604. Normally at the beginning of each re-organization for a board, we do an election for a board chair. But I thought tonight that we could start out by introductions. This is the first time we've gathered as this group and that we could extend that out to the audience. So maybe George, you can start and we'll work our way around and introduce ourselves and then we'll go on to the works. Sure. I'm George Gross. I represent Berlin. I've also been U32 representative for Berlin for a couple years. I represent Middlesex. I have just been on my new board since lunch. And I'm personally very representative of Middlesex and I've been on the board for a little bit of time and I used to be here. I'm Lady Johnson. I represent Eastmont Piliar and I've been on the Eastmont Piliar board since 2016. I'm Bill Kimball. I'm the superintendent of schools for Washington Central. I'm Floridia Smith. I live in Eastmont Piliar and I've been in Eastmont Piliar for nine years. And I have two kids. One at U32 and the other at both U32 and Middlesex. Scott Thompson from Calis. I'm on the U32 board and I have one child out of three left at U32. The other female from Calis, I've been on the Calis board since 2017 but I think I'm supposed to be the representative of all the kids in the Middlesex. I'm Jonas Inouvan-Fleet. I'm representing Worcester. I have two sons. The eight year old is at Doty and the two year old will be Sunday. I'm Jel Pulsecamp. I'm representing Worcester, Doty, and I have one daughter at Doty and one here at U32. And I thought maybe we could do introductions out in the audience. I'm Matthew DeGrode. I'm from Worcester. I live in L.A. from Middlesex. I have three kids at Romney. I'm Rick Keene. I'm on the Calis school board from Calis. I've had the last of four coming through U32 now. I'm Erin Boyden, Berlin Elementary Principal. I'm Floridia Bell, the business administrator at Washington Central. I'm short, so I'll stand up. Jodi Emerson, associate principal at U32. I'm Steven Dellinger-Pade. I'm the principal here at U32. Matt Young, Doty Principal. I'm Jen Miller-Arsenault. I'm the curriculum director. I'm also a Middlesex resident and the parent of two U32 youths. Bill, you should have Jerome put himself in front of the camera. Jerome? I am Jerome from Oregon. I know about MISSAS. Oh, my name is Mrs. Dell. I'm actually a senior resident and I'm working for the secretary. Yeah, and David, do you mind introducing yourself? And we have to thank Krista and Carla and Mary for coming to make sure we're getting everything correct for the start of this meeting. They've done a lot of organizing. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Before we get going into an election of a chair, and I beg the forgiveness of all the attendance, but I wanted to take a minute and just say something. I thought at least it was, at very least, a superintendent prerogative that I think I'll just call it that. But I'd like to thank you all for coming to the first meeting of the Washington Central Unified Union School District Board. I do understand and fully recognize the apprehension we have in this meeting that's in here. So I wanted to put that on the table right away that many of us in this room did not want to have this force merger happen. But the case being that we are at the point we are right now, I know that everyone that's in this room is here for kids. We may express it differently, we may look at it differently, but there isn't an individual in this room that doesn't have kids first. And that's, if we can keep that in our hearts, and that in our thoughts, and when things get tough, remember that we always go back to the kids. That's what helps me when I have to do the hard work. So I think that I have the utmost faith that this group will do that, that will keep all the kids. I thank Dorothy for saying that. We're here to represent all the kids, and that's why we're all here. And so I believe that in doing that we can find, we'll find new ways of working together. We've done, had some tremendous history in Washington Central working together, and I know that can continue. So I'm very optimistic about that for this group. And I know that you'll do that. And I know that as you do that, all the educators in Washington Central do that. And that most of you that were on prior boards know that all of us will find a way to nurture, inspire, and all students. The passion, creativity, and power to contribute to their local and global communities. Well, the educators are on the front lines for that. This board has a part in that as well. So I thank you for that work and that effort that you'll continue to do on behalf of the students of Washington Central. So far. So with that, I'd like to, if you would mind, like to pause the agenda and move as I do in any organization. We're meeting to 2.1 in elected chair, and I would accept nominations for the position of chair of the Washington Central Unified Union School District Board. Can I nominate Scott Thompson? I'll second. Scott, do you want to accept that? Yes. I was actually going to nominate somebody new if they would be willing. Jonas, I like what you had to say about your, why you're on the board. And I just look at us moving forward and thought it'd be nice to nominate somebody who is new to the whole board kind of thing. So if you're willing. I'm not certain what that role in tail is. It's a facilitator of the meeting. It's making sure the meeting stays on track. The chair guides and helps create agendas with the superintendent. It's a partnership that at least it has been a partnership. The previous policies in the previous district, we have to talk about policies later on. Help put together the agenda and then make sure that the meeting happens and at least stay on task. We usually, the district organization on meeting Robert's rules has been for the district. We haven't even talked about what this board will gather for rules by Vermont statute. They assume that Vermont, you have Robert's rules, but I think you can go to others if you so choose. Most running Robert's rules. But I'd have to look that up to me certain that you can go to a different set of rules. So are you interested in that? If elected, I would serve. I'm here to provide a new perspective. I also respect the experience of the people who have been doing this for a long time, which I have not.  Be aware of what you're buying. There were no background discussions. Is there a second for that nomination? Second. Are there other nominations? Can I volunteer myself? I would nominate four. Is there a second for that nomination? One second. I guess I'm allowed to second if I nominate somebody else. I can second as many. So are there any more candidates for nominations? So we have three folks. Would you like to hear something from all of them or would you like to go to vote? And Jonas Sarri said a little bit about himself. I can give each an opportunity if they want to make a statement, certainly. And maybe you can answer questions. Whoa, Chris. It's a beautiful game, yeah. Scott, would you like to start? Sure. I can tell you that if you elect me to chair, I will need a lot of help from all of you. From my perspective, we're in this entirely as equal partners, no matter how much experience we have or how little. No matter whether we come from big towns or small towns, whether we think, you know, merger-solves problems or compounds them, you know, farmers or cowboys, whatever factions we may be inclined to find ourselves in, everyone's views count and everyone's views need to be incorporated in order to have a greater mind out of the ten of us. So that's what I would try to do. I have a question and it would be for each of the candidates is, I think there can be a tendency based on convenience and efficiency that when there's communication between the administration and the chair, it kind of stops with the chair until later. And I would look forward to the chair who has an open line of communication. So what comes in the administration to the chair goes out to the board members. So we're not understanding it, we're learning it well after the fact. And so I would encourage a free flow of information because the chair is the primary conduit between the board and the administration most times. So that is what I'd be looking for from anyone with misdemeanors position as the chair. And I should put a question mark at the end of that for whether I would actually do that. Is there a question mark? I don't know. That would be an expectation on my part. And that's a completely fair expectation. I think from my perspective what I would love to see having, I think it's a common problem with boards that they can kind of stagnate or petrify in place. Like in an aquarium it helps to have a constant flow of water, of information and even a recycling of people in different positions such as rotation of chairmanship. A variety of committees and committee chairs with significant responsibilities that are constantly regenerating this greater mind that we're trying to achieve here together not just among ourselves but with the people we work with in the administration and in the schools. So yeah, I think the circulation of information is key to that. Thank you. My interest and sort of volunteer myself is that I've been kind of dreaming about this in some crazy way too just because we've worked so hard and I personally feel like I'm the listener and communicator and I try to balance that middle ground in order to create some consensus. But I totally agree with what, and I don't want to, we have this one year of an interim superintendent where I want to make sure that we become a learning, I've been talking about this in some of the meetings, we become kind of a learning community just like our administrators and leadership team are. So we can, as a board, we can do a more informed other side which is what we always wanted to do. So be able to monitor better and really understand what are the roles and responsibilities that and how each, I see each of us contributing to that, to create that ground or that climate so that we can, I don't know, I feel like no organization can outperform the report so if we're not functioning at a high level it would be hard to keep away from the good work that is going on. There's so many good things happening right now that I know we all want to support and how we come to that. So I have some ideas, maybe I think that we could create a retreat where we all decide how we want to govern and create a little governing team so that shares that responsibility because there's different communities. I have some paperwork. But I'm just being brainstorming a lot about where we are and how we came here. But I agree, like a collaborative leadership and a collaborative relationship with our superintendent and the staff and administrators so that we are all working collaborative towards the goals that we have set and like every affirmation of our vision and mission at the same time that we engage our community so that they can continue to support and create, engaging our community is going to be really important as we move on as a community and so those are certainly my position. It's hard to follow that floor. Let me start by talking about the floor who I don't know if you've ever exchanged any words but at the meetings that I've attended I've been extremely impressed by your preparation and the ability to answer the questions about arcana that come from the floor of a meeting. So I found that very impressive. I have planned, I was, I did not plan to join this board but the town of Worcester needed people to represent it and Dodie needed people to represent it. When Scott talks about factionalism I'm utterly uninterested in that. So I think that's very well taken, very well taken. I will say that if you are interested in having a chair that is a blind slate, I am that blind slate much of what I do all day, every day is to communicate constantly with many different people in many different parts of the world. However, it may be at this point in time that experience is what is needed to guide this board during this first year. So if you want to vote for me as a blind slate and feel free to do so, I may not vote for myself. That is very fair-minded. So can I propose just a process question? Since we have three candidates there's at least a chance of tie. Yes, there is. And so I would suggest that we remind the system of if two folks are tied, top tied and there's a lesser, the lesser falls out when we vote. I would exactly agree with that. No, it's not the norm, but I think it's the same. Actually it's an old town meeting method. And usually the lower persons voluntarily excluded themselves. So we'll have the process in mind. Everyone's fine with the voice vote, I hope. I will start and work from left to my right. All those in favor of Jonas, be signified by saying aye. One. Sorry, that's okay, I'm behind you. So two. All those in favor of Scott Thompson, please signify by saying aye. Aye. I just see a hands just so I got because it was hard with the unison just to make sure. Okay, that's five. And all those in favor of Lord Thompson and his chair. Four Diaz. I was looking at Scott and said that. The name tag. Signify by saying aye. Aye. That's two. Scott appears that you are the chair for the Washington Central University School District. Great, thank you. Thank you very much, Bill. And thank you for and Jonas for making good use of your talents and the talents of everyone here as we move forward. I guess thank you, Chris, for making that opportunity for us to kind of say something. It now, I hope, absolves me of the obligation to say anything further with respect to what I plan to do or don't plan to do as planned to improvise as the case may be. But so far, Bill, we're at the reception of guests. We've done that, yeah? We really haven't. We did a welcome for people to introduce themselves. I did the welcome. It's really up to you, Scott. If you'd like to go right to one, two, you can. I think I just am curious if anybody among our guests has anything of interest or note or to say or whether there's anything you'd like to say. Do we have the ability to speak up through the meeting or is this, is our communication blocked from this point forward? I would like as much as possible to have that opportunity. Well, you know, I have to give priority to board members but then when members of the public have something that they want to interject, I think it's so much better than it can come in context at the opportune time. Matthew? I just came to give an update on the superintendent search process. If this board wants one, I think Chris and Floor are as informed as I am but for one thing. So they too could probably do that update. But that's one reason I came. Does anybody have any objections? I don't need to do it now. Let's do it. Okay. So eight of the ten members of this board I think are currently serving on district boards in Washington Central. So you'll be aware that at the Washington Central SE Board meeting in April, we took a decision to pursue interim superintendent for a period of one year, for the next school year essentially. And that the board delegated to the executive committee the task of conducting that search. So the executive committee hired a consultant, Mark Andrews, put out an advertisement for the position. We got a dozen applications. Mark felt comfortable bringing forward three of these candidates to interview. There was a committee made up of board members a floor, Chris and myself, teachers, leadership team representatives, central office staff, and a U32 student who interviewed the three candidates last week and based on that we now have two finalists that the executive committee will interview tomorrow. And then recommend one of them to bring forward to the SE board