follow direction has decreased dramatically from year to year in both campuses. And we're seeing many more celebrations of meeting those learning expectations increasing as well as we've seen this rapid growth rate so to speak of our students who have been in-person and have been attending. They've been closing some great gaps and working really hard as have all our teachers. So the other great celebration, like Damie mentioned, is we've been five days a week of in-person learning for all preschool through sixth students for 133 days so far, knock on wood if we're gonna keep that going. And only 10 days of the school year have been virtual. We're really proud of that and know the benefits that that brings to our students, our staff and our community. We do see that mathematics is an area that needs and deserves our focus and that is something we're looking forward to in our work with Bonnie Bourne next year as she transitions to a mathematics instructional coach for the SU as well as adding a math interventionist. But like Damie said, that doesn't fix all our problems. What we need to do is really focus on our professional development training to strengthen that universal instruction that all students receive. And we'll continue to practice this with coaching throughout the 2021-2022 school year. And then through community and PTO support, we've been able to continue our learning outside through multiple tents as well as our Ryan trust structures that are now up on both campuses. And I can't express enough how much I think that truly means we've been able to stay in-person longer because our students have been able to be outside to receive their instruction for larger chunks of time. And like I said, we are shifting to more outdoor learning and that looks a lot of different ways. All of our students across both campuses have been able to access outdoors throughout the entire year. That could be in the woods, that could be under a tent or in a trust structure. And we look forward to adding specific outdoor education to our curriculum next year to help teachers really embrace these positive shifts in learning. And then while we haven't been able to get together across campuses this year or going together for large school-wide celebrations because of COVID, we have been building a strong sense of community within its buildings. And some of the examples we've seen through that is we are really excited to band an instrumental lessons. We're able to begin again in March, as well as we have had like virtual speakers come in and work with students, you can see a picture here where students in Stockbridge were building their own schools for the outdoor tents. And that was through a parent volunteer who taught them how to do that. So we have been able to still embrace what's so great about being our small school. And then just a few action shots. Now I believe I'm turning this over to Amy. Yes, you are. All right. Okay, so to start with our budget, the Rochester Stock Exchange Unified District's financial position. So we started FY20 with a general fund surplus of 101,260 dollars. We ran a deficit in FY20 of 40,063 dollars. This leaves the general fund at the end of FY20, $461,197. We put $142,987 towards the FY21 revenue budget, which left us at 318 through 10. We have put 173,600 into that towards the FY22 budget, that towards the FY22 budget, budget that we're devoting on this proposed budget. This leaves the general fund balance of 144,610. As of today, we are projecting that there's going to be a deficit for this current budget that we're in the FY21 budget. It's a small deficit and it's projected at 7,566. That leaves the estimated general fund surplus for the 2021 of $137,44 that you see at the bottom there. Ford has decided to keep that general fund surplus in the general fund because of concerns of future deficits of this year. Okay. Spending changes and the priorities. So what this budget represents is a reduction onto one principle, reduction of 1.5 support staff and a reduction in the intervention. And that is because it is being moved to the SU to be funded through ESSER funding, which is elementary secondary school emergency relief, which is part of the Corona virus aid package that was available to us. What we have done is reinvested into bringing a foreign language program into our schools and to increase the reading intervention locally and to increase outdoor education. So we were able to do all this and in the meantime save $43,199. It's really great that we were able to save and as everyone knows, the cost of everything just continues to go up. The healthcare, salaries, tuition, all continues to increase in cost, but yet we were still able to find these savings. So proud of that. All right, so Avenue changes. So on this chart, compares the FY21, which is current year's budget with the proposed FY22 budget. So these are local revenues and some things to note are that we're getting grant funds from the SU have increased to $75,150. And another grant from the SU of $86,000. $13,000, so has really increased our revenue. And by having these additional local revenues, it reduces what is needed to be collected from the Education Fund and essentially your property taxes. I'm going to take over here to explain the equalized people. So if you're not familiar with equalized people, it is based on your two years average daily membership. And then there's a factor that adds weighting into the different groupings of students. So pre-K, high school, elementary, secondary. So the agency of education provides to us the equalized people number for each of our districts. And over the course of the last couple of years, as you can see outlined in the chart, we continue to have a reduction in equalized people which has a direct impact and what your per pupil spending is. And then ultimately results in additional tax that you have to collect from the town. So for the FY 22, your equalized people dropped from 177.03 to 172.19. And we'll go over that impact later on in some slides to explain how that impacts the per pupil spending and then again, the tax rates. So this here is how your tax rate is calculated. I see a note that if someone can please mute. So if you have your speakers on, is that better, Justine?  