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City of Portsmouth, New Hampshire
/
School Board
/ 18 Jan 2023
City of Portsmouth, New Hampshire
/
School Board
/ 18 Jan 2023
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From YouTube:
1.17.2023 School Board
Description
1.17.2023 School Board
A
So was with barrett pip clues lisa rappaport, hello and walker.
Here, marco peabody here nancy.
A
Clayburgh here well: ben epps, ryan, french carrie nulty, here
uh
danielle miles and nick dahlin.
A
Okay, okay, shall we stand and do the pledge of allegiance.
B
Okay.
The next item is the public hearing.
Do we have a motion to go.
B
Into the public hearing move, second, all in favor.
B
Aye, do we have anyone for the public hearing anyone on zoom for public hearing?
We never do.
C
Past you nobody's even looked at it at this point.
Okay, do we have a motion to go out of the public.
B
Hearing they'll move so moved all in favor, aye aye, okay workshop!
Please stop with kenny.
That's that's.
A
The point katie's here to do a little bit of a deeper dive and
uh
facilities and answers hi brian.
B
We're just starting, we just walked in at the perfect time.
D
Okay, hi there all right, so I've done a powerpoint
um
with facilities so
um
with.
D
The operation side I'll make sure we spawn for the 187, which is the athletic fields.
D
The 188 and the 189, the 189 29th operating the numbers presented to you in the budgets.
D
um
There's not a lot of changes through those numbers.
There's a little bit in the athletics.
D
To kind of cover the offset of the increase in materials and the organic fertilizing program.
D
From 188, as of right now is, is level funded, based off the requests guidance and then the 189 is.
D
The energy
um
nathan
um
interrupt you 30 seconds before you go just remind everybody at your place,.
E
Setting tonight kenny's got a colorful slide that we're going to put on we're going to put right.
E
After okay, good and
uh
and the other document is, I know, I've done it at least once before, but it's.
E
Variances, to give you to give you numbers cost center by cost center changed in the fte head.
E
Count what changed in the operating budgets and off to write a description of what that is and why.
E
Just to give you something as a starting place to go through that book,
um
so kenny just made.
E
Reference to cost centers, 187, 88 and 89 and you'll see those pop out on the last page of the then all.
E
Right just wanted to make sure that we knew where we're headed can't even know.
I'm gonna have to.
D
I'm just gonna put it up, so is that is that this?
So we have it right in front of us.
Okay.
So that's.
D
Why I handed out to hold somebody who decided to restart so so this is just the variances for the.
F
Proposed budget: this is the what this budget is.
This matches your book it matches.
What's in your.
E
Your budget book right now as proposed and there's, I guess, while kenny's rebooting
um
the first line.
E
Of that document we can go back and look at that after kenny's done.
But if you have any.
E
Questions with the first line is a catch-all for the the change in salaries and benefits related.
E
To collective bargaining and cost of living so right now your budget books a little bit.
E
uh
Weird is the wrong word: it's a little bit off because because andrew and I you met andrew at.
E
The meeting a week ago, andrew and I are still finalizing the spread of the two plus million.
E
Dollars from the city across all of the accounts, so right now I can't show you I can't show you.
E
What the cost of living for the new year is year over year in the in the separate cost centers.
I.
E
Know that we have plugged in face by face by face, but people are supposed to make in the new year so.
E
The new year is good, I'm just trying to backfill the old year, but right now the variance of.
E
Salaries wouldn't make any sense because it it's a two-year spread.
It's it's a last year.
It's a.
E
Last year, all the way to next year without having a touchdown in this year, does that make any sense.
E
So so, anyway, that's why I didn't spell out all of the salary increases.
It's all in that first line.
E
And then the only thing you'll see in salaries below are the positions added and and deleted.
E
um
That you have in your proposed budget, so actually one other thing well, yeah.
I'm.
A
Assuming we're still rebooting, so it's a good time for me to squeeze it in I'll, also share out.
A
With you tonight
um
a
um
a shared google doc so we'll have the opportunity to talk to kenny, but.
A
As we go, if you, if you're at home and you start to develop questions,
um
it's a place for you to dump.
A
Questions so it gives us an opportunity in advance to do you know, do a little bit more research on.
A
What we might be able to do in the moment, you know give you better answers than we might be able to.
A
Do in the moment so I'll share out that document
uh
sometime in the course of things this evening.
A
And then, as we move through the process, it's a place, you know it's a place for you to kind of.
A
Dump in those questions and we'll do the work to make sure we're ready to answer.
D
Some hoops to get back into this thing's been running all afternoon, so I decided to reboot.
D
Itself down here: isn't that always the case?
So while we're
um
it's in the same cost center order.
E
What else can I tell you that.
E
If we have a few minutes,
um
I certainly can answer some questions tonight.
G
It's reduction: what grade was that?
Oh, what?
What was the reduction.
G
For one teaching, so it's a position if you remember when.
A
um
Aaron came and talked to us, she talked about how she had a position.
That was a rotating.
A
She'd basically been in a position where people multiple people had been on maternity and she.
A
Kind of had been able to use it as a kind of a buffer and was, as people are coming back in.
A
She then, were out was allocating those people for intervention purposes.
A
um
So it's so it's that position what that position was prior to this year, which grade level.
A
um
I can't tell you, but what?
But we would be down in additional classroom position which wasn't.
A
Fully being utilized this year and then, depending on the, how we would reallocate that position, would.
A
Depend on looking at
um
class sizes, so I guess I'm curious with all the the need of special.
G
Ed intervention and the lack of substitutes and finding special all the open positions.
G
Why why we would be reducing versus using this person and continuing intervention ways?
Sure.
A
When we,
um
the the
um
the other night, when we introduced the budget, we talked about kind of our.
A
um
Our framework for our kind of theory of action around it and one of the things we were we've been.
A
Trying to do is we talked a bit about this here.
Right was we're, anticipating that it's going to.
A
Be the city's going to come in high
uh
this year.
We think, because of all the collective.
A
Bargaining agreements around the
um
around the city
uh
that we're going to be looking at.
A
um
A big set of increases, I mean we, we talked about who are in conversations with the city.
A
City manager, finance office, trying to figure out a target number for us and the target number that.
A
We came to that, we thought was going to be passable with city council was around four.
A
Was around four percent, so in order for us to get to four percent, we couldn't we didn't cover any of.
A
The esther positions that were part of that's in they're in there right now would roll them.
A
Over for another year and fully fund them through esser and not through the local budget and then.
A
We still needed to
um
we still needed to find additional savings to come to hit.
That number.
A
So it's driven by trying to find the number that we thought reasonably would get passed by city.
A
Council, okay, cool and again I just would push back a little bit and say, but with all the intervention.
G
That we know is still absolutely: why not leave it in and have the council ask us to pull something.
G
Out like we always do and then we can be like.
Oh, we can give you this sure right, yeah, I mean.
A
And we're not giving them we're not already taking off the cream and having to dig into.
G
The pie again, so what what and we talked about this too,
um
as we thought about it,.
A
One of the things one of the tenets of how we developed the budget was was really thinking.
A
Carefully about maximizing the influence of professional expertise within the people who.
A
Who paid to do the work, and we and what we don't want to do?
Is we intentionally were not over.
A
Asking with then potentially over asking with then it being in a position where maybe city council.
A
Is carving back some of what?
Well we don't think you need this, we don't think you need that and our.
A
Concern was that if we put people in that position that we might prioritize different things than.
A
Than city council might- and we might get we might hold on to stuff that we think is less valuable.
A
Than the things that we think were most important to what we talked, we talked with the idea of.
A
Coming in initially, this represents the four percent that our next ass back after that would be.
A
Half of the do a step down on the ester positions, so pay half of those essa roles with local money.
A
um
Half with
uh
federal, so we move into next year we're not facing an esser kind of cliff.
A
Where we're going to have to deal with all those positions at the same time, and then our second.
A
Aspect was like if you want to go even further pay for all those positions through the local budget.
A
um
And those that would get us to six nathan, six, six and change so that was kind of the.
A
That's the tears of kind of where we're at in terms of how we built it: okay, okay and that's.
A
Enough to find some reductions in order to pay for those other things, not the console can't.
H
Line item anyway, the council cannot line item anyway, correct you know, I you know, and I think.
A
I and I appreciate that, and I mean sometimes they might say something, but they don't have the right.
A
Rights right and I and
uh
and I appreciate that and if you get I just I worry about the
uh
our.
A
Relationship with the council, because we can say they don't line item and they can say well.
A
We're going to reduce your budget by you, know, 92 and a half thousand dollars which just happens.
A
To coincide with the line item position, we don't like you know, you know, you know how this goes so.
A
um
So I think that's you know, I appreciate that and understand that sometimes the.
A
Political reality is a little different than on paper.
What their powers are so.
B
Okay, thank you hope for the question and the clarification.
Now we can move on to come on.
D
We'll run right through this.
D
um
So facilities I've also handed out a packet, as with all the hours slide as well.
D
um
In our department, you know we have the four technicians and I've itemized out each goal of.
D
What we have for coverage
um
right now, we are, you, know, short, staffed, we're missing.
D
A half custodian at little harbor,
uh
one at donder, one at the middle school and one of.
D
The high school right now we're trying to find the labor force.
It's been slowly of.
D
The hiring process, but that gives you an idea of where we are there, the facility department.
D
You know we're responsible for all the infrastructure and maintenance of these.
D
Courses, schools to ensure that we meet the local and state regulations.
We department also sees all.
D
The capital and renovation projects we look at hiring personnel to be efficient, as we can to.
D
Extend the use of life facilities
um
within house, the facilities is about 679, 000 square.
D
Feet and we are responsible for all the custodial carpentry plumbing and electrical and hvac, as we.
D
Were just talking about earlier with snow, as we predicted again this coming weekend, the facility.
D
Department, when the maintenance guys, including a high school as well, we plow and treat all.
D
The grounds of course, the schools and we kind of give it an acreage which kind of gives personal a.
D
Little bit more of a realistic look of what we do there and then, when we get into the spring season,.
D
Fall and summer
um
we maintain roughly about 60 acres of grounds between the athletic complex.
D
And the other facilities throughout not only just mo, but we also maintain a turf management at the.
D
High school, we do all the sporting events, setups,
uh
playground, recruitment, repairs, maintenance.
D
And we also maintain our parking lots and striping and painting as needed throughout.
D
Sustainability has always been a forefront in this department about six years ago, we looked.
D
At certain ways of which the city went to single stream and then we started implementing
uh
mr.
D
Fox and our composting in all schools to where the elementary schools now the dumpster is only picked.
D
Up once a week, we've been able to reduce roughly about 24 yards of trash each week to a landfill.
D
Due to the composting composting each week, depending on which school, but we usually average a.
D
60 gallon tote, a big, green, recycle and talks you see outside are probably about half full.
If not.
D
Maybe almost full at each site, it's picked up once a week.
The porcelain, high school complex is also.
D
We started, I started a fertilizing program back in 2008
um
this year.
We've really enhanced it to.
D
Be omri certified where we've taken some time but we're starting to see some great returns and going.
D
Organic and we also do it with pest management as well, so we can honestly say that that complex is a.
D
Hundred percent
uh
gardens throughout the school we have a rain garden.
Phs butterflies nathan was.
D
Kind of surprised to see this morning when him and I were talking
um
and then we are starting.
D
To talk again with ian fleischer and phil davis about potentially looking at the rooftop garden.
D
And get a great school to see what some costs
um
and maybe some future fundraising, to help towards.
D
That so we've seted that ball rolling again
um
and then there's always a discussional piece on.
D
How do we put a greenhouse at phs, the site's very tight, but there is a couple opportunities that.
D
um
Hopefully, will you know get that ball moving again and then there's an interior, green wall.
D
Above the gymnasium on the right side, when you go from foreign language, the students have a bunch.
D
Of granaries and things like that hung up there solar panels, you can see we continue.
We have two.
D
At phs, one in new franklin, one at dondero, one, a pms, they're, all really educational purposes.
The.
D
Kids can see what we generate per day or per month per year.
The links have been sent out to schools.
D
And I have a slide on the next one on the the big one at the high school that we did back in.
D
2016 and then we continue to work on epa, regulated paper products, recycling and microfiber cleaning.
D
um
As I said about the kilowatts for the high school, this is the system that we installed.
D
The 252 kilowatt system
uh
back in 2016 as part of that city-wide initiative, where we.
D
Also did madbury water treatment plant
um
two day.
um
You can see that we've generated almost.
D
2.04 gigawatts of hours and then you can see the ratios down below of what we're down on.
D
Reduced by gas, methane, trees and water and at the top number, if you look at 322 and the 252.
D
That's what's just been generated this month as the 17th of january.
D
um
So these are always a rolling scroll.
We have this also showing in the foreign language wing.
D
As you cross over with the green wall is so the students can see this as well.
D
Security, this kind of gives you an overview of each goal.
um
You know this camera is there's.
D
Access control throughout each goal, we continue to look at new key points of accessing with the.
D
Keyless entry in certain doors, where continue looking at changing cameras, relocation, cameras.
D
And two years ago we actually went ahead and put the entire district on one system.
We had a.
D
System at the high school we had a system in the elementary's and we had a system at the.
D
Middle school, they all worked, we just couldn't we couldn't talk to you know without having licensing.
D
Issues so we went ahead and use grant funds and we consolidated everybody on a visual on.
D
Since then, in the recent grant funds, we did get some access control funds, which we just.
D
Wrapped up at the high school- and I got one left at the middle school, which I'm waiting for a card.
D
To come in a control card, so we can finish that also with the middle school, we just relocated a.
D
Lot of the cameras from exterior to kind of give us a better vision of the perimeters where we.
D
Weren't looking down now we're kind of looking more across that way.
D
Don darrow, as you can see, they have full circle.
Little harvest full circle.
Worcester academy is a.
D
System that when we look to relocate a community campus, we'll remove that system and shift that.
D
Over that way before you leave that go back talk to me about
um
well, we don't want to focus.
E
A lot on weaknesses- I guess, but you have when it comes to security yeah.
We do hopefully all right.
I
So let's talk a security, so I don't want to focus on them on camera yeah.
That's all I meant yeah.
So.
D
um
Overall, I think our buildings are very secure yeah.
So we have.
We have up-to-date hardware.
D
um
All classrooms are lockable, whether you're an elementary or a middle school.
There is a mechanism.
D
Or a way to lock the caution from the inside without going to the hallway all doors in certain.
D
Areas that can be shut down on hallways we're in a process installing another panic control system.
D
Now that will be activated by the end of this week, which gives them another deterrence, and this.
D
Is related to the access access control system also, in the last few weeks, I've met with passive.
D
Security, it's a national nationwide company that is specializes in in all aspects of doors, controls.
D
Hardwares and the list just goes on and on, there are also a representative and a vendor of what we.
D
Have for materials so we've looked at and started evaluating is how can we improve where we are.
D
To make the function less thoughtful, if you want to save some, when that stitching comes into play,.
D
It's it's.
Maybe you hit one button and there's an indicator.
It says it's locked, it's a red or.
D
It's green and it means it's open.
You know the passageways and certain costumes will change their.
D
Function of the doors you know so we're working on those things now as well kenny.