which we'll meet next Wednesday. So it seems to be proceeding methodically and deliberately toward having a candidate that we can recommend and hopefully hire on the 29th. The only sort of new bit of news which is just from this afternoon is that the secretary of education is essentially signed off on our two finalists so has no reservations or objections and supports both of them. So from that standpoint we're sort of ready and free to move ahead. So I guess I would also like to, for the two members of this board that are not members of the SE board just to invite you to join us at the WCSE board meeting which will happen next Wednesday, the 29th. Probably here in this room. I'm assuming you're going to have an executive session if you want to use what this room can do with the cafeteria. So we'll be in this room. But we'll invite you to join us. Thank you Matthew. The piece of information that Chris and Dorothy might not have had was about the secretary of education. We got an email maybe at 4 o'clock at 4 o'clock. Thanks very much. And I might also just say thank you to Matthew as chair of the transition board which I gather is one mantle that you happily shed now even though you still bear the one of being chair of the supervisor of the new board. So, thanks. Anyone else amongst the public? Agenda revisions and board comments. Does anyone have anything? I have a comment. Yes. We met at the East Montpellier Board and we had a little message for the new board and it was just thank you for your willingness to serve in the new Washington Central Unified School District on behalf of the East Montpellier Elementary School Board. That's very nice. Thank you. So, just to give a heads up, we can get into greater detail on this when we come into the discussion agenda. But I will suggest deferring the action agenda in other words, not acting, not taking action on the action agenda today and we can explain that. We can talk about that later. And I'm not laying that down. I'm just setting it out as I said yesterday. All right. So, public comments and correspondence. Everybody seems to have had a chance at that. Board organization we've done 2.1 through 2.3. So now, establishing time and day of writing that down to Vice-Chair. Vice-Chair. That's what I told you. I appreciate it. And I that you did exactly right. Everything that we do in this new word matters. I may just make a parenthetical comment. As someone said, it's a whole new bargaining. And we are actually defining the bargaining as we work. So how we do our work is, I think in many respects, we do it as what we do at this stage. So, I like it that you feel completely free to call me on any mistakes or any oversights that I make. And I will encourage you to keep doing it, please. So, Vice-Chair. Yes. Thanks. Do I have nominations? No. Second. Any other nominations? Okay. One nomination for Floridia Smith. I think we'll cast one ballot for Floridia Smith. I suppose the landslide. You can try that. Don't tell me procedures which is different. We're drawn. All in favor of Floridia Smith and Vice-Chair. You say aye. Aye. I don't think anyone would have been opposed. But any opposed? Just for the record? No. Good. 2.3. Electing a clerk. Do we have nominations for a clerk? I don't have any nominations. Gentlemen, we think we'll serve and have a good time. We'll also go to that second requirement. Because the job is to take minutes. If we don't have a minute, take your rate. And there's some documentaries. And did I hear you second or second? No. We have Vice-Chair. Any other nominations for a clerk? No other nominations? All in favor of Jealous. You know that fleet. Did I say it correctly? Please say aye. Aye. All opposed? None. Very good. Congratulations Mr. Clerk. Thank you. Now, the time and day of regular monthly needs. Scott may talk to these next two pieces. So for operations it works for the, and for talking with the leadership team, it works for us to be on the first and third week of the month. Because they're the least amount of disruptions when you think about vacations and other pieces. We would prefer Wednesday but it doesn't have to be a Wednesday. I would suggest you stay away from Mondays. So because Mondays tend to be, we'll lose some days because of way vacations go. So our recommendation is a Wednesday, first and third Wednesday, but the day, I mean a Tuesday or Thursday probably could be looked at as well. But those, I think you'll need it once the board gets going, twice a month. I have some other pieces under the governance, under the meeting protocols as the board. So I didn't make other pieces on here for decisions, which could be done later as well. Okay. So do you envision then two meetings per month? Two meetings per month. First week, third week. And you're suggesting say first Wednesday, third Wednesday, or first Tuesday, you know, first Tuesday, third Tuesday type of thing. So there's a week in between and that that will have these disruptions, I think, of any of you that have had I think a remedy with the first Monday that always gets difficult. Some things operationally and for vacations and callus, if you remember back when we were on a fourth week and that always got an issue. So we've been looking at the calendar of the school and everything that happens for operations. We're suggesting the first and third week. I think both East Montalier and callus have their talent, their select board meetings on Mondays. So people can't participate in both meetings if they want to. So I like Wednesdays myself. Does somebody want to move in? Do you have to move in? Can we have just a general discussion on what is a Wednesday that for anyone just in terms of attendance? Just having a, or would you like to do that before? I think before we actually take a day because I think whatever day it is, it would be first week and third week, but Wednesday is difficult for us to attend. I work in Burlington on Wednesdays, so I usually don't leave until five, a little after five, depending on traffic. It's, you know, hard to get here by six. That's the only thing. If we could start a little later on Wednesdays, that would be four. Later is always better for me because I can come to Dartmouth every day. So I will always be late at six. I can be here at 6.15. I'm going to sit at 15 to start a class. Compromise? So I'm here on Wednesdays 6.15? So I'm here on Wednesdays 6.15? I mean it's first then third week. Oh, okay. Depending on traffic. Is it 6.30? I'd love to do 6.30 that I can take my kid up and bring him home. I think I can do it. I think I can compromise. The administrators, it's just getting everybody home. The administrators have been here all day, so compromise, but I don't know. I mean that's always the issue for administrators. Maybe they could take turns on first and third. When we talk about meeting process and all that, we're going to talk a lot about who needs to be here, location, how we want to run the meeting. I want to talk about structure of meetings. I want to I don't need to say to solve it tonight, but I want to start. I've got a list of potential topics for how they make the meetings be really effective. That's excellent. Good. So would someone like to make a motion? So I would move that we have our meetings on first and third Wednesdays. Wednesdays, first and third weeks starting at 6.30 has to start. Okay. We have a motion and a second. Any further discussion? All in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed? So that's what we've got. First Monday, rather first Wednesday, third Wednesday, 6.30 both times. Good. So for the newspaper, the Times-Argus, which I would ask, humbly ask that you stay with that. Having as close to a daily paper their five days a week is very helpful. Especially when the warnings have to be posting newspapers as required by law. So and they are very good about giving us a 2pm deadline for the next day. Yeah. And the official postings would be this you need to by law but I would tell you that you should name two and then we should have a talk about other places for postings. My other places would be all schools and all town offices. But if you want to pick two because I would say the best way to ensure things happen accordingly is that you only say two of the postings. Not town offices in these specific places and then we can go from there. Okay, very good. Yes. Clear everybody? Does somebody want to move in? I'll make a motion. So we do our postings in the Times-Argus and should we label each town? No, just name two places within the five towns and then we can talk about the other places that we go. Aside schools. So for example, you could say U32 and the central office as your official postings and then we can talk about all the other places where we want them. I'm just giving you an example. Because those are neutral as far as town. U32 and the central office make it complicated we'll add it. We're going to do it anyway. That's right. Did you get that? Yes. Do we have a second? Further discussion. My discussion would be that we also include every school and town office that feeds into U32. Yes. And the website. Websites. So that your school ever again. Yes. Of course. Very good. All right then. Ready for a vote? All in favor of Times Argus central office and U32 as newspaper of record and locations for official posting. Please say hi. Any opposed? Not opposed. Good. That's great. Okay, so now. Three points. Are we done with location? I'm going to talk about that in 3-3. Me protocols? Yep. That's where I have a list of pieces. Yep. Okay. Great. So 3.1. The Washington Central Unified Union School District budget. There are four subheadings to this overall budget. The capital fund, the warning and the communication plan and annual reports. Now I mentioned earlier my suggestion that we consider deferring the action agenda. And I just wanted to explain why and allow everybody to talk about it and you know, deliberate or deliberate at the bottom and then we can just see how it goes. So we have a budget here. First of all, this is a branded board day one of a completely near-dispensation. As again, to repeat it's a brand new bargain. We have a budget that is 30 plus million dollars. It just seems inconceivable to me that a serious board would, in its first day of operation would essentially rubber stamp a budget of that well really any decision of import, let alone one of this magnitude, even though I've been part of making this budget both in my capacity on U32 board and on the transition board, this is not a continuation of that. This is something completely different, completely new. This is a budget that we all have to own and we need to we need to know it thoroughly I mentioned before that I consider us all to be equal partners. It seems to me unfair at a minimum to our brand new members to kind of suck them into a decision that they have not been able to really to prepare for. Have you seen this budget? Yeah. But did you vote for Worcester's budget? Yes. Because this is a compilation of budgets that were voted on by five towns. It's not random. It's a compilation, this is true but then you've never seen any of the other elements growing in this country. So there are other aspects to this that are worth considering but perhaps they'll come up in discussion which I shall forward. I have a couple questions and just surprised by wanting to since we've been talking about we had made all this preparation, we had created as the transition board a line of credit we had done a lot of work together to move forward every board supported this budget with input from their principals and every budget supports student needs. We have set this goal of using most of the money for that instruction part. I don't know one principle that's not the first so I feel it's up to us as board members to study this and later on when we are working together and we have the culture budgeting together this conversation will be different and we'll have more time to give input right now but right now it's our I think in my view our responsibility to catch up with them and support our students because this budget supports our administrators our teachers and our students and most importantly the student needs because that's what the student not just the outcomes but the experience in your school so I can it would be like saying to you know in middle 6 you maybe spend too much money, whether you spend too much money you didn't really think about it but that's I mean it might be an extreme but as a group that is just coming together right now our responsibility is to to support this especially in the timeline that we are that's just my very strong opinion what would the consequences be if we did not approve the budget today you have until so there's been set a target to try to have an election on June 25th the warning must be posted by Sunday the clerk Mary Armitage does that posting and we have assistance from the town clerks and they don't many of them don't work on Friday although I'm sure we get to some arms to get it posted and what does that mean it's not a public place so if it weren't done by Monday we would then be we have to have 30 to 40 days for a posted warning so if we did not have a budget and we were not able to post a warning in time what would the district be funded currently there is not a method unless the legislature acts in this current legislative session do we think that the legislature will act in this current session I have no idea right now where the legislature is because they have been all over the map and they've gone really quiet in the past two weeks so Scott if you would recommend deferring action on the budget how would we handle those consequences the the statute that we've looked at before in Title 16 and 711 A do you have that statute yeah I have the language here if a budget has not been approved on or before June 30th of any year the school board may borrow funds pursuant to the authority granted under section 566 of this title and section 566 includes a provision for borrowing not to exceed 87% of the previous year's budget which would there a couple of sort of angels dancing on the head of pins arguments at work here one is that because this is a brand new entity that there is no prior year budget so it would be 87% zero my own sense of that argument is that it carries literal mindedness to kind of absurd extreme and that we actually have approved budgets as well as ongoing budgets from our schools so that we would for whatever period would be as limited as possible beyond June 30th that we do not have a budget a voted budget that we would then be able to borrow funds under that statutory authorization my big worry about postponement is much less about funding for schools and much more about just the implications for towns I mean it goes it's really in order for the towns to send out tax bills they have to have a tax rate from the state in order for the state to make the tax rate they have to have a budget from the district what is almost certain to have to happen anyway I think Worcester maybe one instance then perhaps George all towns will have to make tax bills but I think what it may entail is a special town meaning to and this is happening regardless in order to have when to basically reset the tax bill issuance dates so my concern is more for the towns than for the school I'm also concerned just for the culture and practice and the sport that we take ourselves seriously and really do a proper job as a ward of going through this budget and understanding it really well not just our portion of it as representatives with the background and this mob here or Doty but understand it for everybody for the whole district because we're going to have to go through so who here has been on the transitional board working on the budget when you say working on the budget it's