School budget decisions involve complex trade-offs between financial constraints and educational needs, requiring collaborative deliberation among committee members who must balance competing priorities such as student support services, administrative staffing, and municipal fiscal realities while ensuring transparency and community engagement throughout the process.
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School Committee Meeting - SC Budget Discussion & Vote (Hybrid Participation) 05-20-2026Added:
[music] [music] [music] [music] [music] >> Kim, are you almost ready?
Mr. Mayor, are you ready?
Or do you need another minute?
You got to change your hair to be like this.
All right, here we go.
Uh hello everybody, today is Wednesday, May 20th. It is 7:34 p.m. And I am calling the meeting to order. Our first order of business is the pledge of allegiance.
Uh I am going to actually go way off script here and I'm going to ask a member of our audience to lead us in the pledge. Mr. Mullen, will you please do that?
I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
Thank you, sir.
All right, before we get going, uh I want to um thank our city councilors who are in person in the back of the room hiding there. Uh we have from wards one and two, uh Mr. Todd Rotundo and Danielle Spain. I believe there are other councilors who are watching from home, so thank you uh for tuning in.
Um it's like even Steven cuz I was tuned in Monday night to their meeting, so um a lot of a lot of love going around the elected elected seat tables. Um Ms. Coello cannot be with us this evening as is often the case. Um >> [sighs] >> not everybody can accommodate serving their community because of their job requirements. And so, every so often, Ms. Coello has to work a night shift, and this is the night, and she was pre-scheduled for that. We're starting a little later because one of our committee members had um a conflict, and so we do our best to accommodate each other. Um we could have had this meeting next Wednesday night, the 27th, but that would have been cutting it really close for the mayor then to make his bigger, fuller budget to hand um to the city council. So, again, we're juggling a lot of things, and I apologize that she couldn't be here. I apologize that we had to make a meeting on a night that not everybody could be here. I do have some uh I'll say concepts of of a of an amendment that I might bring forward in her name, depending on how the rest of the conversation goes.
Um but before we get anywhere close to that, uh the next order of business is a vote to approve a new school business administrator.
And what I will say what I wish to say to this, um Mr. Taylor, thank you for asking to see the resume.
Um hopefully you guys all got that today, and you took a look. And but even if you didn't, um when Jean Sherburn left, I never in my wildest dreams thought that we could replace Jean.
And uh but then we got Ms. Emma, and she has been fan-freaking-tastic.
And so, Mr. Mullen, I bad news is a big set of shoes to fill, um maybe double set of shoes, Jean and Ms. Pugliese. Um but what I what I really want to say about it is there was a group of people who interviewed Emma, and we knew right away that Emma was the one.
And a lot of those same people were around the table doing the interviews for this uh for Mr. Mullen. And so, I feel feel good about the fact that um we're bringing this candidate forward and I hope that the rest of you will also, you know, either ask questions or via looking at his resume or taking the word of the interview committee, join me and voting to approve the superintendent's recommendation that we hire this gentleman.
With that said, Dr. Cushing, would you like to add anything? Thank you, President Visnick.
I just want to say uh I'm very excited to welcome Mr. Mullen on board with the approval of the school committee. Mr. Mullen brings experience from Bedford, Massachusetts presently. where he's been working as the business operations manager. His supervisors in that district praised his ability at RFPs, really being able to examine their work, offer strong suggestions, strong support, and also to help move the district forward from paper-based systems to more computerized systems. Also gave significant praise towards his ability to work with MUNIS, which is not the easiest of systems to work with at times, and a fine detail on accounting and other related uh topics. But the other thing too was how Mr. Mullen has been responsible for the end-of-year report which is a comprehensive document for the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education while he has been in Bedford and really excited to welcome him on to the Beverly Public Schools with the vote of approval for the committee. So, Mr. Mullen, if you'd feel free to stand up at the podium, I'll bring my microphone over.
Or Mhm.
Thanks.
Good evening.
Uh first I'd like to say thank you very much uh for considering me for this extremely important position within the school district. Uh I tend to take my responsibilities as school business manager uh ex- very seriously.
Uh I uh enjoy working with school committee members uh having been one myself for the past 11 years uh in my town uh and uh expressing um my thoughts, my visions for budgets uh while also listening to others as well.
Um budget management is and cre- creation and budget management uh not something that's done in a vacuum. It's an entire team that does that. And uh I look forward uh with your support this evening to be able to uh do that for the uh town of Beverly or city of Beverly, sorry.
I'd be happy to answer any questions you might have. Actually, I'll start with um mhm >> [clears throat] >> I'm looking for a motion that we approve the superintendent's recommendation to uh appoint Mr. Mullen as our school business administrator. So moved.
I'll second.
Can I ask a question? Um hold on 1 second. Ms. Quill, did you get those?
Fantastic. Thank you very much. Um yes, now the floor is open for questions. Mr. Taylor. Thank you. Thank you so much.
You know I have questions. So I'll just ask one, but I'll only ask one because we do have a packed agenda. I understand that. Um this is um uh you talked about internal controls in your resume and I think that's fantastic. So thank you very much for doing that.
Um maybe you could talk a little bit more about this. Um and Dr. Cushing, maybe you could tell us, you know, this person is you know, Mr. Mullins is going to be helping you out directly and what you see as as the things like Maybe you could talk about what what makes him a fantastic candidate.
Well, I think what makes him a fantastic candidate is um and this is coming from both his interview with me as well as his interview with the committee and reported by his references are two really standout things. Uh first, his willingness to learn, his willingness to uh reach out for answers that he might not know.
Um his willingness to really dig deep and to learn the systems of districts.
So, that's the first piece. The second piece uh that a superintendent on the North Shore um related to me was how focused he is on making sure that students are the center of his work. And there are frequent frequent times There are frequent times that it is easy to lose sight of that um when you're thinking of budgets and things of that nature. But the the student experience, student outcomes, how our students are learning, what resources we're putting towards our students are fundamentally critical to make sure that they are being successful. And so, uh hearing that uh was really uh important to my final decision.
All right, I'm going to pile on Mr. Mullins before we give you a chance to perhaps answer for yourself. Um so, again, I was on the interview committee to hire Emma and I was on the interview committee for this round. And um there were a few things that really struck me and one of them was that Mr. Mullins shared with us a story of a time in a community where there was incredible um conflict and he went directly to the source of that conflict and said, "Hey, you know, we need to do what's best for the community and that means it's not personal and whatever we have, we need to set it aside and we need to work on doing what's best."
I took incredible note of that. That is very important. Clearly, we still have some problems in our community. We need some more I continue to say we need more healing. We need to offer each other more grace. And so for that part of that interview, uh that was something I definitely noted.
Um I will ask Ms. Dusharme. She was one of the interviewers um the first round, I should say too. Thank you to Paul Manzo.
Um Mr. Manzo continues to serve our community in many ways and we're very appreciative for his service. Um so he was in on the first round of interviews but not on the kind of say wave, the first wave uh but wasn't able to come for the second wave and so thank you to Lindsey. She filled in. So you have to pretend she's Mr. Manzo right now. I Okay. Okay. I'll I'll do my best. I actually at the risk of sounding not very creative, I actually noticed the same thing and would sort of echo what you said. I really appreciated that example.
Um the willingness to work together.
Uh um disagree without being disagreeable um is a common phrase that I think we talk about a lot as a community. Um but also to keep students at the center was a piece that I picked up the most as well and really appreciated. So thanks for a chance to comment. Thank you. Do Would you like to pile on yourself? You Oh, I think you've done a very good job of that so far this evening. Thank you very much.
Um I I I would like to uh maybe expand a little bit on the on the comment. Uh You You know, it's I think every district, every town, every city has its challenges.
Um it's important that we face them, uh that we work together to correct them.
Uh and I always see it as my responsibility to ensure that my department, the finance department, is at the forefront of that. That we are extending our hands to city hall, town hall, to the people who work in their finance department.
Because at the end of the day, we are a team.
We're not municipality versus schools.
We are a city. We are a town. We need to work together to be successful. And that's something that I would definitely bring here to Beverly.
All right, I'm going to pile on one more thing before I'm going to look around and ask for last call, um and then we'll take our vote. I also heard Mr. Mullen say that he believes his job is to find a way to say yes.
And that's not always possible, but to have that in mind is a fantastic goal. And I think that all of us come to this table wanting to do what we think is best for the children of Beverly, and I think that um Mr. Mullen will have that same uh that same vigor in in trying to do the same thing and trying to find a way to say yes to help us do all the things that we want to do for our children.
All right, so that said, uh any more questions, comments?
All right.
Uh are we ready to vote?
All those in favor?
Any opposed? That passes 8 to 0 with Ms. Coelho missing. Mr. Mullen.
Welcome to the district.
>> [applause] [applause] >> Miss Visnick, I am here. I wanted to let you know I did vote yes. I am here.
Awesome. [cheering] >> [applause] >> All right. All right, but then that means that means I have to read my little thing about um Okay. So, um all right. I need to open my laptop to find the statement unless anybody has it handy-dandy about the fact that our community a two-minute recess and then we'll take that vote by roll call.
Yeah, do we have to second the the recess or do we just roll? Uh we've been loosey-goosey about that, but if you would like to second that recess, I'm looking at you. Two minutes.
Thank you for seconding.
>> [laughter] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] >> I'm call Yes. Yes, Mr. Kim. Thank you.
Calling us back in. I apologize.
So, here's here's the script when we have remote participation. Good evening and welcome to the Beverly School Committee meeting.
Today is May 20th.
We're meeting in a hybrid / remote model using a remote meeting application allowing for remote participation.
God bless you. Somebody over there.
There are no open portions of this evening's meeting, but BevCam Thank you, BevCam is streaming and broadcasting our meeting tonight. And pursuant to chapter two of the Acts of 2025, the requirement that a quorum of the public body and the chair be physically present at the meeting location remains suspended.
Tonight, Ms. Cuaelo is participating remotely.
And Ms. Cuaelo, can you please again respond audibly?
I am here. I can hear you all, but I cannot see anybody. Okay. Well, we don't I don't know. Okay. All right. I'm not worried about that. You know what we look like.
So, all right. So, you can hear us and we can hear you. And because members are participating remotely, we do need to conduct all votes by roll call.
Okay. So, that is our thank you um all the governors who made that be happening. Thank you, Ms. Ducharme, for your laptop.
Okay, so um so there's a motion on the table that we um approve the superintendent's uh recommendation to hire Mr. Mullen as our school business administrator, and we are going to do um a roll call vote. We're going to start with you, Mr. Mayor.
Yes.
Oh, I should have maybe started online.
Ms. Coello, how do you vote?
>> Yes. Yes, thank you.
Um Ms. Frost, Yes.
Ms. Cahill, Yes. Ms. Ducharme, Yes. Ms. Linnik, Yes. You can tell this is still hard for me, right? We're 6 months in and I'm still struggling. Ms. Robinson, Yes.
Mr. Taylor, I'm going to vote next so that Mr. Taylor has half of a second to get here. I vote yes.
And in from the bullpen, I'm going to keep with my little baseball logo uh lingo. Mr. Taylor, we're taking a roll call vote and we're waiting on you to make it 9 to 0. Okay, so I'll vote Mr. Yes. Yes. Yes.
Fantastic. Thank you. Uh that motion passes 9 to 0 unanimously.
Um thank you, everybody. Thank you, Mr. Mayor, for letting me know that Ms. Coello was online.
Okay, uh our next order of business on our agenda is a presentation by um Mayor Cahill.
I am appreciative of that slot, but I think I'd rather just be part of the discussion and talk some things through then. Okay. Okay, fantastic. Uh it's always better that we put things on and then not actually quote unquote need them. If we If they're not on there, as we all know, due to open meeting law, we can't talk about them if they're not on here. All right, so our next and biggest item for being here this evening is our budget discussion and then a vote. And what I would like to ask is that um we continue to be as nice to each other as we can. I'm going to ask that everybody gets a chance to talk at least once.
Um kind of like last meeting, if you brought something prepared to say and you want to read that into the record, um we can do that. And um I'm going to ask that you hold any motions until everybody has had at least one chance to go around the table. Um after everybody's had a chance to say whatever they may have prepared or whatever they may want to read off the cuff, then then I'll entertain motions and we'll um entertain uh possible amendments, etc. All right. Okay. So, fantastic, Mr. Shawn. I'm happy to go first. Um I did prepare something that I do wish to read so that I make sure to get all the points across that um I hope and intend to. But, I want to first thank um our new business manager for a comment that he made. Um he said we are a team and it's important that we work together. And so, it's in that spirit that um I bring forward my comments.
Tonight, we're being asked to vote on a budget during a moment when many families and residents are feeling stretched financially. I want to begin by acknowledging openly I want to begin by acknowledging that openly because the concerns people are raising are real.
For many households, the cost of living right now feels overwhelming. People are worried about housing, utilities, taxes, and simply keeping up. I hear that and I think everyone on this committee hears that. At the same time, we have a responsibility to be honest about the realities facing public education and municipal government right now.
The Financial Forecast Committee has been warning for years that Beverly was approaching a structural financial challenge.
The fiscal year 26 financial forecast projected a uh significant deficit for 2027 and outlined the growing pressures associated with labor costs, health care, special education, vocational tuition, and inflation that continues to outpace allowable municipal revenue growth under the prop 2 and 1/2.
These conversations began months ago through the financial forecast process in the fall of 25. Dr. Kushman consistently emphasized the importance of community engagement throughout that process in newsletters, school committee meetings, and budget presentations.
BAM can live stream those meetings and made those recordings publicly available.
None of this changes the frustration people feel today, but I do think it matters that this process has been happening publicly and thoughtfully over time.
What we are facing is not unique to Beverly. District leaderships and school committees across Massachusetts, especially in communities without large commercial tax bases, are grappling with incredibly difficult financial realities.