Can you speak more.
G
To that around because it's come up at some packed meetings and then some in these meetings with them.
G
Public comment about the lockdown system, because my understanding is there's like things that can.
G
Be done that's out there, but there's also things that, like the firework department says, no, we don't.
G
Want to do those things, so can you that help on you know so life-safe classrooms, right away like.
G
I know some districts have that, but our lockdown system is either by a key or by a push button.
D
So all your corridor doors that go out in the hallway I know the middle school has.
D
A key initially in every single lock to practice that works there.
All the elementary's have a push.
D
Button so they push that button push the button and that door is locked from the hallway yeah.
G
Classroom hallway doors, okay, are locked by a push button.
In elementary now, there's doors in between.
D
That is a function in a passageway that is free going at now as it is.
There is a lock that we're.
D
Looking at to purchase that would remain that door to be locked at 24 7.
That would need a key access.
D
To go ahead and open through that door, so we are looking at those mechanisms as well.
The teachers.
D
Will tell you that you know some teachers know will say it takes 10 and a half desks.
D
To barricade my doors, you know, there's other things that they see in the tick tock world or you.
D
Know through their their friends of a friend but life safety comes in a play of the life's the fire.
D
Codes that somehow prevent us from you know adding
uh
a thing over the door closure which you can't.
D
You know you can't premiumly move, you know we put keys in in knock boxes for the fire department.
D
And police to access our schools so when they do our searches and they do their perimeter, checks.
D
They can actually still access, so we have to make sure we abide by life safety, but try to get them.
D
To do their job as well without breaking through so we're talking about locking.
G
So once they're locked down so when by fire code is, I have to any door inside a school.
I have.
D
To be able unlocked by going down so in all our schools do that when we verify that, so it has to.
D
Be that one motion that that door automatically unlocks and so all our doors hardware sense.
D
Even with a high school 2002, the middle school in 2013 and in the elementary schools.
D
All our hardware has been up we're still upgrading new franklin's, but new franklin.
We put a different.
D
Mechanism in play that their doors all locked at all times, but they can still egress by one.
D
Switch and that'll be the mechanisms going into lister list already.
Has that right now I mean.
G
The new building, the new building- yes yeah, we have to it's a life safety code.
I have to.
D
Have that one motion, I can't turn a lever to unlock a door inside due to life safety code.
F
Can I ask one last question: a couple of the
um
elementary principals have.
F
Mentioned now that we're having kids outside more for outdoorhead, that the sound system.
F
That you can't carry as far as where some of the is that part of the list of up is that considered.
F
Part of security is that considered part of just so pa external is usually a functional piece.
Okay,.
F
Okay, it's an operational piece.
um
Some schools have a pa speaker that goes out to a playground.
D
And some schools don't like, like the high school, doesn't the middle school doesn't.
D
um
Little harbor has one that goes out towards the playground.
Dondero I mean new franklin has.
D
One on each side, dondero has one that goes out, but the question comes into play is.
D
Don dale, for instance, you're, going to probably hear that pa as you get through the pavement.
D
And you start to get to the field, but I don't think I want the neighbors to hear through the.
D
Trees, the neighbors, don't want to hear it through the dreams.
That's what I mean you know, but how do.
D
You, how do you change the balance of that, but we do have pa systems out externally, as well.
Okay,.
E
But but so we talked about the fact that some of the esther funds that we're talking about.
E
Using on infrastructure now are for emergency communications, which is about, as kids are outside.
E
More and away from the building more, as well as things happening inside the building.
What kind.
E
Of tools do we have, and I think we've made some we've transitioned over the last several years to.
E
Well, everybody's got a phone, so why aren't we just using our phones and there's some place for that.
E
But we're talking about
uh
you know a more a more commercial grade, radio system that expands our.
E
Ability to communicate in an emergency
uh
or even in the routine for that matter, there's benefits.
E
Across the spectrum, so that's something that we're pursuing right now, there's a big projects, yeah.
D
Okay, we're I'm hoping to have that price next week for the two-way radio system.
You know- and I think.
A
Darlene is going to be around in terms of more effective.
Communication is going to be a heavier.
A
Lien on radios and pas, just because I think even really good pas are are
um
not as we tend not to.
A
Be as effective as you're taking your class out, here's your walkie, who you bring with you.
A
um
So
um
I mean I think we can always explore continue to explore those types of technologies.
A
But yeah the lean is going to be towards these higher end radio, so we want to especially at the.
G
High school, because sometimes when they're taking kids out they're they're downstairs yeah, so we're.
D
Looking at that as well
um
to change out- and we made changes to our fire alarm system panels as.
D
Well, which allows the principal to you know, need systems activated.
They can still activate their.
D
Pa system internally and externally, so they can still do announcements.
So if there's something.
D
That they don't want the kids to evacuate.
We can make that make that change as well.
G
Come up to me and become a city council members have also come to me about.
G
um
Where our defibrillators are, all schools have them right, but since we're since it is being.
G
Recorded I'd like it to be on record so that will pretty well.
Each elementary has one defibrillator.
D
The middle school has won the february and then high school has one two.
I believe three.
D
To february the nurses monitor the date monthly checks of them, they'll maintain the the chest.
D
Sticky, the pads and then they'll send me an email notification and I'll order.
The batteries for them.
D
They're, all within sides of school and they're all put in strategic areas such as connie bean is.
D
Out by the gymnasium high schools got one by the gymnasium and same with the little harbors and the.
D
Main entrance coming in to the left gonderos by the cafeteria, so we put them in strategic.
D
Areas inside our schools and they're marked with inside our schools throughout the district as well.
B
Have one I believe: yes, it does it's in the old main entrance that faces the front of the school.
D
And has one and there's one that one bounces back and forth between the high school and that yeah.
D
And but there's I did confirm
um
that there's one at every game, so she's on a radio and so.
G
I believe it's available with one and seven district, one been trainings as well for them.
G
To be used so the ones that are close to them and cost center 134 says it's called health in.
E
Your book, which is health services, as opposed to health education, like phys, ed and health,.
E
Health services, which is nursing it's a small processor- we probably wouldn't spend much time.
E
On it, otherwise, but if you were going to go down through the operating budget of health services,.
E
They have an aed replacement cycle there and there are dollars there every year to continue to do.
E
The pad replacing that kenny was mentioning as well as have an inventory turn on those.
So thank.
G
Radar, I just wanted it to be on record.
I wanted to just I mean part of the.
I mean kendall talking.
E
About projects here in a second, but I wanted to call I'm gonna, make sure folks knew,
um
although we.
E
Still have a couple of spaces where we'd, like them, we'd like the front entrance to have
um
another.
E
Thing that comes to mind right now is man trap, but to have a a locked and sealed vestibule with with.
E
um
Airwalk and an airwalk, thank you.
A manage, managed access and, to the extent possible.
E
Access through the main office, as opposed to we have certainly every building, is locked.
The.
E
Envelope is locked during the day and we have secure doorways, but in a couple of cases we.
E
Still have doorways that are that are monitored by camera from remote, so you buzz you're identified.
I.
E
Know who you are you come in, but you're actually coming in and voluntarily have to come around the.
E
Corner to find the main office to be processed in appropriately there's a couple of spaces like that.
E
That we want to fix in the you know in the nearest possible term as part of the capital plan.
But.
E
But be but stepping back to the basics, all of them are secured at
uh
entrances.
All of them are.
E
Monitored and all of the buildings are locked,
um
that's not as you travel around the country.
E
You'd imagine that it was a give it automatically.
It's not automatic, it's not always a given and.
E
Yeah kenny makes reference to access control and even in this last cycle, when the safe grants were.
E
Pushed out from the state and we had a competitive opportunity, kenny jumped in and
uh
secured grants.
E
For the high school, the middle school to extend even further access control to a couple of spaces.
E
Doors that hadn't been hadn't been
um
equipped with a fob and an access control box that allows.
E
You to to come and go, and so those were doors that were more likely propped open by people.
E
Because they were doors that needed to be opened and closed at times.
So in this case, we avoid the.
E
Propping, because appropriate people have a fob, and now we have units so we're continuing to.
E
Monitor and find it's kind of like going to the university and you find, as you walk across campus.
E
That there's a path now with pavement, and you think that was never here before, but somewhere.
E
Back last year, kids started walking that path, and now they had to pave it.
Well, we find that things.
E
Change over time, so we're constantly monitoring to upgrade and make changes that fit the lifestyle.
E
And the realities of how we're living in these buildings?
Sorry to take you away from here on your.
D
Process keep going.
Let's you know it's ongoing process.
uh
The next side, we jump into major.
D
Projects
um
since 2015 this this gives you a good insight of what we finished
uh
district-wide a.
D
Little harvard you know: gondero school renovations, little harbor outdoor classroom.
You know the.
D
Peep move people playground, we removed that from dondero and reinstalled that over at little harbor.
D
Solar projects, as I mentioned earlier, varsity baseball dugouts maker space
uh
again major con.
D
Project athletic field lighting upgrade the track the track.
We timed out very well.
It was able to.
D
Get it done through covid, which, when that time went in the lockdown we didn't have to deal with.
D
A lot of people trying to run around and track which it helped us on that one project: middle.
D
School, our chiller number two paving projects at new franklin at the bus circle and that we again.
D
Another major infrastructure upgrade in the last three years is mechanical intellectual upgrade.
D
To where that schools is get 100 of outside air at all times, and the building is now fully ac.
D
We jump into another paver with a little harbor and lister little harbor was just done this past.
D
Two summers ago: digital controls, which is the hvac computerized system.
We did a full upgrade.
D
uh
Three years ago, to all the schools to get us up to the continuity of today's world and.
D
Mechanicals and again, as we mentioned, early security cameras and access control, which.
D
Seems to be on ongoing and if you haven't been on portsmouth high school recently, we.
D
Have the right nice brand new, burgundy and gray, maroon bleachers they're all finished.
H
Well, they're all completely finished we're about a week and a half ahead of schedule.
D
Which we're able to get the the volleyball team back in for their end of their seasons,.
D
As we come up now, starting- and this is in the bowser on the back of your packet book for the.
D
Capital improvement plan
uh
we have requested through cip in the next process of about 1.3.
D
Million dollars in upcoming pavement projects is mainly directed towards dondero and phs.
I'm.
D
Expecting that's going to probably take about a two to three year process because we have to work.
D
At traffic patterns- and this is when we'll take the traffic study in 2019 and reevaluate, that.
D
And look at parking and traffic patterns and student patterns and potential bike, racks and.
D
Whatever is the needed for phs to help fluency the students in and out, even though we've done some.
D
Short-Term signage and redirecting certain things, but usually when nobody's looking, they still drive.
D
The direction they choose to drive we're also in the process of getting ready to head to the web.
D
Page pretty soon on the turf field replacement, tennis courts is also up for this summer.
That.
D
The construction drawings are about 90 95 done it's taking a little bit longer to get those done.
D
Because we've had to start that from scratch we're a fortune with the turf field.
When we looked for.
D
The engineering firm to do the document we were able to go with gail associates who originally.
D
Did the project back in 2010 this summer as well, we'll be doing some window refurbishing at little.
D
Harbor, which is mean balances, weights locks just to kind of make the windows functional we've been.
D
Slowly, picking on it, but we're going to use the additional funds to rehab all the windows through.
D
Their community campus renovation is in full steam of design and process district-wide roofs, also in.
D
The back of the packet I've requested funding over four years through the capital improvement plan.
D
For a million dollars, hopefully to do one section at new franklin and the rest will shift towards.
D
Phs and dondero exterior window replacements, as nathan, has informed you before those will.
D
um
Does funds that were in capital improvement plan will then we'll shift them into essers?
We.
D
Have stud working with the architect to get to the design drawing written, so we can process.
D
That out the bed security grades
uh
upgrades there is funding in 2027, as we continue to.
D
Always earmark funding to continue to increase our needs, upgrade our needs and see where the.
D
Needs are at that time why didn't efficiencies will be directed towards phs.
Looking at the new.
D
Led lighting in throughout the gymnasium and the cafeteria at porcelain, high, the interior upgrades.
D
Is really cosmetic, looking at paintings carpets interior pieces there and then the other piece.
D
Also in the fi-27 is the capital athletic complex improvements, impress box, fencing things like that.
D
That was the last slide [applause] on that last one.
Wasn't it at some point that there's ac in.
F
The foreign language wing needs of the high school.
That's the one wing that doesn't that's the one.
F
Area that doesn't have ac is that part of upcoming cip.
So what is not on this piece here and I talked.
D
About the last time, so I have a bid ready to go out to do the retro commissioning.
Of course,.
D
With high school, what that means is we're going to solicit an engineering for mechanical engineering.
D
From coming to a full evaluation of portsmouth high school mechanical system, exhaust fans and.
D
Life safety high schools now hit 20 years old for their expenditure of their mechanicals.
So we've.
D
Just about hit their life expensive on that at that time we will evaluate and put capital.
D
Funding this will be the next round when we go to the cip plan of increasing ac throughout the.
D
High school not only through foreign language, but then we'll look into support services, areas down.
D
Two parts of the cte area, and not only and then also maintaining what we have so we're going to.
D
Look at that as a bigger and infrastructure piece.
We could put little pieces here and there, but it.
D
Doesn't fix the problem long term, because then I have to worry about how we're going to create a.
D
Maintenance plan and maintain those smaller units when we want to look at as a bigger picture, so.
E
One of the things that's coming that kenny just alluded to is the cte: will roll up on a 25-year.
E
20 or 25 25 year re renovation schedule with the state of new hampshire.
Each cte center has its.
E
Turn over the years, it's not funded out of the department of education, it's funded out of the.
E
State's capital, budgets and bridges, and such and and we'll have to have initial proposals in for.
E
Cte in I think it's fiscal 28 and the funding I think comes in 30.,
uh
29 or 39.
courtney.
At some.
E
Point as we get closer to that, I'm sure courtney richings will make that part of her presentation.
E
When she talks to you, but
uh
well that's the same year, that we renovated the high school and.
E
I think that's what kenny that's what kenny's kind of alluding to is that there's a there's.
E
An investment opportunity coming which lasts last week last, I read it through.
It's still essentially.
E
75 to 25 75 state 25 local, so we figure out our 25 of what cte is needing, but we can flesh that.
E
Out and we can tackle things at the high school as well, the cte portion that really could use.
E
Some air handling upgrades is right, underneath the foreign language lab at least at least part.
E
Of it is the preschool childcare yeah that yeah.
So all of that coming together that we hate to.
E
Say, oh by the way, no problem we'll get to you 2030, but somewhere in that planning.
I think.
E
We'll start to see a lot of it take shape, how we can do it cost effectively and when we get.
E
The patient cut open.
We can do a lot, a lot of work there over the couple of years.
So, okay.
B
Okay, questions we'll start here, lisa, I'm curious.
This may be a small piece of the cip project, but.
J
Are we doing any things we're looking at pavement around bike lanes and bike parking, and we do so.
J
Many other great things in terms of sustainability, but that piece, I think, is several schools.
D
So we have bike racks in all schools.
No, I know, but there's not enough space and there's not always.
J
Easy bikable routes into the schools, if you're a kid on a bike, that's a city,
huh
that's city,.