the five town we did not we did not we just wanted on our local boards our budgets were all so in terms of a continuity of a group that is a unity unified district that has not actually occurred my difficulty with postponing action is that I don't think it will occur any time soon we're going to do a comprehensive detail look at a combined budget it will certainly need administrative input and you know we're May 22nd right now folks we have maybe three weeks before school is out there might be an event or two between now and the end of school and I just don't think that we're going to get the type of administrative input that we are we should have and I think Scott's right in terms of looking at a comprehensive budget there's a lot that we should be looking at and taking into account I don't think there's time to do that right now I'm not worried about the funding aspect because I think even without this you know we're not having a previous budget I think we're informed that it has been worked out with our banks that there will be amounts of credit available even if the budget is not approved by July 1st so I don't see that as a an obstacle to not voting on the budget but I do see an obstacle is that we're not going to I don't think unless someone can convince me otherwise have the the support from the administrative staff that we will need to really take a deep look at this budget as a whole and I also think that even if we pass the budget and it's approved that we can look at it later and see if there are needs that we think need to be addressed just ask the administration to reallocate money I think we would have that power it wouldn't be comprehensive and I think Scott's right about that it's not a unified union budget because it's maybe the parts don't make it the sum of a whole but they're the parts that work for each of the individual parts in what they assume which meet their needs going forward including I mean that takes into account the administrative needs because the administration developed their own budget that was passed so thank you any objection to having can I just say one thing about the process just process for Jonathan Jail just so you're aware I know that the others are that in August this was talked about by the Executive Committee of the Washington Central Supervisory Union and it was recommended to go in this path to take the parts and sum them up into one budget if there's something to happen but we've been explaining that I think I've said that in many different places it was a little bit different time because it was not as clear that there would not be some type of delay I agree but we talked about the process and we said the process there in terms of each school with the October and then it became passed that there was going to be unification that all budgets would be added together to create this now budget any other intervention yeah, two points I tend to agree with Scott as a taxpayer and as a board member I personally think it's irresponsible to the public and to the students not to do that due diligence as a board. I'm sorry the budget hasn't been reviewed I know I've worked on the Calis Board budget too and I'm one of the Executive Committee chair and all of it so I've been informed of those conversations of people in this room who haven't and I think you're a new board and whoever stamp anything as one of your first acts is a mistake I don't think that kills doesn't create any atomic bomb reaction out there to do that I think it's worth taking the time to do the due diligence on that there's another question I have in this as well because in this debate if you adopt this budget are you assuming I'm from the town of Calis and I have to absorb a lot of East Montpelier and Berlin's debt unfairly in my opinion and there's a court case surrounding this the act of actually adopting this budget how is this reversible like a definitive answer on that or is this a concession will this be seen as accepting this forced merger and so I have real concern about this an advance of a decision being made we didn't create these deadlines we did not even create this fiscal mess that we've been put into I feel you're in a tough place and our kids have been put in a tough place the legislature and by our agencies but that does not absolve us of our responsibility as a community of people and use a board to try to responsibly act in a way that really protects the interests of all the communities thanks Ray a couple of thoughts one we do have budgets for all six of our schools I went out and voted for it on April 11th or whatever was those local budgets have been passed and the court case that's going forward is going to have at least two more decisions between now and July 1 first the trial court is going to decide whether it's legal to shift debt in the way that the State Board of Education has forced upon us very strong arguments that that's not legal um obviously I am a lawyer but I'm speaking purely of my personal capacity here um second if the decision is for the State Board of Education on that issue there will be an immediate request either from the trial court or the Supreme Court or both to put that decision on hold but the State Board's order on hold of Vermont Supreme Court analyzes these legal issues which have never been resolved before they've come to a head as they are now and if either the trial court rules in favor of the four towns that from here that have joined that case or the Vermont Supreme Court does between now and July 1 our six budgets go forward as planned and we're all set and you haven't had to the voters to come out again and show up in the abysmal numbers that showed up yesterday and Millsex had I think 70 people who came to vote I mean how many votes have we had in the last few months um so that's another issue if you recommend this will it actually pass I don't know how many people are going to come out at the end of June on a budget vote and the last thing I want to point out is the budget has two components there's the amount you're approving to spend and that's around 33 million and I agree that that's probably going to be the right number I mean I don't want to see anything cut from the run the budget that was worked on very closely but there's a second part which is how you collect that money and I think that's page 16 of the packet and that is being voted on much on this budget because that's the practical way this gets collected under the force merger unless the courts step in and if I'm I don't know which chart I'm supposed to look at but under either of them Callis and Worcester and Berlin's taxes are going up significantly and East Montpeliers is going down significantly and if you are recommending this to the voters you are effectively recommending that Callis and Worcester's taxes go way up and East Montpeliers go down and I don't think that's fair I've never voted against the school budget in my life but I don't think I could support this one so I think if you set this for July 2nd yeah to look at this budget give yourselves five weeks to actually do some of this work and then by then we're going to know where this process is and you could put it to the voters at that point if need be have a vote in August and I think that's a much better time frame than the one that's been put forward here Thanks Scott If there was court intervention and given the trial court state any effectiveness of the merger based on the debt issue with Supreme Court on the throat issues issues than any vote here for this budget would be null and void and the budget that have already been passed would go into effect right That's correct Any vote here I think any vote by the voters at the end of June does raise a concern of whether the towns have actually consented to this shifting of debt and that could become an argument that's made against the four of the five towns here that are fighting that case right now and what we can to ensure first resolution said any vote that we are taking is not a relinquishment of our opposition that are opposed to the merger and not waiving that argument One of the things that when arguments are made about well it's pretty kids I think that can obscure what may not be a good way to act to proceed just because who's going to vote against kids here anyway will there be any opposition to kids answers to that no one is but there can be different views on things that have different impacts I do have a concern about just the step around being nervous about not having a budget of some kind in place and if you're talking about a postponement until basically a vote in early August I do think and Lord people please correct me if I'm wrong didn't we talk about the lines of credit being available even if there was a failed budget vote there's a failed budget vote yeah I do need to go out to bed I do need to go out to bed one way or the other if we went out we haven't gone out to bid yet so typically what would happen is if there's a budget vote for the WCUUSD I would be going out to bid to borrow money as that entity if we're not going out to a vote and I would have to wait until the last minute and possibly not even get a bid if we're separate entities because usually to borrow the money right that even if we didn't have a budget in place by July 1 that it had been arranged with our banks that would still be able to access a lot of credit if we ever failed budget vote I have not asked the question if we didn't have a budget vote at all would that be that question was not raised and was that the reason that the banks gave that they were relying upon this entity being in existence the only power right that's what I'm trying to say I would need to go out to bid as a single entity to get a competitive bid for July 1 if that entity is not going to be in place July 1 then I would need to go out to bid as separate entities as we have done in the past because Calis would still need to borrow money and so would Eastland Piliar etc if we were separate entities so it's a different bid we need to borrow money no matter which way we're going and I don't think we're going to know until maybe even June 30 I mean that's the nature of you can't get a bid in one day a bank two weeks to respond to a bid and then they need to have their boards approve the loans so it's not like you just walk in and say give me you know 10 million because that's ultimately what we're going out to bid for is close to 10 million dollars I'm just saying the practical matter at the Vermont Supreme Court decision on a stay if it is being made there if the trial court rules in favor of the state is almost certainly going to be in those last two weeks of June and so we're not going to know if we exist as separate entities or as one until that decision most likely I don't want to speak more to why so this issue so I was so when I said kids you know I know that all of us are here for kids but we all have been budgeting for kids together and to get back into this process right now even five weeks it's not just up to us what we're going to do is collaborative governance we need the input from the administrators right like we would need to create that culture of how we're all going to budget together is a process that is going to take them well too they haven't done this before so we're all we're in special circumstances right now I'm not saying that we should be rubber stamping this but it's a very unique circumstance that right now that we rely on having a little faith on in that leap of faith that we're putting in the people that we're doing those budgets for those individual towns reality is that I wish we could take out the debt for East Bunker we could just take it away there's been efforts at the state house to submit it so that it's a five years and it's prorated you know there's been many issues realistically there will be any amount of money that East Bunker could take out that would make those taxes go down you know the bond is what it is and the debt of Berlin is what it is and the debt of middle sex is what it is there's no amount of cutting that we could do in our schools to make those taxes go down so to me today we are like I am concerned with exactly what Chris said I'm concerned with the morale of lower administrators and our responsibility to support the end of going backwards I want to ask the members of the transitional board none of the issues that Kyle and Rich have talked about these are not new all of this uncertainty has been here for a long, long time in putting this budget together was there there was time to do some of this work at some point right why are we addressing this now if the process of simply mashing the seven budgets together was not sufficient why are we addressing this now instead of during the previous process are you talking about that if that's what's necessary it seems that the time to do that was over the last few months there is one element that's new to me and this is what Rick mentioned and then Kyle about whether a yes vote on the budget would be construed as a sent in to the debt the transfer of the debt and Chris is saying that we have these resolutions am I and it's part of the articles that we are recommending articles but we've had the resolution during the organizational meeting that out of the votes should be construed as a green with the majority of our towns oppose this force worker and that any of the basically ministerial acts of moving forward because there have been no stays and the law is going to go into effect and it will go into effect unless there's some additional intervention between now and July 1 so the votes that were taken were with the understanding that we're not or we're not the green that we're just doing what we're doing because of the compulsion of the law at that point in time and when you say a majority of towns it's a majority of school boards because the towns never got a vote on the 46th but then the expression through the organizational meeting which was the representatives who come out of our town democracies are measured by who actually gets the balls and votes well we did in the organizational meeting we did and it was a strong and it was both home for a month or two to get a decision from the board so there's at least a democratic vote for the folks who show up and that's the way democracy works the ones who show up involved that's a quick Dorothy I've been very concerned about the debt issue I really feel by voting for this budget in the essence it's agreeing that I five towns will share the debt and by voting yes on this budget to me it sounds like I'm asking the citizens to vote yes on it which can be conscrued as accepting the debt and although I was at the meeting where we said these actions don't stay we believe in being forced I'm not so sure that by voting the courts or someone will say yep you voted for the budget that has the debt payments in it and so we assume that you will assume the debt and I cannot vote for this budget for that reason and I cannot ask our citizens to vote for it thank you Matthew and then Rick so just a couple things the comment is that when I believe Scott that you first proposed to set aside the action agenda specifically this issue of the budget you did it on the grounds that it wasn't fiscally responsible for this board to send a budget to the voters that they hadn't had a chance to review or discuss fiduciarily but I just know that the conversation has trended in a very different direction since then and it seems to be more about opposition to the merger itself than it is to I'm just which I think is actually the case but I just wanted to point out that that really seems to be the subject of discussion here not the fiscal responsibility piece but I'm here as a parent of two kids who were in the school system and so I'm curious to at your discretion