At the time public At the same time, public education nationally continues to face uncertainty around federal support and federal streams and funding streams.
The financial forecast committee specifically warned that reduction in federal education funding could create impacts municipalities simply do not have the capacity to fully absorb locally.
And while budgets are forecast and forecasts are important, what matters most is what all of this means for our students.
Our community continues to voice concerns about MTSS implementation, special education service delivery, and whether students are consistently receiving the support they need.
Those concerns are valid. They deserve attention, urgency, and accountability.
But those are adult responsibilities to solve. Kids do not create these financial realities. Kids are simply relying on us to navigate them responsibly.
I also think we need to acknowledge something that educators, families, and school leaders across this country are seeing every day.
Student needs are not what they were several years ago.
The academic, behavioral, emotional, and mental health needs of students have shifted in significant ways.
Schools are being asked to respond to challenges that are more complex, more intensive, and more widespread than they are than they were even a few years ago.
Those needs are not simply going to disappear because budgets are tight or because the work feels difficult.
We have a responsibility to continue doing the work to better understand what is driving these shifts. We need honest conversations about learning loss, mental health, social development, family stressors, technology, attendance, and the growing demands being placed on students and educators alike.
We need educators, families, administrators, community partners, and policy makers such as ourselves working together to address the root cause wherever we can.
But we also have to be realistic.
While we work to address causes, we have an immediate responsibility to address and support the symptoms showing up in our classrooms every day.
Students will need Students still need interventions. They still need special education services. They still need mental health support, structure, consistently consistency, and safe environments where they can learn and grow.
And schools need the staffing, systems, and resources necessary to respond to those realities appropriately.
I often say, and I'm not alone in this, that many things can be true at the same time. It can be true that residents are exhausted by raising costs. It can be true that families are worried about affordability. It can be true that taxpayers feel that they're being asked to carry too much.
And it can also be true that our students still need safe schools, strong supports, meaningful opportunities, and services sufficient to provide a free and appropriate education.
I also think it's important to acknowledge that even this critical needs budget may not fully meet every need that exists in our district. A critical needs budget, by definition, is not a wish list. It is an attempt to prioritize the most immediate and pressing needs while operating within very real financial constraints. There are needs we continue to hear about from families, educators, and staff around intervention systems, special education supports, mental health, staffing pressures, and student services that deserve continued attention beyond tonight's vote.
Supporting this budget does not mean we believe the work is finished. It means we recognize the work must continue.
Sorry.
I also want to acknowledge something else. Honestly, I'm almost done.
There is a real possibility that the city's city's overall financial picture may not ultimately support every element of the critical needs budget. That is part of the difficult reality we are navigating together.
But I do not believe that uncertainty relieves us of the responsibility to present the needs clearly and transparently.
Our role as school committee is to identify and communicate what our students and schools require to adequately support them.
The city council's role is to work alongside us, alongside the mayor, alongside district leadership, and determine what is financially possible and sustainable for the city as a whole.
That partnership matters deeply.
If we fail to present the actual needs of the district because we assume the answer will be no, then we deny our city partners and our community the opportunity to engage honestly in the conversation about what it takes to maintain the level of services our students deserve.
This is why I support the critical needs budget. Not because every part of it is easy, not because every part of it is possible, but because I believe it reflects the actual needs that exist in our district right now, and it gives our city's council partners the information they need to work alongside us in making this difficult decision for the future of Beverly.
Our responsibility is to be honest about the challenges, transparent with the community, collaborative with our city partners, and focused on students throughout the process.
Because at the end of the day, the kids are still looking at us, and we cannot stop showing up for them.
Thank you.
Fantastic. Before I look around the room to call on another hand, I want to recognize the fact that city councilor from Ward 4, Mr. Hausman has joined us in person.
All right.
And who else? Oh, hello. And in Ward 6, Mr. Ward 6 councilor, Matt St. Hilaire.
Thank you.
Sitting directly behind him is Spain.
And thus hiding.
All right.
All right.
Who would like to speak next?
Thank you for breaking the ice, Mr. Shawn.
Riley, nobody else wants to speak.
Miss Oh, go ahead, Miss Miss Cahill.
Um I My role here is to represent the people in my community and what they feel as though our needs are.
My role is clear that my voice is representing what their desires are, what their needs are, and what their expectations are from the school system.
That piece I take very seriously.
I have a really difficult time supporting any budget that's eliminating student-facing staff.
Um that I voted no on on school choice. I know it was financial decision for for a lot of you, but for me it was if we take 72 kids in and we send 72 kids out and 12 more families go for private school, I just don't think this budget is really servicing our community and our families the way that it needs to.
Um When we're talking about and I I I understand the need that we for an assistant principal on the middle school level.
I I absolutely agree that we need to have that, but if that means getting rid of or eliminating two fifth grade teachers that could probably lessen the burden on whatever else is going on, that's a critical year for our kids, too. We 6 years ago, 7 years ago, we had fifth graders in elementary school. Now we have them here and they probably need that more nurturing and more support than they needed in the elementary school environment because of the challenges that they're facing in middle school. I I can't see eliminating that staff. Um I do question, you know, like if we eliminate the um the registrar here in the middle school, who then is going to assume that responsibility? Is it going to be the clerical staff is going to assume that responsibility in addition to all the other things that they're doing that that they feel like they're stressed out with? Is it going to be the new assistant principal or or the assistant principal in all the units? Is it going to fall back to our school adjustment counselors? Who's going to fill in those spots when we start to eliminate positions that have been servicing the community and and for not like a big piece of the budget. Um so at this point looking at and I do really appreciate that the budgets were very thoughtful, that, you know, we asked to to to see what we wanted to see and we we told us what the priorities were and I and I do give um everybody credit for like spending all this time, this energy and I and our superintendent, I thank you very much for all of the effort that you put into this cuz I think that, you know, you you took all the options. I think the only alternative we have at this point in time is to say, "We're taxpayers in the city of Beverly. You know, our kids belong here in Beverly. We need to take care of them." And so it's up to city hall to fund a more significant budget than what we've got on the table right now.
Sorry, Mike.
Thank you, Mr. Cahill.
Um Ms. Lennox, were you considering speaking? I don't I don't want to put you on the spot. You don't have to.
>> Oh, no, I have something prepared. I just didn't want to follow Lindsay cuz that was really good.
>> [laughter] >> That's a very nice compliment.
>> Yeah, mine's not as eloquent as hers, but I will do my best.
Um, I realized that we, like many other cities and towns, [clears throat] are in tough financial times, and I also recognize it's really uncertain times for many people. Um, and I know everyone here cares very deeply about our schools, staff, and students.
I do want to make clear how much I respect Excuse me, how much respect I have for Dr. Cushing and his team, and I appreciate all of the work they've put into this budget. They are trying to do the best they could out of bad financial situation.
But I took on this role with the express understanding that I was here to represent the students of Beverly. Our job is to advocate for them. In fact, our own operating protocols, which I know we haven't signed yet, >> [laughter] >> state that we are to ensure that our students of the district receive the best education possible, and that we represent the needs, interests, and achievements of all students in the district and place these above all else in the decisions we make.
With that in mind, I cannot vote yes on this budget as it's presented. And I'd like to advocate for more funding for our schools.
Students and their needs are vastly different than they were just a few years ago, and we need a budget that meets those needs.
Year after year, we continue to hear from educators, students, and families that things are not okay, but nothing seems to change. We heard the same last week. Every email, call, and conversation I've had with the community members in the past few weeks have echoed the same concerns, and I want to thank everyone that's reached out cuz there's been some really good points made and interesting things to think about.
Um, these include reports of not being in in compliance with special Excuse me, with special education services, bullying, threats, and actual physical violence against students and staff, overcrowded classrooms, and not enough student facing positions to meet the ever-growing list of needs.
The amount of families I hear about that have or are planning to pull their children from the Beverly Public Schools for these reasons and others is also very concerning.
As we all know, Beverly was recently named the hottest zip code in America and is often cited as a top place to live.
But a city that isn't properly funding its schools isn't going to stay a top place to live for long. The quality of our schools impacts everyone who lives here. We are We are 311th out of 396 per per pupil spending and 346 for class size.
How are we okay with this? We have to ask ourselves what kind of community do we want to be?
So, I think we need to request additional funding. Thank you.
I am looking around the room.
Um, Ms. Robinson, I know you spoke the other night, but do you want to say something else? I just wanted to give everybody else a chance to speak before I Mr. Taylor, I know you Jones want to talk.
I love to talk, but I can Your microphone is not on.
I always love to talk, but um So, I I I also have been meeting with parents and community members um for the the last couple days and I I thank all of them for sending me emails and meeting with me.
Um, and I just came from the Cove PTO meeting, so I I thank them for their their great hospitality. Um, one thing I I think we should do is we should sing um Beverly Public Schools' praise for just a moment um and tell people why they shouldn't necessarily go to private school. My wife taught private school for 10 years and then public school for 30 years.
So, I think I have some authority on this.
Um, I would tell parents uh that you will pay for special education services in private schools even though it is legally allowed to go from private school to public school to obtain those special ed services, but you won't be able to go to your favorite practice or athletic practice. It will be done at a time that is convenient for you.
That is convenient for the school.
That teachers have a mix in private schools of licensure ability.
Um Ms. Robinson is licensed and Ms. Frost is licensed.
Whereas um that may or may not be true of a private school teacher.
Um and as private schools confronted their own economic storm, they began to brand.
So it's perfectly great for Mac Jones to attend IMG Academy, which is a um athletic institution which happens to have a very small education piece.
So understand exactly what you're getting into.
Um now I want to in my continuing saga talking about other districts.
I want to go to our nearby Danvers because I was asked to talk about Danvers by a parent um the other day.
On Sunday, um Danvers is cutting 21.9 FTEs according to their March 7th, 2026 budget presentation.
They're investing Beverly is proposing to increase by 0.1 FTE.
FTE for those who don't know is a full-time equivalent.
Um that's how you get 0.9 of a person.
Uh Danvers will be investing 4.05%.
Uh of their uh, in their of their budget in their schools. Uh, that that's the increase in investment in their schools.
Beverly is proposing, per the superintendent's proposed budget, of investing 5.27% uh, in our schools.
That's a much larger increase.
If we look at Lunenburg, class sizes are exceeding up to 30 uh, students, uh, which is insane. Um, and I would not support a budget that would that would do that.
Um, and if our older residents think that they're immune to this coming crisis, as counselor Feldman pointed out at a recent City Council meeting, she said, "This is an unsustainable revenue stream."
As she talked about trash fee, uh, and Mr. Perry said, "You would have to be living in a cave to not know that many cities in the Commonwealth are considering fee increases."
Um, well, I know many people who live in caves, but that being said, um, uh, there is a perfect storm in the Commonwealth in terms of the state's inability to maintain funding, and frankly, I'm going to call them out. Um, if you are watching this uh, broadcast, I would encourage you right now to look up who your state legislators are, and send them a very tersely worded note.
Because I'm not talking about them, I'm talking about the state in general.
I would say the state in general, in terms of funding education, especially for Beverly, are a bunch of deadbeats.
And I don't like them.
If our residents who are older think that they're going to escape this storm, they would be wrong.
Hingham will not build a brand new uh Council on Aging because a recent revenue proposition was declined by voters in Hingham.
So, I encourage everyone as they consider this budget to remember that Beverly does some great things and Beverly has room for a lot of improvement.
That transparency is important uh here as we look at our books uh and we look at what we can do.
And I thank all the parents and all the students and all the children and community members who have engaged with me. Thank you.
Oh, fantastic. Um Miss Frost, yes.
Hi. Um I thank you for calling on me. Um as we move forward this evening um and we all know this, but this budget that we're going to vote on this evening is our most important policy document that we put out. So, um this has been I'm not originally from Beverly. I'm a transplant. Um it's been incredibly welcoming. My kids have moved in seamlessly and I'm so thankful for everything that the schools have done.
And as Miss DesChamps said, two things more than one thing can be true at the same time.
Um is what we're going to vote on truly going to help all of our learners? Um are we going to be able to work towards uh the um articulated district goals um with the budget then that has been put forward.
And just something to think about when things aren't done correctly the first time to fix it, it's more expensive. So, I understand the need to be financially responsible, but not at the expense of doing the right thing.
That's a slippery slope that I'm not interested in sliding down.
Um but thank you.
I love the analogy.
Miss Coello has her hand up. Oh, yes, Miss Coello.
Yes, thank you.
Um I just want to say I I am very disheartened that I could not be there tonight due to my um rigorous work schedule this week.
Um I did have something prepared to say that did not make it into my book that I had my proposals and amendments in, but I've said it before in past meetings, our job is to speak for those that can't speak for themselves. Our job is to speak for our most vulnerable populations. That is our children. That is our special needs children as well.
You know, I I can't support something that is taking away from our special needs children. That is taking away from our most vulnerable.
And what when I see that we're taking away from those with special ed teachers, with counselors, and stuff like that, it just it breaks me. We can we cannot take away from those even if we're replacing it with something else on the flip side because it's going to hurt those children in the long run.
It's going to hurt other teachers in the long run because it's going to stress them out and it's going to be a disadvantage to those children.
And if it's a money situation, I know that I can't see anybody because for some reason the camera is not on. I wish I could. I remember hearing that there's city counselors there. If we can get more money from the city, this is what needs to happen. There is a difference between needs and wants and the city should be able to understand this, too. I mean, I know what people want new sidewalks, people want new trash system, people want new city halls and stuff like that, but if that is just a want, it is not needed right now where we need more funding in our schools. We need to keep these teachers. We need to keep a functioning school system that is up-to-date and that is the less stress on our children and less stress on our teachers.
That That's all I'd like to say. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Uh thank you, Ms. Cuellar. Um thanks, Mr. Sherman, for letting me know that her hand was up. How did you know that?
