>> WE'RE GOING TO OPEN THE BUDGET WORKSHOP SESSION, 
          [00:00:03]
APRIL 12, 2023, SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS. 
          WE HAVE OTHER PEOPLE HERE TONIGHT TO PRESENT THEIR PROGRAMS AND WE DO HAVE A QUORUM. 
          WE HAVE SIX OUT OF SEVEN HERE TONIGHT, SO WE CAN CONDUCT BUSINESS. 
          FIRST THING IS THOSE REQUESTS BY SUPERVISOR CORNWELL TO PARTICIPATE ELECTRONICALLY. 
          >> SECONDED. 
          >> THAT IS THERE A SECOND TO THAT. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. 
          >> AYE. 
          >> CHRIS, YOU HEAD ON. 
          >> THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH. WE HAVE A LIST OF BUDGET PRESENTATIONS A-G. WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO IS GO THROUGH THOSE IN ORDER AND AT THE END OF EACH PRESENTATION WE'LL ENTERTAIN QUESTIONS FROM THE PEOPLE IN THE AUDIENCE AND QUESTIONS FROM THE BOARD AND DISCUSS EACH ONE THE SAME TIME WE GO THROUGH. 
          THE FIRST BUDGET PRESENTATION TO SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY SCHOOL SYSTEM, AND I START TO GWINDLE AND SHANNON, SUPERINTENDENT. 
          YOU HAVE THE FLOOR ANYTIME YOU'D LIKE TO START. 
          >> GOOD EVENING. WE DO HAVE A SHORT POWERPOINT PRESENTATION FOR YOU TONIGHT, AND I CAN GET STARTED WITH THAT BEFORE DR. SHANNON IS OUT OF THE WAY. 
          OUR FIRST-LINE OF COURSE SHOWS OUR VISION AND MISSION. 
          THE VISION OF SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOL IS THAT OUR STUDENTS WILL BE SUCCESSFUL AND PRODUCTIVE, LIFELONG LEARNERS IN AN EVER-CHANGING WORLD. 
          >> I THINK THE MICROPHONE WENT OUT. 
          >> I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE YOU CAN HEAR ME. [INAUDIBLE] [LAUGHTER] 
          >> WELCOME. 
          >> HOW ARE YOU. 
          GOOD EVENING, EVERYONE. 
          THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE THE BOARD-APPROVED SCHOOL DIVISION'S BUDGET. 
          THIS BUDGET INCLUDES OUR DIVISION'S EDUCATIONAL GOALS IN DOLLARS AND CENTS. 
          WE ARE ASKING FOR THE FUNDING IN THIS BUDGET TO BE ABLE TO INCREASE THE SALARIES OF OUR EMPLOYEES TO INCLUDE RAISING THE BEGINNING TEACHER SALARIES FORM $43,500-$47,000, AND THE MASTER'S DEGREE SUPPLEMENT BY $500 FROM $2,000-$2,500. 
          ENHANCE FOOD SECURITY, AND TO PROVIDE REQUIRED HEALTH SERVICES AND LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES FOR CHILDREN. 
          AS ALWAYS, WE WILL BEGIN THIS PRESENTATION WITH OUR VISION AND MISSION. 
          THE VISION OF SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS IS THAT ALL STUDENTS WILL BE SUCCESSFUL, PRODUCTIVE, LIFELONG LEARNERS IN AN EVER-CHANGING WORLD. 
          THE MISSION OF SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS IS THAT THROUGH THE COMBINED EFFORTS OF THE STAFF, STUDENTS, FAMILIES, AND THE COMMUNITY, WE WILL ENSURE A QUALITY EDUCATION IN A SAFE ENVIRONMENT THAT WILL PREPARE STUDENTS TO BE SUCCESSFUL LEARNERS AND PRODUCTIVE CITIZENS IN AN EVER-CHANGING SOCIETY. 
          THE GOALS OF OUR SCHOOL DIVISION ARE, NUMBER 1, TO EXPAND LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES AND INCREASE STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT. 
          NUMBER 2, TO EXPAND OUR SAFE AND HEALTHY SCHOOL CULTURE AND CLIMATE. 
          NUMBER 3, TO EXPAND PROFESSIONAL TRAINING AND IMPROVE EMPLOYEE RETENTION. 
          NUMBER 4, TO EXPAND COMMUNITY AND PARENTAL PARTNERSHIPS. 
          NUMBER 5, TO EXPAND CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT AFTERWARDS AND ACQUIRE MORE FISCAL RESOURCES, AND NUMBER 6, TO EXPAND OPPORTUNITIES TO MAKE SCHOOLS MORE EQUITABLE FOR ALL STUDENTS. 
          OUR STUDENT POPULATION CONSISTS OF 52% MALE, 48% FEMALE. 
          [00:05:04]
THE RACIAL MAKEUP OF OUT STUDENT BODY IS 55% WHITE, 40% BLACK, 2% HISPANIC, 1% ASIAN, AND 2% OTHER. 
          THIRTEEN PERCENT OF OUR STUDENTS ARE RECEIVING SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES AND 100% OF OUR STUDENTS CURRENTLY RECEIVE FREE BREAKFAST AND LUNCH. 
          THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF OUR STAFF ARE AS FOLLOWS, WE HAVE 185 AROUND EMPLOYEES WHO ARE TEACHERS, COUNSELORS, AND LIBRARIANS. 
          WE HAVE 24 ADMINISTRATORS, 251 OUR SUPPORT STAFF, 50.3% HAVE ADVANCED DEGREES, 12 IS THE AVERAGE NUMBER OF TEACHERS EXPERIENCE OF OUR STAFF AND WE HAVE TWO NATIONAL BOARD CERTIFIED TEACHERS. 
          ACCORDING TO THE DECENT RULE 1 CHAO COUNT IN SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOL, THERE ARE 347 STUDENTS IDENTIFIED AS STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS. 
          THE PRIOR YEAR, WE HAD 322, AND THE YEAR BEFORE THAT, WE HAD 308 STUDENTS. 
          AGAIN, THE TOTAL STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS BEFORE THE 2020, 2023 SCHOOL YEAR IS 347. 
          THIS CHART SHOWS US NUMBER OF FIVE SCHOOLS AND THE NUMBER OF TEACHERS SERVING EACH SCHOOL. 
          THIS CHART SHOWS THE PERCENTAGE OF ADVANCED PLACEMENT STUDENTS IN THE 2021/2022 AND 2022/2023 SCHOOL YEARS. 
          WE ARE NOW OFFERING ADVANCED PLACEMENT COURSES FOR THE NINTH AND TENTH GRADERS. 
          WE CURRENTLY HAVE 13 STUDENTS ATTENDING GOVERNOR'S SCHOOLS. 
          THE APPOMATTOX REGIONAL GOVERNOR SCHOOL, WHICH IS LOCATED IN PETERSBURG, HAS SEVERAL STUDENTS AT A COST OF $63,000. 
          THE GOVERNOR'S SCHOOL FOR THE ARTS, WHICH IS LOCATED IN NORFOLK, HAS SIX STUDENTS AT A COST OF $31,862.25. 
          THIS CHART SHOWS THE PERCENTAGE OF DUAL ENROLLMENT STUDENTS IN 2021-2022 AND 2022-2023 SCHOOL YEAR. 
          SECONDLY, COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS PAYS FOR HALF OF EACH CREDIT FOR DUAL ENROLLMENT CLASSES, WHICH IS A HUGE COST SAVINGS FOR OUR FAMILIES. 
          THESE ARE DUAL ENROLLMENT COURSES OFFERED AT SOUTHAMPTON HIGH SCHOOL, INCLUDING THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS TAKING THE CLASSES, THE COST OF THE CLASSES PER STUDENT, THE TOTAL COST OF CLASSES, THE AMOUNT PAID BY SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOL, WHICH IS A COST-SAVINGS TO OUR FAMILIES. 
          IF YOU LOOK AT CLASSES, YOU'LL SEE THE CURRICULUM FROM ACCOUNTING TO STATISTICAL REASONING TO MICROECONOMICS TO SURVEY THE OLD TESTAMENT, MICROBIOLOGY, PSYCHOLOGY, SO IT'S A VERY BROAD CURRICULUM. 
          [NOISE] NOW WE HAVE ONE MORE SLIDE THAT SHOWS MORE OF THE DUAL ENROLLMENT, DUAL CREDIT CLASSES FOR A TOTAL OF $209,651.45. 
          THAT'S THE COST PAID FOR [NOISE] FAMILIES AND THE AMOUNT THAT SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY HAS PAID FOR DUAL ENROLLMENT, DUAL CREDIT CLASSES. 
          NOW LET'S LOOK AT OUR TRANSPORTATION. 
          SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY PROVIDES TRANSPORTATION FOR ALL STUDENTS IN THE SCHOOL SYSTEM. 
          HOWEVER SOME STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS REQUIRE SPECIAL TRANSPORTATION, SUCH AS A VAN, A CAR OR A SPECIAL SCHOOL BUS. 
          THIS CHART SHOWS THE NUMBER OF VEHICLES AND THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL TRANSPORTATION FOR THE 2022, 2023 SCHOOL YEAR AND THE TWO YEARS APART. 
          WE'LL TALK ABOUT OUR BUDGET PROCESS, WHICH ACCORDING TO STATE CODE 22.1-92, THE SUPERINTENDENT WITH THE SCHOOL BOARD APPROVAL HAS TO SUBMIT AN ESTIMATE OF THE AMOUNT OF MONEY DEEMED TO BE NEEDED FOR THE NEXT FISCAL YEAR FOR THE OPERATION OF THE SCHOOL DIVISION. 
          WHEN LOOKING AT OUR BUDGET PROCESS, IT WAS NOT COMPLETED IN A SILO. 
          IT BEGAN WITH TEACHERS AND DEPARTMENT HEADS SUBMITTING BUDGET REQUESTS TO PRINCIPALS AND THEN PRINCIPALS AND DISTRICT LEADERS SUBMITTING THEIR BUDGET REQUEST TO THE SUPERINTENDENT. 
          THE SUPERINTENDENT AND THE DIRECTOR OF FINANCE, THEY MET WITH THE SCHOOL BOARD BUDGET COMMITTEE. 
          THE SUPERINTENDENT AND THE DIRECTOR OF FINANCE, AS WELL AS THE THE SCHOOL BOARD BUDGET COMMITTEE AGREED UPON A BUDGET AND THAT BUDGET WAS PRESENTED TO THE SCHOOL BOARD. 
          THE SCHOOL BOARD COLLABORATED AND THEY DISCUSSED THE PROPOSED BUDGET THEN A PUBLIC HEARING WAS 
          [00:10:02]
HELD ON THE PROPOSED BUDGET AND EVENTUALLY THE SCHOOL BOARD ADOPTED AND APPROVED A BUDGET. 
          OUR BUDGET PRIORITIES ARE, NUMBER 1, TO INCREASE TEACHER PAY AND IMPROVE TEACHER RETENTION. 
          NUMBER 2, TO PROACTIVELY ADD PERSONNEL. 
          THREE, EXPAND LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES AND STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT. 
          NUMBER 4, TO MAINTAIN COMPETITIVENESS. 
          SOME OF THE JUSTIFICATION FOR SOME OF THE ITEMS THAT WE HAVE IN THE BUDGET ARE THAT TEACHERS ARE MORE PRODUCTIVE WHEN ADEQUATELY COMPENSATED. 
          RESEARCH SHOWS THAT A 10 PERCENT INCREASE IN TEACHER SALARY WOULD GARNER A 5-10 PERCENT IMPROVEMENT IN STUDENT PERFORMANCE. 
          INCREASING TEACHER PAY CAN INCREASE THE TEACHER PIPELINE AND STRENGTHEN THE QUALITY OF THE FUTURE WORKFORCE. 
          INCREASE IN TEACHER PAY WILL DECREASE TEACHER TURNOVER, WHICH ALSO INCREASES STUDENT PERFORMANCE. 
          INCREASE IN TEACHER PAY IN HIGH NEEDS DISTRICTS CAN ATTRACT TEACHERS TO THOSE SCHOOLS. 
          INCREASE IN TEACHER PAY WILL ASSIST IN MAINTAINING COMPETITIVENESS. 
          WHEN LOOKING AT EMPLOY ADDITIONAL PERSONNEL, WE WANT TO BE PROACTIVE ABOUT ADDRESSING OUR STUDENTS AND STAFF SAFETY NEEDS. 
          THERE IS A NEED FOR ELEMENTARY READING SPECIALISTS IN GRADES FOUR AND FIVE AND AS AN INCREASE IN STATE FUNDING FOR THOSE POSITIONS, SPECIAL EDUCATION PRE-K TEACHER IS ALSO IN THE BUDGET. 
          THERE IS AN INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS AND THEIR SPECIALIZED NEEDS. 
          THERE IS AN OCCUPATIONAL [NOISE] AND PHYSICAL THERAPY POSITION IN THE BUDGET AND THAT IS DUE TO AN INCREASE IN THE OCCUPATIONAL AND PHYSICAL THERAPY SERVICES THAT ARE REQUIRED BY OUR STUDENTS. 
          WE ARE REQUESTING A PARAPROFESSIONAL FOR HIGH SCHOOL VIRTUAL INSTRUCTION. 
          THERE'S A NEED FOR ELEMENTARY BOOKKEEPERS, ONE FOR MEHERRIN, NOTTOWAY AND A HALF OF A POSITION FOR CAPRON. 
          NOTTOWAY AND MEHERRIN CURRENTLY SHARE POSITION AND CAPRON'S SECRETARY HAS BEEN PERFORMING THE BOOKKEEPING DUTIES. 
          WE ALSO HAVE IN OUR BUDGET FOUR BUILDING SECURITY POSITIONS AND ONE DIVISION LEVEL SECURITY OFFICER. 
          WHEN LOOKING AT EXPANDING LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES AND INCREASING STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT, SOME OF THE JUSTIFICATION FOR THAT IS TO PROVIDE STUDENTS WITH AN EXPANDED CURRICULUM AND EXPERTISE TO OBTAIN CTE CREDENTIALS BECAUSE NOT ALL STUDENTS WILL ATTEND COLLEGE. 
          CTE CREDENTIALS CAN LEAD TO JOBS THAT PROVIDES STUDENTS A LIVABLE WAGE. 
          THIS MAY INCLUDE NURSING, CYBERSECURITY, AGRIBUSINESS, CULINARY ARTS, WELDING, ELECTRICITY, COSMETOLOGY AND PHARMACY TECH. 
          WE ALSO WOULD LIKE TO MAINTAIN OUR COMPETITIVENESS AND WE WANT TO ADDRESS EQUITY AND SALARIES OF ALL EMPLOYEES AS COMPARED TO SURROUNDING AREAS BY PROVIDING AN EIGHT PERCENT MINIMUM INCREASE FOR OUR EMPLOYEES AND A WAGE COMPRESSION ADJUSTMENT FOR ALL CLASSIFIED EMPLOYEES. 
          THIS EFFORT WILL AID WITH RECRUITING AND RETENTION EFFORTS AND HELP TO OFFSET THE COST OF LIVING INCREASES. 
          LISTED HERE ARE SOME OF THE CLASSES THAT ARE OFFERED IN OUR EXISTING CTE PROGRAMS. WE HAVE CLASSES IN THE AREA OF AGRICULTURE, BUSINESS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, EDUCATION AND TRAINING. 
          FAMILY AND CONSUMER SCIENCES, HEALTH AND MEDICAL SCIENCES, SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING AND MATH, TRANSPORTATION, DISTRIBUTION AND LOGISTICS, TRADE AND INDUSTRIAL EDUCATION. 
          WHEN YOU LOOK AT THIS SLIDE HERE, YOU SEE THAT SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY HAS THE LOWEST TEACHER BEGINNINGS PAY IN OUR AREA AND OUR CURRENT TEACHER SALARY IS $43,500. 
          NOW WE WILL HAVE MS. JOYCE CARL, OUR DIRECTOR OF FINANCE, TO TALK TO YOU ALL ABOUT OUR PERSONNEL NEEDS. 
          >> THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING. 