I'm curious to hear from the administrators that are in the room their sense of what the impact would be on the school system if any of moving forward into the school year with no budget in place thank you I told Rick when the last row and then let's do that I'm just going to say this I'm not saying this as a taxpayer a resident of Calis this is the great experiment right now essentially the decision making about their schools and their budgets and their kids have been taken out of their hands and given to a greater group and that is you and now this is a very delicate time because we are here once this issue is resolved it's much easier to go forward in unity because there is a choice at this point there is great debate on this issue in the course and if you make a bad decision on this especially that hurts towns I mean don't think that people in Calis I don't speak for Worcester I don't know Worcester but Calis is very much against this and you know you can talk to our whole select board and everything else you again and let me finish please that you're going to create a rift between these towns and this is going to carry forward this is going to you know this is going to be difficult for you if we know what we get to some kind of point of parity you know where we know we have to move forward a little bit the people will accept that if you get us if we get backed into a corner here by our own bad decision we are forced to move forward in spite of the courts that is going to be a very very difficult for this district and I mean for a long time and so on the fiscal and I said I believed every word I said for you as a new board one day in to remember stamp a budget you never really looked at and seen or many of you that's fiscally irresponsible I've managed my budget by myself you know I would never do something like that if we I don't think this is going to be the end of the world if we don't we didn't put ourselves in this position we're put in this position by bad administrative and I don't mean here but at higher levels of decision-making at AOE and in our legislature we're here in a situation they're making it's very uncomfortable for all of us it is very uncomfortable teachers but don't forget there's a lot at stake for these communities and it's easy to say from an East Montpelier who really in a short-term really benefits from this it's a real easy sell for you when people in Calis see what's going to happen to them after a really good fiscal management for years and running a good school that is not going to sit well and I know because I've talked to many of these people and it's going to cause a lot of problems among in this group we don't want that you know we need to have unity decision-making means you're going to have to acknowledge and be willing to you know accept some of that understand that angst that's out there be able to take that to the point where we just have to do it thanks sir Bill would you like to respond to Matthew? I'll respond to Matthew and I invite my colleagues to respond I can tell you in a leadership team meeting that happened this spring when we said we were at the possibility of not having a budget and we received a memo from AOE that said that in their opinion we would not be getting any as you said Scott, 87% of nothing and which was AOE? This is the agency of education wrote that memo and I had to say to the leadership team if we don't if we don't have a budget the question went right to how do we get our own paychecks for those of us that are sitting around the table because you're working with people's likelihoods they get paid literally the first payroll is the first Friday or the second Friday or 14 and Lori and I have not asked the question as she said about if there was not a budget proposed by the board we've only asked that there was a board whether it was failed or whether it passed and we knew that we could lend to that I have not seen my colleagues more unraveled in any of my times be here I'll let them take it from there I have a question was not asking about no budget strategic permission or that was certainly a possibility no I it was not Chris it's because the current law says part of the formula that I I did a while ago showed that I'm having a voter approved budget with part of the formula so that's been part of the formula for 25 years or more it's a federal formula so having a zero budget isn't part of that formula so it wouldn't have even crossed anyone's mind you still have a proposed budget that's where the line of credit kicks in but having an entity is the first step in the process by not taking forward a budget means we basically do not have an entity going forward well we do have an entity because this is in here and you know we voted with this entity that was going to take that time until I first so if there was a proposed budget but it was not put out for a vote is that a different scenario then you mean meaning like if you if we said yeah we're going to recommend this budget it's not for now for a vote yet I mean I don't think there's any mechanism it says once you approve a budget that you have to put it out to a vote within a certain period of time what you do have to do is when you want to have a vote you have to warn it in advance a certain period of time so you can actually I think propose the budget, recommend the budget and then just delay putting it out for a vote for a week or two and then have the warning go from there so under that scenario if there was a proposed budget would the lines of credit that we talked about be available? It sounds like you have a lot of legal questions and I would appreciate those going in the middle and the two lawyers that specialize in school of finance that would be really helpful I am not a lawyer and I've never done this before You don't want to play one on TV? And I would say Chris that the banks and tell me if I'm wrong Laura minutes and motions from our meetings when we go for this is a bidding opportunity for the line of credit and for loans so they are looking at that when we are putting together those RFPs for money Could you ask the minister to share what 87% what do you mean for the high school? This is 87% of the total budget but what would it mean? It would be something in each school right? That's not right I don't think it's depressed right away so you have 13% cut across the board basically at the end you can borrow up to 87% and fully fund the operations until you have a budget that's one way to do it I don't know The supervisory budget was never a past budget I don't know whether that's an issue or not but it was a big number Thanks I just want to ask another question from other administrators Sure I'm Matt I'm Matt I say out of this debate I don't live in this community for a really long time and I always felt that the experience of the kids was safe I stopped feeling that a few months ago and I'm really feeling that right now because it really feels like to me that this body is sort of playing chicken with the kids experience and particularly at Doty 87% of our current operation would cripple us because our we are so small making that type of significant adjustment and our budget would be absolutely crippled so from my perspective as the leader of the building I think it's very important that we propose a budget tonight Just to be clear it's we're not talking about not having a budget at all it's just about deferring and to we have a proper opportunity to review it as a board of law members equally not just those who were involved in the transition board or other things I find that that decision very risky for the kids in that we need to be able to plan fully and prepare fully for next year I had a teacher ask me today can I put my order in for next year this is a conscientious person thinking about what they want to do for next year we would need to make adjustments if we did not if we weren't certain that we could fund the school and the budget 100% for next year the way it's articulated in the packet you have before you especially this would be resolved long before that 80% ever got showed up you're right I just have to kind of thank you very much anyone else I would like to speak to the Washington Central summer program we have a program that starts on July 9 we have about 80 to 90 kids that arrive and about 20 staff and if I don't have a budget we're taking that opportunity away from kids and I can assure you given the special ed process we will have lawsuits to follow the IDPs so I think we're thinking a little short-sighted here and I am a resident of Berlin my taxes are going to go up but it's what our kids need I think we're going to need to start moving towards decision I just have to respond to the pretty short-sighted because I in the next few months the decision about whether we keep our local boards or we're in a merge board is going to be made by the Vermont Supreme Court and I think they should be able to make that purely based on what's in front of them now and we shouldn't be giving them votes that could be interpreted as consent and I just I've got three kids at Romney I don't think it's chicken at all they will they're going to be functioning we passed local boards and I think there is really no risk that the agency of education is going to say oh July 1 you have 87% of zero out I mean there's in Vermont there's a principle against interpreting statutes in a way that would lead to absurd results and someone already used the phrase absurd in referring to what that would be so I think the worst case scenario that money would be there and it's 100% available from day one so you don't have to make any adjustment so long as this gets figured out by March or April and we will have a decision from the Vermont Supreme Court by then and what short term is the next couple months what's long term is what our districts are going to be living with for 100 years that's been in place yeah thanks Scott I just I mean I would like a little time just to figure out what the economic impacts are going to be on the households in Worcester because from an economic justice perspective I mean when a family can't meet their bills and can't have to cut things because they can't afford it because they have to pay more on their taxes or something it can add stress to the family and that can be taken out on the children so I think it's important I value teachers a great deal and I don't want I know they have families to take care of too but we have to look at this in kind of a real life way like how is this going to impact people in a real life way and if we could take a little bit of time to really look through it carefully I think that's kind of our duty thank you I think Matthew's right that there are two issues at play here and one is the idea of fiscal responsibility and getting the process right and one is I don't want to misrepresent anyone but it seems like the other conversation that we're having is about preventing the merger from happening and to staying things until the Supreme Court weighs in so I want to ask Dorothy and Gael you've sort of expressed this that the idea that there is inequity in what will happen to the tax rates in different towns and that you can support a budget that will do that and that you seems like you won't support a budget that will increase taxes in one town while lowering taxes in another town what I'm concerned about is that that sentiment sort of leads us to a place where we're not going to approve a budget until that is resolved that does not seem to be in our hands and if there was a way that we could allay Kyle's concern that anything that we do here may indicate a scent if we can mitigate that I know that there are people trying to work on the tax issue it's not that if we propose or approve a budget today that this goes away under what circumstances would you be willing to support a budget or does that tax issue need do you need closure on that issue before a significant portion of this body is willing to move forward on that Jonas I think that's actually an excellent question what I would like though because I'm looking at the clock rather than have Dorothy and Gile answer it I think it's a question that may be dealt with at a second stage what I'd like to do is if I may I have suggested that we defer the action agenda am I allowed to make a motion this term yes you are okay would anybody second depends on what it is Scott to defer the act oh Stephen sorry I apologize but you asked about the administrators yes I would just like to talk to this body that this is my 15th year working on school budgets and it's the least understood year for me in doing the school budget it is there have been a lot of things that are said here I've been through two systems both Connecticut and Vermont and how they do it they're equally messed up in the ways that they do funding for public schools but I would just say that you ask of me as an administrator to plan for how things will occur I don't plan for tomorrow I plan for next year I plan for well into next year because that is my job as an administrator I am uncertain and what I need the board to provide is some levels of certainty of what funding will be available when that will be available and how we will meet our obligations and I'm not going to take myself into your discussions about how you're going to do that but my request of you is that these decisions are made in a very timely manner so that we can make the decisions that we need to make for our school and I recognize as a resident of Berlin that this will affect my taxes however this occurs but I say as an administrator to you the more uncertainty that you keep in the system the less well prepared that we are as a school to serve your children and that's the problem that we had the problem that Bill explained around the table wasn't just that we don't know if we're going to be paid in the summer we don't know that our staff is going to be paid in the summer we don't know how to open the building next school year because we are unclear of how the process is going and when it will end and that's the part that creates the most anxiety for us because you asked me to be responsible for 750 kids over 100 faculty members and staff I can't answer the question of how I'm going to do the work that I'm supposed to do and I recognize that there are different budgets and I understand that there are timelines for these but until you as a board can start to answer those questions you handcuff us in the work that we do and that's why I think that it's important that you come to a consensus as quickly as possible granted I know that you need to discuss these things as well but that's the feeling that we have and that's the anxiety that we face so I'm going to then refine my emotion to defer a vote on the budget in the morning basically the yeah and if there's a second we can quickly move to a vote on it and if that goes down then we can have a vote on whether to approve the budget does that sound okay? okay so I guess the other option would be that time is needed like there's nothing more important right now that understanding the budget that we just start right now we just take a look at that budget what we need is to be informed in that budget you know everybody that we need is here at the table it's not going to take very very long we can start looking at the budget really is just for being fiscal responsive that's not just rubber stamp business go by school right now if it's about fiduciary it is now I'll stay here until 10 if that's what's necessary but we'll get it done if that's really the issue I don't know but I don't think that really satisfies the fiduciary responsibility issue it has to be able to deliver it but I don't want to continue that if I don't get a second on my motion then it dies so officially what is the motion? the