From there, you take the per pupil spending and you divide it by your yield, which is also a number given to us by the Vermont Department of Taxes. We are in the last year of the merger incentive, so that gets reduced. And that gives us the final tax rate and we get an equalized rate for the district. And then each town gets their own tax rate, which is then adjusted by their common level of appraisal. And again, we'll go over that in detail in the following slides. Okay, so what has changed from FY 21 to the FY 22 proposed budget? We have reduced spending. So the top line is the spending line. We've reduced that by $42,198. You have to increase the revenue by $50,246. This reduces the ed fund spending, which is also your taxes. You have had a decrease in the equalized pupils, as Tara just said, and that is a reduction of 4.84. And we're still able to reduce the per pupil spending from last year. So that's again impressive. So the yield has been, I'm sure if you've heard in the news and if you follow any of the notices that come out from the Vermont Department of Taxes, the yield has changed significantly throughout the course of this fiscal year, which makes budgeting at times challenging because the yield obviously has a direct impact on how your taxes base comes out. So in the beginning of the budget process, we used the FY 21 yield, which was that $10,998. In December, we received the notification from the Vermont Department of Taxes that they actually projected the yield based on the reduction of state revenue to 10,763. And then in January, we received notification from the Agency of Education that we could use a projected yield of $11,385. The final yield is set by the legislature towards the close of the session. And there is a bill that is out there that just needs to go through the approval process through all the different levels of the house. So right now, all of the budget and all of the information that you see throughout your mailer and through the rest of this presentation is based on using that yield of $11,385. So again, where does this come into the equation? Is your equalized tax rate, is your per pupil spending that we just went over in the previous slide divided by your state yield? You can see when you look at the resulting tax rate change, can you go back one slide, Ray, please? That the change in the yield could adjust the equalized tax rate up to 10 cents. So that is a really big factor in all of our budgeting process. Now you can skip ahead, Ray. So this is the tax calculation. So we take your per pupil spending, you can see from the slide, you got your 2020 or 2021 is at $18,755.83. The proposed for 2122 is $18,740.04. Divide that by your yield of $11,385. That gives us a preliminary tax rate of 1.6460. We reduce the merger incentive of two cents. So that brings us to an equalized tax rate of 1.6260, which is a reduction of 0.0394 over the 2021 equalized tax rate. The common level of appraisal of the CLA, another part of this equation is the comparison of unappraised values recent actual sales prices. It converts the equalized rate to the final tax rate. So we take that final tax rate from the previous slide, which was $1.6260. And then this gets divided by the individual town's CLA as it's shown here. And you can see the comparison of a 21 and 22. And then by town. But as you can see, each town's CLA decreased from last year. And CLA is set by the state, is again, the difference between the property values are raised at and what they actually sell for. So as you can see, it decreased. If you go to the next slide, it will show historically how over the course of the past a few budgets, how it has changed. Rochester is in blue, it started at 115%. And went down to 110, leveled off a little bit. And then went down to what it is today. Dark bridges started a little lower, dip down 100%, went back up to 105 and has settled out where we are today. And so it's another piece of the equation that really affects the bottom line for taxes, but that we don't really have a lot of control over. So this slide here is just a review of the breakdown of your actual projected tax rate increase in each town. So if we didn't have any other factors change and we only impacted the budget based on the expenditures and their revenue, that gives us the net spending changes. There would have been a reduction of your tax rate of 0.0437 in Rochester and 0.456 in Stockbridge. With the equalized pupil dropping, that actually reduced the savings to 0.0424 and Rochester and 0.0442 in Stockbridge. And then the merger incentive dropping the two cents. And then you put in the yield factor and then that would also impact the savings on the tax rate and that gives us a savings of 0.0358 for Rochester and 0.0374 for Stockbridge. And then you add in your