e e e e e e e e welcome to the special called meeting um we are going to start with the pledge and invocation by Mr White I pledge allegiance to the flag the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all bow your head please dear heavenly father it's by your grace that we are able to attend this meeting tonight please watch over us and give us the wisdom let us make sound strategic and Common Sense decisions for the students of this County the students are current Future Leaders for the county state and the nation look over josua Blackledge and family and friends during this tragic time of his passing watch over them guide them and comfort them and help them to get through this situation father let us uh thank the service members and the local First Responders that watch over us look over the military for they give us the freedom to attend these meetings in Jesus Heavenly name amen amen if we can start with the approval of the meeting agenda motion motion by Miss Chadwick second by Mr Chambers all in favor great and we are going to start with the capital budget I believe yes ma'am thank you um so we're going to be presenting uh the capital budget to you first and then U Miss bernatsky will present the operating budget and um before you have a packet it's very similar to the packet that we talked about in our workshop and so I'm not going to go over every project unless you have questions or want me to I was just going to highlight some of the changes that were made from the last time um you'll see on the summary page um that the total ask for the or the total request is uh $4 4,368 256 that's way down from what it was in the past when we had the technology in there and I'll go over that when we get to the technology page um so on page three uh this is a summary of uh what each School the projects for this coming year 2526 and you see that totals uh $1,386 th000 and that would be in planed repairs and uh the following pages is just a breakdown of what those projects are so like on page four you'll see Atlantic Elementary School there's a new playground uh there's replace the tile in the bathroom we've talked about that before and replacement of a swing set so all three of those projects stayed in this year because they're needed for this year this coming year um but you'll see like at bford elementary school the rolling gate security gate we pushed out a year to 26 27 uh the playground equip uh equipment for the kindergarten that is still needed and so we left that in this past year or in this coming year so uh the schools are we we've we've discussed every project it's just that uh we've moved some projects out from next year to the following year or the following year um and it was just done strategically on uh what was you asked me to to what is needed at the schools and so if it wasn't an urgent need it was pushed out another year do you want to go school by school or do you just want to look through it yourselves I'll gladly do it I don't on you've highlighted any changes that were made since our previous meeting I'm good with okay I don't know that it's highlighted other than are just shoved out so um I can for instance uh the tennis courts were on one school and not another but I went ahead and shov both of them out since we're kind of in discussion about what we're going to do with tennis courts so that that project was shoved out for Cowan High School to next year and West car also um at Harker's Island the this Paving the staff parking lot was shoved out another year at Newport Elementary School um they don't have anything on the books for next year because the only project they had was pave the walking Track and so we pushed that out another year and so if we flip through to page uh 25 is where we have the all physical plants we talked about the defibrillators are needed they're at 15 years old um the rest of those projects a new item that we're going to ask for money recurring is the replacement cameras um we're having cameras that are uh failing regularly at all of our schools and we don't have a we in the past we haven't had a budget line it for that and um we're also changing over from analog cameras to digital cameras and so that's what the $25,000 is just to we use that many go through that many cameras a year just to um for security reasons um next we have the painting schedule which is on page 26 this is something we do on a seven-year rotation um so next year bord L Morehead City Primary and SMA and down East Middle uh will be painted on page 27 we have our flooring replacement so that would be Atlantic media and office area um Bridges West cter and white oak um that's uh when we say flooring that's carpet in Med in this type of carpet that's in this room um 28 and 29 are Roofing replacement schedules we in good shape um for the next several years with our roofs um on page 30 is our Chiller replacement schedule 31's information uh is there boiler information 32 is where uh most of our changes have taken place since the last meeting um so you remember we had the the first project on the page 32 is the project uh projector and TV replacement um we broke that down into um two parts so next year would be year one of two in that um project so the price was half of what it was originally um the Chromebooks um that was a $7 million um basically ticket on the last last meeting um we've decided that a new plan um in instead of getting all Chromebooks in one year and going five years and paying either upfront or for a 59 Monon lease that we would uh start a new schedule um for basically we would get a fourth of the Chromebooks needed every year and so it would be on a four-year cycle of these Chromebooks would be replaced and it uh this year it would cost us um uh $687,000 is that number right okay so $687,000 um in this cycle and that would be a recurring cost year after