motion is to defer a vote on the budget in the morning I think we've discussed it probably enough so all in favor do you have a question? I offer an amendment although does the amendment live or die with the motion? what did you say? the amendment would die if the motion dies or live because my amendment would go to the debt issue and then to this if the motion fails the deferral motion I think what you're talking about is exactly what Jonas was asking about a moment ago to move on to that so I'm not going to mention that so vote on whether to defer the vote on the budget in the morning in favor maybe say I I of host okay the nades have it so now let's move to a vote on the I guess approve the WCUUSD budget I think we've discussed it in great detail and now we're discussing great deal but we need to discuss the actual budget would it make sense to just reaffirm what was stated at the organizational meeting saying that this does not constitute our agreement with the union we should make that a part of the motion yes make that a part of the yes okay we'll let Dorothy find it and read it out that's a great idea George the the page page 47 actually the motion was in the motion oh I can read it I'll read it nothing that happens tonight shall be interpreted as consenting in any way before its merger that's what that says I'm wondering if we can if we vote on that separately I would suggest that you do let's vote on that separately well if we combine it with the budget motion then it cannot be pulled out from it yeah I think combining it with we're going to recommend people with the budget with the caveat that voting to approve the budget is not consenting to the forced merger then it you can't pull that apart could we add consenting in any way to the forced merger or the debt whatever I think it's subsumed so how would we phrase this then to approve the WCUUSD budget in the amount of in the amount of $34 $33,000,000 $74,769 it's on page 2 do you have that Lisa? $33,854,769 and this shall not be interpreted and you got that right? and this shall not be interpreted as consenting in any way to a forced merger whose is that your whose motion is this I'll take it okay okay now does everybody understand what this budget is? it's basically a mashup of the 6 school budgets and the central office budget there's one part that because the central office budget is now part of this bigger thing it looks nominally higher than if you were to add it in the 6 school budgets because of the special education it's not expensive it's not just special education transportation and there are other federal grants that go through as well and other reimbursements does anybody need this explanation? I would be glad to explain some more detail just so for there this is on page 17 I'm actually on page 2 right now there is a text explanation there's a text explanation of the services that are provided in the cost through the central office that's on page 17 and we'll be talking about that in the annual report but that just showed with those different pieces you can see what the less revenues the deductions are under the different functions that's probably the best way to say it and we have to show in any budget you have to show your total expenses and your total revenues because what was billed with the supervisor union structure was the net cost was then passed on to the districts and shown in those budgets the total expenditures and total revenues was always shown in this supervisor union budget and voters don't vote on that in the supervisor union structure the local represent the members of the supervisor union board do and so there's an increase that Dave's written about in the Times Argus we've talked about in several meetings that we have to show the total revenues and the total expenditures and yes that's right on page 8 there's one that's in the letter the last paragraph and this is what we're going out to we're going to talk about that in a different one yes the crucial point is that the education spending which is the the components of the tax rate is the same from the some of the school budgets that have already been passed in the particular combined budget unified budget any other questions or should we move to a vote? yeah I would like to talk about this some more I think Floor's idea of going through this as closely as we can right now makes a whole lot of sense if we have agreed not to defer on it and there are significant questions about fiscal responsibility making sure we do our due diligence my bedtime is not for a while we do have children home alone because their father is in Florida with his family, grandmother so I can't stay my preference is to observe a certain time discipline wherever possible and if I might return to this I noticed that Michael Michael Dwayne I don't know if you're kind of a member of the public as a comment on the budget what do you want to add? go ahead Michael Dwayne East Montpelier there's been a lot of good talk about supporting teachers and administrators here and I'm concerned that the Vermont School Boards Association has brought a legal action against the teachers in terms of a state-label relations board over healthcare negotiations and the Vermont School Boards Association also has been taking in my opinion some terrible positions at the legislature and not representing all of the school boards so as a taxpayer and someone who supports teachers and administrators as well and also that this action by the Vermont School Board Association has been a legal case against them over the healthcare negotiations is just a terrible thing as well as the position they took at the legislature so I would ask to recommend that this unified board and budget remove any funding for the Vermont School Boards Association thank you okay I suggest making a future agenda item I would suggest that you could talk about that later and whether you want to pay that invoice or not and it would be somewhere in that spot I do not know the time Chris because I just don't so it doesn't get paid well yeah so next meeting agenda have a question next meeting agenda future agenda which is the tax rate that applies to this budget I see two boxes on page 16 Lori this is the old format we had updated it later to show the common level of appraisal and that version is not here tonight but the bottom is the equalized tax rate which assumes that every down has 100% appraisal so the box above is the actual so you can kind of see the discrepancy between who is at 100% and who is above or below 100% I'm just wondering as a taxpayer which you might be paying basically paying the top box okay thanks and what is a well-send increase for Calis what's that in actual dollars that would be on $100,000 property $123 okay so $200,000 property $246 so are you expecting that Calis grant from the paper of this budget we've been assuming that I think that's worth thinking about and that is prior to income sensitivity which over 50% of the taxpayers received was in the town of Calis because it just goes with what you do with looking at the budget I mean Michael has identified an item I fully support when moving from the budget payments to the SBA there's also $212,000 that would pay to the Board of Education that's the defendant on the other side of the case where we're saying you shouldn't of course that's into this situation I assume some chunk of that we have to pay but I don't understand what you're talking about Kyle Kyle that may be for this quarter rather than for the state board what page is on it this is on page 14 for the Board of Education that's this board that's not the state board we don't pay anything to the state board they actually pay us because we receive we do not collect enough tax dollars in all our five towns of any of them individually to meet the budget the educational expenses for the pre-K through 12 services for kids so you know what I'm saying the taxpayers pay us the state of Vermont the Vermont state tax rate statewide we receive more money than we raise in our educational tax dollars in our five towns because the way the system works is all the money goes to the state to get back based on the per pupil expenditure so what I have a couple questions what is the risk of voting this budget down does that put us right back into the conversation we were just having and then what is our absolute design of having to vote on this budget I mean if we if we weren't to all agree on this budget tonight what is the latest that we've come together again and really combed through this budget without getting us back into the conversation we just had we've basically settled that question that we're not coming back to it for a vote where the vote is happening now can I give a point of impression I think she asked a clear question that she deserves actually a calendar quite answer so it has been talked about along the way by either the transition boards or other boards that the best time to have a vote for the budget as late as possible is June 25th which is a Tuesday and so to meet June 25th you must post a warning 30 days prior so you must have the warning adopted and posted by May 26th we moved it back as we talked about the timeline to this Friday being the last day one of the problems is that all but one of our town clerks now two of our town clerks work on Fridays part days the rest of them do not work on Fridays and we although Mary Orsby is the one that does the posting we'd like some help from them as well and I think it's only fair to them because they're prepping elections and we've been trying to keep to one election for them as well but I want to be really clear about what the timeline restrictions are you and be giving information so if you were to change that vote date then you it's all for lack of a better metaphor a deck of cards once you pull one then you can pull other things I want to just be clear on that yeah thanks we picked Tuesday because it's a tradition of voting on Tuesdays so I think you could actually move the date closer to 30 you could but you know people aren't used to voting on other days than Tuesdays and things like that so that would buy a couple of days and you know there wouldn't be anyway that's just a technical that's good so is that okay any other sort of targeted questions about the budget I wish we could I wish I had the stamina to again I have a question for the transitional board because what was the vote on the transitional board to forward this budget to this board that was unanimous that was unanimous to give it to this board for action so to transmit and I'll tell you my idea was in voting that this board would look at it in the sense of it's been recommended to us it's been looked at and they would move forward with it is that the sense of the other members that's my personal sense I did not expect another delay so what I could say to that haven't been for members before we're not part of the transitional board in the certain day they pictured to me at least after is that all of this budget support multi-care supports are interventions for kids so what's best for kids it supports professional development it supports collaboration in our schools it supports trauma-informed practices in our schools and it supports all of the special education that we do too so most of this pie of money is in in salary in learning keep it right so that is sort of I feel that administrators here can correct me if I'm misinterpreting that's sort of the big picture from that pie because you guys haven't been involved in budgeting so we put a big pie and we try to make the learning pie the biggest part of the pie so if that is of any comfort I guess to go back to the question I asked before is the sense that the allocation of funds is appropriate but it is the funding mechanism that results in tax inequities that is the stumbling block here and that inequity is not getting resolved anytime soon one way or the other so we are in a bind we're here this very board is here against the will of a number of people and it's a hard situation but again I want to ask the question what mitigation of the tax issue would be necessary for people to support these outlays my understanding is there is not a possibility it's a resolution of the dad I think it depends on how you want to be because one of the articles says that you can't alter you can't not share the debt and as a board I think we could institute a policy where the tax rate varies depending on what town or what debt you know, substitute to challenge potentially subject to legal challenge but at least that's outlishing that market now, Judge Mello in one of his decisions was troubling that's what Cal was referring to was troubled by the debt issue of towns who didn't vote on a debt are now being forced to pay it and for us it's Calis and it's Worcester they have no debt you look at the zeros across the board here and they are assuming a significant portion of the other towns Calis in particular and the rates that I see Calis is no debt either so I understand that Judge Mello at his word and perhaps he'll have written a decision dealing with the debt issue but running with that I don't see why we wouldn't take the stab at it and then have someone sue us for being unfair because we're trying to equalize be equitable about assuming others debt it's not others it's all our debt now but the origin of the debt was not our it was I'm sorry I just want to say and we want to check it with our school attorney the state is the only one that can love these school tax rates not this board not the local boards the only one since act 60 the state took control to be the only one that can love the tax rate for school in the towns I want to check that I don't want to say I'm 100% right but that's my recollection so it is in my estimation my efforts would be something I'm sure those efforts have been made by everyone here on all the boards and this is the big sticking issue like have we exhausted all of those opportunities it's not like a family saying we want you to fight for us yeah of course okay that's fine and then shall we move to a vote not yet I was because he was kind of off chairman for Ryan I'm coming here assuming that everybody's hearing good faith and nobody wants to punish another town and this is the situation that we are in that's why the discussion is so fraught and yet so necessary at the same time that's right it just seems to me that we're in a position where we may not approve a budget and we may refuse to approve a budget until all avenues have expired of either undoing the merger or a finding way to resolve the debt issue that seems very problematic to me especially hearing the concerns from the educators I understand the debt issue I'm a taxpayer, I'm a homeowner that's right and hopefully Lisa would you like to shall we move to a vote then yes Lisa may impose a new please to read the motion Dorothy Nieler to approve the WC UUSD budget in the amount of 33 million and this shall not be interpreted as consenting in any way okay and it was seconded by Chris all right ready for the vote all in favor of that motion as read just now by Lisa we say aye all opposed none opposed okay carries me now I would like to say one thing some people have said that people who are against were against the budget were against the merger I was only against the budget because of the debt it doesn't mean I'm against the merger and I think that's probably truly of some other people and that has been said a couple of times before don't really like it thank you for asking because the act 46 that were forced people use it like forced and I think the debt has been a major part not about working together I think people want to work together and I think the five towns have worked together under governance for years we have and we can but the debt is about okay so