CLA decreases which then ultimately is the factor that increase the projected tax rate in each of your individual towns. In Rochester, that would be 0.0635. And in Stockbridge, that is 0.02288. And if you have your budget mailer available, I do recap that in the business manager report and actual verbiage, so that may be easier to follow. But also the tax rate sheet gives you the chart for each individual town. So you can see it there as well. Okay, so we're getting into articles that are actually on ballot. And I'll go ahead and read them and then maybe Ethan can field questions if this. So article four is to fix salaries in the amount of $2,000 for the chair. $1,350 each vice chair and clerk, $1,100 for all other members of the school district officers for the 2021-2022 school year. Do we go questions for article or? Yeah. So if there's any questions, raise your hand. I will look, yeah, put your hand up or do we have phone calls? We only have one phone call. So that phone call, come on in. But if you want to put your little hand icon up, Robert Franks question. Do not, I believe that we have to make sure that members are voting members. You have to be a voting member of either Rochester or Stockbridge. And I believe you're in Bethel, Robert. So it's just for voting members here. Are there any other voting members who have a question? On article four. On article four, which is the salary of the... Okay. I think we're good. Moving on.  Hey, article five, again, this is on your ballot. Fix the salary, the amount of $750 for the school district treasurer, the 2021-2022 school year. Any questions on article five? Again, if you're a voting member of either town, I see none. Let's move on. You can go to the next, yeah. All right, article six. Shall the voters authorize the school board our own money by issuance of notes, not to exceed, not in excess of the anticipated revenue for the school year, July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022. Any questions on article six? I would just like to add some commentary to this, Ethan, if that's okay. Absolutely. So this is your tax anticipation note. This allows the school board in the school district to fund payroll and all other expenses that the school district acquires prior to receiving your tax revenue in your payments from the ED fund. So this carries you through July and August. Your first ED fund payment comes in September and then it's broken out after that throughout the rest of the fiscal year. So this money is used to help during those times where you have a decrease in revenue coming into the district. Any questions about this from voting members? Seeing none, let's move on. Article seven. Okay, article seven is the article to approve the budget. So shall the voters of the school district approve the school board to expend $4,328,752, which is the amount school board has determined to be necessary for the ensuing fiscal year. It is estimated this proposed budget, if approved, will result in education spending $18,740 per cents for equalized people. This projected spending for equalized people is 0.08% lower than spending for the current year. And questions again from voting members on the budget number. Tim, go ahead, Tim. I've got a question about the surplus. When did we stop voting on carrying the surplus forward for the current year? I can remember you used to have to vote on a surplus and not just give it a designation. Who has an answer for that historical?  I'm not sure what Tim's question is. When we were creating this budget, the board approved a certain amount to be put forward into the current budget as revenue, and it is a revenue line. That is something that the board votes on and not the electorate believe. I'm saying that correctly, but is somebody, and I'm not sure if I'm answering the question. Hold on, Tim. Carl has an answer for that. Go ahead, Carl. So in the past, if we've put funds into a restricted category, if we've taken surplus money and we said, we're going to set it aside, we've talked at various times about tuition funds, there's a Stockbridge Building Fund that has restricted money in it. Those questions have been put to the electorate because that's what we're supposed to do is to say, okay, we wanna restrict this money to be used for tuition or to be used for building repairs or whatever. So we've done that in the past. The other thing that has happened, and I don't know if it's happened in Rochester, but it's happened in Stockbridge, has been that in the years where it's been bitter cold or there's been a surprise repair or something like that, we've run a deficit, and then we've had to take that and we've had to break that out over three years because we're allowed just to take a deficit and amortize it over three years. And that's been something that the board could just do by itself and has done and kind of gotten public comment on back when we all could get together in a room and kind of argue with each other for a bit. But in general, the only time we've asked, we've talked to the electorate about how to use a surplus is when we wanna restrict it for something or another. Tim, do you have a follow-up? Nope, okay. Further questions from the electorate? Robert, I see you raising your hand, but as I said, we're focused on the Stockbridge Rochester community here, asking questions. There being no more questions, let's move on, please. Is that, are we there? We can open it up now to if you have general questions toward the board on this evening. Do web surfing data, like