          [NOISE] SHANNON HAS MENTIONED THE ADDITIONAL PERSONNEL THAT WE HAVE PUT IN THE BUDGET AND I'VE LISTED HERE THE ESTIMATED COST WITH FRINGES. 
          THIS IS NOT THE BASIC SALARY AND THIS INCLUDES THEIR COSTS WITH FRINGES. 
          THE READING SPECIALIST FOR THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IS AT 78,343, A SPECIAL ED PRE-K TEACHER IS 75,807, A PARAPROFESSIONALS FOR THE HIGH SCHOOL VIRTUAL CLASSROOM, 33,691, A BOOKKEEPER FOR 39,337, REPORT CARD BOOKKEEPER AT 22,636, THE OCCUPATIONAL THERAPISTS, 105,435 AND PHYSICAL THERAPISTS, 105,435. 
          OUR FOUR BUILDING SECURITY POSITIONS, WE ESTIMATE THOSE FASTENERS 189,104 AND THE DIVISION SECURITY OFFICER 59,282. 
          [00:15:07]
[NOISE] THE MINIMUM WAGE IN THE STATE OF VIRGINIA INCREASED TO $12 PER HOUR ON JANUARY 1ST. 
          AS A RESULT OF THIS INCREASE, WE HAD TO INCREASE THE PAY FOR 75 OF OUR CLASSIFIED EMPLOYEES. 
          FORTY-FIVE OF THESE EMPLOYEES ARE PAID FROM THE LOCAL OPERATING BUDGET AND THE REMAINING 30 ARE PAID FROM STATE AND FEDERAL PROGRAMS. THE MINIMUM WAGE IS SCHEDULED TO INCREASE AGAIN TO $13.50 ON JANUARY 1ST, 2025 AT $15 PER HOUR ON JANUARY 1ST, 2026. 
          THIS IS GOING TO SHOW THE CATEGORIES OF EMPLOYEES THAT WERE AFFECTED BY THE MINIMUM WAGE IMPACT. 
          WE HAD SEVEN OF OUR SECRETARIES, BOOKKEEPERS AND OUR DISPATCHER WITH 25 TEACHER ASSISTANTS, 24 CUSTODIANS, ONE SPECIAL NEEDS DRIVER, 18 CAFETERIA STAFF FOR A TOTAL OF 75. 
          IN AN EFFORT TO BRIDGE THE GAP BETWEEN MINIMUM WAGE AND THE SALARIES OF OUR VETERAN CLASSIFIED EMPLOYEES AND TO MOVE ALL CLASSIFIED EMPLOYEES CLOSER TO THE FUTURE MINIMUM WAGE INCREASES, THE CURRENT DRAFT BUDGET INCLUDES A ONE DOLLAR PER HOUR INCREASE FOR ALL CLASSIFIED EMPLOYEES, A COMPRESSION SALARY ADJUSTMENT BASED ON YEARS OF EXPERIENCE, PLUS THE EIGHT PERCENT INCREASE FOR ALL EMPLOYEES. 
          [NOISE] THIS SHOWS OUR MINIMUM WAGE COMPRESSION SCALE. 
          IF YOU'LL NOTICE THAT THE YEAR PUT WITH YEARS OF EXPERIENCE BETWEEN ONE AND FOUR, WE WOULD ADD $500 TO THEIR ANNUAL SALARY. 
          IF YOU HAVE 5-9 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE, WE WOULD ADD 1,000, 10-14, 1,500, 15-19 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE, 2,000, 20-24 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE WE GET 2,500 AND THEN 25 PLUS YEARS OF EXPERIENCE, WE WOULD ADD 3,000. 
          THE MINIMUM WAGE INCREASE ALSO AFFECTED OUR SUBSTITUTE TEACHER PAY. 
          IN ORDER TO KEEP THE DEGREED SUBSTITUTES ABOVE MINIMUM WAGE, THE BREAK WAS INCREASED TO $100 PER DAY DURING THE CURRENT FISCAL YEAR. 
          ALL OTHER SUBSTITUTES ARE PAID BASED ON THE MINIMUM WAGE, WHICH IS CURRENTLY $12 PER HOUR. 
          A $60,000 INCREASE HAS BEEN INCLUDED TO COVER THE COST OF THE INCREASE IN MINIMUM WAGE AND DEGREED SUBSTITUTE PAY. 
          THESE ARE LISTS OF OUR INSTRUCTIONAL NEEDS. 
          WE FELT THE NEED TO INCREASE OUR SPEECH SERVICES BY $52,645. 
          THIS IS BASED ON OUR CURRENT SERVICES THAT WE'RE CONTRACTING AT THIS YEAR. 
          WE HAVE TECHNOLOGY MATERIALS AND SUPPLIES AT 42,000 AND THIS IS ACTUALLY FOR THE LOCAL MATCH TO OUR STATE FUNDS. 
          WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO COVER THAT IN THE PAST WITH TECHNOLOGY EXPENDITURES AT THE END OF THE YEAR, BUT AS EACH YEAR GOES BY, WE MAY NOT BE ABLE TO DO THAT. 
          WE HAVE SOFTWARE ONLINE CONTENT FOR $11,050. 
          THIS IS DUE TO AN INCREASE IN SOFTWARE PRODUCTS. 
          INTERNET SERVICES, $20,000 INCREASE DUE TO THE INCREASE RATE IN INTERNET SERVICES. 
          THE RECRUITING BUDGET. 
          WE FELT A NEED TO INCREASE ABOUT $20,000 FOR RECRUITING SERVICES AND MATERIALS. 
          THIS IS FOR JOB FAIRS, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, BACKGROUND CHECKS, EMPLOYEE APPRECIATION. 
          OUR EDUCATIONAL NEWS MEDIA WE'VE INCREASED BY $13,000. 
          THIS IS FOR ONLINE ADVERTISING, FLIERS, PAMPHLETS AND DIGITAL EQUIPMENT. 
          UNDER OUR OPERATION NEEDS, WE'VE INCREASED THE FUEL BUDGET BY $350,000 AND THIS IS BASED ON THE TREND THAT WE SEE NOW FOR OUR CURRENT EXPENDITURES. 
          ELECTRICAL SERVICES, WE'VE INCREASED BY 10,000, HEATING SERVICES BY 3,000, PROPERTY AND LIABILITY INSURANCE BY 2,500, JANITORIAL SUPPLIES BY $5,000 AND PROFESSIONAL SERVICES, ANOTHER $5,000 DUE TO THE INCREASE IN OUTSOURCE AND DO TWO MAJOR MECHANICAL ISSUES THAT OUR STAFF CANNOT ADDRESS. 
          THE PROPOSAL. OUR LOCAL OPERATING BUDGET IS CURRENTLY PROPOSED AT 38,894,834, WE HAVE ESTIMATED STATE REVENUE AT 22,904,869 AND OUR ESTIMATE TUITION AND ADULT EDUCATION FUNDS ARE AT 104,300. 
          THEREFORE, WE WOULD NEED AN ESTIMATE A LOCAL REVENUE MATCH OF 15,885,665 TO BALANCE THE BUDGET. 
          OUR CURRENT LOCAL REVENUE IS 12,714,310. 
          THEREFORE, WE WOULD NEED A LOCAL INCREASE IN FUNDS OF 3,171,355 IN ORDER TO BALANCE THE PROPOSED BUDGET. THANK [NOISE] YOU. 
          >> THANK YOU. WELL, I'M SURE EVERYBODY ON BOARD STILL HAVE SOME QUESTIONS. 
          I HAVE SOMETHING TO START WITH, WHOEVER LIKED TO ANSWER THEM. 
          YOU'RE ASKING FOR AN INCREASE OF $3.17 MILLION, 
          [00:20:01]
DOES ANYBODY IN LAW SCHOOL BOARD ADMINISTRATION KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS ON OUR TAX STRUCTURE IN SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY? WHAT DOES THAT DO TO THE TAX STRUCTURE? 
          >> I WOULD ASSUME THAT YOU WOULD HAVE TO INCREASE TAXES. 
          >> HOW MUCH? 
          >> I'M NOT SURE. 
          >> I THINK WHEN YOU FIGURE OUT A BUDGET AND COME UP WITH SOMETHING LIKE THIS, YOU OUGHT TO KNOW THAT NOW I'LL GIVE YOU THE FACTS ON IT, $3.17 MILLION INCREASE AMOUNTS TO A 21.1 CENT IN THE REAL ESTATE TAX, WHICH HAS AN ELEVATION OF 24 PERCENT OF REAL ESTATE TAX FOR PEOPLE OF SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY. 
          NOW, THE OTHER ALTERNATIVE WAS A LITTLE FUNNY AND I THOUGHT ABOUT IT. 
          WE HAVE A TRASH FEE AND WE CAN INCREASE THE TRASH FEE TO $866.17 AND THAT WOULD PAY FOR IT. 
          MY QUESTION IS, HOW MUCH STRESS ARE YOU WILLING TO LAY ON THE PEOPLE SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY WITH HIS BUDGET? WHAT ARE THE THINGS IN THIS BUDGET THAT YOU CAN SEE WE CAN CUT BACK ON BECAUSE I THINK THE BOARD UP HERE, WE DO HAVE A LOT OF QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT. 
          WE'RE GOING TO NEED THE ANSWERS THOSE QUESTIONS TO LOOK AT THIS BUDGET. 
          THERE'S NO WAY THOSE COUNTIES GO PAY AT 24 PERCENT INCREASE IN THEIR REAL ESTATE TAX. 
          >> YES SIR. 
          >> NOW, I HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS OUT. 
          WHAT IS THE AVERAGE TEACHER PAY? 
          >> ITS 45. 
          >> THE AVERAGE TEACHER RIGHT NOW MAKES 43,000. 
          >> NO SIR THAT WAS THE BEGINNING OF TEACHERS PAY. 
          >> WHAT DOES THE AVERAGE TEACHER MAKE NOW. 
          >> I DON'T HAVE THAT. 
          >> WELL, I NEED TO FIGURE THAT THIS 47,000 YOU'VE GOT TO GIVE TO THE NEW TEACHER. 
          NOW HOW'S THAT COMPARABLE WITH WHAT MOST OF YOU ARE TEACHERS ARE GETTING? 
          >> I CAN TELL YOU WHAT THE MIDDLE OF THE SCALE IS. 
          >> WHAT'S THE MEDIAN SALARY OF YOUR TEACHERS AT IN THE SCHOOL SYSTEM? [NOISE] 
          >> CURRENTLY ITS SEQUENCE IS STEP IS AT 15,974. 
          IF WE GET THE 8 PERCENT INCREASE, THAT WILL GO TO $56,600. 
          THAT 'S STEP 15, AND THE SCALE GOES 0-30. 
          >> OTHER TEACHERS GOT TO BE MAKING LESS THAN 47,000 WHO ARE THERE AND NOT NEW TEACHERS? 
          >> NO THE GOAL IS TO INCREASE THE BEGINNING TEACHER TO 47. 
          >> I KNOW, BUT WHAT'S THE LOWEST PAID TEACHER THAT YOU HAVE THERE NOW? 
          >> NOW ITS 43,500. 
          >> THE NEW TEACHERS GOT TO COME IN AT 47? 
          >> YES, SIR. 
          >> THE NEW TEACHERS GO MAKE $4,000 MORE THAN THE TEACHER YOU ALREADY HAVE THERE? 
          >> WELL, NO, IT'S A SCALE. 
          STEP 1 WITH ONE YEAR EXPERIENCE, WE'LL GO TO $47,332. 
          >> YOUR NEW TEACHER IS GOING TO MAKE MORE THAN THE TEACHER WHO'S BEEN THERE A YEAR OR TWO? 
          >> NO, SIR. THE ZERO STEP IS 47,000 NO EXPERIENCE. 
          >> IT'S GOING TO MAKE THE SAME AS A TEACHER WHOSE BEEN THERE. 
          >> NO. IT'S A SMALL DIFFERENCE, 47,332. 
          THERE'S NOT MUCH DIFFERENCE BETWEEN OUR STEPS ON THE SCALE, BUT WHEN WE GIVE INCREASES, WE INCREASE THE SCALE SO THAT SOMEBODY MAKING 435 THIS YEAR, IT'S GOING TO GO TO 47,332 NEXT YEAR, WHICH WILL ALLOW US TO RAISE UP AGAIN AND TEACHER SALARY TO 47,000 SO THAT WE CAN RECRUIT NEW TEACHERS. 
          >> THE TEACHER WHO WAS THERE HAVE BEEN WORKING FOR YOU IS GOING TO MAKE $300 A YEAR MORE THAN A NEW TEACHER COMING IN? THAT'S THE THE MATH I SEE. 
          >> YES, SIR. 
          >> THAT DOESN'T SOUND VERY EQUITABLE TO ME. 
          >> WE'RE TRYING TO RECRUIT TEACHERS. 
          >> WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN TO THAT TEACHER SAYS THE NEW TEACHERS COMING DOWN AND THIS TEACHER HAS BEEN THERE, YOU'LL CHOOSE MAKING $400 OR LESS A YEAR. 
          WHAT'S HAPPENED THERE? [OVERLAPPING] I THINK THAT'S A FALSE IN YOUR OPINION. 
          >> WE HAVE CAREER STEP BUILT-INTO THE TEACHERS SCALE SO THAT ABOUT THE TIME THEY GET TO STEP 5, THEY GET A 10.2 PERCENT INCREASE AND WOULD BE MAKING 51,637. 
          WE BUILT THE CAREER STEPS INTO THE TEACHER SCALE TO ENCOURAGE OUR PEOPLE TO STAY AND LOOK FORWARD TO THOSE CAREER STEP IN PLACE. 
          >> THE NEW TEACHER AT THAT STAGE WILL STILL BE MAKING MORE THAN THE OLD TEACHER, ACCORDING TO YOUR STEPS? 
          >> NO SIR, THAT'S NOT THE CASE. 
          FORTY SEVEN THOUSAND CASE WOULD BE THE NEW TEACHER. 
          [OVERLAPPING] 
          >>I'LL LET THAT REST AND I'LL SAY THIS AND I'M SAYING THIS FROM INFORMATION AND RESEARCH I'VE DONE, TEACHERS SCALE PAY IS VERY LOW AND YOUR SYSTEM. 
          >> OF COURSE THAT'S WHY- [OVERLAPPING] 
          >> THE ADMINISTRATIVE SCALE IN YOUR SYSTEM IS VERY HIGH. 
          [00:25:02]
          >> ARE YOU COMPARING THAT TO SURROUNDING DIVISIONS? 
          >> I'M COMPARING THAT TO THE STATE. 
          THAT IS A PROBLEM THAT'S BEEN THAT PROBLEM FOR YEARS. 
          THE ADMINISTRATIVE SCALE HAS GONE UP AND UP, AND THEN TEACHERS HAVE BEEN LEFT BUT NOW YOU'RE STUCK WITH A 20 PERCENT OF YOUR TEACHERS LEAVING EVERY YEAR, WHICH IS THE HIGHEST IN THIS REGION. 
          THE VERY HIGHEST AND NOW ALL OF A SUDDEN, YOU WANT TO GIVE THEM A LITTLE MONEY AND THE TEACHERS WHO, THEY'RE NOT GOING TO BE MAKING THAT MUCH MORE MONEY THAN THE NEW TEACHERS. 
          I'M GOING TO LEAVE THAT. I GOT A COUPLE OF OTHER QUESTIONS, THE ADDITIONAL POSITIONS. 
          YOU GOT ONE, OCCUPATIONAL THERAPISTS AND PHYSICAL THERAPISTS THEIR ESTIMATES ARE ABOUT 40 PERCENT WHAT THAT'S GOING TO COST YOU. 
          I HAVE 40 YEARS EXPERIENCE AND RECRUITING OCCUPATIONAL THERAPISTS AND PHYSICAL THERAPISTS, YOU'RE RECRUITING ABOUT 100, 105 EACH, IT'S GOING TO COST YOU ABOUT 160-170 IF YOU GO GET SOMEBODY AND PAY ALL THE STUFF THAT GOES ALONG WITH IT. 
          THAT MEANS THAT MONEY IS GOING TO BE ABOUT 350-400,000 BUCKS, NOT 200 PLUS. 
          I'M ALSO CONFUSED ABOUT WHY YOU NEED A PHYSICAL THERAPISTS AND OCCUPATIONAL THERAPISTS. 