we have a we need a warning okay Rick? I just wanted to say very quickly as a resident of Calis it's much more than the debt for me it's the fact that I do not have the ability as a town of Calis to prevent a school closure a school which we have paid for which we have maintained over time and that that could be overridden I'm so sorry to interrupt you but I want to make it clear that it is much more than debt that opposition to this it's not a one issue it's not a one issue situation I don't think it is for most of the people in this room exactly you know everything because it was seen in the phone of lots of locals who might be in control over the school closure solely to get issues exactly but I don't want to once again I just have to get to the morning if I may on page 6 you will see the warning so this is the budget warning this is the budget warning I have we gave you two warnings on a advice by the attorney Chris Lea Folt who is the transition board and for the boards I suggested working with so he suggested working with a budget warning and that's what this is I think that was a very big suggestion does anyone have any questions about the warning apart from it does seem to have to make reference to being 3.7% higher than spending for the current year so there is a kind of yeah there's a we had to in there for percentage because we're required by statute to use exact language for that article as many of you are aware we cannot change that by law when you go to a budget order it's basically insert the numbers but we can clarify that it includes the it's because of the central union that 3.7 isn't there that's just you have to compare equalized spending for equalized people so that's 3.7 isn't analog to the 1.65% budget change from each two because that's an expenditure change this is the spending for equalized people you could spend the same amount in two years and your equalized peoples could fluctuate your number of peoples could either go up therefore lower the spending for equalized people or go down and therefore raise it so there are other factors that hit that number so can we have a motion to accept the warning can we accept the warning discussion motion 3.6 discussion on the motion I'll second it discussion I'll just start Dorothy has identified I think a typo I don't know but it says out of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5th line down it refers to articles 1 through 5 but I want to correct that thank you Dorothy okay before we go to Kyle is there any crowd that you have two things just thinking of what I'm going to do when I get in the voting booth there's someone who fully supports the schools and teachers and everything I think that language you talked about about nothing supports a forced merger that should be placed in this warning in article 1 so that that's clear that if you check the box yes you're not in any way consaying to forced merger second thing is one of these supposed benefits of a merger is transparency and accountability and nothing in this warning tells me that calluses, taxes are going up 12 cents 5 whistlers, 5 and a half milisex basically the same and e-smobculators dropping by 8 cents if you want transparency and accountability that needs to be front and center thank you very much the first of those points I think Bill just mentioned that the language we can't really change that language that's statutory language so although it would be great if we could you know kind of pin the tail on that donkey these borders can't add language you cannot add language to it you cannot change it the state was very was it 3 years ago lawyer or 4 that came into title 16 we do not have any control the language per budget adoption the board does not and we do not we have to follow it exactly as and they were very tight about it we've just amended the language here in the article in the article in the article in those other places you can but in the article you cannot change the language so we can add language elsewhere in the article not the article not the indentation the indentation is set percent but elsewhere we can add language have we ever had on a budget warning like this is affecting your tax rate by a certain percentage I'm just curious has anybody ever had that in the but not on the but not on the ballot itself yeah so we have that information Kyle we have that information yes but that's an interesting suggestion so like the preamble the preamble language I would like to see if is that possible though I do not know I'd have to consult the attorneys that draft these up for us because they're very particular and I am not qualified to tell you what you can or cannot have on a warning and so we're going to be going to I would want to get that answered and then have you come back together as a board to approve that warning I'm not sure that's so great how about the reason being that this is the first of these budgets and Kyle makes a fair point about transparency as to what the direct impact of this budget will be on the towns and also the idea that if I voting and it kind of lays the issue that what he was talking about in terms of voting for this saying being a concession that you are agreeing to assume the debt by having that warning and saying that just voting for this doesn't mean that you are doing that and shouldn't be true that way and you know this is the year that we do it because likelihood of the Supreme Court would have decided by next year at this time and he either won't need it and won't need that one so would you use the same language that we just had in the motion for the as a standalone paragraph and probably first paragraph after the article so it's very clear and I think that would incorporate the impact tax impact on the individual towns in that paragraph as well yeah I think because we have the tax impact on the information package that if we risk using that yeah I kind of like the idea of the you know nothing nothing should be interpreted as consent simply because it's likely to get the budget more likely to be passed in Calis but one last thing so our work doesn't end today so this is just putting the budget at the warning we still have to talk about having a public meeting and then how do we bring this information out that would be our responsibility making sure that it's transparent making sure that our communities understand what they're voting for and we're going to have tonight very little time to talk about those other responsibilities I don't need to be short it's a 10 so this is just part of our responsibility right now we need to have a public meeting and we need to inform in terms of the direct delivery of information to voters at a time that's useful to them I can't think of any better time when they're actually casting their ballot and looking what they're voting on all the public meetings we want folks aren't showing up to them they're not going to get it but when they're going to the voting booth and they're looking at what they're voting on that isn't how when they're going to be reading it and I just I don't so you know the warning can I just say the warning is not in the polling place the article the article the only thing on the ballot Chris so you have, I would suggest you have other ways to communicate that can we put it on the ballot? no you can unless you do it I mean I changed the line with the article I think what he's saying is I don't want to go on with it what he's saying is that first paragraph won't even be on the paper only the article so the warnings get published in the paper the warnings will be published in the paper they will be published in your annual report you can go to many places that you'd like to publicize it but you can't bring it into the voting booth it'll be on our website we need to inform our voters you know that is our responsibility and make sure that they understand the date just not understand the numbers you know even for us looking at this it's confusing so we have to plant for that transparency there's one thing about the information that I have been bothered with I may have a bad memory but it seems to me that I read somewhere that the annual report was not going to be simply mailed out that people wouldn't have to ask for it at the district organizational meeting it was voted to do it that way to send out postcards and people could get it electronically or ask for it you are going to be sending out postcards we have to do that and then we could put copies of it in public places if we wanted to if we're set up for that okay we have a motion on the table Rick I was saying just as a taxpayer this is your first budget year as a consolidated board you had better have a billboard at every one of those voting places saying this because this is exactly how the people are going to interpret that certainly the town of Calis I understand Worcester will these Calis will jump up and cheer they've got a drop in their tax rate but when Calis sees a 12 cent rise and they are going to say this is done on the slide next year you're going to have you know 500 nos out of that town and that's why this is how that is going to be interpreted by people when they in good confidence vote on something and they don't have numbers and all of a sudden they see a 12 cent I know these people but I'm just saying I don't think anyone in Eastmont Hill is going to be jumping up and joy because they have to pay more tax but in Calis a 12 cent rise especially for a town that is very fiscally conservative they're careful with their budgets and other than that it is already forced on them that's not too strong a word we're forced to assume debt against our will and you know when they vote on a budget without having clear facts in front of them I will guarantee you this board is going to have a hard time going forward I certainly won't vote for this budget and I tell you there are a lot of people who won't it's unfair thank you motion on the table I'm going to stick with the motion without the morning without the addition but with the fix to the title yeah we'll fix the title so ready for a vote I don't think I'm going to move to amend it yet no you haven't I'm going to do that to include the caveat that we attended to the budget itself voting for this budget in no way it shouldn't be considered as consent to the forced whatever language we already had the same exact language that you can find where is it going to be on this will be after the article and before it says polling places and hours that's for the morning that's for the morning okay we have an amendment do we have a second second okay Jonas yeah okay further discussion of the amendment Kyle the statute is being referenced I assume it's 16 BSA section 428 budget to be voted is that the one that I'm not going to get into a little debate right now I'm not going to say that I think it only applies to the article 1 language that's what we said that's what I was saying you can have like whereas start off a morning with whereas something that's more of a resolution yeah that would be a separate action not that I mean I don't think it's something that we would initiate and carry the completion today so we have this amendment seconded by Jonas further discussion of Chris's amendment are we voting just an amendment just an amendment so do we have a language that precise language that voting for this budget I just copy the piece between the other one that page 42 is that clear Chris okay so let's vote on that amendment all in favor say I I all opposed none opposed okay the amendment carries now let's vote on the morning ready to vote all in favor say I I all opposed none opposed and carries Scott if I may start to pass this around obviously the first page needs to be changed and for those of you that have been in Washington Central Boards you've seen this before we have the signature page so we can make any titles and we can definitely insert the amendment in there without going over one page so I will be passing around the second page for those of you who signed thank you because we need to have it signed yes very good alright now time is passing so I read this to the articles of agreement did everybody have a chance to look through the package at least as far as I ask one thing there's a 3.14 that's the communication in the annual page 8 so you want approval of that I like approval of that if you're fine with it we have to pass on the transition board look at this before what we would need to do is to two things that will happen this graph that's still a line graph will be changed into a bar graph and the title will be changed on the top and where it says WCUSD warning that you just approved will be put in here for two pages but the reason I'm nervous about doing this right now need to do this right now we literally need to get this to the printers by Friday to get them ready and have them in the public places that maybe we're going to put them in town offices and schools and to get the postcards out to all the voters which have to be there 10 days prior to the vote so there is some we literally have things lined right up right now going into tomorrow morning so if there are I don't feel that I need I didn't ask for an action on it but I if you have anything on here we talked about that transition or the letter has been edited from our time that the meeting where you looked us over and we tried to explain more things are at so I would take any feedback what that needs to this needs to get to print yes I've seen this before and I think it's fun I don't need a motion I just want to make sure you're all fine with it so I'm going to go tomorrow morning with it once we do a couple corrections that morning in our presentation that's the end of the report is there oh there is okay yes there is a 4-4 can I make a motion to approve it 2nd 2nd 3rd any further discussion it does seem like there is a lot of language that we want to get out to the public including the language that we're inserting in everything files language if we should be transparent we should put the impact on actually somewhere I would like the board to resolve that we will do great I would like the board to resolve that we will do everything we can to mitigate the debt issue instead of leaving it some of this is up to outside forces that we don't have control over but everything I would like the public to know that we are sensitive to this and that we are not trying to make this unfair thing happen if this is the appropriate place for that great board or if not let's just make sure that we can tell the public that at some point that we're not just blithely passing this on to them and the people in Calisthenia get the short end and I think you've made a good start just now with this transcribing report can you please strike short end she doesn't do that for us ok so we have the motion and a second approved WCUUSD annual report ready for the vote are there any favor please say hi hi any opposed none opposed carries alright anything else that I missed no I'm sorry we didn't talk about the Washington Central Unified Union School District capital fund which is one that the voters will need to set up it is not on this morning but Laura and I will have to come back to you or Laura will have to come back to you at a better time to get that set up it is something you will need to do as you have and within capital fund you can track it by building if you so choose I think that should be another future agenda so let's mark that down as a future agenda ok so amendments to the articles of agreement you may have seen in Chris Mayapode's letter recommending that we not warn the amendments to the articles of agreement at this time this is it is in there page 34 I could give you a little context Scott if you'd like please this was not something I asked for from Chris I want to be really clear I was