your interests, demographics? Ethan? Yes? I just wanted to add to Tim's question, if that's okay. That'd be fine. I was looking at the statute because I'm at home and I don't have my statute book here with me, but under the fail 16, something's just breaking in. The control of your data. Beth, you need to, thank you. Yeah, thank you. I'll get the bell to hear from you. Kara, yes, would you like a follow-up? Title 16, chapter nine, sub chapter four, Vermont statute is how we deal with surpluses. And if an audit reveals that a school district has surplus funds, the school board shall carry those funds into the next year as revenue, unless it's authorized by the voters to put it in special revenue funds as Carl indicated. So that is the way the statute reads for school districts. So you voted to do something different with it other than just to roll it over? So what's the roll over? Gotcha. Correct. Good, thank you very much, Tara. All right, Beth Dolly, are you from Stockbridge? Yes. Thank you. This is sort of a general question. How much of our budget do we actually have control of that is not contractual obligations, that sort of thing? I know at one point, and this was quite a few years ago, the school board put together a nifty little pie chart and what we actually had control of, there's the thing was 10%, is that where we still are? That pie chart is indeed in the current pockets on page 37. And I'm assuming the only thing we have control over are buildings and grounds and other expenses, would that be correct? That is indeed a percent. The buildings and grounds is 4%, all other expenses is 6%. All other, so that's not salaries. Not salaries, not benefits, not tuition, not the SQ assessment, not transportation, it is on page 37 of the annual school bulletin reference. Yeah, I think that that year it was put in in such a way that it was like field trips and that sort of thing. It was kind of the, I guess you could call it the fun things. But you, Beth, yes, so about approximately 10%, you said page 37, is that correct, Amy? That is correct. Page 37, okay. Page 37 is where that pie chart is for anyone who wants to see it of what the percentage of what our number says. Thank you, Beth. Thank you. Karen Rubin. Hello, good evening. I do have some questions. My first question before I kind of start down my list and then I promise you won't have to hear from me the next time we have this meeting is the questions that we're allowed to answer this evening. Is that on the report that was presented to us or just the articles in the budget themselves? I would say the report. Okay. I think we've talked about the report. Awesome. So I'll try to be quick, Ethan, on page five. It is the last year's annual meeting minutes and 3.4, question two from Leslie. She was talking about the public funds, sorry, just watched her speak earlier, the microwave's beeping on you. She was talking about the Rochester Public Funds last year and we responded to her that they need to go to probate and that they were specific to the Rochester High School as well as the fact that we needed to understand the funds and have visibility of them. So can someone tell me where we stand on that? That's just one question, by the way. Do you want to, let's take them, Karen, let's take them one at a time and answer them one at a time. That would be awesome. Okay. Amy, is that your expertise? Yeah, I can try. So we do have visibility of these funds. They are indeed in this, you'll look and it gives their balances. What is different about the Rochester funds is there is one fund that is specific to scholarships from high schoolers. So that one we does need to be dealt with separately. The other ones will have restrictions that they cannot be used as line items in the budget. So it can be used at the discretion of the principles for certain things which is specified in the will. But we can't actually put a line item in the budget like you're able to with the Stockbridge plus use of public funds money. Amy, is there intention to use those funds for any of the building upkeeper management or use or anything that has to do with not having gotten, excuse me for saying it this way, but rid of that building yet? No, those funds are restricted that they cannot be used for brick and mortar. Okay, thank you. On page eight, article eight with the election coming up. And thank you, Jamie for giving us Bill and Patrick's name. Do we know who is maybe on the ballot for the Rochester position? Yes, I'm willing to run again, Amy Wilt. Thank you, Amy. And for right ends, what's the percentage and maybe this is something that we need to hear from the town, but what is the percentage of the voters or is it majority vote over anyone who is actually on the ballot? I believe it's 30. It's actually, Jenny, you have this down pat. We worked with Lord. Go for it. Jenny. For Stockbridge, it's either 30 or 10% of the registered voters. And there's 590 voters in Stockbridge. So for right end for Stockbridge, it would have to be the minimum of those, which is six votes. I don't know what that number is for Rochester. I think we have to check with the town of Rochester for that. Okay, thanks. Karen, what I can do is I can reach out to both town clerks and solidify that number and definitely have that information for our next meeting. That would be excellent. I'm asking these questions, not because I want to do what you guys are doing because I praise you all for doing it. But I think that the questions need to be asked to the community understands. Thank