          >> WE'RE PAYING CONTRACTED SERVICES FOR THAT NOW. 
          >> HOW MUCH ARE YOU PAYING NOW? 
          >> WELL, JUST A SECOND I HAVE A CHART ON THAT. 
          [NOISE] WE CURRENTLY PAY PURCHASE SERVICES FOR OT PT, AND SPEECH SERVICES. 
          LAST YEAR IN FY20, OUR EXPENSES WERE $424,076.94. 
          NOW OF THAT, WE RECEIVE MEDICAID REIMBURSEMENT OF 134,985. 
          63. WE ALSO HAVE IN OUR CURRENT BUDGET OF JUST 53,685 THAT'S WHY WE'RE TRYING TO GET THAT BUDGET INCREASE THERE. 
          WE DO HAVE A SPEECH VACANCY AND IF I EVEN SUBTRACT THAT OFF 73,232 THIS LEAVES US FEEL SHORT OF 162,000 FOR CONTRACTED SERVICES. 
          YOU'RE PROBABLY RIGHT MAYBE WE CAN'T GET THE 75,000, WHICH IS WHAT I'LL PUT HERE BUT THE GOAL WAS TO HAVE THEM ON OUR SIDE. 
          >> NOW YOU'RE TELLING ME THAT YOU CAN'T GET ONE THEN WITH YOUR 70,000? I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT'S GOING ON. 
          >> WE DON'T HAVE IT THE KNOW, I'M SAYING WE PUT IN $75,000 FOR EACH POSITION NEXT YEAR, WHAT YOU SAW WAS PLUS THE FRINGES. 
          WHAT I'M SAYING IS- [OVERLAPPING] 
          >> MUM THAT'S NOT CLOSE TO PLUS THE FRINGES, YOU'RE ABOUT 40-50 PERCENT OFF THE PLUS THE CURRENT FRINGES. 
          I HAVE EXPERIENCED IN THAT I'VE BEEN DOING THIS FOR 40 YEARS. 
          WHAT I'M SAYING IS THIS, I GET FULL-TIME PEOPLE, YOU'RE GOING TO BE PAYING MORE DOWN THE LINE OR WHATEVER YOU'RE CONTRACTING OUT. 
          I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW PHYSICAL THERAPISTS WORKS INTO THE SCHOOL SYSTEM ANYWAY. 
          PHYSICAL THERAPISTS NEED MEDICAL PRESCRIPTIONS IN ORDER TO DO THERAPY WHO THEY TREATING ON. 
          IF YOU HAVE A CHILD THAT HAS A SPORTS INJURY, HIS PARENTS SHOULD BE TAKING CARE OF THAT THROUGH THEIR INSURANCE, NOT THE SCHOOL. 
          >> THESE ARE SOME OF OUR DISABLED STUDENTS, I BELIEVE AND IT'S WRITTEN INTO THEIR IEP THAT WHERE THEY REQUIRE PHYSICAL THERAPY AND OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY. [OVERLAPPING] 
          >> WHAT YOU NEED BUT YOU NEED TO DO IS LOOK INTO THE DISPARITY HERE. 
          YOUR ESTIMATES ARE EXTREMELY LOW. 
          I WANT TO BET I SAT ON TO RECRUITING COMMITTEES TO GET OCCUPATIONAL PHYSICAL THERAPY FOR THE HOSPITAL AND YOURS ARE VERY LOW. 
          SO I THINK YOU NEED TO LOOK AS FAR AS ITS BUDGET, WHETHER TO KEEP IT OUTSOURCED OR THE TRY THIS, I THINK IT'S RIDICULOUS TO TRY TO HAVE THOSE TWO THINGS IN OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM. 
          THERE'S JUST NOT ENOUGH WORK FOR AND IT'S TOO EXPENSIVE. 
          I LIKE TO SEE YOUR STAND ON THAT. 
          LET'S SEE, I DON'T KNOW IF I HAD ANY OTHERS THERE. 
          I JUST WANTED TO POINT OUT WHAT THE TAX BURDEN IS GOING TO BE IF THIS BUDGET IS PASSED ON THE PEOPLE IN THIS COUNTY. 
          DO ALL YOU PEOPLE THAT IN ADMINISTRATION LIVE IN THE COUNTY, PAYING TAXES? 
          >> YES SIR, I AM. 
          >> ANYBODY NOT LIVING THE COUNTY? SUPERINTENDENT, YOU LIVE IN A COUNTY? 
          >> I LIVE IN FRANKLIN 
          >> YOU'RE NOT PAYING TAXES HERE EITHER. 
          I JUST THINK THIS BUDGET INFLATED LIKE THIS MAKES IT DIFFICULT FOR US TO EVALUATE WHAT'S GOING ON BECAUSE I THINK WE'RE GETTING A BUDGET THAT'S SUPERFICIALLY INFLATED AND IT'S NOT DOWN TO REALITY. 
          [00:30:05]
I'M SURE OTHER PEOPLE MIGHT HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT AND I'M GOING TO TURN IT OVER TO THE REST OF THE BOARD. 
          >> [NOISE] WELL, I'D JUST LIKE TO SAY I APPRECIATE THE WORK YOU PUT INTO DEVELOPING YOUR BUDGET AND I UNDERSTAND YOUR SITUATION. 
          I TALKED TO A LADY THE OTHER DAY WHEN SHE CAME TO ME, SAID SHE WANTED TO COME TO SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY TO WORK. 
          BUT WHEN SHE SAW THE PAY SCALE, SHE SAID SHE COULDN'T AFFORD TO CAME. 
          I CAN UNDERSTAND YOU'RE TRYING TO UPGRADE THE TEACHER SALARY AND I APPRECIATE THE WORK YOU'VE PUT INTO IT. 
          I DON'T EVEN IMAGINE TRYING TO UNDERSTAND YOUR BUDGET COMPLETELY, BUT TRY TO APPRECIATE YOUR EXPLANATION OF IT. 
          I UNDERSTAND YOUR NEEDS YOU PRESENTED TO US A BUDGET BASED ON YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE NEEDS FOR SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY SCHOOLS AND I APPRECIATE THAT. 
          WE HAVE THE TASK OF LOOKING AT THAT BUDGET AND SEEING WHAT WE CAN DO TO SATISFY THE NEEDS FINANCIALLY OF SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY. 
          AS FAR AS YOUR BUDGET, I RESPECT YOU'RE PUTTING INTO IT WHAT YOU SEE AS THE NEEDS FOR THE STUDENTS OR SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY. 
          >> THANK YOU. 
          >> GO AGAIN. 
          >> WELL, I HAD A FEW QUESTIONS BASED OFF YOUR POWERPOINT AND THEN I HAD SOME MORE THAT WERE COMING FROM THE ESO GRANTS, THAT WERE ON THEIR DOE [NOISE] WEBSITE. 
          [NOISE] YOU MENTIONED TRYING TO POWDER JUSTIFICATION FOR INCREASE AND WAS TO RETAIN TEACHERS. 
          WHAT IS THE ATTRITION RATE NOW? 
          >> WE DON'T HAVE ANY INFORMATION RIGHT NOW. 
          >> YOU DON'T. 
          >> SIR IT WAS 20% THE LAST STUFF THAT WE LOOKED UP. 
          COMPARED WITH THE REGION, THE REGION RAN ANYWHERE FOR 6-8%, I THINK THE SECOND HIGHEST WAS 16%. 
          >> BUT I'M SUPPOSING THAT THAT WAS VERY IMPORTANT IN BUILDING THIS BUDGET, YOUR AVERAGE ATTRITION RATE. 
          FOR REQUESTING THE FUNDING FOR THESE FTE POSITION. 
          IN THE ESO GRANT IS NOT, [NOISE] YOU CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, BUT I CAN'T TELL BY THE BUDGET REQUEST FOR FISCAL YEAR '24 WHETHER THE ESO MONIES WERE REFLECTED IN WHAT YOU REQUESTED FOR FISCAL YEAR '24. 
          I COULDN'T SEE WHERE THAT WAS SHOWN ANYWHERE IN THE BUDGET. 
          THE REASON I ASKED THAT QUESTION, IN THE LANGUAGE OF THE ESO FUNDS, THERE'S A SECTION IN THERE THAT DEALS WITH BRIDGING THE BUDGET SHORTFALLS. 
          DID YOU USE ANY OF THE ESO MONEY LAST YEAR TO BRIDGE ANY SHORTFALLS THAT YOU MAY HAVE HAD? 
          >> FOR MOST OF OUR ESO FUNDS HAVE BEEN USED FOR NONRECURRING COSTS. 
          WHEN THE APPLICATIONS WERE WRITTEN, WHICH I DON'T WRITE THE APPLICATIONS, BUT WE WERE INSTRUCTED OR ENCOURAGED NOT TO PUT ME IN OR NOT TO REQUEST ITEMS THAT WERE RECURRING. 
          THE MAJORITY OF THE ESO FUNDS ARE FOR NONRECURRING COSTS. 
          THEREFORE, WE DID NOT PAY MY TEACHER SALARIES OUT OF THE ESO FUNDS. 
          NOW, IF WE WERE TO PAY TEACHERS SALARIES OUT OF ESO FUNDS, THEN OF COURSE, WE HAVE TO SOMEHOW TRY TO FIND A WAY TO KEEP THEM THE FOLLOWING YEAR ONCE THE ESO FUNDS EXPIRE, WE HAVE THE ESO 2 FUNDS WHICH ARE EXPIRING THIS SEPTEMBER 30. 
          NOW WE DO HAVE ESO 3 FUNDS ALLOCATED THAT EXPIRE NOT UNTIL SEPTEMBER 30TH, 2024. 
          OF COURSE, THEY ARE EARMARKED FOR THE MAJORITY OF NONRECURRING EXPENSES, SUCH AS THE PERIOD. [OVERLAPPING]. 
          >> AND THEY COULD BE ROLLED OVER. IS THAT CORRECT? 
          >> NOT PAST 9-30-24, SO WE HAVE ONE MORE YEAR TO SPEND THE ESO 3. 
          [00:35:02]
WE HAVE TO SPEND THE ESO 2 FUNDS BY THIS SEPTEMBER. 
          THE ESO 3 FUNDS BY 9-30-24? 
          >> WHAT IS THAT YOU HAVING IN THE THREE FUNDS? 
          >> ESO 3 FUNDS CURRENTLY, I LOOKED THIS UP TODAY ON THE WEBSITE. 
          WE HAVE 3,157,391.16 AS OF TODAY AVAILABLE FUNDS. 
          >> AND SOME OF THAT WAS TO HELP OFFSET THE, AS I SAW ON THE WEBSITE, SOME OF THAT YOU ARE ELIGIBLE TO USE TO OFFSET TEACHERS WORK, I DON'T KNOW HOW TO PUT IT IN, HOW YOU WOULD CLASSIFY IT, BUT THE WORK THAT THEY WERE REQUIRED TO DO TO GET YOU THROUGH COVID. 
          MY QUESTION IS, WERE YOU ACTIVE IN USING THOSE MONIES TO SUPPLEMENT THOSE TEACHERS SALARIES TO IMPROVE MORALE OF TEACHERS TO TRY TO STEM THE TIDE ON ATTRITION? 
          >> YES, SIR. WE DID. 
          WE PROVIDED RETENTION STIPENDS TO ALL OF OUR EMPLOYEES. 
          LAST YEAR, EVERYONE RECEIVED $4,000 AT THE END OF THE YEAR. 
          AND HALF ALL CONTRACTED EMPLOYEES, HALF OF THAT WAS PAID FROM THE ESO FUNDS. 
          WE ALSO GAVE ANOTHER $1,000 THIS PAST NOVEMBER THAT WAS PAID FROM THE ESO FUNDS. 
          >> AND YOU HAVE THAT GOING FORWARD ON ESO3? 
          >> YES, SIR. FOR THE ESO 3 WE HAVE ANOTHER $1000 IN FOR RETENTION STIPENDS IN ESO 3. 
          BUT LIKE I SAID, THERE WAS A ONE-TIME EXPENSES, OF COURSE THAT DOES HELP WITH RETENTION. 
          >> HOW ARE WE TO TELL WHETHER OR NOT IT'S IN YOUR BUDGET? 
          >> WELL, I MEAN YOU COULD GET A, I GUESS A COPY OF THE APPLICATION IS AVAILABLE AT THE STATE DEPARTMENT. 
          [OVERLAPPING]. 
          >> WELL, I GUESS MY POINT IS WHEN I LOOKED AT WHAT YOU WERE REQUESTING, NO WHERE IN WAS IN THE REFLECTION OF THAT THREE MILLION DOLLARS. 
          >> YES, SIR. 
          >> THERE TWO WAYS TO ADMINISTRATE IT AS I UNDERSTAND. 
          NOW I CAN BE WRONG AND YOU CAN CORRECT ME. 
          ONE IS TO RECEIVE, DON'T SHOW IT AS A REVENUE STREAM IN YOUR BUDGET. 
          THE POSSIBILITY IS THERE TO REQUEST SOMETHING THAT MIGHT BE COMING BACK FROM THESE GRANTS? IS THAT A FAIR ASSESSMENT? 
          >> I'M NOT SURE I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. 
          >> IN OTHER WORDS, YOU DON'T SHOW THAT AS A REVENUE LINE ITEM. 
          >> YES SIR. BECAUSE BASICALLY, WE ARE CONSIDERING THESE TEMPORARY FUNDS. 
          BUT WE DO APPROPRIATE THE MONEY AS IT COMES IN. 
          ONCE WE HAVE OUR EXPENDITURES, WE HAVE TO WE HAVE TO FILE A REIMBURSEMENT. 
          THAT'S THE ONLY WAY WE CAN GET THE MONIES TO FILE A REIMBURSEMENT WITH THE STATE. 
          WHEN THE MONEY COMES IN, THEN WE SEND IT DOWN FOR APPROPRIATION. 
          >> RIGHT. DEPENDING ON WHEN YOU EXERCISE THAT REIMBURSEMENT AND COMBINING THAT WITH YOUR ATTRITION RATE, WHERE I ASSUME YOU ARE A SUBSTITUTE FOR $100. 
          IS THAT RIGHT A DAY? 
          >> A $100 A DAY? YES IF THEY HAVE A DEGREE. [OVERLAPPING]. 
          >> IS THAT RIGHT? 
          >> YES SIR. 
          >> THE GAP IN-BETWEEN THERE, NOT KNOWING YOUR ATTRITION RATE AS YOU SAID TONIGHT, YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS, THE POSSIBILITY IS THERE FROM WHERE I SIT TO SEE A HUGE WINDFALL. 
          >> NO. WELL, ACTUALLY FOR OUR FORUM, THAT'S OUR REGULAR SUBSTITUTE TEACHER PAY. THAT'S IF SOMEBODY [INAUDIBLE] [OVERLAPPING] 
          >> I UNDERSTAND THAT. 
          >> SOMEBODY IS OUT SICK. BUT IF SOMEBODY IS OUT, WE HAVE A VACANT POSITION AND THEN THEY RECEIVE WHAT'S CALLED LONG-TERM SUBSTITUTE TEACHER PAY, WHICH YOU SAID FROM THE BEGINNING, TEACHERS SALARY. 
          THEY ACTUALLY GET PAID A HIGHER RATE AND JUST THE NORMAL DATABASE [INAUDIBLE]. 
          >> BUT IF THAT TEACHER LEFT IN DECEMBER. 
          AS I UNDERSTAND IT, YOU HAD SOME TO LEAVE IN DECEMBER. I COULD BE WRONG. 
          BUT THAT'S MY UNDERSTANDING. 
          YOU HAD TEACHERS LEAVE, MID-YEAR. 
          THEIR SALARY STRUCTURE WAS ABOVE THAT. 
          YOU'RE FILLING IT WITH A LOWER AND THAT PRODUCES A WINDFALL, ESPECIALLY IF YOU'VE GOT A ATTRITION RATE OF 20%? 
          >> YES, SIR. IF PEOPLE LEAVE AND IF WE'RE NOT ABLE TO FILL VACANCIES, THEN WE END UP WITH PERSONNEL STATEMENTS. 
          >> I'M JUST TRYING TO LET YOU SEE WHERE I'M COMING FROM BECAUSE WE'RE GOING TO BUDGET FTE POSITION. 