Oh, are you on the Oh, okay, fantastic.
Thanks. Um all right.
Yeah, oh yes, Ms. Robinson.
Thank you, Ms. Bessing.
Um I just I I you spoke last week. I I don't want to repeat the same things that I said. I just Will you lean into your mic so the people in the back of the room can hear you?
>> Sure. Sorry.
>> I see you, Caleb. I see you leaning in.
Sorry.
Um I guess we just keep coming back to the same question. If we already know that that issues exist, I feel like we listened last week to at least 40 educators talking to us um and saying pretty much the same thing as they said in the past, these problems aren't going to go away if we accept the budget um as it stands right now. Um at some point, I feel like we just need to stop normalizing this cycle.
This is the reality is we have good educators leaving. I hear about it all the time.
Um families notice that. The families are families are leaving. I respect what you have to say about what private schools are like, but that doesn't mean they don't go. They still they still go.
Um and the people closest to our students are telling us over and over and over and over again that the school system is stretched too thin.
Someone even wrote a poem about it. I think he's here.
I I mean I just I said I wouldn't repeat myself, but I also struggle with the decision to cut so many student-facing positions um while maintaining administrative positions when we haven't seen clear data um showing how these roles are directly improving student outcomes or reducing burdens inside classrooms. Um and if we're asking teachers and students to absorb larger classes, yeah, students too, fewer supports, increased stress, then I think it's um fair that we have to ask harder questions about what our priorities are here.
Um as one person said last week, this is insanity. This um I think that captures where a lot of people are emotionally right now on the school side and on the city side.
Um as I too watched the city council meeting the other night. Um So, there's frustration, but there's also exhaustion from repeating the same concerns um without seeing meaningful change.
And I feel like I feel like we have to address what people what we heard last week. I think that's what's missing in our community is we're hearing people, but nobody's getting any responses from us. We're just listening and I in order to feel heard, you have to you have to be responded to.
And I don't think that that's that's that's not happening here. And that makes me sad.
Um and while I appreciate the work that went into building this budget, um I just think that the the people working directly with students every day should matter deeply in these conversations and we need to acknowledge, respect, and like listen to them and you know, and and talk about their concerns here because if we don't, we don't belong here.
So, for those reasons, um I'm not convinced that this I'm not convinced that this budget is good for for Beverly, good for the good for students.
Um so, I will not be supporting the budget tonight as it exists. Thank you.
All right. So, I'm I'm going to call on myself and say um a little bit concerned that I hear several people talking about the budget.
In fact, we have um heard three different budget presentations and there's nothing that uh confines any of you to supporting one or another. Um and so, I asked and I appreciate the fact that we no one has yet brought forward a motion. We heard a hint of one.
Um uh so so in general, I think that there are um there are some things that have been said that are maybe misleading and I will attempt to correct some of those things. I will continue as I have been trying to do to bring some of the institutional knowledge to this table. So, starting with Ms. Cahill, yes, the fifth graders are here now.
We had a very difficult decision to make a number of years ago.
The entire school committee went to other school districts that had 5 through 8 models. We sat, we watched, we interviewed. Our elementary schools were bursting at the seams and you know, not a single elementary school had a science room anymore. Some of them no longer had a workable library because the libraries were used as classrooms.
So, we I think we forget those difficult decisions that have been made behind us that put us in the difficult position that we're in now.
If I had a magic wand, I would have enough money to make all the elementary schools bigger and and and rewind the clock and keep the fifth graders in the in the elementary schools, but we can't do that. So, what we have is what we have and I I think that based on how the school was designed and what the original plans were, I will throw no stones at the people who voted to bring the fifth graders here, especially because of and I'm not saying you threw a stone that. I I apologize if I I don't mean to intimate that. Just again, trying to give some of the historical perspective because there's probably people who like don't even remember when fifth grade wasn't here.
So, that's one thing. Another thing is that we really do have three budgets in front of us. We can make a motion to accept any one of the three.
It is true that we also have financial constraints and and who knows what what other processes might have to happen uh, based on that um, conflict.
And I would, um, really say we need to try to embrace complexity. A lot of people want a simple answer, and there isn't a simple answer. And we are about one little system inside of a system of systems, and systems thinking is very difficult.
And it's complex.
And if we had a magic wand, I would have waved it for my friends on Monday night in their meeting, uh, because then it would trickle down to us and it would be fantastic. Um, it is not true.
Let me say it another way. There is no convincing evidence, and this is going to if if I even thought about running again, which I I have said on multiple times I believe this is my swan song.
But if I were going to run together, if I were going to run again, this statement that I'm about to make would probably doom me. There is no evidence that correlates class size with academic outputs. There is also no evidence that correlates per pupil spending with academic outputs. What there is evidence for is whether a child comes out of poverty or not. And so the more high needs students you have, the more children in poverty, the less well they're going to do on their standardized scores. So when you look at shifts in demographics, you see that schools with a high poverty percentage have worse scores compared to the the state standard. There's a school There's a school, uh, named Rowe. They have a class size of eight. Single digits, eight.
And they do worse than the state average on their standardized scores.
The city of Boston spends over $35,000 per pupil.
And they do way worse on their standardized test scores.
And I have to say that I find it ironic that we're talking about standardized test scores in a state where we all voted collectively to remove MCAS as a graduation requirement. So this is one of those ironies that we have to hold, one of the complexities that we need to hold.
All that to say, absolutely I agree I I can't disagree with anything that anybody said.
I just want to set the record straight on some of those things.
So we have three budgets in front of us.
Thank you. Thank you Emma for creating those budgets.
Uh the last little piece of data that I had in my head, I can't remember the name of the school district, but there is a school district um you couldn't come up with it either. Um it's in it's on my laptop which I refuse to open during a meeting um that only spends $16,000 per student and scores way above the state average. So those are my three little data points that I like to give to people um when people try to talk about class sizes or per pupil spending.
Um I can show you data that doesn't fit that mold and in fact, if you run the correlations, if you want to be a wig big stats nerd, the correlations just aren't there unless you're talking about poverty.
So [clears throat] um I think that the only other thing that I want to say, I I heard somebody um last week complain about our electric buses.
>> [sighs] >> I Our first set of electric buses, we're paying the same amount of money to lease those buses as we would to lease diesel buses and our world is way better off because we're doing that.
It's the same amount of money if not a little less, especially with the cost of gas right now. We have a second set of electric buses that we have paid nothing for thanks to federal grant money.
So this idea that we're somehow wasting money, we're not wasting money. We got those buses. It is true that the second set of buses are not yet online.
They will be soon at a total cost of approximately $175,000.
For a big batch of buses, that's next to nothing and their monthly operational cost expense-wise for the amount of electricity that we will use to charge them will be less than what we would be paying for diesel even before the cost of diesel went up. And I will repeat myself, it is better for our world that we're doing that. It is better for the health of our children that sit on those buses.
So, I don't want to be accused of being a positive propaganda person, but there are a lot of really good things that we're doing and I don't want to How about I refuse to let people say things that are woefully untrue without correcting them?
So, that's my little list of things that I wanted to say this evening and things that I wanted to correct that I've heard said that I think deserve correcting.
And there are two gentlemen at our table who have not yet spoken who I believe both want to speak.
Thank you, President Visnick. Um so, I did present three budgets.
Uh the exercise was not just an exercise. It's to demonstrate to the citizens citizens of Beverly the need to do more.
Okay?
Um I have paid close attention to meetings over the previous 2 years and obviously this year as well.
I participated in as a uh witness in the audience to financial forecasting.
When all available revenue prior to the discussion of an increase of fees was $5.7 million.
Our level service budget was $5.8 million. So So the schools alone outstripped the city's needs by $100,000.
Let that sink in.
The essential question that I've asked all along is how do we provide the best possible while living in fiscal constraints?
If people don't like the fiscal constraints, and I recognize that, then people need to mobilize, people need to activate, and people need to do what they need to do to address the two and a half constraints.
Until there is that willingness, unfortunately, these are going to be the tough decisions that are made.
This budget, the balanced budget that I presented, is a direct response to what I have heard.
With the exception of an assistant principal at the middle school, which last year people were filled with consternation that a middle school of this size was cutting that position.
Now, magically, we flipped in less than a year.
How dare we put that position back in?
Yet, that's what I've heard from people.
Every single other position is addressing special education needs.
Yes, we would love to have added eight paras to support the aim program across the district, no matter its name.
Financially, we can do five.
Yes, we would like to, as one of our teachers mentioned yesterday last week, two more for our SSP programs.
We are installing a new power professional for that in Centerville.
We are addressing the special education needs at our high school by adding two staff.
We are shifting district personnel based on numbers, hard looks at numbers, in our elementary school to shift one from Centerville to Hannah because of the needs as they are. That's not done on a whim. That's done by members of our staff doing hard data research, looking at all of the possible people, students that will possibly need IEPs, and then not taking the low number, but taking the highest possible number.
This budget is a direct response to everything that I've heard this year.
And the bottom line is, yes, $4.5 million is wonderful. It is 5.27% more in an era when Salem is cutting 32 teachers or so, and Danvers, as you mentioned, 20, sorry. 21.9 21.9, and Triton is cutting 27, and Lunenburg, which is not apples to apples. Lunenburg is a rural community in Central Massachusetts, for those of you don't know. However, their superintendent put in an email to superintendents yesterday saying, "We're cutting all athletics, transportation. Uh do any of you have policies on parents and students driving themselves to games?"
And I'm very happy that our city councilors are in the room.
I'm begging you to support the trash fee.
Listen, I I've said it numerous times here in front of this commu- this committee, it's not hyperbole at by any stretch of the imagination.
All right? My wife and I struggle.
Our mortgage has gone up almost 400 bucks a month this year because of tax increases in our town, and probably more on the way.
The costs of fuel, uh for my wife's car, I'm fortunate enough to drive an EV, the cost of groceries, the cost of daycare.
To the Beverly community, I live it on a daily basis.
I know the pain and suffering.
I I'm That's not hyperbole.
And those experiences, that expertise that this body, be it a previous one, hired me for, through years toiling in regional school districts that are underfunded, through working in a city that for the first time ever got an override because it wasn't enough.
All right? You've hired me for that expertise.
We have squeezed every possible penny out, and then when it wasn't enough, we went to the well of school choice and out of district to add three teachers between the April 29th and then the May 13th.
Correct, it is not replacing a teacher at Cove, but it is addressing and then still having two hotspots to worry about.
I We have specifically built this budget to respond.
I've heard a lot of talk about administrators and student-facing positions.
The city of Salem has over 50 administrators for about 3,900 students.
We have seven principals, 19 administrators, and five central office staff. Let me just count. Yep. For a total of 32.
I I We're thin everywhere.
And what am I doing? I'm driving every available resource that I can through enrollment reductions, and I apologize for saying I, we as the team, to try to bolster our special education.
Last week people said, you know, we're ignoring special education.
It's not true.
It's not true. I For lack of a better word, I've turned the aircraft carrier into the wind and I'm launching the planes for special education.
To address those things.
If we cut any of our 19 administrators, we will hamstring this district for years to come.
We will our ability to provide the support to our educators, to make sure the curriculum is well implemented, to deliver the resources that our students need, to assist assist in the lifting out of poverty.
Now, if we don't vote for the trash fee, I don't think our schools will go to trash.
But, the reality is without some other magical pot of money that addresses the issues, we will not be able to do what we need to do.
And the reality is is that each of these budgets leaves things on the table that are important.
I've talked to this committee a few times about uh we have an athletic director, but we don't have a fine and performing arts director. Yet, we in Beverly say we love the arts, we're committed to the arts.
Where's our fine and performing arts director to make sure that our theaters are effectively equipped, that we're pursuing grants? Where's our world language director to make sure the curriculum is being delivered effectively across the district? Um where are our theater teachers to do theater craft during the day, to provide those electives?
These are just a few of the things.
Also, uh sorry to pile on, but a uh a person to oversee and supervise our clinical staff to provide them the supervision and the resource that they need in their work on a daily basis.
We have elementary schools approaching 400 students with complex programming and no assistant principals.
You can put your head in the sand, but I'm not going to allow it.
And I appreciate where the committee members are in saying that you don't want to vote for the balanced budget approach. I understand that.
A failure to do that tonight kicks the can down the road.
It kicks the can down the road to late June.
When the city council will either say I don't know what they'll say. They're here and in violation of open meeting law, they can't admit anything and say anything. Sorry. But the reality is the reality is is that there is only so much revenue available at this time to the city of Beverly.
I've had frequent conversations to the mayor who wants to drive as much resources as he can to the schools because he understands the challenge.
He understands the challenge.
And I respect Karen where you're coming from. All right, I respect uh Madeline and Lindsey, Jerry, and Catherine. I respect where you're coming from.
We have squeezed every possible dollar we can.
Give me another million dollars, sure.
I'll figure it out. The city of Beverly does not have it.
A- and at what expense, too? How many police officers get cut?
How How many How many firefighters get cut? Is it a truck reduced?
Like the balance and the payoff.
I want to drive as much many dollars as possible to the public schools, without a doubt.
Without a doubt, it is my responsibility. The The constitution of the Commonwealth, authored by John Adams, all right, specifically calls out a duty to cherish when it comes to education.
And the question that Beverly has to ask itself is how well as a collective, not the mayor, not city council, not school committee, all right, if you have problems with what's happening, those problems can be solved by additional resources.
The reality is that uh cutting leadership staff as an answer, these non-student facing positions that we continue to talk about, though I as a subject matter expert who has been in school leadership now for uh since 2008, and once challenged Commissioner Mitchell Chester on the floor of the Massachusetts State Principals Convention when he said, "Oh, we just You just need to tighten your belts and you need to do better." And my response to that and his question that sadly, and rest his soul, that he danced around was uh I said, "In rural Massachusetts, we haven't recovered from the 2008 recession." It was true.