you. Page 27. So now getting into a couple of line items I have questions about. Line 101, the teacher salary. I see that that's a difference of negative $30,000. Is, do we know what the root of that is? I mean, obviously you do, but as a community member, I'd like to know, are we losing a teacher, shifting teachers? Some of that change was because we're bringing in additional grant revenue, which offsets what you need to collect on your budget. Okay, thank you, Tara. I'm off. Karen, I would also just say changes in personnel and certain personnel just cost more in regards to anticipation of what we might know in regards to retirements. Okay, line 103. I guess I'm really kind of confused by this number. It seems to me like we, for some reason are not getting it right. If you look at the line just across the 2018 budget was 15, but we spent 57, then 15 and 35, and then 17 and 28, like what, why do those numbers play like that? So- You had a long-term substitute for one year, which is why that number was inflated in the 2019-2020 versus budgeted. So that impacted there. And as far as the increase for the 21-22, that is to have a long-term permanent sub in your building that knows your students, knows your teachers, knows your process, knows your procedures so that they can easily matriculate between classrooms when you need a sub. Okay, that's really good to hear. Line 320, the contracted instructive services, we see the reduction of 35,404. And I'm wondering if that was the instruction that Lindy referred to that was gonna be available to the staff? Because you had talked about it's increasing, our staff instructions are increasing. That number doesn't, isn't relevant to that, is it? So it's a tricky title, Karen, because it says contracted instructional services, but what it also includes typically in past years has been those really big guilt trips like winter wellness, things that Jamie mentioned, we're gonna fund through grants. So that's the decrease you see there, is not professional development for staff or bringing anyone in to help with universal instruction. It's that we've learned through grant funding that we can fund parts of our winter wellness program and other like larger field trips in different ways. And that's a great way to build your resources. So thank you for doing that hard work because grants are no fun at all. I can add to that if you would like, that was also back in the budget presentation when they were reviewing the re-investments. This was moving the intervention, reading intervention locally versus having that be a contracted service. Okay. The line 640 with the books and periodicals, do we just have a really awesome library right now that we got back in 2000, what is it, 2019, 2020? Is that the reason for the reduction that large? Especially when we had our problem area, one of them. I would say last year, Karen, specifically we invested those funds in purchasing the next very classroom materials for classroom libraries and classroom literacy instruction, which comes in the format of interactive read aloud, guided reading books, all those things. So we really focused our funding to help support that instruction that we are asking teachers to put in place. That being said, now that they have all these brand new materials or year old, depending on the cycle that we are on every classroom, pre-K through six, excuse me, in both campuses has those materials. And what is in there for this coming school year is really just there's a couple of classrooms as grade level kind of shift configurations that potentially do still need some additions added into their classroom libraries for students to pick from. Yeah, well, that seems a reasonable investment if it means we're gonna turn out some better readers. Okay, Karen, this is Bonnie. Another piece that I would add, Jamie mentioned that we're doing zero base budgeting. So zero base budgeting, you will see some more fluctuation in your numbers because instead of taking last year's numbers and just increasing them by two or 3%, which you may not need to do at all, we actually sit down and say, okay, where are we and where do we need to be? Some years we will need to add additional sums of money in areas. Other years we won't need to add much at all. So you will see some of that fluctuation. Yeah, and I appreciate that explanation, Bonnie, but I think it's important to ask the question if we see some kind of pattern within the budget so that we understand how our kids are benefiting from it. And I agree completely with asking the questions. Thank you. So I have one more question to ask and then I'll leave you guys alone. On page 30. This is important work. On page 35, line item 624. We are looking at a $24,500 reduction in that. I am assuming and I don't want to make an ask of myself, but I'm assuming it has something to do with the high school and not having that expense. Are you expecting to move into the 2021-2022 season being able to maintain that item at that level in the event that the school does not go away? In the event that the school is not sold, I should say it that way. Not that it's gonna go away, but in the event that this town, from what I understand who is not necessarily gonna take that opportunity right now, and we are not able to sell that on the open market, what is your expectation for that line item and have you included that in the number that you're proposing to us this evening? And thank you very much for all the work you guys do. Karen, we have included that. The expectation