G
Though yeah so those pipelines would come through the traffic and safety, but once you get onto the.
J
School grounds, that's us, isn't it well, there's the road bike lens then there's like once you get onto.
J
The school parking lot areas there's not, but we will.
We will look at the high school okay.
We do.
D
I think the main walkway coming in was wide enough.
I know we were talking about that on the.
D
Main roadway coming in, I know, with little harbor we renovated the sidewalk and striped it out where.
D
One side was walking, and one side is a bike as well.
The high school is, as we look as a whole, not.
D
Only do we want to look at where the bike racks are placed and it's strategically placed, but we.
D
Also have to get the mopeds under control because they're just parking in the bike rack, which don't.
D
Matter to me, I just like to try to give them a home in the park.
That's all so we'll look at.
D
That is also through the traffic and safety review of the of the plan that we have in 2019., so kenny.
E
Mentions this 2019 study, some of you were involved or have been around in 2019 the low hanging fruit.
E
The biggest part of that assessment that we tackled was the the intersection with lafayette.
E
And andrew jarvis so that that was done.
And but what still remains is all of the comings and.
E
Goings in and around the building- and I didn't hear him say it so I wanted to say out loud.
E
One of the biggest pieces of that is going to be pedestrian walkways through the parking.
E
Lots because, right now we look just like every traditional high school parking lot around, but.
E
Next gen moving forward.
The idea is, you know you need to make sure that not only they're striping.
E
But medians and breakouts you need to have spaces so that kids can walk out to their vehicles and.
E
I think biking can certainly be,
uh
can certainly part of that, and it they may very well mean some.
E
Significant changes in the traffic patterns around the building so and also bus patterns as well.
I
Sense, okay, kerry and then hope I apologize.
I have to be at a zba hearing later, so I was jumping in.
K
And out
um
I may have missed it,
um
but I was just curious with in around sustainability and solar.
K
With increasing
um
utility costs and variable, were those projects grant funded or like?
Is there some.
K
Point that we're looking at as a district, where we would invest in more and that would offset or the.
K
Investment would offset some of our utility costs, so the elementaries were installed as educational.
D
Purposes only due to the pitch and location to the roofs, we're just about maxed out because of.
D
The engineering firms, depending on where your layouts are you, know we're not going to get.
D
Our bigger bang for our buck.
So when we looked at the 2014 when we hit the grant that popped up and.
D
We jumped in with the city and did the modbury water plant.
We actually did a 20-year agreement.
D
At zero net cost of the city of portsmouth, so as right now that whatever we generate.
D
For cost savings is to go back to the vendor.
Who originally saw this
uh
sold that to us.
D
If I believe right a year 10, the city has the right to then buy that contract out.
L
And then take the benefits of the solar from then on out, so we, I think, right now we're at our max.
D
Unless we start looking at ground arrays, which at our sites, we don't have that ground coverage.
D
To go ahead and put another additional ground way or roofray
um
up on our website, we're just about.
D
Where we are as max as the high school, we used all the 1956-58 buildings which could handle the.
D
Distill structure then, was designed for having a load as when we talk about the roof garden at the.
D
Middle school part of that was kind of cut out of the project.
So now, when we have to when we.
D
Do that rooftop garden at one point: was the entire cafeteria roof?
Now it's a section it's only above.
D
The stage that, when they enter through their store, they're, going to walk all the way across.
D
The other part of the building- because I just don't have that that steel structure in place.
K
So windmills are the best option, you're saying it's: it's an ongoing conversation kenny and I.
E
Have been invited for a couple of times over the last couple of years where the city has continue.
E
To explore the opportunities that might exist somewhere in the city, and I know that the schools.
E
Fall into that conversation, they you know because we've been pulled in and they take a look
uh
and.
E
So I it's, I think, to the extent that we that we can offer and be and participate offer up space.
E
Or support
uh
or
um
or be more participated all in that we certainly will, because, thankfully they.
E
Are they are calling every time they recycle that conversation and talk again about where they could.
E
And what it might be, I think it's just the budget overview and I was totally kidding, but when yes, no.
D
Hey, I'm not objection, but we make it all as noisy as new franklin.
That was the goal right.
um
The.
K
You know just looking at the budget increases and that's like a big chunk, and you know that well, but.
K
It's just sort of like, what's the break point of like we need to have something else or bill, you.
K
Know and it and it sounds like you guys, are all on it, but there is, and even on on the energy side, you.
D
Know since since taking over an l4,
um
you know we we actually kind of plateaued about four years ago.
D
Or so in our energy, where now we're we were going to start increasing our usage between all the.
D
Mechanical upgrades and lighting upgrades and the digital control upgrades were a week.
I can control.
D
All the building schedules, just by the click on the buttons we know when our buildings are.
D
Unoccupied, like christmas break, just came up and we didn't run our buildings for half that break.
D
You know, but we just put them into night mode and let everything kind of rest but stay into.
D
A mode where it still protected our building I mean new franklin incident was just which had.
A
Nothing to do with it had nothing to do with.
It was just an accent that just oh yeah yeah, no, I'm.
K
In the noise at new franklin, like that, you know I was thinking, windmills have the hum, so we look at.
D
Energy on a daily basis, yeah as a district thanks, hope, a couple questions, but one I'll just jump off.
G
That real, quick, I was curious about the little harbor because it doesn't have solar panels is.
G
That because it's so sure when they did their renovation, that was because there was concerns.
D
Of the snow load that could be held on that because, with the pitch rubber roof is that's right.
D
Well, I don't know why we build flat roofs in new england, but yeah, so it works very well.
I.
G
Know we ran out of money.
Why not type on that size of a facility?
Okay, but it was locked up.
G
um
My other questions are pertaining to phs, so
um
maybe it's in sr dollars or I'm seeing it.
G
Somewhere else and security upgrades or something, but I thought we had talked about that connecting.
G
Piece
um
that we were going to build for security purposes
um
between the security gate no well so.
D
The crossover in the box yeah has been access controlled now, oh, so that's where we installed.
D
Access control as part of this grant, so teachers can go back and forth with no problem, so that did.
G
Get done yeah we, so we did that through access control, okay,
um
it just came into when we look.
D
At the gates been life, safety comes and apply.
um
I have to put power, I have to put mechanisms with a.
D
Chain link fence and a push bar, even though it's locked, okay, you know you can still stick things.
D
And pop it open and it just was not functional okay, so we looked up the access control.
We never.
G
Got a report back or if we did, I missed I'm still carrying.
We had talked about the quarter, all right.
E
I'm still carrying that an answer because we're going to find the maybe we'll fight away still.
E
Yeah so yeah, but both both to secure the access so that it could be more free across, but also to.
E
Create a secured outdoor, it's not pretty space but a secured outdoor space so that people could step.
E
Outside take a breath and be outside for a period while they read or you know what have you so.
E
That's in your it's in your esther plan right now, so that leads to my next question of beyond.
Like a.
G
Step out place because I keep going back to what problems did we have in covid and are we solving.
G
For those problems and the biggest problem we had at phs, our kids could not get back in the building.
G
Because there was not enough cafeteria space to have lunches and inevitably we ended up doing the.
G
Split schedule that nobody wanted to do for a year and it's where we ended up landing.
So I'm just.
G
Curious are we have we scouted prices for like proper building of an outdoor seating area for.
G
Not just to step out small area, but like so we're actually having lunch outside space.
I know that.
G
They have the places by the anchor, but yeah I mean they have the cafeteria.
Have we ever priced that.
G
Out I I brought that up with esther multiple times, because that is a space that you could build out.
E
um
We've continued to hold dollars for infrastructure, but I don't think yet.
We.
E
Have pricing on what that would look like out back, I mean one of the concerns.
Is that you'd end up.
E
How do we do it without building
uh
without building another building, because what you.
E
Really just want, is you want to secure?
You want to secure, you want to secure building, but you want.
E
But you don't, you want a secure building but no roof on it.
You know what I mean like it's.
E
You you don't want to just you: don't want to just have a patio out off the back side so that folks.
E
Can just go out because maybe you knock down the wall and you're just expanding the cafeteria and.
G
Closing in more but the the question that I have pitched multiple times and told oh we're getting.
G
Numbers so it sounds like that's.
Never actually really happened.
Is that to explore?
How can we.
G
Expand our cafeteria seating, and there is so now we're talking about a construction project to.
E
Grow the cafeteria: let's we'll get numbers on that.
What we've been talking about before was outdoor.
E
Seating and outdoor patio space well we're also talking about securing the front door and worried.
E
About security outside so right now that hasn't been a priority, to figure out how to just pave.
E
Over the pavement and put patio stones out there for seating, because then we got to secure it and.
E
If we secure it, we're talking about building walls, but if what we want to do is because of.
E
The concerns for the for the cafeteria, we simply want to do a construction project.
E
To expand the footprint of the building it will, it will have an impact on parking so.
E
We'll have to figure out offsets.
What is there we'll have to take up the space of some other.
E
Parking because the space doesn't just sit idle.
The space that we were using is space that we.
E
Use as a loading dock, the bus, I mean, there's a lot of things that we use with the space so.
E
um
We'll absolutely add that to the list of things that we do as construction properties, I mean we've.
G
Talked we've talked about it over and over and if it got yeah defined as outdoor seating, then so be.
G
It I think the real solve is: how can we make sure that, god forbid, we have a problem again.
G
We it's not because of lunch that we can't get our kids back into the building.
You know.
F
Margo, are you done yeah?
Okay, sorry,
um
I have a couple questions
um
on solar since it came.
F
Up have there been any discussions with the city on a partnership at community.
F
Campus with so much acreage, some of which is not buildable for putting solar that my.
D
Knowledge not yet, no, because I think that building is just so fresh in the cities.
D
Parameters at the moment, I I think todd's still looking.
I know we sit in programs.
I've sat on.
D
The the rec study, which we just sent out another my study of the firm we just had a redial of that.
D
Last week, but I don't think this time that has been a topic of discussion, yet it's probably on.
D
The back burner, okay somewhere, but it also with any ground array.
It comes in twos.
You can build.
D
All you want is: how do we get the power out right?
Always the challenge?
That's the challenge right.
F
Okay, so that was my first question.
The second is when phil davis presented from the middle school.
F
He mentioned that the sustainable flooring and the stoko commons is breaking down.
Yes, I didn't.
F
See that when I looked yeah from the beginning I was from the beginning, we did the turf field.
D
Yes, so we've had some the middle construction 2013.
You have radiant floor on one part and.
D
Then you stop and you go to a cold concrete floor.
So we've always had some imperfections.
D
Of floor tile that we've repaired three times so far many years so right now we're working with.
D
A couple different foreign companies to kind of review and really think about, is what is what is.
D
A longer term repair, because of that that hot and cold flush that where we are coming into.
D
Concrete is just not sustainable for this 20 by 20 linoleum type floor, and he said you know what.
F
You can't use water on it.
Is that what he?
No we wash it all the time we wash it, but it you can't.
D
um
Protect it like vct, put wax on it.
So that's so you can't you, don't have those extra protection.
D
Measures so those are the those are the the hidden figures.
We have one two and there's three key.
D
Areas there's one out by the the resource officer one over by the beginning of the calf and then the.
D
Second, one over by the lunch area of the cab, you can see where we have yellow tape.
Okay, so that's.
D
That is a bigger project than what people think is we like to try to do things once and do it.
F
Right right, you know 15 times, so that's why it's not in the machine to operational pieces.
Okay is.
D
Right now, if it comes bigger than an operational piece and I'll look in putting it as part of the.
D
Projects in cip, land or I'll talk to nathan, the doctor at the end of the year.
If there's some.
D
Additional funding to try to offset with that, but okay right now that was just sustainable operation.
D
Okay, anything you just review people kind of what that where's.
That tipping point we go from my.
A
Operational budget to this is worthy of cip.
When do we get into what dollar figures do we start to.
A
Get into- and I know it's not a hard number, but I mean I mean an operating dollar- that's less than.
E
A hundred thousand dollars routinely probably well, that's not fair.
I mean, I think, if we saw something.
E
That was over 50 000 a year we probably but but cip.
I want to say: cip's number is 50 000 as a.
E
Stated parameter generally, projects are 100 000 or more that you see there.
So so a roofing project.
E
You know a paving project, all of which are in the two to five hundred thousand dollar range.
E
We do we do, though, in our every, but by design or by desire, we have roughly a million dollars.
E
Every third year that we have kind of falling in we've fallen into over time.
It was maybe it was.
E
500 000 every two years or I don't know what.
But now it's about a million bucks each third year.
E
And kenny does stick some smaller dollar things in there.
So subflooring projects we put 25 or 30.
E
000 in a flooring and so some of those things.
But that says a one-time project if it was a.
E
Ongoing maintenance, then it would rise, probably yeah, because I didn't see it in 188 under call.
F
Center 430, that's what I was confused about so so long as it's being addressed.
Yeah yeah then.
F
I'm fine, my own.
My third question is more like a request.
um
I I feel like the public is not.
F
Clear on the turf is being replaced because it's reached end of life and the safety standards have.
F
Improved and we are stepping in with it, so I've heard some comments like so they're spending, so.
D
The life expectancy of a turf field is roughly about 12 to 15 10 to 15 years, give or take we're.
D
On year,
uh
we're hitting year 12 right now, we saw in last year's testing 2021 that are gmax.
D
And a couple strategic areas really skyrocketed so within the threshold, but it's like all right.
Let's.
D
Take the funding that we have in 2025 and let's shift it up further, so we don't get into where.
D
We have to shut the field down right
um
for that which I agree with.
I just did our testing this.
D
Year those numbers that skyrocketed drop back down because we increased our maintenance on that field.
D
As well, I see so it's also, you know having the first turf field of city of portsmouth.
It's also.
D
Learning curve and how we maintain this and we actually increase the maintenance of the grooming.
D
Weekly or bi-weekly, which dropped those numbers down so now we're learning that field as well.
D
So we went ahead and still proceeded with its time to go ahead in year, 12 to go ahead and replace it.
D
And, like I said as we've, also as we look into the process of changing not only depending on what we.
D
Decide for the infill we're also going to install a shock pad under this deal, which we'll just give.
D
An additional softness to that.
I feel it's not going to prevent them from getting hurt, but it's.
D
Going to help reduce the the option you know them of getting hurt, but that field all that.
D
Paddle also allows for another change out.
So when we look at this field again, it saves my 10 or 12.
D
Years that shock pad will stay underneath and then we'll put another carpet on top with, with.
D
The infill in place so- and I agree with all of that, my request is: how can we make sure the public.
F
Understands so, let's, let's start with kenny, can you go back to you were talking about the.
A
Testing- and I know you know exactly what you're talking about, but what was the testing we did and.
A
What does that testing tell us, so we do g-max testing, which is ground force, concussion, yeah,.
D
um
And I we've been talking about creating a website for facilities, so we can start posting.
D
That gmax testing every year, so at least it's helped publicly.
We do have a individual every year.
D
Who costs it?
Who sends us a lot of right to knows and we send them all our fertilizing bills, and we.
D
Send them all our gmx testing as well, so we have, that is, is for public knowledge if they would like.
D
To ask for it, but we're looking at an alternative send is: let's look at creating a facility page.