Uh we had tightened our belts and then we cut the fat and then we cut through the muscle and then we started amputating limbs.
Now, we're not doing that here. We're bolstering our special education programs. We're adding resources. Do I wish it were more than one FTE?
Absolutely.
Absolutely.
Uh I wish that we could do more. And I'm not talking about gold gold faucets. I'm not talking about, you know, those types of things. However, um there are a couple of things that I do want to just share to really address.
And hold on, let me make sure I got the right thing.
That was supposed to go where it needed to go. Sorry.
One second.
I do appreciate where everyone's coming from.
A lot of work, a lot of uh effort has gone into this budget.
Uh I don't appreciate that we have to raise fees on trash or athletics.
Uh I don't appreciate that we have to you know, make cuts.
But the reality is that um Come on, you can do it.
You can do it.
There we go. Thank you.
So, if you read my newsletter, you saw this last week. Uh on Saturday, I believe that it was mentioned that we're having an absentee absenteeism problem where kids don't want to come to school. Yet, the Beverly Public Schools were recognized by Pedro Martinez, the current Commissioner of Education, for being one of 55 districts who have increased our attendance uh by five or more percentage points.
Uh so, I attribute that to the work of the entire City Connects team, our principals, assistant principals, teachers, others who counselors, who and don't mean to leave anyone out, but who really work hard to make sure that kids are here on a daily basis. It could be coaches. It could Who knows who it is, but working through our HERO program, here every day ready and on time.
This is something to celebrate.
Uh electric school buses. President Visnick mentioned this, but uh the work to bring these electric buses to the district saved the district approximately a million dollars. Prior to the pandemic, uh type C large bus large bus is a type C would cost about $85,000.
Post pandemic, up to $150,000 and sometimes more depending on how big you want it or how many seats.
All right.
So, those costs and multiply that times the five type C buses you have and you've got a saving of $750,000 right there before we even get into the three type A buses that would probably be about 100 to 110,000 dollars to purchase.
All right.
Factor in our savings on fuel costs, especially with what the current geopolitical situation has caused, those savings will be nearly exponential over what we would have spent.
The shift in government federal federal government priorities mid-summer meant that the charging infrastructure was delayed because the funding was not coming from the federal government anymore.
And so, the city team and the school team has worked very hard to make sure that that infrastructure is in and here are pictures taken today of trenching that's been done to support those installed charging stations to help get these buses up and running.
Last week it was said that the student population of the Beverly Public Schools has increased by 750 students.
You can scan this QR code or you can search the MSBA 2025 survey.
The MSBA conducts a surveys of schools about every 7 or 8 years to understand the physical state of the schools across the Commonwealth. They send out auditors to every single school to crawl through crawl spaces, look at roofs, boilers, classroom space, they look at maps, how things are used. It is a comprehensive examination of how schools are. Here, you see a map Beverly.
The Beverly student population of the last decennial has increased by 0.1%.
I'll let somebody else who's better at math do it, but we currently have a student population of just around 4,600 students. I can tell you this much, that's not 750 students.
Uh school nurse staffing in Massachusetts, it was mentioned that it is a law in Massachusetts for certain nurse staffing. So, uh I put together this graphic because I really wanted to be clear that uh they have recommended ratios that uh we are in. So, 250 to 500 students, one full-time equivalent uh registered school nurse. More than 500 students, the recommendation is 0.1 FTE for every additional student. Uh and then fewer than, but we're not fewer than, so don't really need to go that. So, Massachusetts school law requires school committees to employ 0.1 or more registered nurses for the schools under this jurisdiction, but does not prescribe a fixed ratio in the statute.
The school nurse also has to hold a DESE licensure um unless grandfathered in under older rules, but that is really fading as time marches on.
Uh so also, I do want to be clear here, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health reviews nurse staffing ratios when districts apply for the medication administration registration approvals.
Uh our nurse leader Jody Elder, who covers when nurses are out, all right?
Um also uh mentioned to me told me today that we have just been approved, so our nursing ratios have been double-checked.
>> [laughter] >> I will say that acuity of care uh does factor into this, but the district is well-staffed when it comes to nurses at this time.
Um I just wanted to share those points because they're critical. I understand that people's lived realities on a day-to-day basis are challenging and we have room to grow in the Beverly public schools.
I don't see the financial resources when you go to financial forecasting and all that is available is $5.7 million and then the public schools budget just at a level funded outset is 5.8.
As somebody has said recently, that math don't math.
And so thank you for the time. I appreciate where people are coming from, but we've we're responding to what parents, teachers, and others are saying as the experts trying to address all the areas of the district.
Dr. Cushing, thank you for that. I want to reiterate several people this evening have said more than one thing can be true at a time and um uh a very uh wise city counselor who shall not be named uh says we can disagree without being disagreeable and I realize that it's difficult to not take things personally.
It's difficult to feel like our work collectively and individually is being attacked when somebody doesn't agree with us. So, I just want to remind us of those things. There's complexity, uh more than one thing can be true at a time and um in a world where we can be anything, let's try to be kind and this group can in fact vote for one of your other budgets or make an amendment to one of the budgets and vote for something that's, you know, ala carte and um I hope that you do not take that um personally. Um the the financial reality um is is what it is and and maybe the a vote for a higher amount of money kicks the can to someone else. I don't necessarily agree that it kicks it down the road. Um so, you know, there there is a lot there's a lot of conversation to be had and I appreciate the fact that we've tried to start that conversation earlier, um, especially to the business office that we created budgets earlier, um, City Council that you're looking at things earlier and, um, I think there's only four of you here so that is not an open meeting law violation plus they're not deliberating. So, please don't anybody get mad at the city councilors.
Um, okay. So, this I'm looking around the room. Yes, Mr. Mayor.
Thank you, Madam President. Um, so, I've got some thoughts to share as well.
Um, gosh, first, um, thank you everybody for the for the thoughtful way of looking at all this and really a process we've been going through for months that so many of you are going through for the first time and we as a as a school committee are learning how to work together for the first time. Um, so, you know, I guess what I want to start with is just the the history that has put the constraints on our funding, right? So, you know, you've heard me say this, but it it has to get said for the record again.
Um, in 2003, state aid, you can call it local aid or state aid, in 2003 money from the state made up 24% of the city of Beverly's operating budget. Today money from the state makes up just about 13% of our operating budget. During the back-to-back recessions of the 2000s, um, over $7 million in in state local aid was cut to Beverly over the course of those two recessions we really haven't recovered.
Um, when I I I I looked at asked Mr. Ailes to get me some some numbers on how much the state pays per student in Chapter 70 money in Essex County. And the the most recent numbers he could find are FY24, so that's a two full years ago, and FY27 would be a fourth fiscal year beyond. But in FY24, the state spent $3,086 per pupil in Beverly, meaning the chapter 70 money, you know, divided by our students meant the state was providing $3,086 per student.
In Essex County, every other city except Newburyport got more per pupil in chapter 70 than Beverly.
Gloucester, Amesbury, Peabody, Salem, Methuen, Haverhill, Lynn, Lawrence.
Anywhere from 3,500 to 3,500 to over 17,000 per pupil.
And in fact, several towns or regional school districts in Essex County were getting more per pupil in in chapter 70. North Reading, Masconomet Regional School District, Saugus, Triton Regional, and Georgetown.
So, you know, these are you know, there there are a lot of different data points. That's a data point, right? That we we know we don't get nearly enough from the state. Um Nonetheless, we have tried every year since I've been mayor, and this is my 13th budget, to put as much money as we possibly can over to the schools every year.
And in the last three budgets, as we we've really kind of doubled down and tripled down on on making this happen. Um And in FY25, we added $5.6 million in new funding to the schools, combination of city and state aid. Last year, $7.6 million.
And the proposal this year is for $4.5 million.
In the current budget, FY26 that's finishing up, there's $85 million going to Beverly public schools and $4 million going to the tech.
That's $89 million of a $174 million city budget.
The proposal for this coming year, we will be spending over $94 million.
Right? With a four and a half four and a half million increase on 85, so 89 and a half.
I'm sorry, 89. Four and a half million to 93 and a half and then close to another million to the tech. So, well over $94 million in a $180 million city budget.
As as we've worked to get the proposal for the schools to to here, we pushed really hard to get that number to 4.5 million.
And I will tell you that in the proposal that I made to the city council for the proposed trash fee increases, they're big. I didn't want to put that number out there. I didn't want to propose quadrupling our trash fees.
None of We're all going to pay it, right? I don't want to do that.
Everything in in my personal cost of living keeps keeps going up like everybody here. And and I too am sensitive and I know that the councilors are sensitive to all of it. And it's it's not being done without thought. And and so, you know, I want to be kind to all of us as as we're working through this.
Uh And and and I just need to say that in the proposal that included the council approving the proposed trash fee, there would be over over 11 FTE cuts on the city side of government.
Combination of a treated positions that we have not filled and are ready to zero out in this proposed budget and some layoffs that we we need to sit and notify uh those folks in in certain positions Um that that that they won't be their positions at least won't be here in the proposal. So, um I want you all to know that I've been talking with with Dr. Cushing and and Mr. Hills and I we've been trying to figure out how to get more than 4.5 4.5 million over to the schools.
And we've been working on trying to get to another two to 300,000, you know, was to target some additional work.
Um And and now with you know with the very real possibility that the city council may not approve the proposed trash fees but may may may approve nothing may approve something less than what I proposed, right? Um they'll if if they do one or the other of those things, there will be gaps that need to be you know, well they'll be work to do to figure it out and and try to reduce expenditures to meet less less to work with.
Um it doesn't seem like there'd be any ability to push anything more over to the schools and I'm working really hard to try not to cut into the 4.5.
Um and you know, that's it's not a guarantee, but we're working at it daily. Um the [clears throat] the I first got the word that there was some thought among counselors to do something less last Friday. So, we've been working at that since and are still working at it. Um so, as I said, really trying to hold on to the 4.5 have been wanting to do better. Um but it it's all kind of in the balance. Just in in fairness, it's all in the balance.
Um and and and I also say part of the reason for that is that year after year in a city like Beverly that is a minimum aid community under chapter 70 and you all know what minimum aid does means, but for community members there there is a there are a number of communities that are deemed poorer and in need of lots more state money. And then there are the rest of communities.
And right now the number of minimum aid communities, Dr. Cushing, is it about 200 something? 230 or more out of 351 communities.
Um And and so we're not alone in struggling to get to our budget number each year.
Struggling to get enough money from the state.
Um But the point the point I'm trying to make is we have been twisting ourselves inside out every year for my 13 years as mayor to try to make it balance and to put push money you know, to where it needs here in the schools more than anywhere.
Without undermining the ability of city departments to do the work and deliver the services that people absolutely need.
And I and I will say that our city departments have been they have been tight. They have been streamlined. They have been you know, they they their ability to to deliver with less has already been tested and is already in place. So there just aren't that many levers or strings or whatever you want to say to pull to deal with less in the way of resources to work with. So that's that's what we have in front of us.
Um I know there there are people who are pointing to other places and saying let's take it from there. Let's not do that.
And I will say that some of these s- kind of read like a greatest hits of things that some people like to point to and say, "I didn't want to do that. City shouldn't have done that."
And since both Ms. Visnick and and Dr. Cushing mentioned the school buses, I've got to say this.
We got $3 million in federal and state grants.
And there'll be another 300,000 plus in IRA direct pay credits, tax credits for the charging infrastructure.
To pay in its entirety for the eight buses, the charging stations, the interconnection costs with National Grid, and the construction of of putting it all in place.
We are saving, we have saved almost a million dollars. If we bought five diesels and three gas buses, we would have spent almost a million dollars. We spent none of that. We saved the community a million dollars by going after those grants.
Yeah, the buses aren't in service yet. I wish they were, but in January 22nd of last year, President Trump froze all federal grants and funding.
And we had to therefore freeze the whole process.
We couldn't spend what we weren't guaranteed to get.
We We We would have, you know, put everybody at risk to the tune of a million and a half dollars, which was the the federal piece. And so that cost us about 4 months.
And the process of getting National Grid into the mix and bringing on board the you know, the right partners to get it all built out uh takes quite a lot of time. And the good thing is we're we're meeting the requirements of the grant, and those buses are in really good shape, and when we start to use them, they'll have a useful life.
So, that's all good.
Um And the goal is to have them all operational, ready to go this summer. Uh I will say we've worked with National Grid to get unidirectional charging um connectivity.
What that means is the five C buses, the five big buses, they have two large batteries underneath them.
There's money to be made in selling electricity to the grid during peak demand hours. Essentially, in the summer, late afternoon, early evening, when everybody's air conditioners are on.
And and National Grid is paying extra to get to get electricity to people.
And so, the C buses, the larger ones, the five we already own, already do that. And that is part of the business model that has allowed the the cost of those buses and the the cost of managing and maintaining and taking care of it all to be as low as it's been. So, we've we've got the unidirectional charging infrastructure almost almost operational. We'll have to do a separate process for the bidirectional.
You know, that I'm getting in the weeds on you here and I'll stop. Except to say that it's all important and we will have that the operability on those eight buses ready for the next school year, which is great. Another another thing that people some people are playing through the city hall project and questioning. Um, just have to say a couple things about city hall.
>> [clears throat] >> City Hall is in desperate need of repair, desperate. It was renovated in 1933 and 34 with a Works Project Administration grant from President Franklin Roosevelt.
Okay? That building has a a total lack of meeting spaces.
The bathroom situation is is woeful and and for the most part not ADA compliant, American with Disability Compliant.
The work spaces are are really really hardly insufficient.
There is no air conditioning in the building.
The HVAC system on the third floor is dysfunctional. The HVAC systems on the first and second floors are over 30 years old and and in need of replacement. So, nothing works in that sense. The insulation in the building, by the way, the building was built in 1783.