is that the building would be, the term they use is shuttered so that there wouldn't be fuel oil expenses in it and the costs for doing that has been included in this particular budget. So it's more likely that in the event that the school sells, we will see that number reduced. Correct. Okay. Well, again, thank you everybody for all the hard work that you put into it and taking the time to listen to all my questions. I really appreciate that about this school board. It is one of the things that you make sure that you do and that is super, super important for our communities. So thank you. Thank you, Karen. Karen, really excellent question, much appreciated. Janie Feinberg. Just a quick one. I saw that there was a reduction in support staff by 1.5 and I was wondering who that was or what position that was that was being eliminated. Yep. Janie, so we reduced secretary, half of the secretary or part-time secretary position that was in place on the Rochester campus and we also reduced a paraprofessional or support staff member from the Stockbridge campus for next year. Thank you. You're welcome. Thank you, Janie. Janet Whitaker. I just wasn't sure on the energy fuel oil was some of that because we pooled our resources for purchasing power some and consolidated into one supplier. Yes, that also helped reduce the cost as well. Thank you. Yeah, I would just add here, Tara and Jamie have done a good amount of work in terms of bulk purchasing, purchasing across entities and we actually have a lower fuel rate thanks to their endeavors. Good to know. All right, Leanne Isaacson. Leanne, I think you're still muted. Yes. Sorry. That's so I don't make noise. What I shouldn't be, hi everybody. This is a general question because I've been tracking the book and the articles and all the information that's going on. So this is in the White River Valley Herald, there was an article on the 22nd that the comment was made about the public info meetings and it said that Jamie, Superintendent Canardy noted there will be two public informational meetings and that information was inadvertently left out of the school bulletin booklet that was mailed. And I tried to dig around to find out what that referred to. Can you enlighten me at all? What that comment's about? Don't actually recall saying that but maybe it was about the only thing I could think that could have been inadvertently left out was just reminding folks of the dates of these two meetings. They could have been referencing that because I tried to emphasize making sort of these meetings. Jamie, could there's been a quote about the Stockbridge school, a Stockbridge town report that was something left out? No, I think it probably was about emphasizing wanting to get the information of these two meetings. Okay. Okay. Well, and he does all of that information. So it was just misleading and so I just was, I couldn't explain it, so I thought I'd ask. Yeah. That was a really good interview, but. Well, and you know, it's how they proceed and what how they report it. So thanks, that's really all I had to ask. Ethan, you're muted as well. My apologies. I think I'm being so efficient. Are there any further questions from Stockbridge or Rochester voters who are attending tonight on the report or on the articles tonight that we'll be voting on next Tuesday? Janet Whitaker, another question. Go ahead. Yes, I just was wondering about the food service line where it goes down to 20,000 when it was consistently 56,000. Why did it get moved? This is a good question because there's a big a big change of a foot. Jamie, you want to talk about this? Yeah, we've had a lot of conversation about that actually. So the WRBSU is taking on food service starting July one. And so food service will move under the WRBSU umbrella. And so we did that to try to play off folks strengths to try to solidify more of a team play. We talked about the interdependence across the SU. Currently our food service staff have been meeting about monthly. We're looking to increase that to every two weeks. And we're looking to identify some folks in regards to like folks who have strengthened all the paperwork that's required to be filed with the state. Folks who are really interested in menu planning. Folks who are really interested in how do we increase the use of our fresh fruits and vegetables that we grow in our gardens and increase that approach across the SU. So we're going to look to capitalize on those folks. We're also looking to do more bulk purchasing across the SU to increase savings. And so Janet, the plan with that is, is that, and especially now that we know that the USDA free food for all will continue is that we will run food service and then we will retroactively assess that from year to year. So you will see an assessment just like you see an SU assessment for special ed and for the SU in general around my office which is the fiscal office, myself, curriculum. And you'll see an assessment within food service for the SU starting next year. And so we don't know what that assessment will be yet. I can tell you that we predict that we will have savings across the supervisory union based on this work. Not enough to not run a deficit. We do project that we'll continue to run deficits because just the cost of labor is such that we can't turn a profit. But so I'm not gonna tell you we're gonna run in the black but the idea is to decrease that deficit and hopefully that you're not having to contribute that sum of money annually. So this was the board decided to keep some money