year um but it wouldn't but it eliminates of that big year of having to spend $7 million up front so um we thought that was a better plan and Mike's team has looked at and thinks that we have the Chromebooks in hand right now that will get us through this plan until we get on the cycle of replacing them all we can use um some older ones for spare parts so that is a that's much lower and then of course we have to have the licens uh for the software and that's 144,000 so the total technology request is 1.72 million um but much lower than it was um page 33 is what we refer to as our B&G money that's uh schools are a lotted that money per ADM um nothing changed on this since the last meeting and then uh the final schedules is their vehicle replacement plan and it it hasn't changed it's two activity buses a work truck and um a warehouse High cube truck so any questions on the capital budget yes maam yes I noticed that the scoreboard um for the baseball uh field at Croatan was removed what's your plan there it's going to be replaced it's it's going to it's we're in the process of getting that work done this year yes great so it'll so we were able to take it off of the capital for next year since we're planning on croan raised a bunch of money to get that done and Kenny's going to help out and we're going to get that up may not be before baseball season's over but it'll be up this year great all right good question any more questions I really appreciate the Chromebook I think that's a much smarter plan to have that recurring instead of us asking for four or five million at a time right I agree yeah what what happens to Surplus equipment does it go online and we sell it on yeah gov deals or Mike for computer equipment it's we have a supplier that uses rein dat great okay with [Music] that any other questions before I turn it over to Julie all right Julie all right so the local budget that you have in front of you has changed just a little bit since you last saw it during the work work session um a few items have been changed I got noticed just this morning that property insurance will be going up 10% across the board plus a 3% increase for property valuations so um that increase has now been put into that line which has thus increased the budget um we also added a $6,000 recurring line item for camera licenses this is just part of technology to use the cameras we have to have the licenses this is just a new costs that we have to incur um we also added a line for one SRO this year when we received the Safety and Security Grant from the state we got funding for all but one SRO so that's a $36,000 line item that has been added to the local budget um other than that this budget is the same as what you saw last um after the work group session that you had um and if you have any questions or comments or um any changes you'd like to make we can discuss perfect so I I'll say um there were uh board member requests for certain items and but as a we felt like it the board needed to vote on those so if it need to be discussed and and voted on then we can make the changes now before the the vote is is at the end of the meeting okay um I think besides Miss kerage which I have yours here everything else was just questions for clarification that I got this week but um if we wanted or if you want to go through your and see or I'm happy to I would like to see an increase for the certified supplemental I think it's important to show our teachers you know appreciation and gratitude for the work that they put in they're our front line at our excellent scores um um something uh just to show appreciation cost of living has gone up significantly so I know neighboring counties pay a little bit higher than us I think it's important to add that in um and I believe depending on what we chose to do if people wanted to do a request U Miss bernoski already let us know 7.75 to 8.25% is 275,000 7.75 to 10% would be a 1.1 million increase to the request and remember this will be a recurring increase product so we're at 7.75% so 8.25% would be half 275,000 increase and then 7.75 to10 would be a $1.1 million increase to the request I've seen other counties do where they have a set rate for standard I guess positions and then a higher rate for hardto fill positions I think that could even be considered the lower rate for traditional certified and then a slightly higher rate for those harder to fill positions does that kind of allude to the 3% for bus drivers no that's separate from bus drivers right now I'm talking about certified teachers okay yeah so I think we need to be COG of the fact that what was it 3 years ago we increased supplements for teachers more than requested yes um what we need but we did not address bus drivers we did not address coaches we um so I think that it in the big picture we need to consider that if we're going to do this we need to consider all of our employees for sure [Music] um which changes that number a little bit more sure so uh just my opinion yeah and I the bus drivers significantly need to be addressed I mean that's a so do coaches I mean so do um the coaches I think need to be increased also if you look at the hours that they devote to our students that's not even minimum wage on top of all the hours that they put in 100% agree with you 10 years and 12 years and these are the supplements that the teachers and 10 years and 12 years and these are the supplements that the teachers in uh Craven County are getting and we know we ask a lot of you but we just wanted to be transparent I mean would it be beneficial to go separately with this kind of similar to what we did last year like this is what we need to this is what we need to maintain to not lose any positions to continue what we're doing because it is more it's more every year just to maintain our same staff and then that extra this is what we