D
Off to school website, when we can put in the gmax testing or I can put in a water test- or I can put.
D
In you know the solar panels, so people can see what's what's going on yeah.
Well, I think that's.
F
Great yeah can you can just add to that, because I would also say: there's confusion around the tennis.
G
Courts as well, it's like we're doing tennis, courts and turf fields and I think a lot of.
G
People or a lot of our residents at least the ones that have approached me about it, do not understand.
G
That like well, when we got new pickleball downtown that you guys wanted that took away the school's.
G
Tennis courts because there was really never a discussion at that city council when they were.
G
Bringing about the pickleball that the fact that hey wait a minute these are used by the school.
G
And now what's the school gonna do and it kind of became like oh now we don't have tennis courts.
We.
G
Have no home field go find tennis courts, nathan, right and rent tennis courts, so I don't think.
G
There was good information put out, so I I just wonder if, like maybe we can partner nancy and see.
G
If, like declan, could, maybe even put a spotlight in their newsletter about out some of the school.
G
Updates and how that integrates with what the city is doing as well, and how sometimes what.
G
The city does impacts what we have to do just so there's some understanding about the partnerships.
G
And how things work and we're not just spending costlessly, you know of like oh, let's just how.
D
The pickleball thing unrolled- I guess they didn't realize- is that we needed six regulation reports.
E
Right that did that process and that the four that we had at the high school were built in 189 yeah.
D
Yeah we've been very we've, been very patient and we've deferred, you know, and people don't know if.
G
The rent costs that we had to go and find fields to meet the regulations, so additional cost to us.
D
Right so we went out for engineering services, we've hired a company, we've been in a lot of.
D
Talks preliminary designs are done, we're in the final construction drawing now so also with just.
D
Probably right after the turkio hits the street for betting, the tennis courts will go out as.
D
Well, for that, projected renovation will be this summer for them to have playable courts spring of.
D
2024., that's all so, I think, like our community might know that or some of that or still have.
L
Questions but the broader community, that's like how are you spending my tax dollars?
I think it.
G
Would be helpful if some we could partner some way to get some education out there around it mainly.
F
Too sorry for not raise my handbook, the one thing that our schools had.
That term is the one place.
F
Our entire community uses this is the perfect bridge for us to say this is for all's benefit, not.
F
Just the school because I think they're thinking you know, you've got this huge budget and you're.
F
Going to direct this much sure right, it's more of a I!
I completely support it.
I think it's well.
F
Researched, I just want to it's an opportunity for better transparency in how we communicate.
B
So the turf field will be done this summer correct and the tennis courts for the spring.
B
Yes, kind of tennis courts is a bigger project.
We have to go because we're actually adding two more.
D
So there's also some blasting and some wedge and all the other good stuff to get toasted so we'll.
B
Have six quarts yeah at the high school, so we don't have to rent out any more goods.
Six quarts.
B
Is enough, six quarts, yes, okay, great six!
Quarts is what the nhiaa specifies for
uh
okay for a.
E
Contests right yeah, I think they're not in good shape.
So let's go a lot.
E
Better well, we talked about that because you also you also own a set at new franklin that.
E
I'm sure there are neighbors who are using it for tennis, but but I mean like to ride bikes in it.
A
I'm not a tennis enthusiast, but let's practice out of it as a.
E
As they can play dodgeball or they can do other things inside the basketball and basketball, so.
E
I think that's something we're going to have to confront in the near term.
What are we doing with.
K
That, because if it's going to be a tennis court again, it's going to take some work.
Yeah, there's.
H
Other alternatives, depending on what and again we're back to, depending on what the city does.
E
Depends what the city does with its different spaces?
What do they need?
Do they need our field.
E
More than they need our court does the court need to be basketball, tennis and then some a.
D
Lot of those discussions are also in this new rec study that we're doing the process right.
D
Now, with todd henley that we're reviewing of looking at all facilities, grounds, spaces.
D
Green spaces, and, and how can we, you know, better, coordinate, use or grow into as well right now,.
G
It's what's coming, this is what we've done like I wish.
All reports could be like that.
I
Right like this is what we're doing in the schools.
This is where we're going like it's.
K
Every week your team does a ton for yes for the size team.
You have no kids got.
E
Questions but I wanted to go back because in his slides he kicked right by I mean I know in.
E
The interest of time and he's ready to move on to whatever's going on.
But I'm you don't.
E
Have to go back to kenny, but he said under the facilities department responsible for.
E
Cleaning and maintaining all municipal school building facilities and grounds well like.
E
He's got at least two shifts every day: multiple teams they're doing building checks on the weekend.
E
New franklin, I think, you've already heard this one.
So far, new franklin was discovered.
E
When it was because head custodian, eddie o'connell stopped to do a building check.
E
On what anticipated and routine but also.
E
um
Gratuitous because he's that guy would always make sure that he was checking on his house kenny.
E
Mentions snow removal, clear and removed snow and ice, we're clear in 19 acres.
Well, that's kenny and.
E
His maintenance, guys, you know the maintenance guys who are also down here- maintaining school.
E
Playgrounds athletic fields and surrounding grounds well, your custodial force is really.
E
Largely indoor taking care of cleaning and housekeeping custodial support for.
E
The building the bathrooms all of the surfaces, it's kenny and his four maintenance guys and.
E
I've been in other districts, I'm just shocked these.
These guys do all the grounds they're.
E
Doing all the prep at the athletic complex at the high school they're painting the fields.
E
They're, you know it's they're setting up for graduation setting up for graduation.
D
I already told two other guys it's your job, because I, my daughter, I.
D
Have a daughter, graduating wow one three down and one to go.
G
Recruiting
um
custodians I mean that is a very hard process.
We we have it.
D
On and we have it on the city website, we've gone on with things my biggest.
D
Piece, I've been able to get hits from is indeed, I think, that's where I've ordered I've been able to.
D
Hire my wife six custodians there and we're competitive with salary.
There will be the.
D
Contracts is agreed to we're just waiting for the process to be signed and all that.
D
um
But we are so within the parameters of some of the other school districts or more than some of.
D
The other school districts, while we're in less than some of the other school districts.
But we.
G
Are but are we competitive with like other jobs, we won't be yeah, I mean I can you know you got.
D
Landscapers they're getting probably hired at 25 an hour.
They work days.
You know, but things.
D
Like that, but we do have a good benefits package right and it's consistent and we'll find work for.
E
You and you don't get laid off and you don't worry about a down week and nobody furloughs.
E
You for three, you know what I mean, so there are some benefits that people do find and I.
E
Think that the collective bargaining agreement that you hopefully will see before the end of.
E
This month
uh
maybe it'll be next month, but it's that's coming and two years in arrears I mean it's.
E
Really, it's been a long time coming, that's going to make the rate more competitive and
uh
and and.
E
Hopefully, that that helps to buoy the benefits package and the other,
uh
some of them intangibles.
E
That are you in the advertisement you're doing the pitch.
Anyway, I wanted to yeah.
I interrupted.
E
You having a question, I apologize.
No, I I just wanted to go back to energy, while you're here.
K
And I think it's a broader conversation, but I'm just looking at what nathan you provided tonight.
K
So the it's, the number four increase, so salary first benefits can't do anything about those.
K
Contracts are done out of district tuition is third, and then energy increases is four, and so.
K
That's the.
I know it's not going to happen for this year, but I feel like it should be a a focal.
K
Point because I don't think any of us foresee energy costs going down in the next.
You know.
K
So, literally, five ten years, the answers, let me tell you a little of the background so.
E
Yeah kenny mend a comment earlier and I'll re I'll.
Restate: we've done great work in terms of energy.
E
Efficiency in our systems, our mechanicals, our motors, our engines, you know what I mean the the.
E
The lighting, the the choice of
uh
bulb and ballast and the tools so the work that was done
um
at your.
E
Elementary schools that the renovation at little harbor and dondero and the continued work- that's.
E
Going on and franklin all of that came about as a result of an energy efficiency study and those.
E
Costs were largely driven by the efficiencies that could be derived from making upgrades and.
E
Changes so the energy budget is already in a much better place than it was or could be.
E
The city does the competitive bidding for us and I certainly appreciate that, and so when I tell you.
E
That the rates have gone up- it's not because our consumption has changed.
You've seen it at home as.
E
As have we, they they did what they thought was the best, and I don't doubt it for 30 seconds.
I.
E
Mean I wasn't there with them, so I can't I can't.
I can't tell you what the process looked like, but.
E
I know having done it in the past that it can be a fickle market.
They lock down our electricity.
E
Rates change not till october, and in that case they had a six 6.86 cent
um
contract that has.
E
Been in place for a number of years that pops to 11.4 cents- that's
uh
that's the 66 percent jump.
E
Your budget didn't jump 66 because it's only on the commodity side, it's on the supply side.
E
The distribution from your utility is eversource in this case is staying pretty first ever sourced.
E
Yeah you're staying pretty level
um
on the gas side.
Same thing happened they negotiated and that.
E
Hits us for the entirety of this coming
um
heating season starts july, 1 or july somewhere in july of.
E
23 and off the top, I can't tell you the the actual metrics, but it was about a 41 percent increase, so.
E
Essentially, everything in that increase that you see of 227 000 is is anticipated rate impact from.
E
Those two contracts, so I I mean I I'm all I'm all ears and I'm excited to tackle whatever comes, but.
E
This place has been pretty much committed for a decade to energy efficiency and,
um
and this was.
E
Simply
uh
you know an uncontrollable commodity jump which hopefully will recover some.
I mean.
E
I don't know that we'll it's the contract term, not necessarily just the constant increase yeah.
L
So we actually started looking energy back in probably 2007 2008 with tom martin and looking at.
D
Condensing boilers and how do we do our building and then in 2012, is when we put an rp for energy.
D
Conservation and had all these company- that's how we went with eei and franklin was the model.
D
Boilers and and low hanging fruits and the lights and then we use that model and then started with.
D
The elementaries and we started in 2015 with a little harbor, where the second floor actually.
D
Was 50 50.
half of it was gassy and half it was electric heat.
So we that's where we started really.
D
Using that model back in 2012 and it's gone right through and that's when we backtracked.
D
To new franklin now for that energy efficiency units and all that and that'll also be part of.
D
The retro commission of the portsmouth high school is how do yeah we're going to increase
um
we're.
D
Going to look at replacing all the units, but how do we look at more efficient?
You see in the unit.
D
Of energy recovery wells are or hrus our ervs.
You know, how are we going to look at that as well as.
D
A building, because that's that building is about 350 000 square feet that takes a lot of energy.
D
So we'll be looking at that as our placeholder, when we start we're really looking at the next.
D
Energy line besides trying to do that, little hanging fruit that we can, on a day-to-day basis.
D
Okay, so that's when we put out the rfps out, I was also part of when the no child left.
D
Behind act, piece came into play.
We had to do the elementary's, which we rented a little.
We renovated.
D
A little harbor to move central office over here, and so we started that year.
At the end of that.
D
Year we put out the rfp, I think it actually went up- probably 2013., okay.
So since we're doing abc.
E
And one two three and doremi I should just eei is energy energy, efficient investments?
That's the the.
E
Builder or the contractor that we've been working with in a multi-phased effort with the elementary.
E
So is the sorry to keep pushing dates, but so was that that was the implementation.
When was.
K
Was the study around that same time or so what we did?
We looked at the yeah we did.
It actually was.
D
An elementary feasibility study is what we did at us.
We looked at all the elementaries.
It was part.
D
Of the door in whittier scope project as well, we hired another ferment came in and did a full.
D
Study, you know what would it cost to renovate new franklin what it would be cost to?
You know.
D
Build a brand new building yeah and we looked at a lot of the cost of renovation.
We did probably for.
D
About, I think, 40 to 45 percent less than what they projected
um
just when we put out the rfp to know.
D
What what they were, we what they were looking for and we took that as our model and did it went into.
D
That road, 2012 and kenny had a full head of black hair.
Then yes, tell me more, I mean those those.
D
Projects there we were doing 5 million a summer in nine weeks, 15, 16, 17 and 18..
I mean I guess, and my.
K
Thought is just like that, just as we do strategic planning or we do things on regular intervals like.
K
This seems like something that should also be a regular interval, and I know that's terrible to.
K
Think about going through all that pain again, but like solar, arrays of change, like all of the price.
K
Points for some of these things have changed.
Technology has changed.
um
Yes, so I know the.
F
Sustainability committee is, is working really hard yeah I mean we got like and that's in that city.
F
City-Wide yeah but they're calling they're calling us we're collecting data.
I know because we've been.
L
Trying to get information about school buses- that's been, yes, that's been a tweet kate, kate's.
E
Been looking for that now for yeah, can we set up some energy costs of so we can try to reduce the.
D
Carbon footprints, I know they're doing a study on that as well yeah, so they have the climate.
F
Action plan coming up that they're, just they just hired and launched.
So it's all going to.
F
Be part part of that which hope should be done.
So what I'm hearing you say is that I shouldn't.
K
Think of that as an adjustable cost, because the city negotiates that and that we don't is that.
K
Correct and that's been going on yeah they package us all together, so I can't change that rate.
I mean.
E
Obviously, we could take additional steps to turn some lights off and change consumption, but yeah.
K
I mean, and I don't I know- that's not my field but like automatic lights that automatically turn off.
K
And like things like that, like we've done that and all throughout the elementary yeah all of.
D
That's already high school has that as well middle school.
Has that as well?
uh
We look at.
D
You know daylight harvesting.
If the light you know depends on how the sun is, you know whether these.
D
Lights will actually dim down automatically dimmer switches.
uh
We look at this new evo kits out where.
D
um
If you go down dondero hallway, if there's no action within like five or ten minutes, they go.
D
Down to 50 percent two minutes down to 25 percent and then after that they dump out so we're looking.
D
At all those those measures where it's they're touch free all the things I need to do in my house.
K
You don't have to touch, do you contract it, but I would just say too around that work is that with.
A
Ei I mean we, I know, because we worked with the I I remember walking inward to new franklin and.
A
Mike davey who's, who I worked with in vermont or similar project, I'm like what are you doing here.
A
um
And
uh
but it's but it's a they come in.
They do that initial work.
They basically figure out.
A
Where all your inefficiencies are and then build depending on how you do it, you guys didn't bond.
A
Though right it was not bonding.
No mike mike proposed that, but do we, the city, did it the.
A
City has the ability to self-finance, we had the bond, and so we bonded on it.
But it was like a.
A
Here's a here's now, a 10-year project to that will partially pay for itself through the efficiency so.
A
um
So I'm I mean a lot of those things, whereas whether it's led lighting or other things, it.
A
Sounds like we're well into so there's less of the savings available to a bigger piece.
We mean.
D
Even that auditorium, a few years back, was just taking a ball to put an led bulbs that would fit.
D
The dimmer system, so that took a little work and time, but now there's you know the auto terms.
All.
D
Led advice and that's not to say that we shouldn't continue to constantly be looking at how we become.
A
More efficient production, some of that buffer, that you'd think is in there might not be in.
A
There I just appreciate you going down this rabbit hole with me and I understand now so the good the.
E
Good news is also bad news.
I mean the good news, is the low-hanging fruits that are harvested yeah.