in that budget for food service. Other districts didn't across the SU and they're gonna wait until we assess it back out next year, but that assessment won't occur until next year. So I hope that answers it. It does, it does. It sounds like a good move and we'll see how it plays out. Thank you. Good, thank you, Janet. Very good. Further questions from Rocktrister Stockbridge voters on the bulletin or the articles. There being none, I think we move on. What's just checking my, sorry. Next thing on our agenda. It's a motion to adjourn. I think that's it. Thank you all very much for coming out. That's always very nice to come. But thank you all very coming out. Thank you very much for your pointed questions and clearly indicating that you're reading this report. I just wanna put out Jenny Austin, put an enormous amount of time and energy into making this look as good as it did. She also Amy Wilt had a big hand with along with help from staff getting this out to you. We're very proud of our report, we're proud. I also just wanna point out how that we dedicate this report to Bonnie Bourne who will be leaving us and has made an incredible change in the Rochester campus in the time she's been there and we will miss her greatly. Thank you all very much for coming and maybe we'll see some of you again on Monday. Otherwise, please spread the word and tell people that they can come and who are open for business. I'll entertain a motion to adjourn. I move we adjourn. Seconded. Second. Second by Amy. All in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Aye.


It seems inevitable that Britney Spears' younger sister Jamie Lynn Spears would also become wrapped up in the pop star's conservatorship drama. We'll have to wait until Jamie Lynn's book comes out to get the facts straight, but it was even recently reported that Britney is the rightful owner of some of her family's real estate, including Jamie Lynn's Florida vacation condo. Or at least, that's what they're saying. In this video, we're going to take a look at the properties Jamie Lynn has been calling home over the years from Mississippi to Tennessee and everywhere in between. In these videos, we don't reveal any addresses, and even though I've done a house tour of my own place, please do not show up at any private residences because it's not safe for anyone. Jamie Lynn Spears is an actress and singer best known for being Britney Spears' younger sister, as well as for her star and role on the Nickelodeon series Zoe 101, playing the main character. Jamie Lynn thrived in this role from 2005 to 2008, and the abrupt ending of the show disappointed fans. I was one of them, I remember. After announcing she was having a baby at age 16, most assumed this was the reason behind Zoe 101's cancellation. Either way, after she became a mom, Jamie Lynn opted to live outside of the limelight and far away from Hollywood. While these days she's acting and working in showbiz once again, Jamie Lynn has lived in rural areas of Mississippi, then moving to Tennessee and most recently, back to her childhood home state of Louisiana. At the time of this recording, Jamie Lynn has amassed a net worth of about $6 million, and she also claims that none of that money was from Britney. Hey guys, it's Kara The Vampire, back with another exclusive house tour here in famous entertainment, this one seeing the homes of Jamie Lynn Spears. Trying to get to 500,000 subscribers over here and we're kind of close, so if you're new to this channel and you haven't subscribed yet, please do so. As always, hit me up on Instagram to chat, and now let's get into this video. If we look at an aerial or map view of one of Jamie Lynn's first homes when striking out on her own, it was seemingly in the middle of nowhere. Back in 2010, around the same time she broke up with her ex and first baby daddy Casey Aldridge, Jamie Lynn had listed their rural Mississippi spread for a whopping $250,000. Pear bought the 5-acre property in 2008, and it was located in Liberty, Mississippi just up the road from Aldridge's parents, and not too far from Grandma Spears' abode in Louisiana. Once Jamie Lynn and her daughter decided to move in with her mom in Kentwood, Louisiana, this farm-like home came up on the market. A long driveway passes through a ton of trees and leads to the main house, which boasts a wide front porch like any typical country home would, and inside the house boasts 2,258 square feet of space with three bedrooms, 2,5 baths, and a bonus sleeping space tucked up in the attic. The gated property had a basic front yard, free of any landscaping, and the home itself was built in an Akkadian style, which traditionally means it has a steep sloped roof along with one or one-and-a-half stories of living space within the floor plan. A red front door led inside to the main area of Jamie Lynn's formal home, where a foyer had a wood beam ceiling, mismatched flooring and an open-air feel. This common space stretched from the front door all the way to the back of the home, while the main living area boasted hardwood flooring, eight-paint windows, and a fireplace. Photos from listing materials at the time when Jamie Lynn's soul to home were decidedly dated. However, it was over a decade ago, so we can assume it's changed a little bit since. The kitchen and casual dining area offered beige tile floors, large windows, custom cabinets, and red walls that match the walls in the master bath. The home was unfurnished when photos were taken, so it really doesn't make the place look very welcoming, but