The insulation is essentially non-existent, so there's no energy efficiency. And if you work there, there are times in the winter when it's extremely cold all day and times in the summer when it's unbearably hot. And it depends on where you're sitting in some on some days, but some days it just doesn't it just doesn't work at all.
The electrical, the IT, the plumbing, all woefully insufficient and need to be overhauled.
We also have a a significant need to get our health department back in the building. They have been in the senior center almost since the center was built.
And the and the seniors in our community need that senior center for themselves.
It's the fastest growing population anywhere, right? Um and other departments the the whole building department is off campus as is the retirement department uh who should be at City Hall in the in the in the hall of city government. This is for the employees, absolutely. It's also for every member of the community who comes into City Hall to do business, comes in for meetings, etc. And and it's a you know, there there's I I am grateful that the City Council overwhelmingly understood this and understood that you can't ignore the capital needs of a community. We have almost 20 buildings in this community to take care of.
Um The second point about City Hall is is structural to the budget. Right now, about 5% of our operating budget is used every year to pay debt service. It's paying the debt like a mortgage like or an installment loan. It's paying the debt on the middle school, on the high school, on the police station, on some other older investments.
Um and as as investments as debt gets paid down and eventually off, that debt, you know, dwindles and comes off. So, new debt needs to be layered in. And the reason it needs to be layered in is if we didn't, these other buildings would fall apart.
You know, after City Hall, we have the the five elementary schools in McKeown whose roofs and HVAC systems are approaching end of life and need replacement.
We have our three fire stations that we've been doing some work with and they'll be more needed. We have our library that we're making some modest improvements to, but is going to need attention in the future. We have a Department of Public Services facility that is I don't know for sure how old the buildings are, but let's say they're 70 years or older.
You know, and and the and the and the acreage is not nearly enough for the needs of of a, you know, municipality of 43,000 people and all the 160 miles of road and all the infrastructure underneath for all of the operations.
So, there's a lot that needs our attention infrastructure-wise.
And if we were to not move forward with the City Hall project, what would be the point of it? The point would be to take some of that money and spend it on something else. But if you spend it on jobs, on staff, on recurring expenses, you can't get it back for debt service.
And one thing that this community set as a value in the mid-1990s when it was clear that school buildings, which hadn't been touched in 30 years at that point, needed desperate repairs.
Six elementary schools, one after the other, six years in a row, and then the high school, and then the middle school.
The investments this community has made in our school buildings has been significant.
There was a decision made then by the the community leaders to be able to do it by having a an appropriately sized debt service line within the operating budget so as to not need to go to the community for debt exclusion, which are it's a kind of a chapter 2 and 1/2 override, right? It's for the amount of the uh the building project. This city has built all those buildings without having to to go for one single debt exclusion.
If that line item is allowed to dwindle away, we'll hit a point where all those projects that still need to happen, the roofs, the HVAC, the public safety stations, city hall, the library, they won't be possible without chapter 2 and 1/2 overrides. So, well well you know, you can look and say, "Well, there are some millions to work with here." They really aren't.
So, that I I just want to make sure that that that gets heard by more people, and given that we're on Bev Cam, this is an opportunity to do it.
Um I'll I'll stop there. I ju- except I want to say um oh, I'll say one other thing.
It It's been suggested that we should use cash reserves on our school budget.
We're already doing that.
We eliminated a $2.7 million road and sidewalk line from the city budget. We eliminated a $180,000 line for police vehicles. Police department needs new vehicles every year. No way around it.
We eliminated a $600,000 line in the in the Department of Public Services budget for equipment and vehicles.
We now need to go to cash reserves to do those things. We did those things to put more money in the schools.
And the amount of real dollars in our cash reserves and in our stabilization fund, the percentage they represent of the overall operating budget are appropriate levels.
We haven't built this pile that's inappropriate.
We have financial policies that the council and and my and my team adopted several years ago that are are best practices. We didn't pull them out of thin air. They're best practices. And it says the the the cash reserve, which some people call free cash, and the stabilization should represent 13 to 23% of your operating budget. I think we're up around 18 18 and 1/2%.
But we're only going down in that overall percentage. And and we're doing it intentionally modestly down in response to the needs that we're trying to address, but we can't just drain away that resource.
I've made a proposal to the city council not to put any of our cash reserves this year in the stabilization fund. Our financial policies say that we should put 10% in every year. That would be about a million dollars this year. My recommendation to them is not to put it in.
I've asked for some money to be used for cash reserves for various things, like I said, the things I just ticked off and a couple others that are calculated to have our free cash recertified our cash reserves recertified this year at 8.4 million or maybe a little bit less.
So, the 10.4 in in in cash reserves certification we have now is projected to go down and the stabilization fund is projected not to grow.
I just need to make those points because we have to be extremely careful. Those funds are what we will have to work with when there's a recession.
Those are the funds that will allow us to not lay everyone off.
And and I just have to make a point here. Those funds won't allow us when a recession comes to just kind of keep on keeping on. There will still be cuts in a recession. There will still be pain, but those reserves are meant to help us mitigate against that pain and kind of tide us through a 3-year recession. So, it's really important that we don't see that as a bank to just tap like an ATM.
Just can't do it.
So, I'll stop there because I I like you want us to put more money in our schools. And the last thing I will say is I say often that there are great things happening in our schools every day that there's a lot of great stuff going on. There's a lot of great learning. We have fantastic professionals in all our in all our roles.
And I don't say that blind to the fact that there's more needed.
You know, and there are things that need to be addressed better. So, I think what I would say about the money we're putting in is we're putting a lot of new money in each year and we're addressing a lot of what's needed and there's still more that's needed.
I just want to say that because I don't want anybody thinking I'm not aware of it. I you know, I get into the schools whenever I can and and I you know, I talk with and listen to our professionals. So, I appreciate having the time to to share some of those thoughts and back to you, Madam President. Thanks.
Fantastic. Thank you, Mr. Mayor.
Yes, yes, Ms. Robinson. Thank you. Um So, Mayor Cale, I don't mean to disregard what you just said. I just wanted to direct something toward what Dr. Cushing had said. Um so, obviously your job is your job. My job is to ask questions and I and I don't mean any disrespect by anything that that I ask. Um And Ms. Bisnick, I also wanted to address something about what you had to say about about class size. Um so, I think I'll just I'll start with you cuz you said you spoke for us. So, um I heard you you correlate class size with test scores and how that that doesn't have anything to do with it. I don't I don't think I hear anybody talking about class size affecting test scores. I feel like I hear people um our educators talk about how class size affects safety and learning. But I don't think I don't think I hear anybody talking about test scores. And I appreciate what you have to say about poverty and etc. but and the data that you present it's it's it's really important. But I think the issue with class size is just the changing needs of the students on a day-to-day basis. I think that's what I think that's what I'm hearing about why class size is so challenging. Um so I just want to address address that respectfully.
And um Dr. Kushner when you talk about um I I I just like I guess I guess what I'm hearing about when I say um administrative roles I guess what I'm hearing is about the effectiveness of some of the administrative the of of of the people who hold the positions of the effectiveness and um the choices that that are being made or not made or not addressed by by I cuz I don't I don't think I don't think educators typically are going to complain about administrators who they feel like they're doing they're doing their job and doing their job to fidelity and they're seeing results. But when when I see teachers get up in front of their bosses and their big boss like and saying what they feel like that I've never I like that never seen that happen anywhere but here. I I just I just that that blows my mind that that that that's happening. So to to be that brave and to put yourself on the line for something that's not going to get you anything monetarily.
That could just get you like that could just get you on the hot seat. So, if people are going to step up and speak up about like there are positions that people don't think are effective and that's what I'm saying. I just don't think that people are listening to the really important stuff that that that we're being told.
And like it's really hard to like that's really hard for me to support a budget that doesn't address what we've been told time and time again.
So, I guess that's what I'm trying to address here.
Uh uh yes, Mr. Taylor.
I I I do appreciate everything that um Ms. Robinson just said.
Um and uh I I I definitely want to thank everybody who reached out and who I got to talk with and who spoke at the public meeting um last week. You know, the the cheese is definitely stretched as um somebody put it and thank you to Mr. Melanson for reading a poem. I thought that was awesome. Um uh you know, I I I I want to echo a little bit about what the mayor says that the city and the school budgets are kind of interlinked.
Um I heard at and maybe this isn't true um s- now, but it was last year that it takes about 12 minutes from Central Fire Station, the longest in the city uh to get up Paul Street in Somerville.
So, if there's an outburst or an assault at Somerville Elementary, it's going to take them a long time to get there.
And it's going to be um maybe Is not true. Is that not true, Mayor?
If I could help Mr. Taylor, I I don't want to interrupt your point. I want to just give you this and then let let you make your point.
Many times when there's a call for a fire engine, all three stations will respond because depending on where a truck is coming from, if a train gate is down, that truck will get there last, but if a train gate is up, they'll get there first.
And and sometimes a truck from Beverly Farms gets to a Centerville address more quickly than Central. Sometimes the North Beverly truck gets most places more quickly cuz it's right at the highway. So, we have every community is unique. The fact we have 20 grade train railroad crossings makes us particularly unique in sending.
Also recognize that police patrol cars aren't all sitting at the station.
They're in and out of the station.
They're on patrol in various neighborhoods.
Uh so, response times, you know, often times it's all three, police, fire, and the ambulance. And often times with fire, it's it's all stations that are responding to given calls. So, I'm sorry.
Thanks. Thanks. Just didn't didn't want people kind of thinking unclearly on Yeah, no, no. I I pre- I appreciate that clarification. And I I think the the only point I wanted to make, given the length of uh response time we may experience in Centerville and Ward 6, is that um uh with our schools, everything is interlinked. How much um we choose if we crowd out the budget with school spend, um then it's unlikely that say uh a resource officer can appropriately respond to an outburst or some sort of violence at Centerville Elementary. And do we want to do that? We are not the City Council.
And I understand that and appreciate that. Um but I just make the point that we're interlinked. Thank you.
Yes, Ms. Ducharme.
Thank you. I appreciate that you articulated the school buses and some of the really and that Ms. Visnauskas, you articulated some of the really difficult decisions that have had to be made. I'll use the fifth grade coming into the middle school as an example.
I also appreciate the city council has [clears throat] constituents that they need to respond to and a discussion around fees that nobody wants to have a discussion around and nobody wants to have to vote increases really difficult. We had families here opposed to an increase to a thousand dollars on a hockey fee just to have their kids be able to play hockey.
We're not spending a lot of time talking about it but but the budget includes a proposed two thousand dollar increase for a preschool student to go to school.
So, I I think I respect that it's really difficult.
Nobody wants to have the conversations and yet I think it's really important for a city council and school committee to appreciate and respect that we have this mutual work to do together and that our choices have impacts across the board, right? And Mayor Carol, I appreciate that you sit here with us so you get to participate in these conversations. I guess I would just ask as we have a little bit of institutional knowledge sitting around the table, when is the last time a critical needs budget was even presented to city council?
And I also want to can I just add a follow-up? I know that I understand that while this might be my first time sitting on the committee, I know we need to have a balanced budget by the end of June and that's a reality and it's not a lot of time. I guess I will just add that while the realities are true, I still don't think that presenting, and I'm not not yet made a motion, we're just dialoguing here. I don't think that asking city council to consider a critical needs budget is a waste of time.
So, I'll I'll say this I don't ever to directly answer you. I don't remember that having happened.
Um it is the responsibility of every municipality in the state under the state constitution to pass a balanced budget. And and so historically historically a number has gone to the city council that reflects what the leadership of the you know, really with the executive branch of of local government believes is affordable within the you know, I mean we we have proposition two and a half. We have projected new growth. We project our revenues. You know, we we do a lot of work to try to facilitate investments in the community that generate new growth. And we put you know, we we forecast and project increases in things like excise tax revenues.
Um but no, I I don't remember that having happened. I'm going to make a motion.
I don't know that the votes are there for this, but I'm going to make this motion because we should start doing you know, and if this go down, it goes down and then we go to something different.
>> I'm going to ask you to hold your Will you hold your motion for 1 second, please? I promise I'll call on you next.
I want to reiterate more than one thing can be true at a time. I appreciate the city financials. I appreciate the dedication of school administration to build multiple budgets and squeeze as much out as possible to try to honor the financials of the city. I want to honor the duty of each person around this table right now uh towards our obligation in this role.
And may I please have a motion?
I move that we approve the version of the budget that calls for $4.5 million in new spending this year.
Is that accurate, Dr. Cushing?
Yes, that would be the balanced budget.
Thanks.
Oh, I'll second that.
If no one's offended, I'll call the question. I don't need to, but I I think we've all kind of said what we each feel the need to say.
Does it make sense to just go ahead and take but we don't have to vote right away.
>> No, I think so. Is there any more conversation wishing to be had on the motion on the table?
We need to Oh, go ahead, Ms. Cahill.
Respectfully, we've heard a lot about the city side of the budget.
I said it earlier, I'm here to represent the people in in my community, the students and the parents of the city of Beverly. And I don't think that any of the three budgets as I as they were presented represent the needs of our students.
Understanding all the rest of it, I really do. I but as a school committee, I and if this may sound really rude, I'm not here to represent the city budget right this minute. I'm here to go to forward to the city and say this is what we need and we and we need more than this to be able to make things right for our students.
Um I've had 40 years experience in the Beverly school systems. I've raised a whole bunch of kids and I haven't seen it get better.
I've seen kids that have been bullied out of school. I've seen kids that graduate without being able to read.
I saw a kid that took algebra one without knowing how to to multiply.
All right? And these were with some of the supports that we have now. If we do anything less than what we have for our students at this point in time, if we take one more person off the table, I just fear that we're going to let our students down across the board. So, I you know, I I can't support the budget as it's written.