E
They've right, I think everything that everything that could be done fairly inexpensively quickly.
E
And easily they they did that and then some already doesn't mean that there's not more.
E
There, and certainly as technologies are changing and time passes, there's more it's funny, because I.
E
Think right now, every time we talk about energy in general, we're still looking at trying to wrap up.
E
Some of the finishing touches at new franklin to match the work.
That's been done on their.
E
Own little harbor so that right now has been kicked out on the cip to 25 and 7-7 yeah.
So.
E
And that and that it satisfies it's, some of it's energy related others of it are are just you know,.
E
Updating for the passage of time and
um
and some code,
uh
compliance things that need to be tackled.
E
And you just don't want to do them until you.
You know you're ripping the place apart, because.
E
They're pretty destructive some of the things that we want to do so.
I'm open in the district.
G
Kids, that's gone all the way through now.
I think.
Every time we have any kind of renovation project.
G
Or something you guys come in with the lens of like: how can we be more sustainable?
How can we be.
G
More responsible with dollars- and you know
um
the environment- I mean.
I appreciate that dr team, that.
G
You guys take that approach on every project.
You do many more projects to come down the road I'll.
B
Go next, if everybody's all set, I just have a few questions.
um
Joanne simon's mentioned last week.
B
That more classroom space at new franklin would be desirable.
So, as we looked at so just like the.
D
Elementary, so when we looked at new franklin with with daniel architects and eei, we look at security.
D
For instance, you know the main entrance you got to go into the school and you can go where you know.
D
Versus where you're supposed to so right, we've looked at them as a different lens to a point.
D
Is we had the architects go ahead and summarize the potential areas for additions?
One would be.
D
The back coal outback, which will allow us to do the front end renovation which didn't just close.
D
That off, we also looked at the potential of the flagpole on the grass area bumping out two more.
D
Classrooms that way as well and not necessary classrooms, it could be the support service.
D
Wing it could be a you know, an arts classroom whatever it may be, so we no different than dondero.
D
We also looked at don darrow of adding two more classrooms outside the kindergarten wing down by.
D
On the back side of the building, so we want to make sure that we have the architects come in.
D
That we look at the building as a whole and as a future hole depending on where the additions.
D
Or renovations may need so that we can at least start that conversation when the funds do arise.
D
Or are needed or solicits from cid for that time, so we do have the plans okay.
Alternatively,.
B
um
Switching gears here I always admire the gardens at portsmouth, high school and those.
B
Are maintained by students and teachers?
Is that correct when my kids were there, that's how it was.
B
And they're gorgeous yes, and so that will continue so we're working with
uh
with a high school group.
D
um
You know the stuff that kimmy quincy, I believe
uh
eco club yeah as well, and then.
D
We've been working with sam tamarelli and how to do the other parts of the.
D
Grounds which is is a challenging piece to I'm just amazing.
We figure out between.
D
The two bodies of, and how did, how do we get it done.
B
My son does special olympics at exeter high school, so every spring we go there and once a week and.
B
You know that's such a beautiful building, I mean it's, that's really a beautiful building, but they.
B
Have like no landscaping, there's no landscaping and you look.
You know I have to drive around the.
H
Back to drop them off and everything, and it's just it's so it's too bad.
You know, and I think.
B
About how beautiful portsmouth high school is in the spring and they're, really they do a great job.
B
Getting why don't we eat any time, there's plenty of weeds steak and sam on that work?
You know.
D
He just doesn't.
I don't answer that.
I don't know I'm just saying I don't I'm just curious about it.
A
I know as a former neighbor I used to be he's, got a green thumb and it was like everything around.
D
His house, I believe it's a lot of the class projects a few years back six seven years ago,.
D
But probably not enough enough, he was out there during the summer.
One year it's called phs.
D
A landscape makeover.
I have one of the shirts hanging in my office, where they.
D
Raise I want to say, between the two years, probably about a hundred thousand dollars put into brick.
D
Walkways and and the benches and the big credit big rock out front with phs yeah and the lighting.
D
So they've done tremendous, it's just now.
How do we, how do you maintain it just maintain it yeah.
B
um
I have another question about:
um
oh but yeah.
This is going back a few years and I think this.
B
Is a mute conversation but
um
bulletproof glass in our schools, especially you know.
If an intruder.
B
Got in and was trying to get into the office and had a gun, let's say- and you know nothing.
B
It wouldn't penetrate or all the doors as you, and we talked about that a few years back, but.
B
I think it was cost prohibited.
Well, there's a few things always plays will play in in.
D
The film it's a 3m film, it's just you put it on and it deters them from one window to the next.
D
um
It falls back to life safety.
You know when we come in, we look at our.
How do we.
D
Enter our buildings, and sometimes how do we vent a smoke out of a situation?
Let's just say a fire.
D
Starts at a foyer, you know we need to break some of those windows open to fend out the air.
D
So when we look at it each site, as a known, we had to fire marshals back then
um
at that time,.
D
They wouldn't give us the blessing, not saying it won't change now, because it's different, you know.
D
Different products out there now there's there's changes and, as I said in the beginning, when I.
D
When we had pasta come in last week and do some walkthroughs we did, we walked all the buildings.
D
For about four hours last
uh
last week, that kind of give them an idea of where we are what we want.
D
We did talk about films and that will be another discussion with a local fire marshal, because we.
D
Talk about the connie bean entrance, you know you talk about the library in the middle, you.
D
Know there's other areas not only just that school you know.
High school is the same way or.
D
In elementary, how do we, how do we find that happy medium, where we can kind of get what we want and.
D
Then they get what they want.
Okay, I was gonna say really quick just for people at home who watch so.
A
When we, when we talk it because we're in the midst of talking about security stuff earlier, and I know.
A
Everybody here knows when we talk life safety, yeah almost we're talking fire fire related issues, so.
A
um
And fire related code and making sure that both our security stuff doesn't violate that anyways.
B
And my final question is: can you just look nathan and kenny update us on the progress.
B
Made at community campus for lister academy.
I know you talked about it briefly last week, but.
B
I know it was in the paper where you know the city had a work session about.
You know, converting the.
B
Sherman school to affordable housing.
So if you could just give us an update that would.
B
Be great so we're meeting at this point we're meeting essentially every week with the design.
E
Team today we met with the engineering team as well they've done a current current conditions.
E
uh
Analysis assessment- some of the good news, is that the existing building has excuse me.
E
Boilerplant, you know heating, it has a ventilation system, rooftop units etc.
All of that seems to be.
E
um
Functional in place and and will retain that they'll do some actual testing before we're.
E
Before we're getting in before we seriously get into this they'll do testing on the air.
E
Movement and on the water supply, but given what was there before?
It's reasonable that.
E
Everything is working, has been working and so we'll tap into all the mains and all the.
E
Systems we won't have to put those in or replace those, so it that's a that's a plus in our or a.
E
Minus, if you will in terms of what it would cost us how you know what we can do, they they.
E
Actually, will they found that in the space they put in led upgrades in the last couple of years.
E
So they'll harvest all that they'll retain all that.
We'll put that on the shelf and we'll put.
E
It back in these units that they will pull out won't help in a classroom, because the classroom.
E
Ceilings, the height of the ceilings would be too high.
You'll have
uh
you've seen them.
E
The kind of the hanging up down
uh
so they call that, like that yeah they, you know it's a anyway.
E
Putting the smaller spaces in the offices, even in you, know, breakouts closets, and things like that.
We.
E
Have all of those existing fixtures that we won't have to purchase so we'll be able to reuse those.
E
um
So engineering has done that they've looked at the electrical they've looked at the plumbing.
E
um
Our design continues to march along we'll
um
we'll meet one more time.
I think, with staff just.
E
To loop back on some of the conversations about how we lay out the the facilities in.
E
Their in their classrooms and what the common speakers look like, but we've met with
uh
folks.
E
That will be in the office and they've been verified and comfortable with the layouts.
There.
E
So our next move is
um
connecting with the city to try to determine how we go about identifying.
E
A construction management partner who would then work with our design team and we can start putting.
E
Plans together, so we can move toward construction.
You refer to last thursday night's conversation.
E
The city council had with representation from the portsmouth housing authority about what might.
E
Happen at the property we're currently living in I've asked on behalf of the school department and.
E
We'll wait and see the conversation, but we anticipate now that our work could be pushed.
E
Out to bid- and we could have construction partners ready to do work, but it's a great.
E
Project to be done this winter, it's an indoor project as opposed to asking it to be done in.
E
The summertime or in the fall when construction companies have lots of competitive work and they.
E
Can be out of doors?
This is a nice substantial project that they can do indoors in the winter.
E
All of the feedback from staff and students is that us pushing to to make that happen for january.
E
Is not they wouldn't advocate for that?
None of them really are interested in moving midway.
E
Through the year- and so we probably will give the direction to the bidding process that we want to.
E
Be in by the following june so that as school wraps up in the 23-4 fiscal cycle, the school.
E
Year as that wraps up in june, the building will be ready.
The space that is fit out of.
E
Community campus and we'll be able to move over that will help, because we anticipate special ed.
E
Administration from central office jeannette and her team should be moving, as will the leadership.
E
From lister and then the classrooms and all of those programs- and it would be a great time for.
E
Them to do that at the end of june before the 4th of july and extended school year starts so.
E
It's a very busy time for the special ed teams through the summer so but that also will leave.
E
The lister team an opportunity to be in and out through the summer months and getting set up and.
E
Acclimating to it and being ready, because part of what will have to happen is the you know when you.
E
Start a new school year is the is the norming effort of figuring out what the community and.
E
Cultural will be like in that new space with you know all of the the impacts that that will have so.
E
The question to the city is, by extension, to the housing authority.
If things continue down.
E
The path like they seem to be, as was described in the article from that meeting, can we stay.
E
Resident in the space until june of 24, while the fit out is done over the course of the.
E
Call of the 23 for school year because we're already going to suffer some impacts because.
E
Our neighbors upstairs are preschoolers who sleep and take naps at a regular construction.
E
Cycle probably isn't going to work to be good neighbors, especially over jackhammer.
E
And concrete because we have to lay new new sewer, you know new sanitary pipes.
E
Etc so
uh
we'll be we'll be potentially facing second shift and weekend work and and to the.
E
Extent that we can kind of limit that and make it attractive to the to the contractors that.
E
Would be involved
uh
the better?
Because we don't want this to become premium work all across the.
E
Board, so that's maybe more than you wanted, but is that that's kind of the path that we're on?
I think.
E
um
We're going to have, we already have a pretty good design.
You guys have seen the preliminary on.
E
It there's been more nuancing of it.
We'll have a schematic design by the end of the month and we'll.
E
Have
um
construction documents
uh
two more months, maybe yeah some more meetings and the biggest.
E
Thing now is we got to get a partner in that can help us with putting a real estimate on it.
We have.
E
um
We expect to have oh, I should just say this, because people come back to you guys, so the cip is.
E
Being introduced, it cip was considered by planning board and was approved, and what our plan of action.
E
Is right now the 1.5 million dollars that we've already been authorized to spend on the windows.
E
At dondero and the harbor we're going to do that instead with esther funds and we're going to ask.
E
The city council to repurpose that 1.5 million and give us the authority to spend it at lister.
E
In the cip this year, we've added another two million dollars to add to that and expect that.
E
When we go to city council and ask for the authorization it'll be for the full amount.
E
But we and what they we certainly want to go in, with the best number, the best information we can.
E
I have spoken to the city manager and asked her to you know.
Let anybody know who knows tomorrow night.
E
When we present the cip to the city council,
um
we will, I will suggest to them that they.
E
Expect to have a public hearing on february 6th, I think and then vote the cip adoption on march.
E
6Th- I I don't believe at this point that we're going to have anything better for a number than.
E
That 2 million that's in there before march 6th.
I could come up with different numbers, but it's not.
E
Going to be any more substantiated or defensible than the 2 million we've got now, although we're.
E
Getting closer and closer and closer what I'll, what I'll suggest and it won't make everybody.
E
Happy but it'll did the truth when we come back for
uh
authorization of the bond authorization to.
E
Go ahead and commit the funds by going out to bid et cetera, then we will have real numbers, because.
E
Will have a construction management partner on team working with the with the design team.
E
Looking at the plans and putting together some numbers that are meaningful, but I don't.
I don't.
E
Expect that before the 6th of march, I just don't think our process is going to move fast enough.
B
The city know that that would not vacate.
B
It was not part of the conversation last thursday night, the city manager.
E
And I've spoken and she's taken that, on our behalf to the ongoing conversation with.
E
But but I think the sense is- and I don't want to speak for anybody's so I'm just but from the.
E
Little conversations I've had on the side with different interested or involved parties.
I think.
E
What I think the footprint that we're living in
uh
is is last on the list or later on the.
E
List of space to be
uh
to be
um
involved, I mean, I think what we have to do is figure out.
If there's.
E
A project going on around us can we ensure safety and bus access and so on and so forth, but
um
but.
E
But the ports of having a housing authority would be good neighbors to have to solve those problems.
B
And I got the impression from I: I attended the meeting by zoom and I actually testified, but.
B
um
They would like to apply for some grants and some tax credits, and I mean my impression.
B
Was you can do that, even though you're not in the building, yet I mean the school board?
Has.
B
Handed over the building to the city, once our educational use of that building is no longer.
B
Needed so they have the building, so they know that we're not going to have a use for it.
So I mean.
B
And we already voted that, so they can go in, they can do whatever they have to do without actually.
B
You know be without actually going into the building, because we're still there right a.
E
Commitment yeah that I think you're right, I think again, I think it'll be a safety safety.
E
Conversation about how, but you renovate buildings and build buildings on school campuses, while.
E
Schools and obsession you know these construction companies.
Do it so very reasonable that we could.
E
Very reasonable that we could continue to be there through the the entirety of that school.
E
Year, even while a project starts around us
um
out behind us beside us or what have you and.
E
um
I expect certainly that we'll have some confirmation that that is okay well before.
E
We put this thing on the street: go up to bid.
I mean that'll because it'll be built into the.
E
um
The occupancy dates or the completion schedule that would be you know tasked in.
E
The rfp or the the bid is the building the sherman school.
Is it okay for another year.
B
Until I mean it's operational, I mean we do what we need to do and the answer for years right.
Yes,.
B
Was done about 10 years ago, we did some security at these doors I mean, there's always an ongoing.
D
Punch list-
um
or you know it's we're, making it where it is, and the fire department does.
D
Walk our threes, we just walk through it again, so you know we, you know, have them coming in as well.
D
And if there's something there, we owe media address
um
as well, so we are maintaining the.
D
School to test our of what we can is there heat now throughout the building, there's always been.
D
Heat throughout the building
um
until we change the mechanical part last year, yeah, we just want.
I
To just again sometimes manufacturing getting parts is not an easy thing, so we had a feed.
D
Tank that the inner float
uh
just rotted off just it is what it is.
It's wear and tear so.
D
It took us a while.
We had to constantly go out just montana into the water, with the boilers.
D
And now that's been replaced.
I think it's, it's a repeat, and we've talked about it before, but the.
A
The original money that was earmarked if we were going to completely rent out sherburne was 86.