you get the idea. In fact, those red kitchen walls and curtains are the very same ones in the background of the photo shoot Jamie Lynn did with Casey and their newborn at the time for OK Magazine. So you can tell that's definitely the same house. The doors and windows in the main level look out to the grounds and the surrounding barn structures, but aside from that, there is really not much to look at in either the front or the backyard. What we do know is Jamie Lynn's former home had bonus outbuildings in the property, such as a 40x40 horse barn and a workshop which was slightly smaller. Also in the backyard, there was a building used as a shop office with a half bath attached to the main home by a breezeway and elsewhere a corral or two. While Jamie Lynn isn't too pretentious with her properties by the looks of it, even she deserved better than this place. Well, that or these photos just totally don't do the home justice. At the same time as Jamie Lynn unloaded that Mississippi farmhouse, she embarked on a new journey, moving to Nashville, Tennessee full-time with her daughter. The star wanted to get back into showbiz, choosing to pursue a career in country music. Jamie Lynn said, I really just merged myself into the community. I was writing songs five days a week, meeting writers, guitar lessons, singing lessons. I wasn't really there to record an album or become a country singer. Public records state that Jamie Lynn purchased this much larger home in the neighborhood of Brentwood, Tennessee in April 2010, the same month she sold the other place. The purchase price when Jamie Lynn moved in is unknown, but we do know she sold it in 2013 for $700,000, and now its estimated value is at over $1.3 million. This was a definite step above from her old home, a custom-built luxury estate full of upgrades throughout. The home boasted over 6,200 square feet of space, as well as five bedrooms and six baths. The expansive house was ideal for Jamie Lynn, and there was an open floor plan full of natural lights and a family-friendly feel to the place. The exterior and landscaping here were also more aesthetically pleasing than her former abode, and once walking through the front door past the cover stone porch, there was a double height entryway with hardwood floors and a chandelier. To one side, there was a modestly sized living room with blue accent walls and a fireplace, one of three fireplaces in the home. Another one could be found in the formal dining room, while the last one was in the great room. Aside from the fireplace with a flat screen TV above, the great room had soaring ceilings and sunny windows, while the attached kitchen looked lived in but still upscale, with high-grade appliances and plenty of space for a growing family. The master suite was also located on the main level of the house, while the spacious upstairs bedrooms were dedicated to the children and guest rooms. We can see there was also a spacious playroom on the upper level of the abode that actually comes up on Pinterest, as a photo claiming it's actually Jamie Lynn Spears' house. There was even a spacious basement level that could double as an in-law suite, which also had its own bonus fireplace. Since that rent would home, Jamie Lynn is now married to her current spouse Jamie Watson and the pair have another daughter. It's said that the family has moved from Tennessee back to Jamie Lynn's home state of Louisiana and currently reside there, but her exact home here is unknown. Before I wrap up this house tour, let's talk about this Florida condo drama between Jamie Lynn and Brittany. It all began in 2001 when Brittany and Jamie's respective ages were about 20 and 11. Pops are needed a break, so like any hard-working celeb, Britt purchased a vacation home. According to May 2009 conservatorship filings, the beachside condo she bought was part of a two-tower complex and cost $920,000. In 2021 when the home was adjusted for inflation, the price of the property would be valued at $1.4 million. Brittany wasn't seen at the condo very often, which is located in Destin, Florida, but in April 2005, she took a photo standing on her balcony with a few other people, her then-husband Kevin Federline, her bodyguard, and Jamie Lynn. By the looks of it, Brittany was opened to her little sister enjoying the condo. In recent years, Jamie Lynn and her family have been retreating in Florida a lot. The former Nickelodeon star has mentioned a condo many times in the past, telling CMT News in 2016 that she was pretty blessed to have a beachfront property as a place to work on her music and relax. Jamie Lynn explained, And when we write, there's no pressure and no timeline, so the songs just kind of fall out. It's hard to call that word. After the rumors started swirling that it was in fact Brittany's Destin condo, Jamie Lynn stays adamant that that's simply not the case. Jamie Lynn took to Instagram to say, Alright, so now we've seen where Jamie Lynn Spears calls home so I think we can bring this house to her to an end. We've caught some glimpses into her Florida vacation life as well as her former homes in Mississippi and Tennessee. While it's said that Jamie Lynn and her family have relocated back to Louisiana, those other properties definitely look familiar. Out of the homes we saw, what did you think? And do you think Jamie Lynn is using Brittany's condo? Be sure to let me know your thoughts down in the comments section. Thanks for watching, don't forget to follow me on Instagram and I'll see you all in the next video. Bye!