trying to get this pushed forward but he said he didn't feel that he wouldn't be doing his duty as your attorney to not bring it up so I asked him to put it in writing he said he didn't have time to draft it in a letter with a lot more details behind it this was literally yesterday afternoon I said he couldn't put it in this form this is actually one instance where I agree with him I agree um so um I do not agree with him because we don't have time to work on it well, but then you stuck with the default answers but then we can change that let's work with the motion shall we? I'm sorry I need to go back one moment I took a note on this on page 8 the annual report letter that we just approved this is the Towns of Berlin Dallas, Doty, East Montpelier oh okay we didn't get that don't get that good sense mine was more in concept we'll get that yeah for Romney and Doty throughout it what was it? I don't have time to read this basically he said it's just too much okay so we can make a motion and wrap up with but if we're not going to amend the articles of agreement right now can we at least talk for a brief minute about what we would like to amend so we can get that conversation on the record now if we don't start from scratch at some point oh yeah not to worry so do I have a motion to recommend the articles of agreement? I am almost to recommend the amendments to the articles of agreement that we have worked on and we're presenting to this board as a recommendation from the transition board and great so I recommend the amendments that we have worked on so did you catch that Lisa? no I got that you moved to approve the amendments to the articles of agreement how far it got I move that we warn the amendments to the articles of agreement so that the voters have a chance to weigh in on it both to approve them but not approve the amendments okay okay and we need a second a second very good great okay so the reason is that the font articles were gifted to us by the civil board we were subject to great discussion and long term discussion and I think over months many meetings we came up with amendments to certain articles that I think reflected on values here most particularly the school closing provisions and I think to not provide the voters with an opportunity to weigh in on those now would do the disservice I have a question so we will not be voting on the default articles of agreement it will just be on the amendment the default articles become effective as a matter of law if we don't do anything and we're voting on the amendments to the articles that we've selected so so in other words if we vote yes we're agreeing to annoying this article 5 which is the end if we don't do anything the article 5 comes back if we don't do anything and we haven't touched the article 5 I just wanted to give you a very quick example I just did some vocabulary that I think is very pertinent to use in this discussion and Chris went this way so we were given default articles of agreement we're trying to amend some of those in our article 14 there are certain levels that the voters are allowed to do and there are certain ones that the voters are allowed to do and that these are proposed amendments to the ones that the voters can approve changing well the voters won't be approved unless we present that I agree I just want to make sure but those are the only ones that would be voted on I think one of the things that we use a lot in our conversation is the difference between articles and amendments and we are given articles already we're trying to amend those articles which the voters can amend yeah and I think that that that precision is needed in this conversation as you were Chris there are some articles that according to the default articles that the voters may not amend and yeah I think the recommendation we've only been asked the ones that we have right so everything is kosher in this one the question that Chris raises is whether it's from the voters perspective if it's just overwhelming and whether it distracts from the budget which he's argument should be the focus I'm happy to hear other opinions in fact I'm hoping other opinions and I don't know why we don't trust the voters to be able to read articles and decide on their own whether they voted on 10 different races although only one gets contested but it's just like any other measure of meeting and saying yes I agree with that or no I don't agree with that and to depart the voters of an opportunity to weigh in on what this constitution will be for this new school district because we think they'd be overwhelmed it's just it's a problem I think will each amendment be a separate article? yes sorry how do you read one of chair and committee of articles going on I know that I had a lot of passion for this I really wanted to get this done because I felt like after we unified we were not going to have time to do it but hearing the conversation today I'll be listening reading President Oppo's letter this afternoon and listening to their concerns about transparency and that the new board members passions I was to get this done I feel like we could pass the whole slate just as recommendations and something once we figure out how we work as the group that we all put out articles of agreement at a later date we have a better idea of how we are operating together I'm terrible at saying that because I really wanted to get this out but listening to them I got a very convincing email from you that you sent to me and I believe Matthew too saying why the articles were faulty of a fault so there's so many other things that if we're going to put that budget out in front of voters now and we want to be transparent about that considering how long we have taken today I don't know if we'll have enough time to put all of this information in front of the of the voters and do diligence and we want this amendments to accomplish as far as to say that Will the voters have the ability to see if the fault article and the amended article I mean it's a comparative it isn't just the yes or no they have to know if they're going to be sampled with if they don't vote for it so do you have a copy of the of the agenda package? I do right here look at page 36 after you can see that my understanding is that the I'm sorry I'm sorry okay so before I go off I don't know we haven't had a break and I don't too but the article has to be presented in its entirety in its same as the previous one the article is what will appear on the ballot you can do a lot of communication other ways but what's on the ballot is what's right in that article so stuff coming out is struck through stuff going in is folded and underscored because he's worked with many committees either both forced and not involuntary to pass articles of agreement so the strike through will show in other words right? yes it's there that's why I'm sorry I cut that no no no that was just my question I didn't know if it would be in a finished form I'm not showing the strike through relations yeah that's right Ellen I guess I really think that this article 5 about representative voting structures really needs to be presented in a thoughtful way to the people of the 5 towns I know I was at one board meeting or read in the minutes that Kari Bradley said there's going to be thousands of people voting and so therefore we should go to representative government there aren't thousands of people that's the long and short and unfortunate and I really think that this representative form of voting on the budgets where one person is voting for every so many people 17 people but whatever the formula is that it comes up with is really one more way to remove people from empowering themselves to quite honestly pay attention and it's discouraging to think that the transition committee would even put this for and I understand that there's a member from middle sex that is supporting this and it's her kind of brainchild but I just I really think that the people in these towns need to know that article 5 is going to take away their one person one vote and I think that needs explaining that needs thoughtful explaining therefore if this needs thoughtful explaining what do these other ones need do they need more thoughtful explaining to the public at large as well yeah that's very interesting thank you Chris do you want to answer sure it's not a good position of this representative model it's a consideration of it for further action this does not instigate I understand that at the meeting that I went to at Romney before I suggested that in that board that's here shall be changed to May and it's not in here changed to May and in the other minutes of the meeting it was never changed again I there's a warning if it's just a suggestion it should just be recommendations and they go written as articles so that is a mistake because on the bottom of the page we've just written as recommendations and that's still where we're going based on what was made before not an article so should that not be in the morning on the morning we have no problem but I think there are articles that we should move forward okay so I would point out that Article 10 Article 18 embodies the sentiment that we've been expressing some of what we've been expressing about any vote here I'm sorry to take that that 18 that was a separability one that was a separability one no it's an article 19 talking about that the articles and any voting for them or preparing for it to be saved for its order and that by voting on these articles the voting team member towns are not waiving any rights the channels of fidelity of the safe voice, force, merger, order these are I'm going to get a potential sentiment from the towns and the voters of the town that would be great so are you going to move to so I'll move that we we we want the articles the amendment to the default articles that were recommended to us with the exception of article 17 okay we already have a motion I think don't we so this would be an amendment the amendment to remove article 17 which addresses the model of representative town meeting okay that the motion is to remove that article basically article 5 of the morning so just before part of it we're going to we're going to do it like we agree at the articles of the agreement committee both article 4 and article 5 were just recommendations because all we're doing all we had said is the study committee recommended the new school board discuss and create a policy on school choice as soon as possible and not later than 2021 it was for us to work with not an article so we're not putting anything out we're not telling them what the choice is so do you take that as a friendly amendment to remove article 16 2 yeah the numbers are really good article 4, article 16, article 5, article 17 yeah it'll all make sense no that's why I don't want to rush I want it to make sense yeah so a friendly amendment I agree I mean you need this and I'm feeling a little frustrated because I'm supposed to make a decision and I can't because there's a conversation going on I'm trying to read it at the same time and I'm just not that talented to do that so I would abstain from any road because I can't make a decision tonight if there was a vote are we in the same kind of time because we don't do it tonight it won't happen what will that do so articles which were written by the state will become the effective governance tools until we amend them at some point as I've said through the voters there's articles that the board can amend but there are articles that can only be amended by the voters yes so we have to go through the process that we've already actually gone through in terms of the we have the articles committee and then the transition with articles and I'm not saying having the debate is not having the debate again is a good thing but I mean I just I don't want to just rest with the default articles as our governance tools where are the second articles 8 so just a clarification is that any of the articles that we would be voting it wouldn't take effective in 2022 nothing would be closure one certainly yes closure, new board members that's next year but we could still put it out to vote for next year because nothing will take an effect on July 1st nothing that we vote on will be something that we can't do on July 1st on this school year will be until the following school year well articles 7 would take the article 19 would take that right away about the week and you take that right away the article 15 something that we can't do right away I'm sorry I just have point of information you can vote on you can hold an election whenever you would like as a board for before the first you could do it after the first it's really up to this board when you'd like to do that the articles that I think you were just going through I'm trying to get to them I'm sorry I want the warning and I had it right in my fingers and I lost it thank you as you look at these the only one that's probably the most time dependent on being able to do anything is the configuration of the board you will need to do that before or on the date which you hold your annual meeting which has been approved to be town meeting day for the district organizational meeting if you want to change the composition for next year there are other ones here that have different timelines you know the school closures two years that's given to us as for those of us that worked on us know that that's after those two years there are other ones here as I think were said articles six and seven I'm going off the warning article number not the article number of the default that are the articles agreeing that that's the other article number is those would be right away so I think those are you I have a question of course if we could warn them for let's say a primary or a November election when other people are coming to vote anyway it would give us time to work on them and as a board really delve into them and have something to put out to voters not have a special election for just the articles but I'm going there to vote on primaries or whatever it is but when's the next part of November November would give us time for not a primary but don't we have November I thought we had a mid year it was a great idea though so we have a special one on the second or the first Tuesday of November when people are used to voting I think where we are unless I have lost track we have Chris proposing an amendment for a modified fashion by floor to delete morning articles four and five I'm not sure if we ever get a second on that we ever get a second on that I thought I heard Marilyn I didn't I second I guess I guess the amendment fails are you seconding Chris's amendment oh well I'm tired Chris made an amendment amendment to delete articles four and five I'll second that okay so we have that amendment are you ready for a vote I I I'll post so two I I I I I I I I thought it was for the warning I thought it was for the warning for the amendment thank you now we're dealing with the amended warning that is the warning without articles four and five are you ready for a vote on it yeah okay all in favor of the amended warning please say I I I'll post okay can you raise hands five one two three four five so passes five four right did I count correctly five four is that right very good so Scott if I may yes the signature the signature page will come here we will amend the warning and the signature page is here thank you one more just to approve the minutes does it matter if we save those for our next meeting no you may save those for the next I do need to talk about three three I know but I do want to set some things up we can continue to do that other that sounds great an injection to just deferring minutes approval to our next meeting and moving to three point three meeting protocols no as I'm signing this the ones