B
We had three in the cip as a placeholder against some some code, compliance plus.
So I think it's a.
A
Good one to you know, I think we just we all know that and move on from it, but it's a good one to.
A
Keep bringing back the public okay, so this was to stay where we were was a potentially.
A
A million dollar project: instead, we have the ability to give our kids a better facility.
A
um
And help you know, put the city in a position to deal with housing at the same time.
So
um
I don't.
A
Want to lose track of that and the city thinks they're going to keep the building correct.
Yeah.
L
I mean that's not what it doesn't sound like.
We did with the other facilities throughout the years.
D
Of jones atlantic heights and wentworth school and lafayette skull and then it'll just go back.
D
That's right.
Look at all those schools that the city has taken over and made beautiful 28 years.
B
And my last question is: did you have you been able to fix the water fountains at the.
B
um
High school one that has the guy she's nancy, this is nancy.
Looking out for jumbo hair yeah.
I
That's exactly what it is matthew and we met and already they've been going through, putting.
D
The parts back together to deactivate them to activate them back up.
We also have
uh
three.
D
More bottle fill stations add to the high school it's free for three more for the middle school.
D
As well as strategic, we start increasing those out through well, so they weren't broken.
They.
D
Were just completely shut down and you have to trash bag and except not kids, pour things down.
D
And they they smell, and so we, you know it kind of looks bad with a trash bag.
But that's [laughter].
D
For coffee nancy, I have a quick question on to follow up on your question around.
G
um
New franklin needing more space, so it's more of a clarification is that and then dondero I know, is.
G
Also put in a request, but when we did the look at possible redistricting,
um
the buildings were not.
G
At capacity correct and close to capacity, so I'm just trying to get clear.
I'm not saying I don't.
G
Support if they need, but what was that I know what's the need- and I guess I'm also thinking.
G
About knowing that, like our family community, currently is shrinking in portsmith like how.
G
Are we weighing those things against
um
you know?
Is it an immediate need?
We would want to fill.
G
That immediate need, but is, is the long-term dollar question towards like we feel immediate need and.
G
A couple of the comments that I think we've heard in the budget cycle have been.
I have.
E
I'm making it up because I can't tell the specifics, but I should, but I I have.
E
I have traditionally had three kindergartens.
I have four, which means next year, I'll need four.
E
Ones, but I normally have three and four and four and the presumption is, if I have four.
E
Now then, I'm gonna have four come behind, but if I have three combined, I really don't need.
E
Another room I'll just shift, but who's got the crystal ball.
So I I'd have to drill down.
E
Into some of those, I think there's a couple of them where the expectation is if this continues.
E
On in year, whatever kate's talking, 25 or joanne was talking somebody's looking out, I think it's.
E
About projecting, where, where they're going to be based on where they they know, they are now.
E
And think they're going to be, but right now we have classrooms for everybody and if yeah.
G
If a bubble moves up and
uh
and a lower number comes in behind them, then we free up a classroom.
E
But there's there's transition is that fair is that I know ratios are good in our classrooms.
G
And it's one of those things about where you know what
um
yeah?
What do we want as a classroom ratio.
A
For like a kindergarten classroom or you know and there's
um
and there's the ideal and then.
A
There's what we, what is still possible and good good practice.
So I you know, I think, and I think.
A
We are, I mean, definitely that's conversations with
um
thunderro about the size of some of.
A
Their some of their classrooms
um
and how much further in terms of class size stuff, they would.
A
Want to go and at what point are they worried about programming, but I do think in terms of.
A
um
You know strategic planning, one of the things we've got to look at is, and we've seen those.
A
Enrollment numbers: we see what what it looks like
um
to what extent does it make sense to.
A
Do those types of projects, if we don't anticipate that we anticipate that we're going to continue.
A
To shrink right, so it's a great question.
Thank you.
I just was trying to clarify.
Oh is.
A
That, and sometimes too of course, when principles I mean they're talking about programming, you know.
A
And they've got ideas about about.
Ideally, I would have three more spaces when I had those three.
A
Spaces, this is where we could do pedagogically.
That would be different than what we do right.
A
Now those types of things, so I think those are all important conversations yeah for sure.
I agree.
B
Kerry had a question.
Well, I have one question related and then I I wanted to ask another.
K
Question after that that
um
I, because so many people made different decisions than they normally.
K
Would have during covid as far as enrollment, so especially delaying kindergarten enrollment.
K
Going to private school for kindergarten- and you know doing different things- is there any.
K
Way with registration info, we can get a handle on sort of how these last three years look different.
K
In starting enrollment or if there was a lot of delayed enrollment, the state report has all.
F
That yeah, that state report that we get shows how many numbers, though, but so like, are you.
K
Having lots of six-year-olds start kindergarten?
Are you having lots of it's more a lot of folks.
K
That started when they were eligible to start kindergarten didn't and waited another year right.
A
And- and I don't yeah I don't have and I don't know I was just having this conversation, the.
A
Other day about about our kind of kindergarten registration process, because it actually, it was.
A
It was coming off of dondero and it was like okay.
What do we think?
What are we projecting.
A
For next year, and when do we think we're going to have really solid numbers, and I was for me.
A
Still, educating myself about stuff, it was what's our registration process, look like you know, do.
A
We have a registration, slash, screening, slash, you know, whatever I'm used to that being kind.
A
Of like an april, we're bringing people in a really yeah
um
and get having an opportunity.
A
To really get firmer kind of committals from people as to what they're going to be doing.
A
um
But it's my impression was that that is not as big a deal yeah here and so
um
so as a result, we.
A
Have less of a handle in the early spring than what I'm used to about what could be hitting.
A
Us in the in the fall so interesting, yeah, that's yeah, because it's august for at least new franklin.
K
um
Right so right, my other question and it it's not necessarily I mean I love having you here, but.
K
I, if you are looking to leave, I I wanted to us to talk about essentially the green sheet.
K
Because I and and really talk a little bit about the overall budget
um
before we do that, do we.
B
Have any questions more questions, but kenny
um
can you stand?
I mean if I'm done answering questions.
D
You should definitely rest up because you know I heard a rumor there's white stuff yeah.
Oh yeah,.
H
If you looked into nuclear power, yeah yeah it gets out of seabrook goes south.
B
Yeah
um
kenny, thank you.
Thank you.
That was awesome.
Thank you so much great job.
Okay,.
B
um
All right we'll, let's wrap up at 8 30., so we have about 15 more minutes, how's, that okay, okay,.
B
What is your question carrie?
I?
I would like to first summarize my impressions from our.
K
First, discussion of the present presentation of the budget so based on our binders and our.
K
White sheep: we are at a four percent increase, which we really really don't want to go over.
K
um
And then, and and then after having had a five percent increase last year,.
K
um
And then there's this whole list of green sheet, things that are things that were proposed that are.
K
Not in that four percent increased budget, and so as much in this, the energy stuff and all of.
K
The like kenny stuff was really important because there's so many increases to understand that.
But I.
K
Guess I don't, I know that we have other workshops scheduled.
Do you already have a plan for those.
K
And, or do we need to, I I don't know great we want to so I think we want to have a process.
A
That's driven by the things you want to dig into right.
So what?
But we also didn't want to have.
A
um
Nothing as a default as well so we've so right now in terms of the two workshop sessions.
A
um
That were we had
um
tom lotz from it coming in.
uh
Let's talk about that.
A
Talk about kind of machines and placement cycles and personnel thing and then the last.
A
um
The last, which nathan tells me is usually takes.
The whole time is
uh
jeanette souther to talk.
A
About people, services, special ed and everything in that arena, so right now that's what we have.
A
Scheduled but we can schedule, we can schedule additional people to come in around particular.
A
Topics or issues that you want to dive into in a deeper way, I mean, I think, that the the one piece I.
K
For me, so I I love jeanette and learning about all of that.
I don't necessarily feel like.
I have any.
K
Questions after reviewing the special ed budget, it is what it is, and that's always where we come to.
K
It or that's in the one other conversation I've had because this is my second year on the board.
K
That's where we came during the conversation, and it sounds like that's usually where we come to.
K
um
I guess my biggest question or concern is the transition of esther positions, because that is.
K
A commitment that we talked about and that's not really a person or a topic- I guess that's.
K
Nathan, but
um
but I think it would be helpful without picking out each individual thing.
K
To understand what the impression was from the staff about these things, not.
K
Making it into the proposed budgets, if there were any egregious concerns.
K
That came up, but also how we might better plan for the transition of these sr things.
A
Let me speak to this part first, so I think we talked about this.
The other night, the.
A
The things that you have included so even just to make the green sheet.
A
Greensheet are things that were brought to us by kind of the people that oversee the cost centers.
A
So it's department heads principles, directors, so so there are others so in terms of staff in.
A
General, like the whole, everybody who works for us,
um
there could be things that were on the cutting.
A
Room floor before it even got to us that some people in the district would
um
would feel really.
A
Passionate about
um
so I I don't and we didn't ask you know when we talked to principals, the.
A
Conversation or department heads it wasn't hey.
What were what were things that people did you.
A
Have anybody advocate for something and was there something significant you left out now I get the.
A
Impression, generally, there wasn't a ton right, you know
um
there wasn't like.
Oh geez, I've got.
A
um
You know I've got several people in my building who are really on fire about the.
A
Fact that I did not include blank as part of this, but it wasn't, it wasn't formally part of.
A
Our part of our conversation, so there could be a pocket here or there, where there's a.
A
Small group of people who are worried about a particular thing that we didn't see but.
A
Generally, it did not get the impression that there was that there was a lot of that stuff.
E
It wasn't heavily scrutinized or debated so even on this green list when the when the leadership.
E
Team saw it there were there were.
There was at least one member of the leadership team.
E
Who said, I don't need that who proposed that for me, because you have department heads who think we.
E
Need certain things in a curricular department and principals who think that would be the farthest.
E
Thing from my priority: why would they think that?
Well, because their lens is different than yours,.
E
So so this didn't even go through that kind of sifting, right and and the sense my sense.
E
Was you can even see if you look at number six and of course, in the course of the conversation.
E
And I'll just call it out with that principle that principal said I'd trade, three of these for one of.
E
Those, but I'm not sure that that's con might be, but it may not be consistent with what the.
E
Administrator responsible for that realm would want to do or could or could do could do.
Okay,.
K
So it's all all of that stuff is here.
There were a couple of other.
You know, someday it'd, be nice.
E
If I had
uh
and those things I didn't include, because they were really kind of far-fetched.
K
We'd all like to have a personal assistant, but no you don't get one of those.
You know I mean it's.
E
Whatever they were, it didn't rise to the point of, but but otherwise this is pretty much everything.
E
That they were, like you know what we really could use is, and I didn't want to follow up with.
A
um
One and you kind of mentioned already, which was we did something that over the last many.
A
Years hadn't been done so we went actually went back to principles.
Yes, we didn't bring in all.
A
The department heads for that conversation,
um
so if you were like the pe department head, you.
A
Weren't part of it, but we brought principals and directors back in and why walk through our.
A
Rationale the things that people had asked for to what nathan's saying we you know we said this is.
A
What was asked for from the different cost centers and gave people kind of a final opportunity which.
A
They hadn't had before just to say like is there?
Is there something you want to make another case.
A
For this is the time, but they also now they also knew before being presented that option.
What the.
A
Same thing, we walked you guys through here's, a rationale: here's our theory of action, about how.
A
We developed the budget, here's where the city comes into play, here's what we're trying to do.
A
Here's our concern, so we walk through all of that first and then talked about the things.
A
They had asked us for and then gave them another opportunity and- and we didn't get anything back.
A
Now that doesn't mean there weren't some people in the room, maybe who were like?
I really would like.
A
To have this thing, but I don't know that I want to.
I don't know in front of all my colleagues.
I.
A
Want to say my things more important than their things,
um
so I mean that's possible that it could.
A
Have been an element, sorry, at least I know you had to hand it for a long time, but I wanted to.
J
I'm sorry I wanted to follow up on what carrie was saying, because I I don't know that we need.
J
A whole extra panel to sort of rehash all of these things, but I do feel like at the end of the budget.
J
Process last year there was a lot of concern about moving those positions out of our budget.
J
And into esser- and I understand- we of course have to work cooperative with the council and it's a.
J
Process and it's a conversation, but I think that just some communication patient, you know a fact.
J
Sheet in a district newsletter, or some other, just simple: okay, all those people who came to all the.
J
Town halls and did all the surveys and asked for all the things and heard from all the teachers.
J
Around the district about different things that they thought we should do they're not here and.
J
There could be really good and legitimate reasons why we set the priorities we did, but I don't know.
J
That we ever articulated that in a super clear way, so I think just having some communication around.
J
Why those positions are now coming out of us or because people don't remember that.
J
And they also don't remember what happened to all the things that got brought up in all the.
J
Town halls that were things that people said they wanted.
Do you know what I mean I just.
J
Think, as we're kind of going back through the budget, we're saying we're adding maybe one fte.
J
There's a lot of reasons for that and it's an economy that we're in.
But I just think.
J
Explaining that clearly brian, do you have a hand up sorry?
Yes, I do.
You know.
H
I realized hey, there's something on my arm.
M
Yeah, I think the the biggest thing that I've noticed in these budget cycles is.
M
Sort of at least the last four years, or so it's been, you know.
M
um
Sort of the I don't.
I can't remember that the terminology, but continuing operating budget or.
M
Whatever has always been around four percent right, so we're going to be facing this exact.
M
Same issue at four percent- and I just did the math- is about roughly one and a half percent.
M
um
That you know is being put into asset right now that we would have to absorb next year.
M
So something we should consider, because you know, I think we got sort of a pass last year.
M
Because you know the inflation and stuff was high and people sort of understood.
But you know.
M
If we face the same thing next year, we could be,
um
we could lose some of these positions.
M
So
um
you know, part of part of me wants to say: okay, I know that there's.
M
um
You know part of this is give and take in the conversation.
Maybe we should start looking.
M
At a couple of these and say are these things we absolutely 100 want, maybe just take a percentage.
M
um
Of some of it, let's think about it.
From that perspective, as opposed to giving a whole wallop of.
M
A 1.5 percent
um
next year.
I think it's something to consider when we're talking about this stuff.
M
So how would satin doll is 1.5 percent it's?
What is it you have about 500, 000 or 500, plus, okay, so.
M
I have on the green and the green sheet: it's 1.16 million right, yeah, okay or 1.1 million.
K
Oh just the top five are yeah.
Well I've, just I've just added them all up, I'm like if we.
M
Wanted to keep them all, and so I guess when you're talking about just the esser ones, right.
K
Just he was talking about yeah, yeah and yeah, and the sr ones in particular, I think, are around one.
M
Was like half a million dollars so yeah?
Well, I'm just you know with something to consider.
If I ran.
E
The numbers that zach asked me to have that I have to find in the book, but it's I want to say.
E
That adding 50 of those five positions kicked us up by .55.
I forget the dollar amount and so.
E
Adding all of the five took us up by 1.1 percent from the four that we're at now.
Just to give you.
E
That that's to the exclusion of everything else on the green sheet- that's just those esser and.
E
I I encourage you to have some conversation about if you're going to champion anything.
E
What what of those esther positions really have legs to stay long term and those that do what.