would love to have and this is why we feel that's important I think we submit a status quo budget like to keep what we're doing we have to have but then do something separate because I don't want to get to a point where we are Kash on moreu because it's all lumped together and it looks like we're just asking for yeah yeah we can put that together we we did um like Katie said we um we did something similar last year where we had a this is the stay flat funded and then these are other items that we would like to be considered so we can put that together and these are why we're asking for them right so but we would need to know so what percentage of supplement would you want to in I mean um are we considering 8.25 is that the number or 10% and we're talking about certified staff but if we're talking about certified staff and we have to talk about classified staff also so right now um we're at can you give me a definition of the classified the hourly that's the T bus drivers okay kitchen workers so um are they also at 7.75 are they at they're at 3.75 3.75 so that um that was changed a couple years ago it was uh classified employees were at 1.75 and certified were were at 5.75 and uh about 2 and a half or three years ago it was that's when it changed to 7.75 and 3 it was a 2% bump in both categories that's what I was just going to ask so we were at 5.75 on certified before I can't yes okay and now it's at 7.7% I think we requested maybe half a percent and they did too but the coach of supplement did not go up putting that out there for yeah so I'd like to see certified at 9% classified at 5% bus drivers at 3% coach is at 5% can you say those again okay hold on just a second so 9% you're and let me um trying so certified 5% for classified and then are you saying a 3% Rays for bus drivers because there's nothing in there for bus drivers right now is my understanding is that correct they're they're classified classified oh they're classified okay then I'll just leave it at that then and then for um you said for coaches what was the what did I just say five sound good 5% but are we talking about a 5% raise or because right now coaches don't get I mean they get a I know it's a set schedule um but whatever on that set schedule is 5% 5% increase to their salaries basically their or their stiens their stiens yes so basically we've got certified classified in coaches % so that's going to be I also know that gymnastics is being talked about at some of the um high schools I'd like to add that line item as a potential for a coaching sipon they are talking about that they reached out to me this week but it wouldn't be anything that required funding because they're willing to do it as a volunteer basis but I feel like whoever coaches it should get something well so not I and I appreciate that I'm I am a advocate for the coaches but we have got assistant coaches and other coaches who are working for free right now and rather than adding money for a potential gymnastics coach it would it would look bad if we're not taking care of the existing coaches who are working I I would so I think that we need to take this step by step and instead of going and saying we need millions of dollars let's focus on the most important thing which is showing our gratitude to them and let's get their stuff bumped up let's work to do that and then we can take the next next step and start adding coaches salaries or or coaching stiens for gymnastics or whatever but um I I think it would not would that be though 600 for three high schools I I don't know rate I saw do you have a ballpark figure I'll have to pull it up it doesn't have to be exact well for high school um 2,000 or, 1500 for a head coach is the lowest 1500 so do we know how many head coaches we have 5% $75 I don't know the answer to that I have to into that and is this just at one school or is this the whole all schools all schools included um so what is the supplement budgeted amount right now for a CO for the coaching budget I mean what are we talking about by adding this supplement I mean adding yeah supplement on top to what what are we currently right now we have a budget proposed at 591 700 600,000 $330,000 right which I think I mean in the grand scheme of things I don't think that's unreasonable to ask for that that's just my opinion but is that enough I I don't ever think it's enough I think our teachers should get paid double and our coaches should get paid double and our not classified staff should get paid so to answer your question I don't think it's ever enough but you know we don't come up with the money somebody else does we've just got to be thoughtful and talk to them and try and you know explain to them that our school system is is the best in the state and they've got to help us keep it that way so that's our job so I think anything would be great that gratefully appreciated by the coaches though because I think it's been 12 years since they have had any kind of increase um again classified and certified were increased three years ago they hadn't had any increase in 12 years so so if we take it to the commission and they say well we gave these increases three years ago but let's get give the coaches something I mean we've gotten one step ahead than and not getting anything so I mean it doesn't hurt to ask so how does uh this is local funding how does State funding affect those positions also is there a percentage for the stiens for them coaching yeah well for for certified no the all all all uh supplements are paid through local money so for certified and classified and coaches it's all local money so I've heard you say we'll we'll present a budget that's to stay flat fund it currently we're Ving right now and then separately we're going to uh calculate how much it would cost to have a 9% increase or a 9% total supplement for certified staff a 5% for