that we voted to get rid of they'll come out that's why we do a separate signature page so that it can be if you do something different at the table we don't have to come and have a meeting I just need to get to my guest I'm sure I'm a teacher like one of the things that's a little difficult right now and I hope that will I am optimistic that this board will grow is in the policies and practices for how the meetings run you currently sit with no policies and we'll talk about that I need to get to that tonight just a little bit I'm going to abbreviate this real fast because I don't want to see the hour rat in meeting protocols the reason I did it that way there's a lot about the agenda building flow who is present at the meeting how the speaking happens literal seating arrangements some of these we haven't done we haven't done and I just want to kind of stop and not necessarily make decisions tonight but talk about it one of the big one and Chris started to bring up to me was location I've seen it's been very successful with boards at Merse move from building to building to building and that that building that's hosting is responsible for a student and or teacher presentation and so that you're learning about each building something that's happening there in that building sometimes it may be multiple buildings but sometimes it would you know we defaulted to setting it up the way we've usually had board meetings in this type of physical layout so we can talk about those types of things and one of the things I want to talk about and like I said I need a lot of answers so what I would suggest is for the next meeting we would pick an elementary school to be at and move to that and we'd make a rotation that would just start we would do I want to talk about the principal reports and how they give you reports if you're going to meet twice a month I think it's a lot to ask your administrative team to write reports for every meeting and that there may be a way that that cascades through the team and then that there's verbal updates at every meeting and I've seen that at other merged other merged places as well as you can see the leadership team is sitting in the audience that's one of the things that we talked about as a leadership team and so we're I'm willing to have this discussion and I think it should happen over a couple of meetings but that we should be talking about how we build the agendas and there are policies there that you shouldn't act as a board about how you're going to operate some of them are probably more crucial to get down early and others can wait just so it's clear to the public like how do I get something on the agenda you know what is your public comment practice is going to be I'm not even going to say procedure or policy but what your practice is because you're at a point where you can set those and it was asked tonight of your public and I think that's very fair but it's also time for this board to have some discussion about that as well and I don't mean to say that in any way to short side input I'm just saying you should have that discussion so I think that you should start to think about those as a group and start to think about how you want to do that I don't know if there are any reactions to that but I just put that on the table to you as a board to be thinking about and for you to I would almost suggest that that is probably an item on your agenda for a while yeah reflective yeah formative assessment of how to go what do we want to do and just not assume things because of the way they have been but don't assume they need to change a certain way because it's some new merge board student member or two that was on my list I'm sorry I said student representation it's on here I just skipped over because I was trying to get through it yeah that's great so that would be wonderful would you like us, would you like me or do you want to work with me Scott as a chair to kind of outline for the next meeting there's at least a list of this and we could say maybe there's a suggestion for one or two to start the conversation I'd be glad to work with that between now and the next meeting but we'll start the next we'll get out very very shortly I haven't the principals haven't heard this so I just put that out of their buildings it's going to be the host and they'll all get a chance but I think it's good to go so in terms of student representation would it be a nomination process or a volunteer and if they're going to volunteer people expressing interest students expressing interest so I can explain to you how we've done this at U32 for since I've been before I was here and Steven can talk to you a lot he's changed it since coming aboard and working with the students to find the correct students to do it and Steven do you want to talk a little bit about how it's currently done in the current process so the current process for our services I put out we have a rotation we have a junior and a senior on the board we put out notice towards the end of the school year to our sophomores for any students who are interested in assuming that position and I also put it out to the TAs as well as their TA that they would recommend for it and many years I get one or two and I ask them to write me a letter about why they want to serve on the board and then they come meet with me and to be honest I've only had one person express interest in the last two years so the decision has been pretty easy I would say that that process might be better turned over to the board like if you it would make more sense that you guys would interview a couple of applicants should they wish to be a part of the board so that you can choose the students you think are good representatives of the student body as a whole and Scott and George and I heard from the two current representatives they highly support this and would like to see that go forward I mean if you don't mind me speaking the student perspective on the board has been invaluable and I know that for just the U32 board they would typically come to me at a call back previous to R which is a time when kids can meet with their teachers so they come to me previous and we'd go over the agenda so they knew what was happening so that they would be prepared for the meeting and let me tell you my last two are overprepared so I would highly recommend it I think it's a great thing I would just offer one thing as thought if you're asking a student to drive around the entire SU for meetings you might give some consideration to the fact that that really limits the number of kids who could be a part of that in some ways so just a consideration for that possibility right you said there have been two students yes and this is going to be important if we're moving around that student was mobile is there something lost if it was say we alternated locations here one meeting elementary school the next so rotated like that is there something lost by not having both students there so yes I believe there's something lost with not having students there both yes I think so I think so one of it is that as we said it's a junior and a senior so while they work with each other and they talk they have times where they've had different opinions and the junior is learning where the senior might be doing more speaking I've just seen that generally not all the time depends on the person and where I was going to go is that there are some merged issues where they come to a central location one time a month so they know one of their meetings month is always in that central location and they go out to the others like the third week the first week they're always centralized or vice versa I would say that half of your student body half of the staff is here because we have parents who have kids that hold the elementary and our schools but I like the idea of being out and seeing what's happening in other schools I think that's really crucial especially as we start from board is one of the things I've heard from all of you throughout my years here and many other board members that I've learned a lot by being in a I didn't realize that for me it's an assumption because I'm around in all the different buildings yeah do you have anything in there on committees I don't have on committees my advice to you that I've heard from other boards is don't rush into it not don't jump into it right away but be practical and thoughtful about it so don't say like tonight if you were if this group were to say let's put committees in right now tonight and say oh start the discussion but don't get yourself locked in yet the reason is you want to be very thoughtful about committees and I know floor is on a lot of this and looking at some of the things that are done in other states in Vermont you can because of our open meeting law you can hamper discussions you may not want to hamper by putting it into a public meeting and as soon as you make a committee even if it's a committee of one from this board you've made it an open meeting law right so I just want you to be thoughtful about it I'm not saying not to do it or to do it be thoughtful okay yeah thanks floor I think that's where we are we talk about a retreat so that in that retreat we can talk about how we want our governance to work and how our code of ethics and just how we want to upgrade so that that will influence our committees and not committees sounds good okay as the the minute hand approach is 12 if we I know we're sort of jumping around like kind of a room here but if we go to future agenda items does anyone object anyone object one minute on policies because there are two things you have to do as a board in my opinion to be operational by July 1 you need policies which you don't have and a budget so you took care of the budget piece I have been working with a subcommittee of the leadership team reviewing all the policies there are currently 28 required policies over our list you can take it with you of what the required policies are what they recommended and we have a process that Jody, Aaron and myself are going through and looking at the policies to try to bring you on a meeting schedule that I'm sure we're going to talk about in future agenda meetings of what do you need to do to be operational the ones that are required by federal state statute that's the basement floor we and all of them except for two are united across Washington Central already in the existing policy books so they're really close but I just I need to say that tonight thank you very much so what I have as future agenda items is consideration of support for the Vermont school board's association in the budget next year's budget the capital fund retreat discussion of our internal organization or how we will do our work among ourselves and policies does anybody have anything that they I think I think I think we should just touch on things okay we should update on the litigation that should be part of every meeting for the next few months you're planning to be here for every meeting for the next few months I didn't say I would okay that sounds great may we talk about some dates please so you approve to go the first and third I think the third it the third is June 19th which is graduation at many of our elementary schools and we still may need that as you saw I sent all of you a proposed plan that looks something like this it gets getting updated we will need a meeting on June 12th which is so we're going to need to meet every Wednesday of June the reason I did propose next Wednesday was because of the Washington Central Supervisory Union to interview and hopefully approve it in terms of superintendent otherwise I would put that down too because I think there while those future agenda items are probably about half the work that you know what's on here we'll combine, Scott you and I can work to combine this but there's quite a bit of work to do before now in the end of June without I'm trying to get time for people to digest as well if you look at this plan you'll see some things where I'm trying to put it on the table and have the action then next time that is exactly what we should be doing we should always be aiming for that I just can't always do that this abbreviated point that we have to go I hear you are you suggesting June meetings on the first, second and fourth but not on the 19th right now I think we should plan on the fifth, the 12th and at the end of the 5th and 12th talk about what we need to do the 19th Laurie and I you'll see on there are a bunch of things to do with the the organization that we need the board to approve and we can figure out, Laurie and I will go work and see if there's some of those that we can move up or we need to come back on the 26th if the budget fails you will need a meeting next night on the 26th yeah we'll wait okay thank you very much anything else from anybody before whether you guys wanted to thank all of you very much and I know the first discussion was hard but I have the sense that it was necessary just so that we would be able to get through the rest of the work and I appreciate your bearing with me not just those of you on the board but also those of you in the box seats not the chips Kyle I don't want to hold up at the end I wanted to give a little feedback because I don't think I am going to come back to one of these meetings and it's just this had a very different feel from my local meetings and this isn't at all the fault of the nine of you that are here this is what the state did to us but in my local meetings I can have a dialogue with the board members we can talk for half an hour about a $2,000 budget line item and tonight you guys approved a $33 million budget item with less than that amount of discussion and I'm also just struck that it's the identical budget as the ones we've already approved and the voters are going to have to be dragged back out to the polls once again to vote on the exact same budgets the only difference is this one gets paid for by Callis Worcester in Berlin far more than the ones we've already budgeted and I just can't believe that's where we are and I just hope that the Vermont Supreme Court sees the inequity of this that the force merger does not happen and that we go forward with the budgets we approved and the local school boards that we have where we can communicate more openly and transparently and have more accountability and work with our towns and our schools on what the people living there sending their kids to the buildings want from their schools thanks very much last word this word this is just a bit of advice I'm not on this board but I've talked to several main towns that have since dropped out of consolidation and one of the common complaints was that when they would go if they could find the public meetings they would be given two more minutes and that was it they weren't even listened to in their comments and from my experience in dealing with municipalities which is pretty extensive in the planning process if people take time to come to these minutes if they want to talk for 15 minutes you let them talk and hear them and if you don't we will end up this will disintegrate I feel many of the same feelings that Kyle does and believe it or not for those of you who know me I put a lot into my community and a lot into schools over the years and I there's a lot of there's a lot of goodwill that this board is going to have to build and it's not your doing this is a lack of trust now and our own high leadership in AOE and in our legislature unfortunately the way this is set up you are the focal point of that so this is going to take a lot of very careful outreach into the communities and we welcome the help as much as we can I know I will so thank you very much both of you all of you I need everyone to stop by and sign this first thank you thank you thank you anybody opposed thank you so much