          [00:40:03]
THERE'S NO NEED TO FUND IT 100%. 
          >> WELL, OUR HOPE OF COURSE IS TO HAVE [OVERLAPPING] 
          >> UNLESS YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE ZERO ATTRITION. 
          >> WELL, THAT OF COURSE IS THE ULTIMATE GOAL, BUT IT'S NOT [OVERLAPPING] 
          >> HAS IT EVER HAPPENED? 
          >> WELL, I'M SURE. NOT THAT I'M AWARE OF. 
          BUT IT MAY HAVE BACK IN A FEW YEARS AGO. 
          >> IT USUALLY DOES. 
          >> BUT NOT RECENTLY SINCE THE COVID PANDEMIC AND ALL. 
          SINCE SHANDA CAN COLLABORATE THAT. 
          I'M SURE IT'S BEEN MORE DIFFICULT. 
          >> THAT ALLOWS YOU TO BRIDGE SHORTFALLS LIKE I SAID IN THE BEGINNING. 
          I STATED ON A WEBSITE. 
          THE PT AND THE OT, THAT'S EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE. 
          HOW MANY STUDENTS USUALLY DO YOU ENCOUNTER AS NEEDING THOSE SERVICES? 
          >> WE DON'T HAVE AN ESTIMATE. 
          NUMBER OF STUDENTS MEETING OT AND PT. 
          >> YES, MA'AM. I'M TRYING TO GET TO HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHETHER TO GO WITH THE FULL-TIME OR USE CONTRACTUAL SERVICES. 
          >> WELL, WE WERE HOPING. WE'VE NEVER ACTUALLY TRIED TO HIRE, THAT I KNOW OF, AN OCCUPATIONAL PT [NOISE], WE JUST PUT THE MONEY BACK FOR CONTRACTED SERVICES WAS SO BRIGHT AND WE'VE BEEN HAVING TO COVER THAT, LIKE I SAID, WITH SOME OF OUR EXCESS FUNDS FROM PERSONNEL. 
          WE'VE BEEN HAVING TO COVER THOSE COSTS EVERY YEAR SO WE WERE HOPING TO TRY TO GET THOSE IN THE BUDGET TO SAVE SOME MONEY. 
          BUT LIKE DR. ALLEN HERE SAID, THAT MAYBE WE DEFINITELY PROBABLY UNDERESTIMATED WHAT IT WOULD COST. 
          SOMETIMES PEOPLE WILL TAKE LESS PAY TO COME TO WORK FOR OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM VERSUS MAYBE IN A HOSPITAL OR SOMETHING, BUT THAT'S JUST ME AND MY OPINION. 
          >> YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR IN THAT CASE. 
          >> YOU CAN'T USE A LOCAL THERAPIST AT THE HOSPITAL? 
          >> I'M NOT AWARE OF. 
          >> THERE'S 3-4 ACTIVE PHYSICAL THERAPY GROUPS IN THIS AREA THAT SURE ARE NOT OVERBURDENED. 
          >> WE USE AN [INAUDIBLE] I BELIEVE. 
          >> ACTUALLY, I DON'T UNDERSTAND THAT POINT. 
          WHEN A CHILD HAS AN INJURY OR SOMETHING, HIS PARENTS TAKE HIM TO THE DOCTOR AND HE GETS A PHYSICAL THERAPY PRESCRIPTION. 
          HE GOES AND EITHER PAYS FOR IT THROUGH THEIR INSURANCE OR WHATEVER. 
          I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT THE SCHOOL'S POSITION WHY THEY'RE TRYING TO TAKE OVER THAT. 
          >> THAT'S NOT HAPPENING DR. ELIS. 
          WE ARE REQUESTING PHYSICAL THERAPISTS AND OCCUPATIONAL THERAPISTS BECAUSE WE HAVE SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS. 
          WE HAVE STUDENTS THAT COME IN, AND THEY MAY HAVE LEG BRACES ON OR THEY MAY HAVE TROUBLE WALKING. 
          ACCORDING TO THE FEDERAL LAW, IT IS WRITTEN IN THEIR IEP THAT WE'RE GOING TO PROVIDE THOSE SERVICES. 
          DO WE HAVE TO PROVIDE THOSE SERVICES? CURRENTLY, WE ARE PROVIDING THOSE SERVICES BY UTILIZING CONTRACTED SERVICES. 
          BUT THAT'S REALLY EXPENSIVE, SO WE ARE TRYING TO BRING THOSE PEOPLE ON STAFF AND HAVE THEM HERE SO THAT THEY CAN STILL PROVIDE THE SERVICES, BUT PROVIDE THEM AT A REDUCED COST. 
          >> AREN'T YOU REIMBURSED BY MEDICAID? 
          >> WE ARE REIMBURSED A PORTION. BUT THAT DEPENDS. 
          >> THE FALLACY AND THAT IS WHY AREN'T THEY BEING SENT TO THE PHYSICAL THERAPY PEOPLE AROUND HERE? WHY HAVE YOU TRIED TO SEE WHERE YOU GET THE BEST BANG FOR YOUR BUCK? WE'VE GOT ALL THESE INSTITUTIONS AROUND HERE THAT DO THAT. WHERE'S THAT? NOW YOU'RE JUST PICKING OUT SOMEBODY AND THAT'S WHAT BOTHERS ME. 
          NUMBER 1, THIS THING ABOUT THESE FULL-TIME PEOPLE IS RIDICULOUS. 
          NOW, HAVE THESE PEOPLE YOU CONTRACT OUT TO, HAVE YOU COMPARED THEM TO LOCAL PHYSICAL THERAPY GROUPS AROUND TOWN TO SEE WHERE YOU CAN GET THE BEST BANG FOR YOUR BUCK? 
          >> WELL, I DISAGREE. I DON'T THINK IT'S RIDICULOUS. 
          WE HAD THE SAME THING WITH PSYCHOLOGISTS AND SPEECH THERAPISTS. 
          PRIOR TO THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, WE WERE CONTRACTING OUT PSYCHOLOGISTS AS WELL AS SPEECH THERAPISTS. 
          THEN WE ADVERTISED FOR A PSYCHOLOGIST, AND WE WERE ABLE TO HIRE A PSYCHOLOGIST FOR ALMOST HALF THE PRICE OF CONTRACTING A PSYCHOLOGIST, AND WE NOW HAVE THAT PERSON ON OUR STAFF. 
          WE WERE ABLE TO DO THE SAME THING WITH A SPEECH THERAPIST AND WE ARE HOPING TO BE ABLE TO DO THE SAME THING WITH THE OCCUPATIONAL THERAPISTS AND PHYSICAL THERAPISTS. 
          >> I CAN'T SEE IT. IT'S NOT REALISTIC. 
          IT'S ABSOLUTELY NOT REALISTIC. 
          >> IS THAT SOMETHING DEVELOPED IN THE CONTRACT WHERE YOU'RE ONLY CHARGED AS NEEDED? 
          [00:45:03]
LIKE A VETERINARIAN ON A FARM. 
          >> IT'S JUST THE SERVICE HOURS PROVIDED. YES, SIR. 
          WE'RE NOT PAYING IT, THEY SUBMIT THEIR TIMESHEETS, THEY SUBMITTED INVOICE WITH ALL THE TIME AND ALL AND SO IT IS BASED ON THE ACTUAL SERVICE HOURS. 
          >> THAT NUMBER COULD BE LESS, COULD BE. 
          >> HAVE YOU FACTORED IN MALPRACTICE INSURANCE FOR THE OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST? 
          >> DOES THAT COME WITH THE CONTRACT PRICE, I SUPPOSE? 
          >> I'M NOT SURE IF THAT'S PART OF OUR INSURANCE POLICY. I WOULD HAVE TO CHECK. 
          >> ONE THING. IN LOOKING BACK IN THE PREVIOUS BUDGETS, CONSIDERING NUTRITION AND ALL OF THAT, THE QUESTION ARISES IN MY MIND, DID THE TEACHERS FEEL LIKE THEY'RE VALUED? I LOOKED AT ONE YEAR'S IN THE ADMINISTRATIVE COST, A COUPLE OF YEARS BACK, WENT UP $500,000 UNDER THE ADMINISTRATIVE CATEGORY. 
          THE INSTRUCTION CATEGORY WENT UP 200,000, WHERE YOU HAVE A COUPLE OF HUNDRED TEACHERS AND YOU HAVE WHAT 20 PEOPLE IN ADMINISTRATIVE. 
          ALL OF THEM ADDED UP TOGETHER ABOUT 20 OR 22 POSITIONS. IS THAT RIGHT? 
          >> I BELIEVE WE ALL RECEIVED THE COPY OF THE REPORT [NOISE] [INAUDIBLE] I HOPE YOU RECEIVED IT. 
          >> WELL IT'S 33 PEOPLE, IS THAT RIGHT? 
          >> IT SHOWS [OVERLAPPING] 
          >> ADMINISTRATIVE ATTENDANCE AND HELP. 
          [NOISE] 
          >> ADMINISTRATIVE ATTENDANCE AND HELP? 
          >> YES. 
          >> A TOTAL OF 33. 
          >> THIRTY-THREE. WELL, YES, SIR. 
          THAT INCLUDES OUR NURSES. YES. 
          >> BUT THEY ARE INCLUDED UNDER THE. 
          >> UNDER ADMINISTRATIVE ATTENDANCE. 
          >> UNDER ADMINISTRATION. 
          >> UNDER THAT 62 BADGE CAP OBVIOUS. 
          >> IT WENT UP. 
          I LOST MY CHART, BUT IT WENT UP TO 500,000. 
          I THINK IN FISCAL YEAR '21 ENDING. 
          >> I'LL HAVE A LOOK AT THAT. 
          >> THAT WAS A HUGE JUMP. 
          IN MY MIND SO THAT MANY PEOPLE. 
          I'M WONDERING WHAT CAUSED THAT. 
          >> WELL, WE DID HIRE A COUPLE OF SOCIAL WORKERS. 
          THE STATE GAVE US ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR SPECIALIZED STUDENTS' SUPPORT POSITIONS AND SO WE WERE ABLE TO PUT IN A COUPLE OF SOCIAL WORKERS. 
          >> THAT CAME FROM STATE AID? 
          >> THE STATE GAVE US ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR SPECIALIZED STUDENTS SUPPORT TO COVER OUR NURSES AND SOCIAL WORKERS AND PARENTS FROM CNAS. 
          >> THEY'RE ALL UNDER ADMINISTRATIVE ATTENDANCE AND HEALTH? 
          >> YES, THEY ARE. 
          >> THE STATE AID WASN'T REFLECTED AND THAT $500,000 INCREASE. 
          >> WELL THE STATE AID GOES TO THE OPERATING BUDGET AND SO IT WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN THERE. 
          >> MY POINT IS WHEN WE LOOK AT IT, HOW ARE WE TO TELL? AGAIN, HOW ARE WE TO TELL? 
          >> THAT THE STATE AID WAS APPLIED? 
          >> EXACTLY. 
          >> ACTUALLY YOU'D HAVE TO LOOK AT THE STATE BUDGET. 
          >> I'M LOOKING AT STATE AID VERSUS LOCAL REVENUE REQUIRED THAT YOU'RE ASKING FOR AND I SEE THIS HALF-A-MILLION DOLLAR INCREASE FOR 33 PEOPLE. 
          I HAVE NO IDEA. 
          >> I'LL HAVE TO LOOK AT THAT AND SEE. YOU ARE SAYING THERE WAS A $500,000 IN THAT 521? 
          >> YES, MA'AM. 
          >> I'LL JUST TAKE A LOOK AT IT AND I CAN TELL YOU WHAT THE INCREASE WAS. 
          >> LET'S SEE. 
          >> BUT I DO KNOW A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO WE GOT LIKE $287,000 NOW I MAYBE WRONG PROBABLY BUT IN ADDITIONAL REVENUE. 
          THE ONLY WAY YOU WOULD REALLY SEE THAT IS IF WE PRINTED OUT THE DETAIL OF THE STATE REVENUE SHEET. 
          BECAUSE IN THE STATE REVENUE SHEET, IT SHOWS BASIC AID AND ALL THE DIFFERENT REVENUE SOURCES. 
          [00:50:03]
THEN IF YOU DIG DEEPER INTO THE STATE AND ONE THAT KNOWS WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT. 
          IF YOU DIG A LITTLE BIT DEEPER INTO THAT STATE BUDGET, THEN YOU WILL SEE THE POSITIONS THAT THEY ACTUALLY FUND. 
          UNDER THOSE FUNDED POSITIONS, YOU'LL SEE YOUR THINGS LIKE YOUR NURSES. 
          >> THEORETICALLY WE NEED TO TAKE THOSE OUT. 
          >> TAKE WHAT OUT? 
          >> WHAT YOU'RE DESCRIBING. 
          THEY INCLUDED IN BUT IT COMES FROM ANOTHER SOURCE OF REVENUE, NOT LOCAL AID SO THEREFORE, SO WE NEED TO TAKE IT OUT. 
          >> NO OUR LOCAL OPERATING BUDGET IS MADE UP OF STATE FUNDS AND LOCAL FUNDS. 
          THIS IS HOW OUR LOCAL OPERATING BUDGET IS MADE OF. 
          WE CAN'T TAKE IT OUT. 
          THEN WE WOULD HAVE TO SEND THE PEOPLE HOME. 
          IT'S NOT FEDERAL, IT'S NOT SEPARATE STATE FUNDS LIKE TEXTBOOKS. 
          >> I FOLLOW YOU, BUT I'M LOOKING AT A REQUEST, A CHANGE OF, I THINK I'M RIGHT THIS COMING YEAR, THE BUDGET FOR FY24 GOES FROM 1,776,000-2,216,000. 
          >> YES. INCORPORATED IN THAT, JUST A SECOND. [NOISE] 
          >> CONTINUING ON THAT CATEGORICAL LINE, THERE'S A PERCENT CHANGE OF $439,468, A 24% INCREASE, PART OF THAT YOU'RE TELLING ME COMES FROM THE STATE. 
          BUT THIS IS REFLECTIVE IN YOUR BUDGET PRINT OUT. 
          >> THIS IS A STATE IN LOCAL BUDGET. 
          WE'RE NOT SAYING THAT WE'RE ASKING YOU FOR THE WHOLE $439,000 [OVERLAPPING] 
          >> NO. YOU'RE ASKING US FOR $3.3 MILLION. 
          >> YES, SIR. WE ARE BECAUSE BASIC [OVERLAPPING] WITH THE NEEDS-BASED BUDGET; IT'S AN ESTIMATE OF OUR NEEDS. 
          OF COURSE OUR NEEDS ARE NOT MET FROM YOUR YEAR. 
          >> WHICH IS INCLUDED IN THESE NUMBERS? 
          >> WHICH IS THE STATE [NOISE] AND LOCAL DOLLARS. 
          >> RIGHT. 
          >> COMBINED. WE'RE NOT GOING TO PUT ANY STATE MONEY OUT. 
          NO, SIR. THAT MONEY WAS RECURRING MONEY; THAT MONEY WE GET EVERY YEAR FROM THE STATE TO HELP PAY FOR THE SALARIES [OVERLAPPING] 
          >> BUT IF YOU'RE UNDER BUDGET, GOING BACK TO THE DOE WEB PAGE ON SR FUNDS, YOU ARE ALLOWED TO USE SR FUNDS FOR BUDGET SHORTFALLS, AND YOU DON'T HAVE TO SHOW THEM HERE. 
          YOU'RE NOT BREAKING THE LAW AS I UNDERSTAND IT, BECAUSE I CALLED THE STATE BUDGET OFFICE TO FIND OUT. 
          YOU'RE NOT BREAKING THE LAW BUT YOU'RE ALLOWED NOT TO SHOW IT. 
          THERE ARE TWO WAYS YOU CAN SHOW THAT. 
          ONE OF THEM IS YOU CAN SHOW IT AS A REVENUE STREAM IN YOUR BUDGET OR YOU CANNOT SHOW THE REVENUE STREAM AND SUBMIT FOR PAYMENT; GET IT IN THE BUDGET, YOU RECOUP THE DOLLARS. 
          WE NEVER KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT IT. 