All right. So, there's a motion on the table to um accept the balanced budget, which is an increase of 4.5 million over the current [clears throat] fiscal year. We need to do a roll call vote. Ms. Coello, I'm hoping you're still online.
Um we're going to start in the room. Mayor Cahill. Yes.
Yes. Ms. Frost. No. Ms. Cahill.
No. Ms. Ducharme. No.
Ms. Lennox. No. Oh, I missed Ms. Ms. Coello. I'm sorry.
Uh no. Uh no. Uh Ms. Robinson.
No. Mr. Taylor.
Yes.
And Uh >> [sighs and gasps] >> doesn't really matter how I vote. That kind of stinks voting last. I [clears throat] I'm going to just >> Ms. Zisnik, did you Did she call you?
>> Did you get me? I thought I called on you. 1 2 3 4 5 [laughter] I'm sorry.
That's okay. No, cuz I wasn't sure with Kim if you got me or not.
I counted you as a no. Oh, okay. Okay.
Do you want to say it? Just checking. 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3. Okay. Uh I'm going to vote um yes just for the sake, but if that's failing no matter how I vote, 3 2 6.
Um I'm looking for another motion.
I'm happy to make a motion. Go ahead, Ms. Ducharme.
>> I'd like to make a motion to pass to city council for consideration the critical budget uh representing a $6,000,093,634 dollar increase, 7.14%.
I'll second that.
Um Ms. Quill, are you getting the motions and the seconds?
Uh Does anybody want to talk about this one before we do the vote? Yes, Mr. Taylor.
I I think um you know, one thing I I hear from my residents, and this is important to bear in mind, is affordability. Um we are uh potentially going to implement a trash fee increase of over $400. Um when I went to the grocery store the other day, milk cost a gallon of milk cost $2.79 a year ago, now it's $3.59 uh in the uh Stop & Shop Rail Side.
Um near Rail Side. Uh I and and gas is out of control. Um given with whatever whatever uh the fellow in the White House is doing. Um I think we all need to kind of bear that in mind.
Thank you.
I'm going to ask for clarification, Ms. Ducharme. With that name, um is that the middle or the top? It's the top one, which only represents uh well, I shouldn't say only. It's a 317,537 delta between the the level budget and the critical budget. Okay, thank you.
>> So, yeah, balanced being the bottom, then level, then critical. So, I'm proposing the top one.
Any more comments? Yeah, but which one is it?
What The critical needs budget.
Okay.
>> All right, so I just I need to understand this better before I would vote on this.
>> uh So, hold on 1 second. I agree with Karen.
Okay, great.
I believe I saw some hands over up over on that yes or no on that side of the corner. No hands?
All right, so I believe that we have three budgets in front of us and um the budget that the superintendent uh recommended last week in our public hearing was an increase of 4.5 million.
The mayor made the motion to accept that budget and we just voted that down three to six.
Then there is a "level service budget" which says we do every single thing we're doing in the district right now.
That will cost more than 4.5 million.
And then there is the wish list which Ms. Dusharme does not want to call a wish list.
Uh when Dr. Cushing presented it at the joint city council meeting, he called it a critical needs budget. It is the top most expensive budget of the three that we have seen.
It's part of the reason why I asked Ms. Dusharme which number it was because I'm not the best with names in case you haven't noticed that as I struggled to even call your names for the roll call this evening.
Yeah, and just to clarify, I don't want to call it a wish list because Dr. Cushing has mentioned a director of fine arts several times and so I really do think it's important to clarify that that budget represents critical needs.
That's why it's called critical needs and that's why that's the one that I'm referring >> me. If you have a question, will you please raise your hand and ask the question so the whole committee can answer. The whole committee can hear the question, the whole committee can hear the person who's talking, not have to talk over people who are whispering and not listening to what's being said at this point in time.
Ms. Dusharme, please finish and then Mr. Mayor, I see your hand up.
I think the clarifying point that I was making about the wish list is just to sort of recognize that that doesn't actually the critical needs list the critical needs budget that Dr. Cushing and his cabinet put together doesn't really include everything that would create a well-functioning successful environment for our students, but it's called critical needs for a reason and then that's the one that's why that's the one that I'm proposing. Thank you for that clarification. Mr. Mayor, your hand was up.
Yes. Um Dr. Cushing in the critical needs budget as is is being referred to, what is the total new money?
Um in his report that he gave to us, it's 6093634.
I'm just Mr. Taylor or Ms. Robinson, do you have any questions?
Yes, Mr. Taylor.
Ms. Robinson and I are struggling to find >> only for yourself. Oh.
I I am struggling to find the $6,093,000 budget. Um I If you like, I can present the last pages of our budget book.
>> Please do. That have those three budgets.
>> That would be lovely.
Also, I would just like to take a moment that the school committee evaluates my performance.
The remainder of the staff is my responsibility, and I'm worried about public comment about the performance of staff members that the school committee does not evaluate.
I understand and respect that, Dr. Cushing.
I apologize.
So, here is the critical needs budget.
Can you scoot back over to the left because Kim's blocking some of those numbers? Perfect.
>> There we go. Sorry, I was trying to center. Apologize. Remember co-op code Remember co-op >> of all of those with with Right, what is it called?
ADHD appreciated the fact that you were trying to go to the middle, but Kim's over there on the right, so So, there will be some squinting involved.
Um but uh the parentheses, for those of you not familiar with accounting parlance, uh represent reductions.
Whereas the non-parentheses represent additions.
So, here are the enrollment-based adjustments.
I'm going to start to scroll. I apologize for anyone who's focused.
And then, continuing on.
Mr. Mayor, I see your hand.
Yeah, I I is that 6.39 million meant to be in comparison to 4.5 million? Correct. Okay, so it's about 1.9 million more than the proposed budget that just was voted down in terms of new spending.
And it is different than the presentation, Member Ducharme, just so you know, just so you know, because in the interim there have been adjustments made from the presentation.
I'm referring to the one that you presented to us on April 29th. Yep. So, I read your book and I appreciate the work that went into it by both you and your staff. So, thank you for doing it, but I did not catch that it was different, so sorry. No, that's all right, but in all honesty, let's give the credit where it's due to uh Ms. Emma Pugli Pugliese. Thank you, Ms. Emma. And if we scroll a little bit further to the right, we'll see that that 6.39, I'm going to round that up to $6.4 million is a 7.49% increase over this year's city total budget, not city contribution, the total budget.
So, Dr. Krishing, your number changed from April 29th to I know you sent this.
When did you send that data? I have it right here.
>> it was March 29th that I presented this, but I could be wrong on my dates.
>> All right, Ms. Ducharme, can you hold >> One second. Uh Ms. Pugliese, what is that percentage increase?
That is a percentage increase in the appropriated budget figure over FY26 school department appropriated budget.
So, the 6.39 zero you know, on and on and on and on, compared as a percentage increase over the current school department budget.
Which was city's appropriation? Yes.
Thank you. Mr. Taylor, I'd like to recognize you.
Thank you, President Visnak. So, I I think um just to put uh it to >> microphone a little further away from you. Oh, okay.
>> You're a loud talker, you.
>> I I am a loud talker. That is true. Um I I think if we went with this budget we would need to have the City Council approve the 400-plus trash fee in its entirety.
Yes, and then cut a million nine out of whatever lines they saw fit to cut.
So, again, from a historical um from a institutional knowledge point of view, Ms. Ducharme asked earlier, when was the last time that this body did something like that, sent over a number that we knew was {quote} unrealistic.
We've had plenty of conversations about that. I also I think there was a year we tried to do it. I think there was a year because I specifically remember standing at the city council podium talking about how I interpret the charter and what I believe the city council could do if in fact we vote a high number and and and the budget that goes to the city council represents a different number which is your prerogative as the mayor. So, I can't tell you when that was.
Can't tell you what I ate for breakfast this morning, either. So, I can.
What I ate for breakfast?
>> No, no, but there there [laughter] were there were 2 years in a row where the the votes here were 4 to 3 votes. There were 4 to 3 votes and I think at least one of those years members who were on the minority side of that vote spoke at the city council's school budget hearing and and and you know, made advocated for more. Um and so, yeah. But but we haven't it sounds like tonight this body is going to vote for more than the 4.5.
That doesn't mean that more than 4.5 will go before the count before the city council because the obligation on the part of the executive is to put a proposal in front of the council that is that balances projected revenues with projected expenses.
All right. So, I'm looking around the room. Does anyone else have any questions about this the motion that is on the table and the differentiation between the three different budgets that we have been presented over the course of the last two or three months? Um this is the highest expense budget that we have been presented.
How about I'm going to ask how How additional FTEs is this over uh either the middle budget or the lower budget?
So, the 824.06 FTEs at the balanced budget 4.5 million 5.27%.
Going to the critical needs budget would be 837.06.
So, that's 14 additional FTEs if my math is correct and memory remembering for 6.39 million dollars at 7.49%.
And uh there's the level services.
Which is one fewer than the balanced budget.
But 5.27 That's ironic. I find that very ironic.
But okay, yes Miss Frost.
Um I apologize that I don't remember.
Does the blue budget Am I No.
Does the Yeah, the blue budget um will that increase user fees?
All of them?
>> Okay. Yes, Miss Polglase. Miss Polglase, please. No. There are no proposed changes in user fees. If you scroll up a little bit you can see there, right? So, there's no changes to user fees under those assumptions.
Yes, Miss Frost. Part two.
Are we allowed to ask that user fees be increased or is that overstepping our bounds as a school committee?
That That is a very slippery slope.
>> Okay. Right?
No is an answer to And what what I again in a crystal ball, if I had the time machine, we would have put in front of F and F probably 2 months ago, maybe even 3 months ago, hey, we want to we want to look at this and actually that's really kind of what city council was doing uh Monday night, looking at these fees in the in the construct of the budget and saying these are our options. These are the levers that we can pull. And so if we don't increase fees, we have this much money with which to work. If we do increase this fee, then, you know, we have more money.
Potentially we have more money. There's no guarantee, right? We've tried to talk about that. You increase the fees too much, people who are going to participate don't participate or they cross some threshold to say, I can't afford to participate.
And we we let them participate anyway with a scholarship. So, um, I would say to you that it is my intent as the chair to put in front of F and F almost as soon as next year next year starts, uh, a task of reviewing all of the sports fees, reviewing the tiers, do we need more tiers, do sports need to move amongst the tiers, um, yeah, I'll I'll just I'll stop there. I appreciate the clarification. No problem.
So, there is a motion on the table to accept this budget.
The blue. Do you need me to revise the number to reflect Dr. Cushing's updated number?
Um, I I I just need everybody around this table to understand. Can you put the the There you go. Beautiful.
I have it as Yeah.
Uh, to understand that this is the motion that is on the table. Okay.
Yes, Mr. Taylor. Just one question. So, so there are three budgets. We We down one and the one we voted down was in green, right?
Yes.
That's correct.
>> million, right? For the non-color blind people. Yes. So, and then the 6.3 million is the one that's in front of us right now. 6.4 million is the one in front front of us now. Mhm. What's the one above? This is the top one. No, level services.
>> No level. Yeah, I think it's level services that is 5.78.
So, so level services would basically keep services as they are right now. Am I getting that correct?
Mhm.
Monetarily speaking, monetarily speaking, the blue is the highest cost budget. Okay. On these pages, gray is above blue. Again, if if those colors are accurate to what you everybody's eyes are seeing, um monetarily speaking, the critical needs budget is the most expensive thing that we have seen that the superintendent has put together uh that he has presented to us. This is the quote-unquote same budget with maybe some tweaks um that was presented at the city council meeting.
The joint the joint meeting that we had with the city council.
Yes, Ms. Robinson. Okay, so I'm try I'm remembering the joint city council meeting and I I remember asking how many like what what the breakdown was and I don't remember seeing it that night. So, I feel like this is Honestly, I feel like this might be the first time I'm seeing It was emailed out.
The what but we did it wasn't presented to us that night. It wasn't we weren't clear on that. So, We we have presented this. I'm talking about that that evening that that But, so I guess what I'm asking like we're looking at this tonight and I feel like this is a really important um It's really important to understand and So, the numbers >> please let her finish? Oh, I'm sorry.
Yep. So, I guess my my question is how many positions how many positions are still being eliminated um in this in the in the blue budget, in the critical needs budget?
>> None. 13 are being added. But nothing No, there's not No, nobody's losing a position.
See, I just can't I'm sorry. I just I don't want to use my >> your question. I'm sorry.
No. I mean, we are making enrollment reductions and enrollment adjustments, as I said when presenting this, that this the these types of decisions need to be made by a district. And the reality is as enrollment shifts, we we have to make those decisions on an annual basis. So, yes, with our parentheses, those will be reduced.
And other cost savings there such as the iPads or retirement savings or um various other things that are on there are are primarily the Well, not primarily, they are the enrollment-based budget adjustments that a district needs to consider on an annual basis.
Otherwise, it is shirking my fiduciary responsibility, which I am not doing.
Which is why I've presented multiple budgets to this committee so that the word can go out to the citizens of Beverly uh it's just that in this moment what the city of Beverly can do uh and I appreciate I appreciate wanting to do this.
I do.
I I don't know that it is fiscally possible given the current state of revenues for the city of Beverly. And so, trust me, I would love for us to be able to fund this budget.
I I would.
All right?
I also have to understand the realities.
Mr. Mayor, I saw your hand.
Thanks. Um could you just walk us through, Dr. Cushing, the total FTEs in each of the three budgets?
Each of the three proposals? Yep. So, the first proposal uh is with level services is right now we are presently 823.06.
Uh and if we were not to make any adjustments to enrollment, any adjustments in other areas, all right, uh we would remain at 823.06.
And if if I could have a conversation with with you while you go, that suggests not moving anyone anywhere else, just leaving them right where they're at.
Essentially, yes.
>> E- Okay, even if even if the even if the needs of the district suggests that that grade level have one fewer and another grade level have one more.