E
Percent of it should we start to swing for now, so that you make next year because you're right.
E
I think you're going to continue to see we we brought.
We brought the floor of arcola up on.
E
Almost all of our contracts to 3.0, and so what is been three and a half to three seven, five out of.
E
The gate just to status quo, continuing services is going to approach for every cycle.
Next yeah.
A
So I was just going to say two: is it's not as easy, of course, because it's not just about the.
A
The amount of money, but it's the timeline, so you can't just be like well, I like these two things.
A
And I don't like that so we'll put these together, we'll drop this other thing because it doesn't.
A
Matter september, 24th and all the money's gone.
So it's you know it's it's
um
and I think that's when.
A
We built this.
That was the thing it was.
I think I was that was part.
I was most uncomfortable with.
A
Was presenting you with something that was for and still puts us in a position where we're in what.
A
A little bit of a panicky mode move next year, maybe if we don't take on some of that, I mean.
M
I get worried about it or lose it kind of a deal too, that's true too yeah yeah but hope.
Oh, I think.
G
Margo was oh man.
You were ahead of me you're right.
um
I guess I'm looking at these things.
G
And two of them that fall into us are fall into mental health.
Two of them fall into math.
G
So I'll just re-request, because we have a new administration here, so I had requested back.
G
In the day when we first started talking about esser, there's a lot of talk about math tutors.
G
Needed and math intervention and could we kind of look at our math program and what.
G
We might need to actually develop in our district for a comprehensive math program.
G
um
And, and could that be presented to us what that might look like that never happened, perhaps in all.
G
The transition, but the reason I asked for that is because phs had a math tutor interventionist at.
G
One time, then, that got taken off the books and taken away now they're asking for it back for.
G
Office good reasons, but instead of us doing these band-aids and then we don't need it anymore.
Can we.
G
Can we look at our program and see where the supports are needed for the long term and.
G
Where the gaps are and kind of, just have a more comprehensive look at it than just oh we're short.
G
Here right now, because I feel like we're being a little more reactive to math problems in our.
G
District and then
um
the other thing I had asked for is a
um
I'd really like an understanding of.
G
Our social work guidance, counselors psychologists, all of those positions in one place, because.
G
Again, we keep getting requests.
I think, for good reason for needing these types of positions, but.
G
um
I have never seen since I've been on the board or even in this district.
G
um
What what all those resources are and where they are and what their roles are in the district.
G
And so for me to be able to really understand the needs here and are we overlapping?
Are we using all.
G
These positions and the best capacity- that's something I would really appreciate, seeing as.
G
We have more of these because I'm surprised that there's not an additional counselor position, not.
G
Guidance counselor but counselor physician at phs,
um
knowing that eileen is constantly requested and.
G
I know she's out on the turning leave right now, so poor, mr winner's store is like being beat down.
G
I mean I've got three kids at the high school.
I go in that room, a lot and those it's a revolving.
G
Door in the counselor's office, so I'm just really surprised to see that we don't have that here.
I.
G
I don't know if they just feel that's not needed, but that hasn't been what's been communicated by.
G
Highly in her own presentation, so when she originally came on she's, not even fully doing.
G
Her position that she was hired for yet because she's making up the difference in other positions.
G
So to me, that's a little bit of a red flag of why we I mean I love her.
I think she's doing a great.
G
Job and I love that she's been able to take up the slack in not slack, that's the wrong word.
That's.
G
The wrong word: I'm not saying anyone slacking but fill the gaps, I would say in other needed areas.
G
But we did hire her for particular reasons and she really hasn't been able to get to some of those.
G
Things yet so I'm I'm just kind of confused there is.
Why there's, I think I mean interrupt the other.
E
Questions, but to answer that a little, I think the analysis is useful.
I think it's important that you.
E
Know that that you see some of the resources that are outside of the general fund that are in some.
E
Federal funds, and otherwise it's hard.
The highly position is hard because eileen's understanding of.
E
The job as she's talked to me about it.
It seemed similar to what she said: addie's understanding.
E
Of the job and the needs doesn't seem to have been coupled with the job that she, the person.
E
She replaced was always funded, or at least in the recent history had been funded.
Almost 70 percent.
E
By this dhhs grant, and so she describes very very eloquently the work that she intends to do, which.
E
Is different from the work that the grant pays for and I think without argument it could and.
E
Should be to positions, but it never was okay and and so that's new information yeah, so she replaced.
E
The position marcy blanchette was in, and I think marcy's marcy's certification and her role may.
E
Have been more consistent with the goals of the dhhs grant, that was funding a big chunk of her.
E
And this budget doesn't fully fund the position in the district and exclude the the dhs money.
E
Or leave that orphan to fund itself, whatever it can afford?
I'm sorry I mean is mr winters.
G
Also in that grant, or is he he's front line item different line item even though he plays similar.
G
Role right,
uh
okay, so this is the dhs, is a student funding sources and trying to use funding sources.
G
To like make this as efficient in terms of the finances as possible too well that wasn't made.
G
Clear when we went through the hiring it seemed like it wasn't making it to me.
She was like well.
E
And I said I I didn't I wasn't there, I don't know ali, but it's the position's always been funded in.
E
A large part I mean more than half 70 has been funded out of this, but it was even pitched in in.
G
Courtney richards, like her presentation to the board before eiley, was hired like we're gonna.
G
Get this new person- and this is what the so I I would love to see her- be able to do do that job.
E
What was pitched to the board?
Because that was one of the reasons of us- supporting the hiring.
G
There was never at least maybe I was asleep at the will at that meeting, but I don't recall ever being.
G
Told that that position was ever funded by a grant that right, that's news to me as a board member, so.
G
That's why I'm so you'll see that I really would like to understand these positions in our district.
G
Because the reality is mental health costs, I mean brian's right we're going to be four percent out.
G
The gate from here on out, that's just reality.
You know costs are going up, not just like retirement.
G
But health benefits dental benefits like we'll be lucky.
If we get to stay at four percent out, the.
G
Gate right, like that's the reality, so this is why other districts are putting in 6.5 percent budgets.
G
And I think we have to be bold enough to you know say just like we did with our superintendent, hey.
G
There's an increase here because he can't afford to live in portsmouth if we don't give it to.
G
Him like we have to say we need these things and with mental health.
I think we need to continue to.
G
Advocate for those things, one more one more thing on ali is that I think that the other thing can we.
K
Not talk about specific people, because it's it's it's our it's a personality and talk about it and.
K
It's the position, so I just sorry it came up again.
That's what I was going to say.
I appreciate it.
E
The other thing that's a challenge about the position is that I think the grant the dhhs.
E
Grant was awarded
uh
and is being managed these last this last cycle and a half differently.
E
There's a new agency, instead of it being handled internally by the department, it's being handled.
E
Externally, by an agency that was contracted and they are to the letter
uh
expecting and demanding.
E
um
Accountability reporting, I think, it's very possible that, through at least the last few.
E
Cycles of the previous employee,
uh
the the expectations of the department for the funds.
E
Were lacks by comparison, and, and so we maybe it may have been able to do more comfortably whatever.
E
We needed in the high school with those funds, as opposed to conforming to the letter of the of the.
E
Grant terms and conditions still satisfying the grant, but not necessarily doing it so exclusively.
E
As as the current employee is being driven to, I think so by those expectations, so somebody else.
E
Would have to weigh in more because I've only been on the periphery of that, but you'll see.
E
The position as it stands right now is 31.
I think in the district budget, in the guidance area of the.
E
High school in 109.
and how do how to suck is that by I mean, are we asking students to say I mean I.
G
Understand that, yes, it's important to listen to our faculty as well, but are we asking students.
G
Where they feel there's more need for their own resources, or are we just kind of taking it by.
G
What student demand is walking through the door, or do we really so so I would say: never that's.
A
Formalized so I I it's not a formalized process where we ask students what we should invest.
A
um
In for the budget
um
there, no, I wasn't suggesting that specifically, I just mean.
A
Resources, but in terms of what how the high school team came together with with this particular.
A
Proposal and their thought process about how to you know what type of resources they ask for and.
A
How to how to allocate that, within kind of the bigger guidance umbrella,
um
I you know, we've had.
A
Some come, but that was part of a short.
It was a short, very short conversation around around.
A
Stuff, so I don't, I can't speak to why steve and his team felt this particular.
A
Kind of arrangement at the moment is the way to go.
I would, but I would guess, being in a similar.
A
Situation that until you have the ability, as a building leader, to do a deep dive in a particular.
A
Department, you're not inclined to make radical changes inside of that department yeah.
This.
G
This social worker position ad well, is that for the whole district.
G
What's well the wellness, but it's that specific center 182 is the wellness.
Yes, health center and.
E
That's where that's, where I figured, I would put that position if it were district will.
G
It be a district-wide position or will it be signed to a particular building?
I mean I.
A
So I don't think that there wasn't a heavy consideration yeah that position right now.
E
Like we'd, like it, yeah position is based at the middle school.
Now.
G
But there wasn't a request for it at any particular building.
This is a new positions.
J
Absolutely yeah yeah.
I will be very quick because we're past our time, but interestingly hopes was.
F
Right on the my thinking like I, it would be really difficult for me to sit here as a board.
F
Member after hearing seeing our state test scores for math and science for the last three years,.
F
And not roll that into a more serious position in hearing for two years.
The increased need for.
F
Mental health and the success of our social worker position we know, has been it's like.
We can't walk.
F
Away from that and put it on a green sheet that feels incredibly fiscally irresponsible.
So I guess.
F
What I'm asking for is, if we're going to do a study on our math program, I think we have.
F
To rule science into that, because we are below state levels, we've been trending that direction.
F
For years, this is not new news, so we have to.
We can't keep putting band-aids on with our.
F
Budgets, we haven't got to be proactive, I'd like a breakdown in guidance, because I agree with hope.
F
I think we have positions that are not clearly defined.
I think we probably have the manpower.
F
But maybe we're not meeting the modern needs that have arisen, but I guess the part that I really.
F
Struggle with is we've heard from our students on more than one board occasion asking for more.
F
Guidance and asking for a laid act- and this is the second budget cycle in a row- it's it's not there.
F
It feels when you have students who are advocating for that need eloquently in front of a board.
F
And for it to never make it into a proposal feels uncomfortable.
F
Portsmouth is not separate from the trends that are happening in the country right now.
We are.
F
Seeing a rise in addiction, we are seeing a rise in mental health.
I I'm not comfortable with the.
F
Purple sheet, not reflecting any of that, so that's right!
So if this purple shade is how we're going.
F
To land I as a board member need a wealth, more of information on the guidance breakdown, I'd.
F
Like to know why we still aren't considering a laidac or is there a place to put it in.
F
And if we've done as we look at that math study, because we know we've heard for years, we need.
F
The math tutor and interventionists, I think it would be foolish not to add science into.
F
That, because it's following it's just one year behind that trend, but actually moving faster.
F
And I think we're going to end up with a seven percent need next year.
If we don't incorporate.
F
That into the discussion this year, so keep in mind that if we were to add these five that are on the.
B
Green sheet, the first five, the sr ones.
If brian's math is correct, it adds one point.
No, I don't it.
M
Was a 1.5, so it comes out.
I was actually trying to figure out next year, so yeah yeah yeah right.
B
But the total would be a 5.5, no no 4.55 or we're going to add those five years.
No, I'm saying that.
E
100, if you do it at 100, you'd, add 1.1, so you'd go to four point: you go to 5.1 overall would be.
B
So everybody keep that in mind.
Do we want to go to 5.1, just as an example, if we were to add positions.
B
We might get up to a 5.1 percent or a five, but that's adding a hundred percent of the position.
F
Right you originally proposed 50 right rolling it out for two years right.
Yeah, we talked about.
G
Slowly, integrating those positions in it's.
What I recall voting on is that we would take those.
G
And we would slowly roll out those salaries in your defense.
You had three positions right.
E
That you thought you would do 50 the this first year coming and then this next 50 you pick up it.
E
Was at the end of the budget cycle that the city council pushed us and we took the math.
E
Tutor at the middle school and the social worker position, and we pushed no, no I'm sorry, the math.
E
Tutor and the guy, it's the first two on the list.
The first two were budgeted through your process.
E
Out to city council, they were in the general fund budget
um
and the city council opted to.
E
Have us push them out and I said at the last breath and I'm not I'm not proposing that now.
E
Necessarily, but I said please understand those: two positions will come back to you next year.
E
Because you push those out so today those would take us.
I'd have to look at the numbers, but but.
E
If we pushed all of those two back in it's 200 and 215 205 000., we never put these in please remind.
G
Me if I'm wrong nathan, we never put these in with the impression of taking them out.
We took week the.
L
First, two again based on being able to roll them in over a period of time.
The first two you were.
E
You expected would be fully in the budget this year and the other three that were new positions.
E
Newer positions you expected to pay for fully out of esser if fiscal 23, the one we're in now.
E
Half of it would be out of the district next year and then the full amount, the following and then.
E
They added those other two at the last day.
So now you have five of them that you confront whether.
E
You move somewhere all of one or two or some or all of all, five of them.
That's what we continue.
E
To maintain your first, your first line of oh, we got to have this he's dealing with those.
E
Five, unless you look at any of those and say that's transitional, that's short term, we can.
E
Let that go after september 24, but that would I I would just throw that out.
That's that's with.
E
You otherwise I'm running the numbers so that I'm prepared to answer your questions about.
E
um
Qualified lisa, you have the last word.
Oh well, I guess.
If our question here is what to do about.
J
The numbers on the green sheet and how to think about these positions, particularly in math and.
J
Science and mental health- I think we really should bring in people who can speak at a high level to.
J
How many kids are using these services like?
What are we seeing in test scores?
You know, I know like.
J
There was a high school path meeting where they talked about how many kids in math aren't getting.
J
What they need from just the basic classroom instruction for a variety of reasons that you.
J
Know may or may not have anything to do with the teachers might have a lot to do with the pandemic.
J
We don't know, but clearly more and more kids are needing second level intervention and then extra.
J
Help and I think to be able to buttress what the needs are as we're asking for the money is going.
J
To be really important, whatever we decide to do so, I think carrie started this by saying.
You know.
J
We do get the same spiel every year from janette about special ed, where most of that's federally.
J
Mandated so we're not really going to change that budget as a board, we're going to do what.
J
Those kids need and we are required to provide for them so having that insight is great, but I think.
J
It would be really important for this budget to hear what do we need?
What are we doing with the.
J
Dollars we have right now and what are we going to do with this extra money and what's the impact of.
J
Not providing it because can we also please look at our partnership with seacoast mental health and.
G
What's going on there, because I know
um
they don't have capacity, there's no waiting lists.
There's no.
J
Negative resources there's negative resources there, which is why I go back to.
Why aren't we.
H
Having more counselors within our foot within our building, I mean, I think that is part of the.
K
Longer term plan and strategy around you can't you know we, we can't, I don't think as a district.
It's.
K
Smart to assume health care for folks unless we have an embedded health center.
So it's not that.
K
Like it's not there and we make up for it, it's either.
We plan for other options to embed that.
K
But when you're talking about, if I see a patient at families first and the reimbursement is 200.
K
And if I saw them at the schools, it would be 60..