          >> YES, SIR. IT COMES TO YOU FOR APPROPRIATIONS. 
          >> IT COMES COMES TO US, HOW? 
          >> FOR APPROPRIATION WHEN WE RECEIVE THOSE FUNDS. 
          >> CORRECT [OVERLAPPING] 
          >> EVERY SR DOLLAR WE RECEIVE COMES BACK [NOISE] 
          >> WHAT SHE'S SAYING IS, IN HER BUDGET SHE'S JUST TAKING THE REGULAR STATE FUNDS; THE REGULAR LOCAL FUNDS AND REGULAR FEDERAL FUNDS FOR THE SALARIES OF THESE PEOPLE. 
          SHE'S SAYING THAT AT THE MOMENT THEY HAVE NOT DECIDED TO USE SR FUNDS FOR THOSE SALARIES AT ALL, BUT SHE'S SAYING GRANTS WERE WRITTEN FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES FOR THOSE SR FUNDS AND SALARIES WAS NOT THE REASON. 
          I BELIEVE I'M SAYING THAT RIGHT? 
          >> YES. WE DO HAVE RETENTION POLICY IN THERE. 
          WE DO HAVE THAT IN SR FUNDS BECAUSE THAT WAS ONE TIME EXPENDITURE, BUT WE TRIED TO AVOID HIRING TEACHERS OR PUTTING TEACHERS SALARIES IN THERE. 
          IF WE GOT DESPERATE I GUESS WE COULD, BUT THEN YOU'VE GOT TO TURN AROUND AND COME BACK NEXT YEAR AND YOU EITHER HAVE TO CUT THOSE PEOPLE'S; TELL THEM TO GO HOME OR TRY TO FIND A WAY TO INCLUDE THEM IN THE NEXT YEAR'S BUDGET. 
          [00:55:05]
IT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO HIRE PEOPLE WITH TEMPORARY FUNDS LIKE THAT. 
          BUT NOW WE'RE GIVEN THE RETENTION BONUSES AND THINGS LIKE THAT WE CAN DO TO TRY TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO STAY, THEN YES. 
          EVEN THE STATE DEPARTMENT ENCOURAGES US TO DO THAT [NOISE] 
          >> YOU JUST POINTED OUT SOMETHING I WAS THINKING ABOUT IT. 
          NOW THESE SR FUNDS, THEY'RE TEMPORARY. 
          >> YES SIR. 
          >> THEREFORE, HAPPENING WITH THE PANDEMIC AND ALL. 
          BUT WE NEED TO ADVERTISE POSITION, YOU WILL ADVERTISE POSITION WITH THOSE FUNDS TO CONTINUE. 
          BUT IF YOU USE TEMPORARY FUNDS FOR THOSE, THEN WHAT HAPPENS THE NEXT YEAR? THAT'S WHAT YOU WERE SAYING? 
          >> IF WE DID THAT, WE WOULD HAVE TO HIRE TEMPORARY EMPLOYEES AND OF COURSE WE DON'T WANT TEMPORARY TEACHERS WE WON'T BE ABLE TO KEEP THEM [OVERLAPPING] 
          >> BUT I THINK IT WAS OVER $3 MILLION SITTING THERE RIGHT NOW. 
          >> 3.4. 
          >> TO BE USED. 
          >> YES, SIR. I WILL TELL YOU, THE APPLICATIONS ARE WRITTEN TO THE STATE DEPARTMENT AND A LOT OF THOSE FUNDS ARE DESIGNATED FOR THE PRESS BOX AT THE HIGH SCHOOL, THE ATHLETIC FIELD HOUSE AND THE BATHROOM LOCKER ROOM [OVERLAPPING] 
          >> THAT'S RIGHT. MY NEXT QUESTION WAS, HAVE YOU IMPROVED THE BATHROOMS IN THE JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL? I TAKE THAT AS A NO. 
          LAST ONE OF THE WAYS YOU CAN USE THAT MONEY THAT HADN'T BEEN USED IS STILL SITTING THERE. 
          >> I THINK THE QUESTION IS, WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY IMPROVED? WE DID PAINT AND WE MADE SOME CHANGES TO THE ENTIRE BUILDING [OVERLAPPING] 
          >> REMODELING IS INCLUDED IN THAT LANGUAGE. 
          RENOVATION, REMODELING, THEY ARE ALL APPROVED METHODS TO USE IN THE INFRASTRUCTURE OF THE SCHOOL. 
          MY QUESTION WAS, HAS ANYTHING BEEN DONE TO THE BATHROOMS? 
          >> YES, SOMETHING HAS BEEN DONE TO THEM. 
          >> HAVE THEY BEEN IMPROVED? 
          >> BUT THEY HAVEN'T BEEN REMODELED. 
          >> WHAT WAS DONE? 
          >> WE DID SOME PAINTING THIS SUMMER AND THEN ACTUALLY THEY REPAIRED SOME OF THE DOORS; THEY PUT UP MORE SOAP DISPENSERS AND JUST ANYTHING ELSE THAT NEEDED TO BE DONE. 
          BUT IT WASN'T REMODELED, TO REMODEL OR START A REMODELING PROJECT ON THAT MIDDLE-SCHOOL; AS OLD AS MIDDLE SCHOOL IS GOING TO BE A VERY EXPENSIVE PROJECT. 
          >> THE POINT IS YOU HAD THE MONEY. 
          >> WELL, WE HAD THE MONEY BUT WE'VE ALSO MADE DECISIONS, BASED ON HOW WE NEED TO SPEND THE MONEY. 
          WE'VE MADE THOSE DECISIONS, [OVERLAPPING] AND WE'D WRITTEN THOSE GRANTS. 
          AS A LEADER OF THE SCHOOL DIVISION I'VE MADE THE DECISIONS THAT I SEE BEST FOR THE SCHOOL DIVISION AND I'VE PUT IN THE BUDGET WHAT I THINK WE NEED AS FAR AS RUNNING OUR SCHOOL DIVISION. 
          WE MADE OUR BUDGET PRESENTATION TO YOU ALL, WHICH IS WHAT WE'RE REQUIRED BY LAW TO DO. 
          WE'RE JUST HOPING THAT YOU ALL WILL FUND THE BUDGET. 
          >> ANYTHING MORE. 
          >> I JUST HEARD FROM A GRADUATE OF 1963 AND HE SAID NOTHING HAS CHANGED, AND I'LL LOOK AT THE SR FUNDS AS THREE MILLION DOLLARS IN NOW. 
          IT'S CERTAINLY ALLOWABLE TO RENOVATE, REMODEL, IMPROVE THE FACILITIES, AND UP TO NOW WE HAVE WHAT? TWO YEARS INTO THIS COVID MONEY WITH ONE YEAR REMAINING, A YEAR AND A HALF REMAINING. 
          >> CORRECT. 
          >> I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU TO FIX THE BATHROOMS. 
          >> I WILL HAVE ONE OF THE THING GETTING CUT OFF THAT SUBJECT, THE ATTRITION RATE BOTHERED ME HERE AT THE TOP, IT'S ABOUT 20 PERCENT. 
          WHAT DO THE EXIT INTERVIEWS SHOW WHEN THESE TEACHERS LEAVE? WHAT DO THEY SAY? WHAT ARE THOSE THINGS? [NOISE] 
          >> I CAN TELL YOU WHAT ISSUE WE HAVE. 
          >> I WANT TO KNOW WHAT THE EXIT INTERVIEWS SHOW. 
          >> WE DON'T NECESSARILY CONDUCT IT [OVERLAPPING] 
          >> NOW SEE, THAT'S WHAT BOTHERS ME. 
          THESE PEOPLE ARE LEAVING. 
          >> EXCUSE ME DR. SHAWN. 
          >> I'VE HAD THE FLOOR RIGHT NOW. 
          I'LL LET YOU HAVE A FLOOR IN A MINUTE. 
          THESE PEOPLE ARE LEAVING AND THERE'S NOT A SINGLE EXIT INTERVIEW TO FIND OUT WHY THEY'RE LEAVING. 
          [OVERLAPPING] YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MAKES ME THINK? I'VE GOT THE FLOOR RIGHT NOW, I'LL LET YOU HAVE THE FLOOR IN A MINUTE. 
          WHAT MAKES MOST OF US THINK IS YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW WHY THEY'RE LEAVING. 
          [01:00:06]
THESE PEOPLE ON THIS BOARD HAVE INTERVIEWED TEACHERS WHO HAVE LEFT AND THE NUMBER 1 COMPLAINT IS BAD WORKING CONDITIONS. 
          SALARY, NUMBER 2. 
          YOU'RE NOT DOING EXIT INTERVIEWS. 
          YOU WANT TO RECRUIT, BUT YOU'RE NOT FINDING OUT WHY THEY'RE LEAVING. 
          >> ONE THING THAT WE KNOW FOR SURE IS THAT SOME OF THE MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS HAS HELPED TO CREATE SOME OF THE ISSUES THAT WE HAVE IN THE SCHOOL DIVISION RIGHT NOW. 
          LIKE YOU JUST SAID YOU MET WITH SOME OF THEM, THAT IS OUTSIDE OF YOU-ALL. 
          YOU-ALL SHOULD NOT BE MEETING WITH OUR TEACHERS. 
          YOU SAID YOU HAD THE FLOOR. 
          YOU ALLOWED ME TO HAVE IT, SO I HAVE IT NOW. THANK YOU. 
          THE OTHER THING IS YOU-ALL HAVE MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS WHO ARE ON FACEBOOK AS WELL AS IMPORT WITH TEACHERS WHO WERE TRYING TO CREATE LAWSUITS OR WHO ACTUALLY FILED A LAWSUIT AGAINST THE SCHOOL DIVISION. 
          ONCE THOSE TEACHERS DID NOT WIN THEIR LAWSUIT, MANY OF THEM DID LEAVE THE LEFT AND BOARD OF SUPERVISORS MEMBERS SOME OF THEM; NOT ALL, HELPED WITH THAT ISSUE. 
          >> WELL, LET ME EXPLAIN OUR CONNECTION THERE. 
          WE'RE TRYING TO ATTRACT ECONOMIC GROWTH IN THE INDUSTRY HERE. 
          RIGHT NOW THE TAXPAYER'S BURDEN IS ON THE HOMEOWNER, LANDOWNER, AND PERSONAL PROPERTY. 
          WE NEED TO GET INDUSTRIES IN HERE TOR PAY THAT BURDEN. 
          THE FIRST THING THEY LOOK AT IS THE QUALITY OF THE SCHOOLS. 
          WE'RE WORRIED ABOUT THE QUALITY OF THE SCHOOLS AND THAT'S WHY WE'VE TALKED AS PEOPLE SAID THAT IS IN OUR BALLPARK. 
          WHEN THAT HAPPENS AND WE SEE THIS HAPPENING, THAT IS IN OUR BALLPARK. 
          WE'RE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE TAX MONEY OF THIS COUNTY AND WE SEE THAT AS A PROBLEM. 
          >> A FEW YEARS AGO YOU WERE SPEAKING VERY HIGHLY OF SCHOOL DIVISION. 
          THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS WAS ON THE SIDE OF THE SCHOOL DIVISION. 
          BASICALLY YOU-ALL FUNDED US AS WE NEEDED TO BE FUNDED. 
          YOU-ALL WE'RE SINGING IN OUR PRAISES WHEN WE CAME TO EVERY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS MEETING TO PRESENT OUR BUDGET. 
          IT'S BEEN IN THE LAST FEW YEARS THAT WE'VE HAD THESE INTERROGATIONS ALMOST WHEN WE PRESENT OUR BUDGET TO YOU-ALL. 
          WHEN IT COMES TO THE TEACHER IS LEAVING AND THOSE TYPES OF THINGS, MANY OF THEM THEY ARE LEAVING AND A LOT OF THEM ARE BEING ENCOURAGED TO LEAVE. 
          WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT THE QUALITY OF THE SCHOOL SYSTEM, MANY OF YOU AND SOME OF THE PEOPLE YOU'RE CONNECTED TO ARE THE ONES WHO ARE SPREADING RUMORS OR UNTRUE ABOUT THE SCHOOL DIVISION OR SPREADING NEGATIVE THINGS ABOUT THE SCHOOL DIVISION. 
          NOT FUNDING THE SCHOOL DIVISION IS CERTAINLY NOT GOING TO HELP US KEEP TEACHERS NOR IS IT GOING TO HELP TO ENHANCE OR IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF OUR SCHOOL DIVISION. 
          WE NEED TO PUT OUR MONEY WHERE OUR MOUTH IS. 
          >> WHY DON'T YOU CONDUCT ANY EXIT INTERVIEWS? YOU WANT TO FIND OUT WHY PEOPLE ARE LEAVING? THAT'S WHAT YOU DO. YOU HAVE FAILED TO DO THAT. 
          >> MAY I HAVE THE FLOOR NOW. 
          EVEN THOUGH WE DO NOT CONDUCT EXIT INTERVIEWS, PEOPLE WHO LEAVE DO WRITE LETTERS OF RESIGNATION, SO WE DO KNOW THE REASON THEY GIVE US FOR LEAVING. 
          MOST OF THEM GIVE REASONS, THEY SAY I'M LEAVING BECAUSE OF THIS AND THIS. 
          AGAIN, WE DO KNOW WHY MOST PEOPLE ARE LEAVING. 
          WE DO KNOW THAT. ALSO YOU KEEP QUOTING THIS 20 PERCENT NUMBER, WHERE DID YOU GET THAT NUMBER FROM? 
          >> WHAT NOW? 
          >> WHERE DID YOU GET YOUR 20 PERCENT NUMBER FROM? 
          >> I DIDN'T GIVE A 20 PERCENT NUMBER. 
          >> YOU SAID THERE WAS AN ATTRITION RATE OF 20 PERCENT. 
          >> THE ATTRITION RATE, YOU CAN GET ONLINE AND GET IT ANYWHERE. 
          I GOT IT FROM THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION. 
          >> NO. IT'S NOT ONLY THE PDOE WEBSITE. 
          [OVERLAPPING] 
          >> I CAN SHOW IT TO YOU. IT'S SAYING THE AVERAGE IS AROUND EIGHT PERCENT. 
          IN THIS AREA IT GOES FROM ANYWHERE 6-16 PERCENT AND SOUTHAMPTON IS THE HIGHEST IN THIS AREA. 
          >> BUT YOU NEED TO CITE YOUR SOURCES WHEN YOU SAY THINGS LIKE THAT. 
          >> I STAND BEHIND WHAT I SAID MA'AM. 
          >> I STAND BEHIND WHAT I SAID. 
          I THINK THAT THIS PRESENTATION I WAS HOPING WOULD NOT BE CONTENTIOUS. 
          ACCORDING TO THE CODE OF VIRGINIA, THE SCHOOL BOARD AND THE SUPERINTENDENT IS SUPPOSED TO PRESENT TO YOU A NEEDS-BASED BUDGET FROM OUR PERSPECTIVE. 
          IT'S UP TO YOU TO DECIDE WHAT IT IS YOU WILL FUND AND WHAT YOU WILL NOT FUND. 
          INSTEAD OF INTERROGATING THESE TWO LADIES, I THINK THAT PERHAPS A BETTER WAY TO PROCEED IS JUST YOU GUYS TO TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU THINK YOU CAN AFFORD. 
          WE'VE GIVEN YOU THE BUDGET AS A CATEGORICAL BUDGET, AS A FUNCTIONAL BUDGET, WE'VE ANSWERED QUESTIONS TO THE BEST OF OUR ABILITY, BUT I DON'T SEE ANY NEED FOR THE CONTENTIOUS NATURE, THE WAY THAT WE'RE GOING NOW. 
          [01:05:01]
          >> WE'RE JUST ASKING QUESTIONS THAT WE WANT ANSWERS TOO. 
          >> WELL, WE DON'T HAVE ANSWERS TO THESE QUESTIONS. 
          >> WELL, YOU KNOW THAT. [OVERLAPPING] I DON'T THINK ANYBODY ON YOUR BOARD KNOWS WHAT THIS BUDGET IS COMPROMISED. 
          I DON'T THINK ANYBODY HERE OF YOU FOLKS TONIGHT KNOW WHAT THE BASIC STUFF WITH THIS IS. 
          THAT'S WHAT WE'RE POINTING OUT. 