classified staff and a 5% increase in the coach's supplements well before we do that I'd like to say something um I want us to do our due diligence to make sure that that falls in line with other counties okay I mean if other counties are at 11% then are we still selling ourselves short if they're at 8% are we I mean i w us to are we talking about coaches supplements or I'm talking about certified I want us to or whatever it may be I want us to go in with the the assistant principal internship and the assistant principal internship and because that's a state paid position right it not really I mean we get we get a $45,000 allotment from ECU for an intern and it's only in the first year that they are working for us so um it's a two-year program we get $45,000 the first year and then that's and it's one per County or is that all we asked for could it be different schools how does that work it's it's we're allocated one per cycle and it's not even every year okay so it's it's so that's not feasible to uh try to get okay sorry I don't know the Boe development I think that's our personal development the hours that we're required to get right it's pretty much funded at what we need to get those hours right so we're more than double right now at what what was previously budgeted I think between the online um Video subscription and then some of the travel to like State Convention correct right make sure I'm correct I think there's been some more expenses with new board members as well when you have an influx of you know three new board members you're going to have a lot more training but that's typical isn't it because that's a two no usually it's right and there was and more of you attended the um school boards Association conference this year than you I mean you I think in the last three or four years it's been more each year so not a bad thing but um The Food level for Boe that was go the funds you said are given to the high schools most yeah so typically we will um have the culinary programs provide food for the board before the meetings um this you know kind of kills two birds with one stone you guys get food but the culinary programs also have requirements where they have to provide food um a certain number of times for their program this helps tick that box um and then by us paying them for that food the money gets put right back into the program okay kind of like a fundraiser y um and then the next suggestion was to increase Board of Ed comp by 3% um it hasn't been raised in a long time and I'm definitely aware of that I've been here four years they've been some of these have been here six but I personally am not comfortable asking for an increase while we're asking asking for these things for staff but open to what you have yeah I'm um I'm of the opinion that we need to focus on our staff yep yeah I'm good and then the contracted legal services I don't what did Mis the contracted Legal Services you said that's just what we have that's our board attorney got to have we have to have him so um the amount that I have listed there matches for this year so um he doesn't go up in cost okay fine so is that a um a contract or do he charge us hourly for actual hours incur he has a contract with us however I think that if he's engaged in something outside the realm of what that contract stipulates then he can charge an hourly rate and so it's just higher than we expected and we need to increase it yeah well when there's lawsuits and other things then his services are needed more so it kind of fluctuates okay any other questions can you explain the Esco utilities thing a little bit more to me please I can um that is our Esco project so this would have happened before I came on in 2013 um back then they had a um contract go into place where um a vendor came in and helped figure out different things that could be done around the schools and all of our facilities to try to make us more energy efficient um the contract I believe was a 15year term um it's set to expire I believe in 2029 um the contract stipulates we pay that amount of money I Mr Paylor might be able to okay so we're we're stuck in that predates all of us and if we could get out of it we could we've looked into it but we're we're pretty much it save us money probably does that include Johnson Controls that is Johnson Controls that's okay okay right and don't get me started and if you want John controls I know everything there is to know we're stuck in a contract that's fine I just hope it's the thermostat paper thermostat Pap part of part of it does include um it's not necessarily Johnson Controls but part of it is it talks about set points for temperatures which is controls but it also it also had um all kinds of things in there how to save money with use green hour and only flush toilets that flush with a certain amount of water it talks about you know um Lighting in buildings it it so anyway it's uh we're we're locked in and um that is it predates all of us but it is what it is has anyone talked about solar panels for schools um not to my knowledge I don't think if if Johnson Controls doesn't let it happen then we're out of luck buddy we got four years of we got four years of plan for it yeah any other questions any other questions on the so we'll just to make sure because we're going to vote on a budget so the budget before you is status quo um and then we'll prepare a side document that has I just want to make sure I got this right so we'll do 9% certified but we'll also explore other percentages and let you know the cost of those correct okay we'll do a 5% um for classified staff and then a 5% increase to coaches supplements if that's if that's in line with other coaches supplements in um other counties but again I want us to go in and say I want us to have some validated data says this is what other counties pay at the very least bring