Right. This is just saying, "Okay, if if all we did was adjust for the salary increases and some projected cost increases with this or that."
>> Right. Okay. So, that that's Okay, got it. 823.
>> be it software, personnel, whatever it may be, um and other considerations.
>> And that's why you call that level services.
>> Correct.
>> Okay.
Thanks. And then And then an additional 14 uh FTEs for the critical needs. Mr. Charm has a question. Can you hold on that thought?
>> I don't because I want to keep up with you and because I want to make sure we stay on the same page. I understand your budget book differently. So, when I'm looking at your l- your Okay, I'll use I'll use critical as an example.
Although, maybe we should stick with level.
I'll restart my question. Sorry.
I wanted to make sure I was keeping up but I don't want to I have a So I'm we're still in the middle of this. You got one more number to show us, please. And then I'll and then I'll call on you, Ms. Linux. And then the balanced the balanced budget um which is 824.06 which is one more FTE all right? Um but adding various things across the district to, you know, remove enrollments to to really look at those types of things gets us to $4.5 million.
And Madam President Yes, sir. does the plus one FTE include the three positions that you're funding from other sources?
>> Yes. Okay. If we had not added those at last week's budget hearing, we would be actually at 822.06 FTEs.
Ms. Pugliese, just correct on that.
Correct. Sorry. And are those three positions added in each of the three budgets? Yes. Not in the level services cuz that would not be level service, but in both the critical needs and the balanced budget, they were added in both places.
Thank you.
Uh Ms. Linux.
With the level service budget, I'm just confused. So you wouldn't move like grades that might need an additional teacher, you wouldn't move people around, it just everything would stay the same. So some classes may be small and some may be really big or how does that work? Do people get shifted?
It would It would It would I mean, we would make decisions as necessary.
However, you know, in talking about level services, basically carrying forward what we have exactly this year to next year that's the number. It gives a clear picture of what the cost increase would be with no changes whatsoever for any reason. Ms. Pulice. I just wanted to share >> Taylor then Mr. Mayor.
So, the levels services budget was presented mostly for informational purposes, right? It reflects the cost of maintaining current staffing levels, programming, and user fees with no significant operational changes. Largely to demonstrate the financial impact of sustaining existing services or height and highlighting the gaps between current service levels and available funding.
Thank you.
Mr. Taylor, I believe you're next.
Mr. Mayor, you're on deck if you want to warm up.
I I I I think I think we need to make sure that we're all aware that that we're kind of kind of getting close to kicking the can down the road. Um what happens in FY 28 when we have a projected $7.7 million deficit?
Mr. Taylor, I appreciate that. And um I appreciate your um dedication to fiscal responsibility. You have held uh the district and my personal feet to the fire on several um fiduciary matters, and I I respect that. I I really do.
Even though sometimes it pains me. Um and and again, there's so many things that I know that that that I'm trying to convey to other people as I try to make my way off to do something else with my life. Um and so I I feel good that you're asking questions, and I appreciate it. Um even though sometimes it doesn't sound like that. So, uh just going to give you that shout out, and I appreciate um I appreciate your your attention to that. And more than one thing can be true at a time. And I think that everybody around this table needs to vote what they feel are uh they're they're being asked to vote for.
And and if anything, I would say to you that the can is being kicked um to the mayor and to the city council and and and there have been plenty of conversations at this table over the last 13 years that I've been here that we need to not worry about you know this sounds really callous but I need to not worry about the council on aging I need to not worry about the fire department or the library right my job as an elected official is to worry about the children. So So that's that's just the other you know if we think about a dichotomy that's the other end of the conversation fiscal responsibility we really can't afford to do that versus well I'm I don't want to look at that I I just want to do what's best for children and somebody else gets to make the really hard decision. So that being said there is a motion on the table does any yes Mr. Sharma. Thank you I would like to reframe kick the can that's not the spirit of what I'm trying to do it's really in the spirit of partnership in the same way that the trash fee and the votes that happen at that votes that happen at city council impact us the decisions that we have to make here affect the entire city so what I'd like to reframe. No no no no I'm not seeking for an apology I just thought it was important.
All right so is there does everybody in the room understand the vote that is about to be taken?
Yes Mr. Mayor.
I'm struggling with the titles of these budgets and I guess I just want to ask Dr. Cushing to walk through the 13 additional is it 13 14 additional FTEs?
You don't have to speak to them individually but are you saying that each one of these is a critical need that we are not meeting even though we have heard that enrollment numbers have driven some of some of the fact that some of these are not in place in the budget that that includes the $4.5 million increase.
Because I I would I would object to categorizing some of these as critical needs.
Uh what's in a name?
Oh, a lot. So, I mean >> I understand that's that's what that's what I'm that's that's what I'm posing to him.
Yeah, so uh through the principals, through uh budget discussions, uh through working with our team in central office. I mean, when you look at the Aim Attain power professionals, you know, those those we reduced them down to five in the balance budget. Um the the two additional special education teachers for the middle school, which are not in the next budget. Um you know, the middle school art teacher that that we see that as uh being an additional uh GA teacher, uh global applications, to be able to really assist the middle school schedule and its overall functionality. Um so, you know, the we see them as critical needs to really move the district forward as member Dusharme said, you know, there are a lot of things I didn't put in here because I I I felt in all honesty that it would have been laughable for me as the superintendent to ask for things that, you know, a school district of our size, compared to other school districts of our size, have. But, you know, we we can't climb the mountain in one day or one fiscal year. We have to be uh judicious. We have to be really focused.
Uh and realize that, you know, this is going to take some time, which is why I landed on the balance budget. I would agree with member Visnick, even though earlier tonight, you know, I brought up about how the how a larger budget would affect city services.
My job and my responsibility is to the students of the Beverly Public Schools.
It is how am I honoring that duty to cherish?
And so, you know, when we put these things forward, they were really meant to be the the the level services budget absolutely uh this critical needs budget, I mean, I was at financial forecasting. I know the numbers. But, if I don't start illustrating to the citizens of Beverly and the parents and the caregivers what's needed we will never get it.
Dr. Cushing, might I suggest um would it be appropriate to characterize this budget relative to the others? We have a balanced budget.
We have a level service budget.
Could we characterize this budget as a growth budget?
I I don't know if semantics changes the fact that, you know, parents and staff stood and spoke last week about what they see as critical additions to the district. So, I I I respect that, um but you know, I'm happy to change the title to whatever the committee feels. But, I mean, there still are things in here that are critical to the future success of the district.
As there are, just so you know, the balanced budget proposal still addresses a significant number of those needs in five aim power professionals, two special education teachers at the high school, an assistant principal at the middle school, an SSP power, and anything else I'm forgetting off the top of my head because earlier I forgot, and I apologize, that we didn't have fees in this in this blue budget. So, I apologize for not having that at immediate recall.
Mr. Mayor, and then you're on deck, Ms. Robinson. Thank you for that, Dr. Cushing.
So, I I guess the totality of the list, and as you said, some of them are in the other budgets, but the ones that are only there are the if if if you had 1.3 million more, those are the next places that the team in total across our all of our schools would spend. Those are the Those are the Those are the the top priorities for the next amount of money if it were there.
Correct. And this This is as it stood at that moment in time. Obviously, I'd want to go back to the team, confirm that those are still the needs, make sure that we are being as responsive as possible, and the work that was done here I I want to go back to the outset of the budget process.
All right. The outset of the budget process was to ask our principals, directors, and others who are overseeing our cost centers to not think about what they had to cut, but to think about what they needed for their schools to be truly successful.
And in large part, that is reflected here.
As member Dusharme said, though, there are things that were left on the cutting room floor because they would there there's a point of if I put a $10 million number and that's a made-up number, I want to be clear.
I I just want to be clear. But if I put a number out there that is just further unrealistic, you know, the community would think that I'm being farcical.
I'm not. I'm trying to build momentum for the schools over a period of time.
I And to be frank, I need all of nine of you on this journey with me, and I need all members of the City Council, and I need everyone in the city to understand like what are you prepared to do?
What are we prepared to do in difficult fiscal times to make sure that the the thing that the Beverly that the city Beverly produces high school graduates.
That is our product. Yep, there are parks, there are playgrounds, there are beautiful sandy beaches, there's a lot of great things about Beverly.
The quality and caliber of a high school graduate.
All right? Because that is the certificate, not a not an elementary, not a kindergarten, not a middle school.
The certificate is the high school diploma. And how is the quality and caliber of that? And this is what our team has come together to try to do.
Ms. Robinson, your hand was up.
Thank you. So, I just want to understand. So, say my Mr. Sham has um made a motion that we support the critical needs budget.
So, a no vote on that could indicate that we actually need more than that.
But, a no vote could also indicate that we're spending too much.
So, >> [snorts] >> You know what I mean? So, I I >> thing called an amendment. Yeah. And so, if you wanted to amend the current motion to add even more money, we cannot tell that man over there how to spend that money.
But, you are happy, you are welcome to amend. I'll say it again. If you get enough of your friends around the table to vote with you, then we will vote on an amended number as opposed to that number.
I feel like I would need a discussion with the the the the people around the table to to think about what we think we need because I don't feel like I I want I don't want to make I don't want to make a numbers motion off the top of my head. All right, hold, please.
Ms. Lennox. I was just wondering if you could scroll up so we can see the full like to the neck the page uh sorry the page I apologize for the page break.
And I just I also had one question. So you said this doesn't include sports user fees increasing. It does not. I misspoke earlier.
>> And what about transportation and preschool? Are those >> Nope.
This is So we but we can't add those to change it. We can't Oh, okay.
That's what she Yeah. Right. I So again, from a from an amendment point of view, you can say uh what we can suggest that we would like to see uh we could take another budget and say remove the we we really are going to vote a number down because we don't want you to increase the preschool uh amount by $2,000 for instance. Uh we could look across the table over there to the queen of the beans and say approximately how much more money do we expect to get from that preschool increase for instance. And let's just say that it was $100,000.
Hypothetically speaking. And we could say, "All right. So I don't want I don't want to put that on our on our users.
And so I want to um reduce this number by $100,000. And that could be my motion." And there's no guarantee that that Sorry. Sorry, Kim. Sorry.
Uh there's no guarantee that that's how it would be implemented. However, if that amendment passed, then we would be voting on a budget that would be uh right some some number that was less by $100,000. And and the the superintendent would have heard our desire for how to implement that. But we do not get to say how the school system is run on a day-to-day basis. We don't get that kind of line item veto um granularity. Yes, Mr. Mayor.
>> Sorry, can you just go back? I didn't see when you went up. I just wanted to see the other page. Well, while people are discussing I'm going to pull it down. I do have this in another format.
This was just the quickest way to pull it up.
Mr. Mayor, you're on and Ms. Dusharme, you're on deck.
>> Yeah, couple things. Dr. Cushing, I appreciate your answering my earlier question. And and I guess I find the term critical needs less objectionable, maybe not objectionable.
You know, as I hear you explain it.
Um I [snorts] guess that my my next kind of question is to you, Madam President.
I don't know the answer to whether you know we as a body could add propose to and vote to add in fees to that particular budget.
But I feel like the other budgets or at least the I believe the one that that proposes spending 4.5 million new also counts on an increase in those in those fees.
Builds it in.
Builds it in.
>> [laughter] >> So I mean my basic understanding of of how things work is we could we could vote no on fees that are being that you know whose that are being built in.
And and then those fees wouldn't go into effect.
I mean that's a policy, right? And and and it's it's kind of why I was wondering why the fees weren't going to get voted on before before the budget got presented and it was all baked in, but Again, if I had a if I had a time machine, we would go back and we would we would look at that differently.
However >> asking the legal question of what >> I understand and the legal question is no different than the than than the question that was bantered around on Monday night, right? You you built a budget that assumed the trash fee would be passed at some amount. And so, um we we don't have the fee increase in our FNF and then at our Committee of the Whole. Instead, what we have in front of us is a whole budget. And could we have done better? Uh absolutely. I I I will take the blame for that that we didn't bring that forward separately several months ago and talk about that and vote on that and then deliver that number to him to make a budget. We didn't do it.
You know, I I have a new chair. I'm I I'll throw myself under the bus. I I used to be the chair of FNF and I believe that if I were the chair of FNF, which I cannot be as the chair of this committee, and you all voted me to be the chair of this committee. So, we have somebody There's nobody here that has been chair of FNF before. Mhm. And so, without some institutional knowledge leading FNF, we didn't do that.
Mhm. And so, there is no one to blame for that except for me.
We are where we are and we do not have line item veto. Mr. Taylor and then Mr. Charm.
>> I'm not done. I just want to say I didn't make any assumptions about the City Council.
You know, I'm trying to build a budget that relies on the approval of that proposed trash fee, but I don't made no assumptions. And I apologize. My My point was that he did the same thing. Right? Mhm.
He had to bake it in because we didn't do it. Because we didn't do it. Because I Because Yeah. I will take the blame for that.
I forget which one of your hands was up first.
>> matter.
Um so, so to be clear to folks who are listening at home, uh Dr. Cushing, um this budget critical needs budget proposal that has been motioned to pass would cut um FTEs at Cove and would cut uh grade four teacher from Hannah.
Am I correct?
Yes. Thank you.
>> It's the responsibility of a district to look at the financials and look at the enrollments and to make those decisions, but where those three positions are cut in this budget, there are an additional Right.
>> 13 or 14, just can't see it right now and can't remember, uh being added in to the district.
Actually, it's more than 14 because it's a net increase of 14 positions. So, Correct.
um for however many are in the parentheses, uh somebody else is being added and all those other non-parentheses ones are being added.
It's a net increase of 14 positions across the district.
Yes, Ms. Ducharme.