So there's just this financial point that, like.
K
We can't just keep putting things in without having that system, but that's a pole.
Another.
K
You've heard me, I just wanted social worker and a counselor in the school who's there to deal with.
J
Day in and day out, stressors that are coming up and are impacting kids ability to learn and like.
G
That's our job, even as a counselor said to me at seacoast mental health.
It would be helpful.
G
If schools, they weren't just talking about portsmouth's district, but if schools just had.
G
Someone because you, the partnerships, call up and say I really need you to see this kid, but there's.
G
No one there to then fax over to me right.
What am I seeing about this kid?
What's the work up.
G
On this kid, what like they come in cold to me- and you know that was pointed out to me
um
by.
G
Someone that's in the field, and I mean when we had covet carrie.
I I pointed out exactly what you're.
G
Talking about whether we like it or not, when the schools were closed, we we are in the business of.
G
Services we we were the place to go for kids to get fed yeah.
We got all kinds of calls and letters.
G
About you know, abuse going up in in homes of some children and that they're in a safe place, and they.
G
Have counseling and they have safe place to go to?
I know we don't call it guidance anymore, but to.
G
The counseling center, like all those things, were missing the moment the school doors were shut so.
G
Whether we like it or not, whether we have a system for it or not, we are providing those services.
B
Well, I think at our last budget meeting we didn't have any guests scheduled.
Is that correct?
So maybe.
B
Could if we could have the math department, math and science and the
um
mental health at that time,.
B
Even the last budget session we did not have a gift, I think we talked about, maybe gen I mean and.
K
Love jeanette amazing, but like maybe in addition to her, I don't know that.
I think what carrie's.
J
Saying you don't need it there's nothing.
We can do in special ed.
We are federally mandated for.
F
Those funds, the point of her coming was we love her, but we don't need her at that budget.
Yeah and.
F
She does a great job of explaining it.
I mean you still email that to us or share it.
I think it's.
B
Nice to hear that zack speak okay, okay, go ahead, so I I I I think we'll be.
I think.
What's going.
A
To be interesting is and we're look we're it's a difficult position to be in a spot to say to say.
A
Just give me I'll I'll take whatever you want to give me.
You know I mean like I'm, I gotta run this.
A
Place as long as it's going to go through and the city council is going to approve it I'll take you.
A
Know, let's put four more counselors in: let's do like you know, let's do a lot of stuff like I'm not.
A
Resistant to any of that, I just want to make sure that we can land what we what our plan, whatever.
A
The plan is that we think is solid, that it's actually going to go through those.
So that's one.
A
um
And then I you know I I.
I also think that if you bring in and I'm I'm cool with, this is.
A
A process, but if you want to bring in people who are in math and science, to talk about whether or.
A
Not we need math, math or science help they're going to give you unbelievably passionate.
Well.
A
Thought out thing that that's the case, if you bring in somebody from guidance in counseling.
A
World to talk about whether or not you need more counselors they're going to give you the unbelievably convincing, passionate
uh
defense as to why that's the case, you just pick whoever.
A
It is you're going to bring them in they're, going to give you an unbel, because there's.
A
Need everywhere, so I'm not saying don't do that.
You have an interest in certain areas.
People and.
A
Have that conversation you will walk out of that conversation, convinced that we should.
A
Add people in those areas, so is it possible to get like margot just set data on that like it.
B
May depends on what you need them to come, but could we have the data of how many students.
B
Need these services that I'm getting them and how many kids really do need the extra help in math.
B
Science, I think that's pretty, that's that's a formula I mean.
I think these are great test scores.
B
Middle schools, high schools can they be split?
What is like, I said, what's.
G
The program really look like in the district wide.
G
That where's the data on the math to show us like where's the breakdown, that's occurring, that.
G
You know patty and I will work around what data is available to answer some of those questions.
A
But some of that data may be incomplete, you know in terms and and the level of precision.
A
You're going to want, in order to make some of the judgments you probably would want to.
A
Make it might not be available or it might not be chewed
uh
in a way that is, you know.
A
Summarized and actionable again we're happy to to make an attempt, but some of this stuff is a.
A
Much deeper data diet and some kind of data you're going to be expecting quantitative.
N
You're going to be expecting numbers, and some of it might just be qualitative anecdotal.
N
Information about students that are needing these things, because this is not something.
N
You don't necessarily harvest data for the the inverse who's, not getting something.
Well, you.
N
Don't know because the kid walks by the counseling office it's packed, I'm not going to go in there.
We.
N
Don't necessarily know who those kids are.
We can give you numbers about kids who are using, who are.
N
In math intervention we can who are using the tutor, those kinds of things you've got the math.
N
Scores you know what those are and so there's a way to make an inference from that information.
N
But I also think too, and one of the things I just had the conversation last week with.
N
The math intervention is that they hired at the high school, and I was sitting with the curriculum.
N
Director and we were talking about well, what is it about math?
It just seems to be a universal issue.
N
You're constantly reading you're reading all the time, but you're not mapping all the time.
N
You're not constantly doing arithmetic problems, you're not constantly doing that.
N
So it's that constant, reminding and re-coaching and retraining and reteaching and those are the.
N
Areas that end up developing the holes, because even if you're home during the pandemic, you're.
N
You're sitting you're reading you're going over things, even if you're reading for pleasure.
That's.
N
Constantly happening, math is a different approach, so there's always need for math.
N
Intervention, regardless of you, know how the students are performing, so those are just some.
N
Of the things I mean, we could definitely look for that, but I don't know that we're going to.
N
Get it to the specificity like zach, said that you're looking for to be able to make that.
N
Decision for yourselves what I'm, what I'm for is.
I want to have a better on like trying to.
G
Kind of dive into this, but I just say we have a block schedule, yep that leaves a huge gap with.
G
Math for a lot of kids like go, they can go and have math at the beginning of the year and not.
G
Have math again until a whole another year, that's a huge problem with math, and so that's what I'm.
G
Asking when I read math interventionists and I look at the numbers, I want to understand.
G
What is that role?
How many kids is that person going to be able to serve?
Is that going to be.
G
District-Wide is that only going to be at the high school?
Is that going to be only serving a.
G
Small number of kids that are, you know failing out or is that going to catch the middles that aren't.
G
In honors, but maybe still want grasping level whatever we have at the high school right now,.
G
I want to understand more of the capacity of the role, not just it's an interventionist, because.
G
Then we get down the road and we think we covered that with a counselor or we covered that with an.
G
Intervention only to find oh, no, no, that person's only doing this small slither does that make sense.
N
It makes sense, so you want to know I'm going to fixed it.
If we just didn't have one person and.
G
We looked at the program and fixed it through a program or a different schedule, or I don't know.
N
You want to know how the positions are being used.
Yes, I mean that I can I mean that we can.
A
Do that we can do which is like here are here: are people that are inside of that sphere, which.
A
Is this combination of of
um
we'll call them counseling ask roles, and here they are in terms.
A
Of where they are in each building, here's how they're funded and here's a general description.
A
Of what they they're actually doing, that we can do is still going to take us some time we'll be.
A
Scrambling in order to pull it together in time to to put in front of you in a way that is going.
A
To be helpful, well, we also had phil davis when he was here, and he made a big point of raving.
C
About the math interventionalists, and also the social worker yeah and the social worker has.
C
Been working miracles there, that was just part of his presentation, yeah and when I think about.
A
I think that's the challenge, though right is that when, if, when you have articulate people come and.
A
Tell a story about what's happening inside of their space and they're credible people that.
A
It's really easy for that to totally influence your conversation about a much bigger kind of.
A
How, how are we running things and what what's the system and how does it all kind of come.
A
Together, but it's but it's, but even in those situations, those it was all anecdotal right.
C
But as a result of what he said, I contacted all the nurses in all the schools and offered them.
C
The share program that our church sponsors, where they provide food clothing,
uh
cars fixed all kinds.
C
Of things and the nurses were thrilled to get that information and it all came from the social worker.
C
At the middle school who had who had taken care of that right?
Okay,
uh
all right, we know we got.
B
Some people here carrie: can you keep it brief, though?
Can you keep okay, I won a backtrack and.
K
I think this is a really good conversation about the different things.
I don't think I would rather.
K
Wait until after this budget cycle to have a more comprehensive view of math utilizing.
K
Math science and counseling- I know we've talked about it.
We haven't had that topical focus thing.
K
But I am compelled that by yes, we cannot add more positions to this, but I think at a bare minimum.
I.
K
Would appreciate some form of an orange sheet or a yellow sheet that has color's been requested?
That.
K
Has these positions, these ass or positions that we said we would transition trans like it?
What that.
K
Would look like, and if that comes in reasonable, because we're talking about what else we need and.
K
I don't, I think that we need to just talk about what we need to do, to ensure that these important.
K
Positions continue and then and later take that deep dive.
But I would also ask that that we come.
K
To consensus on this, so I'm saying I'm not getting what I I didn't get.
What I asked for nathan and.
K
You know you didn't do these five positions, you know, I think we need to just collectively either.
K
Through the vice chair and
uh
chair, are you chair?
Yes, president chair there,
um
you know, like, I think,.
K
That direction really needs to be summarized of like these are the things that we are expecting.
K
In these next meetings, because we've had a great conversation but there's been 20, things requested.
K
And they can't all be done.
Okay, we can decide that.
Well, I think we can summarize but yeah so so I do.
A
Think that's a it's a great point because we we as a team, we walk out of these conversations with.
A
Which of those things are we supposed to do?
Because it's because it is we we walk out and very.
A
Often, like I have a running list and I just keep and I'm and it's not a joke, we can walk out on.
A
Any given night and be like, we have 20 different requests, walking out of this meeting that we're.
A
Supposed to fulfill in a week-
um
and we can't do it with fidelity and can't do it deeply
um
and.
A
So then, it's just a matter of we walk back in the room.
How many people are going to be disappointed.
A
Or mad at us that we didn't complete the 20 things, while everything else is going on strategic plan.
A
Communication plan you know running the district, doing whatever
um
just running the district, so.
A
The
um
so so it would be helpful in as a process thing, and maybe we can't figure this out tonight.
A
When we wrap up a meeting or a conversation to be like these are the actual action steps we'd like.
A
To see before we return or here's a timeline by which we would want to do it, I think that.
A
Would help us as a team a lot?
Well, I can say my tier requests.
I've had on the table since.
G
I'm just saying that is something I have found, even with the last administration.
In my time as a.
G
Board member here it is difficult to continue to be asked for more social workers more.
This more.
G
That and it's like, we give them and they just kind of go in a black hole, and we don't really know.
G
What their positions are, or we come back to find out they're not really doing what we thought they.
G
Were going to be doing, and so they didn't really absorb the need, and so that would be very helpful.
G
For me, personally, I know it's abortion.
Brian has a comment.
Thank you hope.
M
Summarized that would be good, do it do it brian yeah.
I mean I think I hear what you're saying.
M
Zach about, like the you know, somebody's going to come up and give an impassioned speech and
um
the.
M
Problem, I think the unease that we have is that anecdotally, we see there's an incongruency of what.
M
We hear and then what we see in the sheet for the asks and so part of it.
You know, as you said, you.
M
Know I think part of it is the process needs to be more data driven, and I think that's hopefully.
M
With a strategic planning- and we can kind of roll that in because what you know you guys don't even.
M
Have the data right to and I'm sure that when you had the ask it's somebody literally asking and.
M
Trying to defend why they need it right, not not necessarily all data, so I think it talks about the.
M
Process, you know, needs to be looked at a little bit and I don't think it can be fixed any.
You know.
M
Without a really good strategic plan and really looking at it and the other piece, I want to point.
M
Out is the esther funds and I think the spirit of those esther funds was the acute need that we.
M
Have right- and I we kind of myopically focused on the idea of like oh we've- got to make sure we keep.
M
These positions, but if we have a need, we have the esser funds, probably should use them.
And if we do.
M
See some of these positions on the sheet that we want and we know what we're going to keep and we.
M
Should probably fund them?
That's you know, that's the way I feel about it and
um
that's my summary.
M
Okay, we will see everybody next,
uh
it's on tuesday, but perhaps jack you had promised at the beginning.
F
You would send out a google doc, we did oh see, you check your email in the middle of a meeting.
F
Not best practice, but on that note, then why they teach.
Why don't we summarize.
F
These questions in the google doc because it sounds to me what we're hearing is this board.
F
Is not necessarily in agreement with, what's been assigned to the workshops.
A
Yeah- and we like, I said well we're we're, we need to do what you need if those are in there, where's.
F
The point for you to give feedback back that that it's been received, and this is I'm not saying.
F
These are your working orders, but if you get never mind I I guess I know I I think I like, if.
K
There's a list of 20 things and you said as a team tomorrow and say here are the three things I think.
K
Are most important and these two kind of came out there?
I think that's up to nancy and margo to say.
K
Yeah go ahead with those three things and we will talk to carry about how four and five are.
K
Not going to happen, I I don't agree with that.
I don't think that it is just up to margot and.
G
Nancy, if we all have to give a vote on the board- and I don't feel like that- I am being informed to.
G
Give my vote, I I don't so I feel like one time we go into that google document and put our comments.
J
In there and let that steer where they decide to bring people in because then, if lots of people.
J
On the board have feedback on the same thing or questions on the same thing, then that can guide.
J
It because I agree with you a lot about a lot of the questions, but I can also understand why.
J
We might not either practically be able to ask all of this in the next month or whatever.
Okay.
L
Did that just go out, we were doing our job.
Kenny was
uh
kenny's in the midst of rebooting.
A
So those of us that are on our computers during multitasking, I applaud you for that.
Their models.
F
Yeah I know yeah before you before you adjourn.
I just want to remind you.
We have a full school.
E
Board meeting with a budget component next week on tuesday night, the 24th on wednesday night, the 25th.
E
At six o'clock in chambers, the city council is holding a budget workshop.
I I you can watch it at.
E
Home, you can come on youtube right, you can watch it online or you can come and be present.
I think.
E
It would be very important for all of the board to take an interest in what the it's so frustrating.
E
To me right I mean we're living it, but that we're done I mean we're not done we're just into.
E
The conversation now but the book's been worked.
We've been not on this for a couple two and a half.
E
Months or better and and the city's process its cycle, it's just different because of the timeline.
E
That they live with, but the guidance that's going to come out of tomorrow next wednesday night would.
E
Have been useful to us in october or in september, and so whatever it is, that comes up and is.
E
Discussed talking about trends talking about the city's one-time revenue, hit that we're going to.
E
Suffer with on the tax rate.
All of that, I think, is something that we'll bring it back to you to.
E
The extent that we can, but you guys being engaged in part of that conversation, I think, is important.
E
As well so this is the 25th at six o'clock yeah.
They haven't always done it like that, and I know.
E
That, with prior councils and prior manager, you guys had different guidance earlier in the cycle.
E
um
And it's just it's just working differently now, but I wanna I didn't want you guys to miss.
E
The fact that that's happening next wednesday night- I assume six thirty six, six, six, yes, they're.
E
Doing it at six they're gonna change and you can go one soon, because you can see it on youtube.
E
Resume motion to adjourn yes, so the second was around okay stains
uh
brian.
Can you drive.