it up to that so I think that would that's only fair okay okay um back to the bus drivers um is there anything we can add in there that would be value added for advertising recruitment something to alleviate this problem that we have um increase our substitute bus driver list I've seen other counties advertise in various places would that help to even add I don't know a 5,000 $10,000 advertising and recruitment budget it's a question I don't have the answer I'm not in HR and marketing you have any but status quo doesn't seem to work as it is this is a significant problem I don't have an answer nobody has an answer this is a state problem not a car I don't know that in my conversations with my colleagues they've come up with any answers unfortunately we are in a situation in a time that people don't want to drive buses it's difficult well I mean what I've heard from a few is they don't want to drive because it's a very difficult thing to do your back is to all the children the children have a different realm on the bus and the school they know their structure they know their rules in their classroom at home they know their rules or structure in their class or at home when they're sitting on the bus and the adults back is to them their behavior is escalated does monitors volunteer monitors does anything help that we can recruit more and retain more well don't we have cameras that some of them that's always in hindsight right I know we've talked about it before Hinds in real time or not they watch use them to like to check reports I've been at the school when they're yesing um and I know we've talked about like a bonus if they sign on but then I feel like we've got to give the same to all the bus drivers that are already there doing this every day so um and even with the advertising I've Heard enlo County advertisement for bus drivers for two years absolutely sign on bonus $2,500 and and keep hearing that same so don't think that helps that's not an aid okay I mean if you had a significant bonus um it may help I still have feelings about giving a bonus the problem with bonus is that if you're going to provide it to new employees you have to provide it to current employees and a lot of systems use um Esther's money to provide bonuses upfront to their current bus drivers so um mean I'd be hard pressed to ask for a sign on bonus for new bus drivers when you got somebody's been driving a bus for us for 20 years that that wouldn't get the bonus so it I mean I would I think that's where we are you kind of look at it like the military you know you get a sign on bonus in the military but you don't get that bonus you get half the bonus at half your time then you get the remainder of the bonus at the end of your enlistment we could say you know you drive for Carter County for five years you get this bonus you know kind of like a it's kind of like an still feel the same though it's like the ones that have been here for 20 years I would I understand but they get that they would get that Bon us pretty much upfront if they've been here longer than 5 years but those that aren't the new hires it would take 5 years and we could plan for that for those bonuses at the end of that five years and you know there may be some that stay may not be some right I mean I like that idea I think we need to take take the time to sort of I I don't think we need to just throw it out there Pro that I like stuff like that I mean it gives the people incentive to work for at least 5 years I mean I you could do four years or something like that yeah I think that um ideas like that are valuable so I appreciate that as long as we're looking out for our current correct yeah you got absolutely like he said you would have to pay your current people right up front you know if it's a $5,000 bonus and then in five years if you're with us you get $5,000 or whatever it may be whatever the number so um we would definitely need to have Buy in from Commissioners that's an ongoing we're talking five years from now we need to start taking them out to dinner a lot yeah CU that would not be media want to take out to dinner yeah y'all can support our calls we raising money have to fund it yeah it still has to be funded unfortunately okay so that's definitely something to talk about um okay have any other okay we need do this in two parts if we can um um pursue the capital budget I will make a motion to approve the capital budget as presented second uh motion by Mr Jenkin second by miss kuch all in favor and now for the operating budget I'll make a motion to approve the operating budget as presented motion by Miss Wheatley second second by shadwick all in favor perfect do we need to make a motion tojn to adjourn or do we or we what about with the supplements I think he had the supplements in a motion that we supplement the budget with the data that will come um to ensure that it will be presented before this is presented to the Commissioners but starting at the numbers that we've already given I think at a minimum but it would still have to be databased [Music] sure good so will you repeat that motion um so I understand that completely I make a motion that we supplement the current operating budget with supplemental salary increases for certified classified and coaching positions based on the data that will be researched and presented and this supplemental budget will pres be presented to the Commissioners alongside the operating budget okay so basically that motion was a motion that says we will do our due diligence get the data and we will present it alongside our operating budget that's way I understand okay perfect I will second that thank you motion by Miss Kett second by Mr Jenkins all in favor thank you do we have a motion to adjourn I'll make that motion motion by everyone no motion by Miss weatley second second by Miss Chadwick all in favor