          >> I THINK WE DO KNOW. 
          >> OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS, WE HAVE TRIED TO GET INFORMATION FROM YOU GUYS. 
          WE HAVE HAD FILED FOUR YEARS TO GET INFORMATION FROM YOU WHICH IS RIDICULOUS. 
          >> [INAUDIBLE] AROUND THE SCHOOL SYSTEM. 
          FOR THE LAST FEW YEARS YOU HAVE TRIED TO DO THE SUPERINTENDENT'S JOB. 
          JUST LIKE YOU ARE A MEDICAL DOCTOR, SHE HAS A PHD IN EDUCATION. 
          SHE KNOWS HER JOB, YOU KNOW YOUR JOB. 
          >> THERE'S ONLY ONE REASON THAT WE WOULD TRY TO DO HER JOB. 
          >> WHY IS THAT? 
          >> MAYBE IT'S NOT BEING DONE VERY WELL. 
          >> NO. IT MEANS THAT YOU DON'T EVALUATE HER, SO YOU DON'T KNOW. 
          >> WELL, THAT'S JUST MY PERSONAL OPINION AND I WAS LIKE AT 80 PERCENT OF THE TAXPAYER, SO THAT'S CONTRARY OF THIS COUNTY WHO VOTED FOR THE ELECTED SCHOOL BOARD WAS THEIR OPINION ALSO. 
          >> WELL, THANK YOU FOR SHARING YOUR PERSONAL OPINION, BUT I THINK YOU ALSO NEED TO TALK ABOUT THE FACT THAT WHEN YOU ENCOURAGE THE TEACHERS OF THE SCHOOL TO SUE THE SCHOOL AND THEY LOSE, BECAUSE THERE WAS AN UNFOUNDED CASE, YOU DON'T PUBLICIZE THAT. 
          OF COURSE TEACHERS WHO LOST THE LAWSUIT LEFT BECAUSE YOU ENCOURAGED THEM TO FILE THE LAWSUIT AND THEY LOST. IT WAS UNFOUNDED. 
          YES, WE DID HAVE A LARGE ATTRITION RATE LASTLY BUT THAT WAS AN ANOMALY BECAUSE THOSE TEACHERS DID LEAVE SO THAT DID PUSH OUR ATTRITION RATE UP. 
          YES, IT DID. WE'RE ADMITTING THAT. 
          WHAT ELSE DO YOU NEED TO KNOW? 
          >> YOU JUST SAID YOU DIDN'T HAVE AN ATTRITION. 
          RIGHT NOW YOU SAID YOU DO, SO WHAT'S THE ANSWER? 
          >> THE ANSWER IS THAT MORE TEACHERS HAVE LEFT LAST YEAR THAN USUAL IN PART BECAUSE OF THE LAWSUIT THAT YOU INSTIGATED. 
          >> ANYBODY ELSE HAVING ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS. 
          >> THE TEACHERS DID LOSE THE LAWSUIT. THEY DID LOSE. IT WAS UNFOUNDED. 
          >> I HAVE A QUESTION. 
          HOW MANY KIDS RIDE THE BUS? HOW MANY RIDE THE BUS, HOW MANY DRIVE AND HOW MANY ARE DROPPED OFF BY PARENTS OR WHOEVER? 
          >> WE DON'T HAVE THAT INFORMATION RIGHT NOW, BUT WE CAN GIVE IT TO YOU SOMETIME. 
          >> OKAY. 
          >> YOU WANT THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS THAT RIDE BUSES? 
          >> THE TOTAL NUMBER OF STUDENTS, HOW MANY RIDE THE BUS, HOW MANY ARE DROPPED OFF BY PARENTS, HOW MANY DRIVE, HOW MANY GET THERE OTHER THAN A BUS? 
          >> IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE? 
          >> ANYBODY HAVE ANY MORE QUESTIONS? 
          >> MR. CHAIRMAN, IF I MAY? 
          >> YES. YOU'RE ON, SIR. 
          >> I'LL TRY TO BE BRIEF. 
          I DID MY HOMEWORK, SO I UNDERSTAND THE INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES EDUCATION IMPROVEMENT ACT OF 2004, THE IDEA. 
          I UNDERSTAND THAT THESE THINGS ARE REQUIRED WHEN THE DISABILITY IS IN INHIBITORY HANDICAP TO THE CHILD'S EDUCATION. 
          IT IS THE PHYSICAL THERAPIST, OCCUPATIONAL SPEECH THERAPISTS ON COMPONENT OF WHAT WE'VE BEEN DISCUSSING THAT I'M SPEAKING TO RIGHT NOW AT THIS PARTICULAR JUNCTURE. 
          BUT I'M CURIOUS IF YOU ALL COULD ENTERTAIN, JUST HOW MANY OTHER LOCALITIES OF OUR SIZE, HAVE THEIR OWN IN-HOUSE PHYSICAL OCCUPATIONAL, SPEECH, THERAPISTS ON STAFF? 
          >> I WOULDN'T HAVE THAT INFORMATION. 
          >> I KNOW, OCCUPATIONAL AND SPEECH, THERE'S NOT A LOT OF STUFF THAT GOES ALONG WITH THAT TYPE OF THERAPY, BUT PHYSICAL THERAPY, IF WE HAD THEM ON STAFF AS AN EMPLOYEE, AND I KNOW THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE PROVISIONS THAT ARE REQUIRED AS A PART OF THE IDEA ACT. 
          WHERE WOULD THEY GET THEIR EQUIPMENT? 
          >> WE WILL PURCHASE IT. 
          >> THAT WOULD BE AN ADDITIONAL EXPENDITURE. 
          >> WE WOULD PURCHASE IT. 
          >> WE'RE NOT SURE WHO ELSE HAS IN-HOUSE PHYSICAL, OCCUPATIONAL, AND SPEECH THERAPISTS AND WE'VE PURCHASED THE EQUIPMENT THAT WAS NECESSARY TO GO ALONG WITH THAT. 
          HOW MANY CHILDREN DO WE CURRENTLY HAVE IN OUR SYSTEM ROUGHLY THAT UTILIZE PHYSICAL, OCCUPATIONAL, AND SPEECH THERAPY AS A PROVISION OF THEIR EDUCATION? 
          [01:10:04]
          >> WE DON'T HAVE THAT INFORMATION? 
          >> YES, I BELIEVE SOMEONE ELSE ASKED THAT SAME QUESTION AND I HAVE JOTTED THAT DOWN. 
          I MEAN, WE DID GO OVER A LIST OF THE DISABILITIES AND I ASSUMED [INAUDIBLE] [OVERLAPPING]. 
          >> WE FORWARDED 350 [INAUDIBLE]. 
          >> TO DETERMINE FROM THERE WHICH ONES ACTUALLY ARE REQUIRING THOSE SERVICES. 
          I WOULDN'T WANT TO USE THAT, BUT YOU COULD LOOK AT THAT AND SEE THAT SOMEONE WOULD DEFINITELY REQUIRE IT. 
          >> RIGHT. SHIFTING GEARS SLIGHTLY TO THE SCHOOL SECURITY OFFICER POSITIONS, HOW MANY OF THOSE DO WE CURRENTLY EMPLOY IN OUR SYSTEM? 
          >> WE HAVE A TOTAL OF ONE AT EACH SCHOOL, I BELIEVE AND ONE THAT FLOATS CORRECTLY. 
          IS THAT RIGHT DR. SHANNON? ONE AT EACH SCHOOL NOW AND THEN ANOTHER ONE THAT FILLS IN WHERE NEEDED. 
          >> THAT CAN CAUSE AT TWO OF THE SCHOOLS, WE HAVE PART-TIME SECURITY OFFICERS. 
          THE FLOATER THAT WE HIRED IS TO SERVE WHEN THAT PAR-TIME PERSON ISN'T THERE. 
          THAT KEEPS THE SCHOOLS COVERED THE ENTIRE TIME THAT IS IN OPERATION. 
          >> AND THAT'S AN ADDITION TO THE SROS? 
          >> CORRECT. THE SROS ARE AT THE HIGH SCHOOL AND THE MIDDLE SCHOOL. 
          >> WHICH ALSO HAS SECURITY OFFICERS? 
          >> CORRECT. 
          >> I KNOW THAT THE SALARY SLIDE, THE 189, 104, AND THE 59,282 NUMBERS THAT WERE DISPLAYED INCLUDED FRINGES. 
          ANY IDEA HOW MUCH, LET'S JUST TAKE THE DIVISION OR SECURITY POSITION THAT WAS DISPLAYED AT 59,282. 
          HOW MUCH OF THAT IS SALARY, AND HOW MUCH OF THAT IS FRINGES? ROUGHLY. ANY IDEA? HOW WOULD THAT BASE SALARY COMPARE TO THAT OF, LET'S SAY AN ENTRY-LEVEL SOUTHERN THE COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPUTY POSITION? 
          >> I BELIEVE IT'S AROUND $17, I DON'T KNOW EXACTLY. 
          I THINK IT'S PROBABLY $17 AN HOUR. 
          WE HAVE SOME THAT ARE TEN MONTHS THAT ARE JUST THERE WHEN THE SCHOOLS ARE OPEN FOR THE STUDENTS. 
          WE HAVE ANOTHER POSITION, THAT'S ACTUALLY 12 MONTHS PLUS WE DO HAVE SUMMER SCHOOL GOING ON IN THE SUMMERTIME AND ALL. 
          BUT I BELIEVE WE START [INAUDIBLE] I BELIEVE THEY START AT AROUND $17 AN HOUR. 
          BUT THE PAIN MAY NOT BE AS GREAT BECAUSE THERE SOME OF THEM ACTUALLY ARE MAYBE RETIRED AND ITS BEEN BELOW THE VRS 30 HOURS A WEEK. 
          >> IS THE DIVISION SECURITY POSITION, THE 59,282, IS THAT A TEN MONTH POSITION? 
          >> I BELIEVE THAT'S A TWELVE MONTH POSITION. 
          >> OKAY, THANK YOU. 
          >> I HAD ONE FINAL QUESTION BASED ON THAT ANSWER AGAIN. 
          ALL THROUGH THAT, THERE WAS A LOT OF DIALOGUE THAT MENTIONED EQUITY AND SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING. 
          I DIDN'T SEE ANYTHING THAT SPOKE SPECIFICALLY TO MERITOCRACY. 
          DO YOU HAVE ANY THOUGHTS ON THAT? WHY MERIT WAS NOT EXPRESSED IN THOSE DOLLARS, WHY IT WAS ALWAYS EQUITY AND SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING? 
          >> THAT WAS IN THE GOAL NUMBER SIX. 
          >> DOES THIS ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE HAVE A DEI POSITION OR STAFF? 
          >> IT'S COVERED UNDER HUMAN RESOURCES. 
          >> YOU DO HAVE A DEI STAFF? 
          >> NO. IT'S COVERED UNDER HUMAN RESOURCES. 
          WHAT WE DO IS WE HAVE A HUMAN RESOURCES DIRECTOR AND ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, AND THEY ADDRESS ALL OF OUR EQUITIES AND [OVERLAPPING]. 
          >> DEI IS ADDRESSED WITHIN YOUR HUMAN RESOURCE DEPARTMENT? 
          >> YES. 
          >> THAT'S A REQUIREMENT BUILT INTO HUMAN RESOURCES FOR COUNSELORS OR TEACHERS. 
          [01:15:09]
BECAUSE ALL I SAW IN THAT GRANT WAS SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING AND DEI. 
          I DIDN'T SEE ANYTHING ABOUT MERITOCRACY. 
          MY QUESTION IS, YOU'RE TELLING ME THAT IT'S WITHIN YOUR HUMAN RESOURCE OFFICE? 
          >> [OVERLAPPING] LAURIE WRITE GRANTS AND SO SHE'S GOING TO SPEAK ON THE GRANT. 
          >> I'M NOT SURE EVEN WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT DEI. 
          >> DIVERSITY EQUITY AND INCLUSION. 
          >> THANK YOU. 
          >> DEI IS ALL THROUGH YOUR SR GRANTS, IT'S ALL THROUGH YOUR EDUCATIONAL MATERIAL. 
          THERE'S NO MENTION OF MERITOCRACY. 
          >> THAT'S THE LANGUAGE FROM THE STATE THAT'S TALKING ABOUT HOW OR WHAT COULD BE INCLUDED IN THE GRANT AND NOT ACTUALLY HOW I WROTE THE GRANT. 
          >> [OVERLAPPING] NO. IT DIDN'T REFER TO HOW YOU WROTE IT. 
          IT WAS WITHIN THE STRUCTURE OF THE GRANT. 
          MY QUESTION WAS, ALL OF OUR UNIVERSITIES AND NOW CO-OPERATIONS HAVE A DEI DEPARTMENT. 
          MY QUESTION IS, DOES OUR COUNTY SCHOOL SYSTEM HAVE A DEI DEPARTMENT? THE ANSWER I'M GETTING IS WITHIN THE HUMAN RESOURCE DEPARTMENT. 
          THAT WOULD TELL ME THAT IT IS BUILT INTO THE JOB DESCRIPTIONS. 
          AM I ON THE RIGHT TRACK OR NOT? 
          >> WHEN I WROTE THE GRANT, I USED A LOT OF THAT LANGUAGE AND HOW WE WOULD ADDRESS THE STUDENTS' NEEDS. 
          MOST OF THE GRANT WAS FOR STUDENTS' NEEDS. 
          >> RIGHT. THAT'S MY POINT. 
          WHAT HAPPENED TO MERITOCRACY? 
          >> I'M SORRY. 
          >> [OVERLAPPING] WHAT HAPPENED TO A MERIT-BASED SYSTEM? 
          >> AS IN HIRING TEACHERS OR FOR THE STUDENTS? I'M SORRY, I'M JUST NOT SURE WHERE YOU'RE GOING. 
          >> JOB PERFORMANCE, LIKE YOU WOULD EVALUATE A TEACHER ON. 
          >> I DID NOT WRITE ANY OF THAT IN THE GRANT. 
          WHAT WE HAD TO DO OR WHAT WE WERE REQUIRED TO DO WAS TO INTERVIEW THE PEOPLE THAT WERE WORKING IN THE SCHOOLS AND INTERVIEW COMMUNITY. 
          >> I UNDERSTAND THAT, BUT I'M TALKING ABOUT THE STRUCTURE THAT YOU FORMULATE JOB DESCRIPTIONS AND REQUIREMENTS OF TEACHERS AS WELL AS STUDENTS. 
          >> THAT JUST WASN'T INCLUDED IN THE GRANT. 
          >> TO ME, I SEE THAT AS PHILOSOPHICAL IN A SCHOOL OF THOUGHT. 
          THERE ARE SOME SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT THAT ARE FOR MERIT PAY AND IT CAN BECOME A COMPLEX STRUCTURE. 
          IT'S JUST SOMETHING THAT WE HAVEN'T ADDRESSED IN SOUTHAMPTON. 
          >> IT'S NOT IN THE SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS? 
          >> WE GIVE STIPENDS, AND WE PAY THOSE STIPENDS TO EVERYONE, BUT WE DON'T HAVE A MERIT-PAY SYSTEM, NO. 
          >> IT'S BASED ON EQUITY AND NOT MERIT? I SEE YOU NODDING YES. 
          >> [OVERLAPPING] MOST SCHOOL SYSTEMS ARE. [LAUGHTER] YES. 
          ALL THE TEACHERS MAKE, IF YOU'RE AT 10 YEARS, THEN YOUR PAY IS THE SAME. 
          YOU DON'T GET EXTRA MONEY BECAUSE YOU'VE DONE THIS OR YOU'VE DONE THAT. 
          >> THE TEACHER IS NOT EVALUATED ON MERIT. 
          >> THEY'RE EVALUATED ON MERIT, THEY'RE NOT PAID ON MERIT. 
          >> THEY'RE PAID BASED ON THE TEACHER SCALE [OVERLAPPING] 
          >> I GOT THAT. 
          >> BUT THERE ARE NO MERIT. 
          >> THEY'RE PAID ON EQUITY AND NOT MERIT. 
          I FOLLOW YOU. 
          NOW, PART OF THE SCHOOL BUDGET IS AN ACTIVITY FUND. 