So, I'm looking at the information that the district presented to [clears throat] us on the preschool revolving funds and fees, the proposed increase, and the 10% increase on athletic fees across the board. And the presentation we got said that increasing the preschool tuition to $7,500 would net approximately 100,000. And increasing the 10% fee for all athletics would net approximately 30,000.
So, I believe I can do this.
I recognize that the critical needs budget does not include either of those fees.
I think I can amend my proposal to reduce the critical needs budget by the $130,000 with the request that the superintendent entertain a request to build in the 10% increase across the athletics and the preschool fee to 7,500.
Anybody believe there's a reason why I can't do that? Is that your motion? That is my motion.
Is that an amendment to the earlier motion?
>> Yes, I wish to amend my earlier motion motion to approve Dr. Cushing's um critical needs budget, which would have been a 6,390,770 dollar increase over this fiscal year. I wish to reduce that um increase to 6,260 >> 6 million Sorry, 6 million. Thank you. 6 million 260,770, which is the critical needs budget minus 100,000 with the respectful request that you move forward with your proposed preschool fee and the proposed calculated athletics fee increase at 10% across the board. I'm just going to correct that. The delta would be a 130,000 dollars in between those two increases. That's correct. Did I say it wrong? Did I not do >> Does anybody have a second to that motion?
Well, I She amended her own.
It still needs a second.
>> Okay.
I'll second, but can I ask a question about it after? After Okay.
>> Um I was just wondering about the transportation fees as well. If I can make an amendment to include that as well. Yeah.
All right, one amendment at a time. Um so, uh Ms. Ducharme, we did not withdraw your original amendment and I'm going to be very sad that I'm not more of a parliamentarian. I know I'm working on it. I I made a joke recently that um I asked Ms. Ducharme to become our parliamentarian um because I am not the best on Robert's Rules, but I think I'm holding on here.
So, uh there is a motion on the table to approve the special uh the the Sorry, the critical needs budget. Now, there's an amendment on the floor that we subtract $130,000 from that amount.
>> sorry to interrupt, >> Yes. but the fees are specifically called out.
So, right here.
So, 100,000 athletics 32,000.
>> So, it's already in there. That's in balance though. We're talking about the critical.
>> So, it would be uh 148,257.
>> Okay, perfect. So, let's go with those.
So, Dr. Cushing, would you mind if I use my calculator to add those up?
>> Sure. So, 16 two 5 7 cuz those are different They're more specific than what we had previously.
So, this is great. 15 Oh, sorry. I got that wrong. 16 2 5 7 plus 32 plus 100.
Okay, so that's 148257.
Before I withdraw both my motion and my amendment, can I ask you to clarify increase utilization of school choice and what impact that has on the critical budget?
Uh yes, Ms. Pugliese. Thank you.
My mind wandered. I apologize.
>> The additional utilization of school choice was to help fund my three additional classroom teachers at the elementary level. So, it does not have an impact on the critical needs budget in that they were baked into what would be considered the appropriation ask.
Right. Okay, thank you.
So, I'll fix my math.
So, your critical needs budget was 6390770 minus 14 8 2 5 7.
So, an increase of 6 million 242 513 would bring us close to is I'm going to checking my math. Thank you. I appreciate it. Ms. Begley-Casey.
So, an increase of I believe Ms. Begley-Casey's double checking 6242513 would get you close to the critical budget, but it would also include the respectful ask that you would increase the transportation athletic fees and school fees to the numbers outlined in your budget report.
She's check she's giving me a head a nod. Ms. Lennox, are you still seconding that amendment? So, now Sorry. So, now I'm confused. Did you >> Yeah. So, I'm going to Can I Is it okay if I withdraw my original my original motion and my um revise and make a new motion?
Mr. Mayor, I'm looking at you for some Robert's Rules help.
>> Sure. Sure. I think she just did it.
Yeah. All the way back. Okay. So, nothing's on the table.
>> back and propose an increase year-over-year Uh I just had my number. of 6 million 242 513 dollars. That's basically the critical needs budget >> Yes. um minus the amount from an in that we would derive from the revenues of the planned increase of preschool, transportation, and sports. Yes.
Would anybody like to second that motion?
Yes, I'll second it.
Thank you, Ms. Lennox.
Basically, this is the same thing we've been talking about for the last hour.
So, I'm looking around the table and I really want to call for the vote very soon, but Miss Cahill, I do see your hand up, please.
It might be cuz I'm tired, but was that just a 10% increase in 10% across for all athletics. Thank you, just double checking.
>> For athletics and for transportation and a $2,000 increase in our pure preschool President Visnick, member Coello has her hand up online.
>> Oh, thank you. Yes, Miss Coello.
Um, thank you.
Um I just wanted to mention Dr. Cushing, I had previously discussed with you um user fees that um would try to help with the budget that were a little higher than a 10% that would bring in the um increased money. It was at a 25% and then $50 for the buses.
Um, do I have to bring that as an amendment or was that something that was added that we had discussed?
>> I had not had the opportunity to mention that, but yes, that was a proposal that member Coello had. The $50 for the uh transportation comes out to approximately 15% um as compared to the 10% right now.
Correct, Emma?
Yep.
So, that is something to consider. The athletics fees would bring in approximately $65,000 at 25%.
The um use the bus user fees would bring in increasing that to $50 would increase that to bring in an approximate additional $8,500 for grand total of about $25,000 to the transportation increase.
So.
And the Sorry.
>> that motion?
Member Coello, would you like to say so moved?
Yes. Yes, so moved.
Second.
All right, so now there's an amendment to the amend Oh, to the motion. And we're back to having one amendment to the motion. Yes, Mr. Mayor. So I want to just say out loud what I think is going on.
First, Ms. Dusharme was looking to cut the cut the overall increase to the budget by the 148,000 and change by implementing the the the earlier proposed fees.
And now Ms. Coello is making a motion to further increase all of those fees to bring in more money.
Um Ms. Coello's motion is different in that it is looking to add money overall to the budget, not to Okay.
All right.
All right, so there's a motion on the table to increase the fees. Well, again, we're we're we would suggest we would strongly suggest uh that you increase the fees um as Ms. Coello has outlined to bring in additional revenue.
Um All Oh, we have to do a roll call.
Ms. Coello, I'll call on you first.
We're voting on your motion.
I'm Can I just clarify? Are Are these two separate Are we amending?
>> Okay. This is We're voting on the amendment Kim's amendment to Lindsay's motion.
So Kim Coello votes yes.
Uh Mr. Cahill. No.
Ms. Frost? No.
Ms. Cahill?
No.
Ms. Ducharme? With gratitude, Ms. Coello, for the suggestion, I'm voting no.
Ms. Lennox? No.
Ms. Robinson? No.
Mr. Taylor? Yes.
Lorinda, I'll go on the yes again, just because I like that 6-3 division.
Okay, look, it's pretty late and we're still laughing, okay? Any day we can laugh is a good day.
Um, all right, so that motion fails, so we're back to Ms. Ducharme's motion.
Does anybody have any questions about this?
We're going to vote.
I'm out of space.
>> I I I do have one question. Uh, we don't see the budget up there.
>> have any questions and you say no?
Uh, but I'd like to know if there are any additions to Co-Op or Hannah or Senneville, cuz all I saw were cuts.
Those are the enrollment based reductions. And so, the the Yeah.
That one? All right, Ms. Coello, we're going to start with you.
And this And this what one is this for?
>> We're voting on Lindsay's motion to basically pass the big budget, um, with a little bit less because we increased fees by approximately 10%.
It's a $6 million increase over this year.
It's a $6,200,000,242,513, Ms. Coello.
So, this is the So, this is the the blue budget, not Correct, the blue budget.
Um, the blue button.
Okay, I'm seeing which No. You're voting no?
Yes. Yes.
Ms. Poela, will you please make a whole sentence? How do you vote?
No. No. Thank you. Mr. Cahill.
No.
Ms. Frost. Yes. Ms. Cahill.
No.
Ms. Dusharme. Yes.
Ms. Lennox. Yes. Ms. Robinson. No.
Mr. Taylor. No.
>> [sighs] >> That motion fails.
I will vote yes, and now I messed up my numbers, so now we're four to five, but that motion fails.
Um I will ask for the people who voted no, um you've already made a motion, and it also failed.
Um will someone who made a no vote please offer a motion for what you think we should do to pass a budget this evening?
>> [clears throat] >> Yes, Mr. Taylor. Oh, yes, Ms. Robinson.
I don't know, it's a tie over there. Tie goes to the runner.
Okay. Um Can you put that back up there, please?
Sorry. What?
I'm out of budgets.
What What would the cost what would the cost of Is it two or is it two or three positions that are are still being cut?
What would the cost of those positions be?
>> positions, but I want to be clear. Those are enrollment-based recommendations that our enrollment numbers as adopted or recommended by this committee. All right? We are still under those. There are two that are watches, and I would recommend against putting those three positions back. Those are enrollment-based reductions when there are other areas as as I called out last week that if you're going to add something, and I I don't recommend adding it, but at this point, I don't know what my recommendations mean.
I'm the person who is hired to offer this, and those are enrollment-based reductions. All right, so I'm going to interject, and I'm going to say that Miss Miss Robinson, you are welcome to pick a budget and make, you know, add money to it or take money away from it as Miss Dusharme did. And Dr. Cushing, if if there's some amount that gets approved, you are under no obligation from this body to take that money and hire back those three people that you don't think should be hired because of enrollment.
This is the process, and we can disagree without being disagreeable, and we can try as we might to reframe things and not take things personal, and it the later it gets, the harder it's going to be to do that.
And and try to imagine that despite maybe not hearing it this way, everybody at this table really wants what's best for children, including you. And I do appreciate you, and I appreciate how much work you and your team have put into this, and I appreciate what some other members are trying to do to be creative to get us to a point to vote on a number that we think will be best for what what's best for children. Yes, Mr. Mayor, I see your hand up. However, I think that Ms. Robinson still has the floor.
So, I would I I I I can't do the math from here, but I would like to make the motion that we add to that budget the three the cost of those three positions.
>> Where are you starting from? What color, please? Um blue, right? Yeah. Right.
Right. Blue.
Can I ask which three positions you're talk I guess there I see five five There's two at the middle school and three at elementary school. Okay.
Yeah, so see that's that's what I'm I When I can't see something in front of me, that's that makes This is a way too big of a decision to not have that piece of paper in front of us. Like that's really hard to So, then I guess the five positions cuz I I thank you for pointing that out.
So, whatever that cost is because I'm committed to not losing educators.
So, I don't know the numbers. So, your motion is for the critical needs budget what's being called the critical needs budget, which is already a 6. Um can you scroll just a little bit for me, my friend? What if I printed it? What do you want to ask?
Sure.
I'm just going to round that up to 6.4.
6.4 million plus adding back in a plus whatever number Ms. Emma She left. My safety [laughter] net.
Thank you.
Uh I Ms. Emma, I need a number for the two middle school teachers and the three uh enrollment adjustment downward elementary teachers.
We're going to add that number to the 6.4 number.
Does >> [laughter] >> Miss Quello, you need to mute.
Does even without an actual number in front of us, I'm looking around the room. Does anybody have a second to that motion theoretically regardless of what that number is?
Miss I have a number of 462,718.
462 added to the 6.3 which I'm rounding up to 6.4. So, that gives us approximately 6.85.
All right, so that motion is Miss Robinson. The second is Cahill.
Miss Cahill.
As opposed to Mayor Cahill. Yes, Miss Linux.
Could I make a motion to include the what Mr. Sharm had with the preschool transportation user fees subtracted from So, bring it back down. Yes.
Bring the number back down by approximately $148,000.
I'm looking for a second for Miss Linux's amendment.
Miss Cahill, thank you. Miss Linux, I'm scribbling notes. Miss Quello, I'm hoping you're almost keeping up or keeping up. You're maybe you're looking more more perky than I'm feeling.
Does everybody understand Miss Linux's amendment? We're going to vote on the amendment. Miss Quello, I'll come to you last this time. Mr. Mayor Cahill.
No.
Miss Frost.
Yes.
Miss Cahill.
Yes. Ms. Ducharme.
No.
Ms. Lennox. Yes.
Ms. Robinson. Yes. Mr. Taylor.
>> Yes. Yes.
Lorinda, I'm saying no. Ms. Coello.
No. No.
That actually passes five to four. So, the amendment now, our motion now, is that we're going to vote on a critical needs on in essence as the the critical needs budget as we've been calling it here, the blue budget, um with an increase of 4,462,000 and a decrease of 148,000 um 148 Yeah, 148 257.
Is anybody doing the math at home for me?
Yes, I mean The total number is is an increase, right? So, I just to confirm, this is the critical needs budget with the addition back of the three elementary school classroom teachers and the two fifth grade teachers less the 10% increase to transportation fees, athletic fees, and a $2,000 increase to preschool.
That would be an increase to the appropriated budget of $6,705,231.
Fantastic. Thank you so much for that number. And Mr. Mullen, I'm really hoping that we're not scaring you away.
Okay. Um so, um let's see. That motion the So, that's what we're going to vote on.
>> [laughter] >> I move the vote.
You move the vote? Absolutely. Mr. Mayor, we'll start with you.
>> No.
Ms. Frost.
Yes.
Ms. Cahill.
Yes. Ms. Ducharme. No.
Uh Ms. Lennox? Yes.
Ms. Robinson? Yes. Mr. Taylor? No.
Ms. Coello?
No. No.
I vote yes. It passes 5 to 4.
I move we adjourn.
I second.
Uh we need to roll call. Ms. Coello?
Yes. Yes. Mayor Mr. Mayor? Yes.
Ms. Frost?
>> Yes. Ms. Cahill? Yes.
>> Ms. Ducharme? Yes. Ms. Lennox?
>> Yes. Ms. Robinson? Yes.
>> Mr. Taylor? Yes. Myself, yes.
Thank you, everybody.
>> [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] >> Mhm.
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