          AN ACTIVITY FUND COVERS SPORTS; IS THAT RIGHT? 
          >> YES. WELL, IF YOU SAW THE ACTIVITY FUNDS AT THE BOTTOM OF THAT REPORT, [OVERLAPPING] WHAT THAT IS, IS YEARS AGO BEFORE THE IRS DECIDED THAT EVERY DIME YOU GOT HAD TO BE REPORTED ON YOUR W2, THEY WOULD PAY THEIR TICKET TAKERS AND THEIR DRIVERS MAYBE OUT OF THE SCHOOL FUND, [OVERLAPPING] BUT THEY NO LONGER DO THAT. 
          >> DOES THE ACTIVITY FUND COVER SPORTS? MONEY IS PAID TO TEAMS TO BUY SHOULDER PADS, HELMETS, BASEBALL BATS. 
          >> NO, NOT THAT PAGE YOU'RE SEEING AT, BUT IN OUR MATERIALS AND SUPPLIES FOR THE HIGH SCHOOL, WE HAVE ALLOCATIONS FOR SPORTS. 
          AT THE END OF THE YEAR, IF WE CAN AFFORD TO DO THAT, WE GIVE ALLOCATIONS TO OUR SCHOOLS. 
          >> HOW DO YOU EVALUATE THE SPORTS? 
          >> HOW DO WE EVALUATE THE SPORTS? 
          >> DO YOU EVALUATE THEM ON EQUITY OR WINS AND LOSSES? 
          [01:20:04]
          >> I DON'T KNOW WHAT POINT. WHERE ARE YOU GOING WITH THIS. 
          >> I'M TRYING TO POINT OUT THAT YOU'RE OPERATING A SYSTEM UNDER DEI AND NOT MERITOCRACY. 
          >> THAT'S YOUR PHILOSOPHY. 
          >> [OVERLAPPING] NO, THAT'S WRITTEN. I READ IT THIS MORNING OFF THE SR WEBSITE. 
          IT'S ALL ABOUT SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL LEARNING. 
          YOU CAN READ IT, IT'S THERE. 
          >> WELL, OUR SR GRANTS, THEY MET THE GUIDELINES BECAUSE THE STATE DEPARTMENT APPROVED ALL OF IT. 
          >> [OVERLAPPING] I UNDERSTAND THAT. 
          >> THE GUIDELINES ARE BROAD. 
          THEY COULD HAVE BEEN WRITTEN FOR ANYTHING. 
          WE'VE CHOSEN WHAT WE WANTED TO PUT IN OUR GRANT, AND SO WE PUT THEM IN THERE. 
          THE STATE HAS APPROVED IT. 
          IF WE DON'T HAVE SOMETHING THAT YOU THINK SHOULD BE THE GRANT, IT DOESN'T MAKE IT WRONG. 
          >> YOU'RE PUTTING WORDS IN MY MIND. 
          >> WHAT ARE YOU SAYING? 
          >> YOU ANSWERED THE QUESTION, YOU EVALUATE ON EQUITY. 
          NOW, WHEN YOU EVALUATE ON EQUITY, COULD THAT NOT DISCOURAGE A TEACHER THAT IS USED TO BEING EVALUATED ON MERIT? 
          >> NO, WE TOLD YOU WE EVALUATED ON MERIT AND WE PAID ON EQUITY BECAUSE WE PAY BASED ON THE TEACHER PAY SCALE. THAT'S WHAT I TOLD YOU. 
          >> A TEACHER ON A MERIT-BASED SYSTEM IS NOT PAID ON A MERIT-BASED SYSTEM, THEY'RE PAID ON EQUITY. 
          EQUITY TO ME IS IF YOU MAKE 100,000 AND I MAKE 50, WE MEET IN THE MIDDLE, THAT'S EQUITY. 
          >> I'M LISTENING. 
          >> YOU GIVE ME THE DEFINITION OF EQUITY. 
          >> WELL, NO, I DID THAT LAST YEAR. 
          EVERY YEAR YOU ASK ME FOR THAT SAME DEFINITION. 
          >> YOU DIDN'T DEFINE IT LAST YEAR AND YOU HAVEN'T DEFINED IT. 
          >> I DID DEFINED IT LAST YEAR. 
          YOU DIDN'T LIKE MY DEFINITION. 
          >> WHAT IS YOUR DEFINITION? 
          >> I'M NOT DOING THIS WITH YOU. 
          IF YOU HAVE ANYTHING ELSE REGARDING BUDGET, LET ME KNOW, OTHERWISE, AND I WILL HAVE A SEAT. 
          >> YOU'VE TOLD ME THAT THE SYSTEM IS BASED ON EQUITY, WHICH IS THE IDEOLOGY. I AGREE WITH YOU. 
          IT IS AN IDEOLOGY, BUT YOU'VE ALREADY SAID IT'S NOT BASED ON MERIT. 
          THAT COULD BE A REASON FOR ATTRITION. 
          I DON'T HAVE ANY MORE QUESTIONS. 
          >> WELL, I DO WANT TO REMIND THAT IN OCTOBER OF LAST YEAR THIS BOARD PASSED A RESOLUTION WE'RE NOT FUNDING ANYTHING LIKE THAT. 
          THAT WE'LL HAVE TO LOOK AT THAT IN THE BUDGET. 
          WE'VE ALREADY PASSED THAT RESOLUTION UNANIMOUSLY. 
          IF YOU'VE GOT A CHAMPION EQUITY AND SPEND TAXPAYERS MONEY ON EQUITY, YOU'RE NOT GOING TO GET IT. 
          >> ARE YOU SAYING THAT BECAUSE WE HAVE A TEACHER PAY SCALE YOU'RE NOT GOING TO FUND. 
          >> NO, I'M TALKING ABOUT EQUITY. 
          >> EQUITY IN WHAT? 
          >> ECTOPY IS A CANCER THAT INVOLVES OUR SCHOOL SYSTEMS IN THIS COUNTRY AND NEEDS TO BE WIPED OUT. 
          >> I THOUGHT YOU'RE TALKING THE BUDGET, I'M SORRY. 
          >> THAT WAS JUST SOME OF THE REASONS THAT THIS BUDGET SEEMS SO RIDICULOUS TO ME BECAUSE WE HAVEN'T GOTTEN THE QUESTIONS THAT WE WANT. 
          ANOTHER QUESTION TONIGHT. 
          IN YEARS PAST, WE HAVE ASKED QUESTIONS AND SAY, WE GOT THEM AND WE NEVER GET THEM. 
          I THINK IT'D BE BEST AT OUR NEXT MEETING, IS A WEEK AWAY, IF WE WOULD GET THE ANSWERS TO THESE QUESTIONS THAT WE'VE ASKED. 
          WELL, IF SOMEBODY FROM THE SCHOOL SYSTEM WANTS TO COME, I WOULD RATHER SEE SOMEBODY COME INSTEAD OF GETTING A PIECE OF PAPER ON IT. 
          >> COULD YOU HAVE SOMEONE FROM YOUR STAFF TYPE UP THOSE QUESTIONS JUST IN CASE WE MISS SOMETHING? IF YOU HAVE THEM E-MAIL THEM TO MY ATTENTION SO THAT I CAN MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE COVERED ALL YOUR QUESTIONS? BECAUSE I KNOW THIS IS BEING RECORDED, [OVERLAPPING] SO SOMEONE CAN DO THAT? 
          >> ANSWER IS YES, WE CAN DO THAT. 
          >> THANK YOU. 
          >> DID CHRIS HAVE ANY MORE? 
          >> CHRIS, YOU HAVE ANYTHING MORE? 
          >> NO. I APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE GOTTEN TO ASK A LITTLE BIT EARLIER. THANK YOU. 
          >> ANYBODY ELSE ON THE BOARD HAVE ANY MORE? GOOD ENOUGH. WE'LL MOVE ON. 
          WESTERN TIDEWATER FREE CLINIC. 
          WILL MR. RABESTERS, [PHONETIC] BOARD MEMBER, COME IN TO PRESENT HIS BUDGET TONIGHT, SIR? 
          >> THANK YOU. I'VE GOT SOME PREPARED REMARKS LESS THAN FIVE MINUTES. 
          GOOD EVENING, BOARD OF SUPERVISORS AND STAFF. 
          MY NAME IS ROB ESTES. 
          I'M A PROUD BOARD MEMBER AT WESTERN TIDEWATER FREE CLINIC. 
          ON BEHALF OF THE CLINIC'S BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND THE PATIENTS WE SERVE, 
          [01:25:01]
THANK YOU FOR YOUR PAST SUPPORT AND YOUR COMMITMENT FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION OF OUR 2023/2024 BUDGET REQUEST. 
          SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY HAS INVESTED IN THIS CLINIC SINCE OUR INCEPTION IN 2007. 
          WE'RE EXTREMELY GRATEFUL FOR THAT SUPPORT. 
          THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT OF $25,000 FOR THE 2022/2023 SYSTEM YEAR, WHICH WILL HELP US COVER THE COST OF CARE FOR MORE THAN 17 SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY RESIDENTS TO ABOUT 150 ANNUAL VISITS. 
          YOUR SUPPORT WILL HELP US TO CONTINUE TO SERVE THE VERY HIGH-RISK PATIENTS WHO NEED US, KEEPING THEM OUT OF THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENTS UNNECESSARILY. 
          SEVEN PERCENT OF OUR PATIENT POPULATION ARE FROM SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY. 
          IN 2022, LAST YEAR, WE SERVED 107 COUNTY RESIDENTS THROUGH 714 VISITS AND 45 DENTAL PATIENTS THROUGH 160 VISITS. 
          SINCE OPENING OUR DOORS, WTFC HAS PROVIDED CARE TO MORE THAN 7,000 UNDUPLICATED PATIENTS WHO HAVE BEEN TREATED THROUGH OVER 201,000 MEDICAL, DENTAL, MENTAL HEALTH, AND ELIGIBILITY VISITS, AND PHARMACY COSTS. 
          THESE PATIENTS HAVE RECEIVED MORE THAN 296,000 FREE 30-DAY MEDICATIONS WITH THE RETAIL VALUE OF OVER 56 MILLION. 
          WE HAVE SEEN A GROWING NEED IN OUR DENTAL AND MENTAL HEALTH PROGRAMS, TO MEET THIS NEED, WE HAVE ADDED SEVERAL NEW MENTAL HEALTH PARTNERS AND WE'LL BE EXPANDING OUR DENTAL CLINIC FROM TWO CHAIRS TO FOUR THIS YEAR. 
          IN FACT, OUR GROUNDBREAKING IS FRIDAY. 
          PROVIDING OUR CRITICALLY ILL PATIENTS WITH A HEALTH CARE AT WTFC ALLOWS THEM TO RECEIVE THE CARE THEY SO DESPERATELY NEED TO RECLAIM AND IMPROVE THEIR HEALTH AND THEIR LIVES. 
          THIS WOULD NOT BE POSSIBLE WITHOUT YOU. 
          PATIENTS LIKE HEATHER, WHOSE NAME HAS BEEN CHANGED, OF COURSE, TO PROTECT PATIENT PRIVACY. 
          HEATHER WAS HAVING SERIOUS CONCERNS ABOUT HER HEART AND RUSHED TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM ONE NIGHT. 
          AFTER THAT VISIT, HER FRIENDS TOLD HER SHE SHOULD TRY [INAUDIBLE] A FREE CLINIC HEALTHCARE. 
          TODAY, HEATHER SAYS THIS WAS THE BEST DECISION OF HER LIFE. 
          HEATHER OVERSEEN BY OUR NURSE PRACTITIONER, REGINA JONES, AND HAD A WOMAN'S HEALTH VISIT, ANY MAMMOGRAM SCHEDULED. 
          HER FIRST IN OVER 30 YEARS BECAUSE SHE WAS UNINSURED. 
          THAT MAMMOGRAM WAS LIFE-CHANGING. 
          HEATHER RECEIVED THE UNEXPECTED NEWS THAT HER MAMMOGRAM WAS ABNORMAL AND SHE NEEDED TO SEE A SPECIALIST RIGHT AWAY. 
          HEATHER HAD BREAST CANCER. 
          AS A NATIVE AMERICAN WOMAN UNDERGOING CHEMOTHERAPY AND LOSING HER HAIR WERE HEATHER'S BIGGEST WORRIES. 
          IN HER CULTURE, WOMEN AT AGE 50 START GROWING OUT THEIR HAIR TO BRAID WHEN THEY PASS REPRESENTING A UNION WITH THEIR CREATOR. 
          HEATHER LEARNED FROM HER ONCOLOGIST THAT HER MALIGNANT TUMOR WOULD REQUIRE RADIATION, BUT SHE WAS GRATEFUL AT LEAST THAT SHE DID NOT HAVE TO UNDERGO THE CHEMOTHERAPY, INITIATE A CARING MEDICAL TEAM WHO HELPED HER THROUGH HER CONCERNS AND FEARS. 
          HEATHER IS NOW A SURVIVOR AND SHARES THAT THE CLINIC SAVED MY LIFE. 
          YES, ACTUALLY SAVED MY LIFE. 
          WITHOUT THE FREE CLINIC, I WOULD NOT HAVE EVER GOTTEN THAT MAMMOGRAM AND THEY WOULD HAVE NEVER FOUND OUT THAT I HAD CANCER, AND I PROBABLY WOULDN'T BE HERE TODAY. 
          THE FINANCIAL SUPPORT OF THIS BOARD AND THE SOUTHAMPTON COMMUNITY ALLOWS US TO KEEP OUR DOORS OPEN AND CONTINUE TO BE HERE FOR THOSE WHO DESPERATELY NEED OUR SERVICES IN OUR 2,200 SQUARE MILE SURFACE AREA. 
          THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION OF OUR INCREASED 2023/2024 FUNDING REQUEST OF $44,083, WHICH WOULD COVER THE ANNUAL COST OF CARE FOR 30 SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY PATIENTS THROUGH ABOUT 275 ANNUAL VISITS. 
          [NOISE] IN 2022 FOR REFERENCE, I ACCOUNT PATIENTS RECEIVED MORE THAN $364,000 IN THE VALUE OF SERVICES RECEIVED. 
          WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR INVESTMENT IN THE MISSION OF THE WESTERN TIDEWATER FREE CLINIC AND INVITES YOU CERTAINLY FOR A TOUR TO SEE THE COUNTY'S INVESTMENT AT WORK AND I'VE MENTIONED THE GROUNDBREAKING ON OUR DENTAL CLINIC, WHICH WE EXPECT TO BE COMPLETED BY THE END OF THIS YEAR. 
          WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT THAT. 
          I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU HAVE OR AT LEAST GET BACK TO YOU. 
          >> [NOISE] IS THE GROUNDBREAKING AT THE LAKE MEAD FACILITY? 
          >> YES, MA'AM. YAP, IT IS, ABSOLUTELY. 
          >> ANY QUESTIONS? 
          >> YOU GUYS DO A GOOD JOB. 
          KEEP IT UP. WE NEED YOU. 
          >> ABSOLUTELY, AND THIS WILL BE IN YOUR MINUTES. 
          [01:30:03]
THERE'S A LOT OF NUMBERS, SIR. 
          >> THANK YOU. WE'LL MOVE ON TO THE SENIOR SERVICES OF SOUTHEASTERN VIRGINIA, STEVE ZOLLOS. 
          >> GOOD EVENING. THANK YOU FOR [OVERLAPPING]. 
          >> ARE YOU AWARE MR. ZOLLOS, YOU'RE ALSO A MAJOR CLOSED BRAND ZOLLOS? 
          >> THAT'S RIGHT. THAT'S MINE. 
          WELL, THANK YOU, CHAIRMAN, OF COURSE, SUPERVISORS FOR HAVING ME HERE TODAY. I AM STEVE ZOLLOS. 
          I'M THE CEO OF SENIOR SERVICE OF SOUTHEASTERN VIRGINIA. 
          WE HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF A UNIQUE YEAR, ACCOUNT FOR LAST YEAR IN WHAT WE DID, WE SERVED OVER 365 OLDER ADULTS RIGHT HERE IN SOUTHAMPTON ROADS. 
          WE PROVIDED OVER 4,400 HOME-DELIVERED MEALS TO HOMEBOUND OLDER ADULTS WHO QUALIFY BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE ANY ASSISTANCE IN THE HOME AND THEY'RE UNABLE TO GET OUT OF THEIR HOME. 
          THEY HAVE TO QUALIFY TO GET THE HOME-DELIVERED MEALS. 
          WE ALSO PROVIDED OVER 3,000 HOURS OF IN-HOME CARE FOR OLDER ADULTS HERE IN SOUTHAMPTON ROADS OR SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY, AND OVER 1,100 RIDES TO MEDICAL APPOINTMENTS. 
          WE DO OTHER THINGS LIKE SENIOR COMPANIONS WHERE FOLKS GO INTO THE HOME IN ORDER TO FIGHT SOCIAL ISOLATION, TO BE FRIENDS AND HELPFUL TO OLDER ADULTS WHO FIND THEMSELVES ISOLATED IN AT HOME. 
          AMONG OTHER THINGS LIKE MEDICARE BENEFITS COUNSELING AND THINGS LIKE THAT, THAT ARE IMPORTANT FOR OUR OLDER ADULT COMMUNITY. 
          OUR VISION IS TO MAKE SURE THAT OLDER ADULTS ARE MAINTAINED AT AN UNDERSTANDING OF VALUE THAT IS EQUAL TO WORKING FAMILIES AND RECEIVE THE SAME RESPECT AND DIGNITY THAT EVERYBODY ELSE DOES. 
          KUDOS TO SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY. 
          I THINK YOU GUYS DO A GREAT JOB AT THAT. 
          BUT THIS YEAR WE FIND OURSELVES IN A DIFFICULT POSITION. 
          WE'RE VERY GRATEFUL FOR YOUR SUPPORT EVERY YEAR. 
          LAST YEAR WE RECEIVED $10,000 TO HELP US PROVIDE THESE SERVICES AND IT'S A HUGE HELP TO US. 
          THIS YEAR, HOWEVER, WE'VE GOT A COUPLE OF THINGS WORKING AGAINST US. 
          AS WITH EVERYBODY, INFLATION HAS HIT, OUR COSTS ARE UP, AND IT ALSO PUTS AN UNDUE BURDEN ON OLDER ADULTS. 
          THE NEEDS OF OLDER ADULTS ARE UP AS WELL. 
          I DON'T KNOW IF YOU RECOGNIZE, BUT OLDER ADULTS ARE THE FASTEST-GROWING SEGMENT OF THE HOMELESS COMMUNITY AS WELL. 
          THAT'S IN LARGE PART BECAUSE OF INFLATION AND ALL OF A SUDDEN, THE SAVINGS AREN'T DOING WHAT THEY THOUGHT THEY WOULD BE DOING AND THEY FIND THEMSELVES IN DIFFICULT SITUATIONS. 
          THE OTHER THING THAT'S HAPPENED FOR US, A GOOD PORTION OF OUR DOLLARS THAT WE BRING TO SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY COME FROM DEPARTMENT OF AGING AND REHABILITATIVE SERVICES FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO DARS, TO OUR LOCAL ECONOMIES THROUGH A FUNDING FORMULA. 
          THIS YEAR THEY CHANGED THE FUNDING FORMULA AND AS A RESULT, AND YOU ALL HAVE GOTTEN EMAILS FROM ME OUTLINING THIS LATE LAST YEAR, WE'RE LOSING OVER $335,000 IN FUNDING. 
          SO WE'RE LOOKING AND SAYING, HOW DO WE MAINTAIN WHAT WE'VE BEEN DOING? EVEN THOUGH THE POPULATION IS GROWING, WE'RE TRYING TO JUST MAINTAIN WHAT WE'RE DOING IN EACH JURISDICTION. 
          THIS YEAR WE'RE ASKING FOR $24,000 FROM SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY. 
          THAT'S A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE. 
          BUT WHAT THAT IS IS THE MATCHING FUNDS THAT'S REQUIRED FOR US TO BE ABLE TO BRING $456,000 IN STATE AND FEDERAL FUNDS RIGHT HERE TO SOUTHAMPTON ROAD OR SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY. 
          THE WAY THAT IS SPENT IS THROUGH OUR DRIVERS, OUR VEHICLES. 
          OUR OPTIONS COUNSELORS SHOULD COME IN PROVIDING IN-HOME SERVICES BY LOCAL IN-HOME PROVIDERS SO THOSE DOLLARS STAY RIGHT IN THE COMMUNITY. 
          THESE ARE REAL DOLLARS THAT WE BRING TO THIS COUNTY AND IN ORDER FOR US TO CONTINUE TO DO THAT, WE'RE ASKING FOR THOSE MATCHING FUNDS TO BE MET BY EACH OF OUR JURISDICTIONS THIS YEAR. 
          TYPICALLY, WE'RE ABLE TO SAY, YOU KNOW WHAT? WE CAN RAISE THE ADDITIONAL DOLLARS. 
          THE $15,000 OR 14,000 THAT WE WOULD BE TYPICALLY MISSING HERE, WE WOULDN'T EVEN BRING IT UP IN A TYPICAL YEAR. 
          WE WOULD JUST SAY, WE APPRECIATE WHATEVER SUPPORT WE CAN GET. 
          I UNDERSTAND THE DIFFICULTY OF THE POSITION YOU GUYS ARE IN, AND TRYING TO FIGURE OUT BUDGETS IN THESE DIFFICULT YEARS. 
          I ASK IS FOR $24,000 SO WE CAN MAINTAIN THE LEVEL OF 
          [01:35:03]
SERVICES THAT WE'VE BEEN PROVIDING FOR THE PAST NUMBER OF YEARS. 
          I'LL BE [OVERLAPPING] TAKE ANY QUESTIONS. 
          >> THAT'S THE MATCHING NUMBER? 
          >> YES, IT'S A MATCHING FUND THAT'S REQUIRED FOR US TO BRING FOR EVERY DOLLAR WE HAVE A MATCH THAT WE HAVE TO RAISE. 
          >> THANK YOU. ANY QUESTIONS? THANK YOU, SIR? 
          >> THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 
          >> SOUTHAMPTON FRANKLIN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, PRESIDENT CEO, MR. KARL HECK. WELCOME, KARL. 
          >> CHAIRMAN EDWARDS, I GUESS I SHOULD SAY SOUTHAMPTON FRANKLIN HERE. 
          THANK YOU FOR GETTING US OUT. 
          THANK YOU, CHAIRMAN EDWARDS, MR. [INAUDIBLE] AND THE BOARD FOR HAVING US US TONIGHT. 
          FSEDI ASKED YOU FOR LEVEL FUNDING AGAIN THIS YEAR, $100,000 OUR ORGANIZATION HAS FIVE-MEMBER BOARD DIRECTORS WHO ARE FUNDED BY THE CITY, FRANKLIN, SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY, THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, FRANKLIN-SOUTHAMPTON CHARITIES AND CAMP FOUNDATION, WE CURRENTLY HAVE THREE EMPLOYEES WE'RE LOOKING TO FILL ASHLEY CARLINGTON'S POSITION, WHICH SHE LEFT US IN MARCH AND WE'RE OUTLOOKING FOR ACQUISITION NOW. 
          OUR KEY SUCCESS STORIES, WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON PROJECTS IN SOUTHAMPTON THAT ARE UNDERWAY. 
          THE FRANKLIN BUSINESS OWNERS REACHED 100% CAPACITY. 
          FROM DECEMBER 1ST ON, 20% OF THOSE PEOPLE ARE SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY RESIDENTS THAT ARE IN THE BUSINESS CENTER. 
          WE'RE CURRENTLY ON HAVING STARTUP FRANKLIN, SOUTHAMPTON SO THERE ARE 12 ENTREPRENEURIAL BUSINESSES THAT HAVE STARTED THAT PROGRAM AND TAXABLE RETAIL SALES ARE UP BY ALMOST DOUBLE DIGITS. 
          WE FOCUSED ON BUSINESS ATTRACTION, BRINGING NEW COMPANIES INTO THE VARIOUS BUSINESS BARBS AND PROPERTIES THAT WE HAVE. 
          BUSINESS RETENTION AND EXPANSION. 
          WE'VE BEEN DOING MORE THAT NOW THAT WE CAN SEE MORE COMPANIES, SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT GROWTH WITH THE BUSINESS CENTER STARTUP AND SOME OF THE OTHER PROGRAMS AND WE ARE YOUR DESTINATION MARKETING ORGANIZATION FOR SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY INSIDE THE TOURISM SIDE. 
          WE'VE DONE A NUMBER OF PROJECTS. 
          WE ARE CURRENTLY UPDATING THE HOTEL FEASIBILITY STUDY AND LOOKING FOR HOTEL DEVELOPMENT PROJECT AND FRANKLIN-SOUTHAMPTON. 
          SO THAT IS ONGOING ALONG WITH THE PROJECTS WE HAVE. 
          SINCE 2005, WE'VE CREATED ALMOST 850 JOBS WITH $226 MILLION OF NEW INVESTMENT. 
          WE'RE CERTAINLY HOPING FOR MORE IN THE COMING '23, '24 YEAR BASED ON WHAT'S GOING ON. 
          I MENTIONED BUSINESS CENTER AND HOW THAT WORKS. 
          WE HAVE 38 BUSINESSES IN THERE WITH AN AVERAGE FULL-TIME SALARY OF ABOUT $75,000, 25 OF THE GRADUATES I MENTIONED, IT'S NOT JUST THE FRANKLIN PROGRAM. 
          20% OF THE TENANTS ARE SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY RESIDENTS AND [NOISE] COUNTY RESIDENTS WORK FOR BUSINESS IN THE BUSINESS CENTER. 
          WE'RE VERY ACTIVE IN SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, WORKING WITH THE SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTER DOING STARTUP FRANKLIN-SOUTHAMPTON PROVIDING ONE-ON-ONE ASSISTANCE FOR A VARIETY OF SMALL AND LARGE COMPANIES. 
          I MENTIONED HERE WE GOT AN AWARD IN 2022 FOR START-UP. 
          WE'VE BEEN AWARDED 10 BUSINESSES' PRIZE MONEY IN THE FIRST FOUR ROUNDS. 
          ALL OF THOSE BUSINESSES ARE STILL IN BUSINESS TODAY AND SIX OTHER NON-WINNERS HAVE ALSO OPENED THEIR BUSINESSES. 
          LIKE I SAID, ROUND 5 IS GOING ON NOW. 
          WE'VE MET WITH A NUMBER OF COMPANIES IN THE BUSINESS RETENTION BRANCHES I'M WORKING TO DOING TO DEVELOP THAT. 
          THERE'S ONE PROJECT IN SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY THAT IS CURRENTLY IN CONSTRUCTION THAT WAS DIRECTLY RELATED TO ONE OF THESE MEETINGS, THE HAMPTON FARMS EXPANSION BY [INAUDIBLE], WHICH WE FOUND OUT ABOUT WE'RE ABLE TO LOCATE THROUGH THE MEETINGS, SO WE CONTINUE TO WORK WITH THEM AND IT IS BEARING FRUIT. 
          WE'RE WORKING ON BROADBAND. 
          WE'LL BE BACK HERE IN TWO WEEKS WITH CHARTER. 
          WE ARE LOOKING FOR A LAY-DOWN YARD FOR CHARTER, AND CHARTER IS STARTING TO WORK IN SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY. 
          I SHOULD LET THEM TALK A LITTLE MORE ABOUT THAT, BUT THEY ARE WORKING THEIR WAY OVER HERE AND THEN GET BACK AT THE BOARD IN TWO WEEKS. 
          SINCE ASHLEY'S LEFT, I'M NOT A LEAD ON THAT PROJECT, SO WE'RE GETTING READY FOR FALLS AND THAT KIND OF THING SO THEY WILL START BEING ACTIVE AND I KNOW THAT [INAUDIBLE] VISIBLE WITH SOME OF THEIR TRUCKS ARE RED AND I MENTIONED THE TOURISM SIDE THAT WE DO. 
          WE'VE RECENTLY HAD [INAUDIBLE] FROM AN INFLUENCER WE HIRED. 
          WE'VE BEEN DOING A LITTLE WAR IN THIS AREA TO TRY TO BRING PEOPLE HERE FOR THE LOCAL ATTRACTIONS. 
          OUR VARIOUS ANNUAL EVENTS, THE EXHIBITIONS, 
          [01:40:01]
BREAKFAST IS MERGED WITH WHAT WE USED TO DO, PARTNERS IN PROGRESS AND THAT IS NEXT WEEK. 
          WE ARE VERY ACTIVE AS WELL THIS SATURDAY AND WORK WITH LOCAL BUSINESSES AS WELL AS WITH THE TIDEWATER NEWS JOB FAIR, AND THE REGION 1 COMMONWEALTH AGENCIES THAT ARE IN THAT AREA. 
          WE PRESENTED OUR STRATEGIC PLANS HERE ALL. 
          FEW MEETINGS AGO WE'RE CONTINUING TO IMPLEMENT THAT FSEDI BOARD REVISITS THAT QUITE EARLY AND I UPDATE THEM ON PROGRESS IN THOSE AREAS AND THEIR MAIN ACTIVITIES CONTINUING FORWARD [NOISE] STEERING A MOMENTUM WITH OUR RECENT PROJECTS AND LIKE I SAID, WE ONLY HAVE MORE SOON WORKING ON HOTEL AND TRYING TO DEVELOP MORE PROPERTIES AS SOME OF THE PROPERTIES COME OFFLINE, WE NEED MORE BUSINESS BASE IN THE PIPELINE. 
          WITH THAT, AND WE APPRECIATE YOUR SUPPORT AND I'LL TAKE ANY QUESTIONS. 
          >> THANK YOU CARL. ANY QUESTIONS? 
          >> I STILL AM LOOKING FORWARD TO HAVING A HOTEL, MOTEL, WHATEVER IN THE COUNTY. 
          >> WE ALL ARE. WE'RE WORKING ON IT. 
          >> ANYBODY ELSE? [INAUDIBLE] 
          >> THANK YOU. 
          >> WE MOVE ON TO SMART BEGINNINGS. 
          MS. LORRAINE WHITEHEAD, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR. HELLO. 
          >> HOW ARE YOU ALL DOING TONIGHT? 
          >> ALL RIGHT. 
          >> I'VE GOT A BOOK UP THERE FOR EACH OF YOU INSIDE THAT BOOK THERE IS ONE OF OUR NEWSLETTERS, THERE IS ALSO A COPY OF WHAT I'M GOING TO SAY TONIGHT. 
          I GET DRY MOUTH. I'M TAKING A BLOOD PRESSURE MEDICINE IS CAUSING THAT. 
          I WOULD LIKE TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT OF OUR PROGRAM, IT IS THAT SUPPORT THAT IT ALLOWS SMART BEGINNINGS TO PROVIDE SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN THEIR EARLY CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES OF AT-RISK CHILDREN IN SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY, PROVIDING THEM WITH A GREATER POSSIBILITY FOR A BETTER LIFE. 
          WE PROVIDE WORKSHOPS AND INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS FOR EARLY CHILDCARE PROVIDERS ON THE LATEST PROVEN RESEARCH-BASED PRACTICES, AS WELL AS PROVIDE RESOURCES TO SKILLS DEVELOPMENT IN AREAS THAT THE PALS KINDERGARTEN DATA. 
          THEY'VE SHOWN THAT THE LITERACY SKILLS IN NEED OF REMEDIATION. 
          IN ADDITION, WE ASSIST THE CHILDCARE CENTERS TO ACHIEVE AND OR MAINTAIN LICENSURE AND ASSIST WITH THEIR CLASS OBSERVATIONS. 
          AS OF JULY 2023, ALL PROVIDERS RECEIVING PUBLIC FUNDS WILL HAVE TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS STATE SITE EXHIBITION. 
          WE ACTIVELY GO INTO THE UNDER-SERVED NEIGHBORHOODS TO RECRUIT PRE-K STUDENTS FOR ENROLLMENT IN LOCAL AREA 2K CLASSROOMS [NOISE] I WILL EVEN GO IN THERE WITH MY SCREENING MATERIALS AND GO INTO TRAILERS AND GO IN THE APARTMENT WHEREVER I'M NEEDED. 
          IF THE PARENTS CANNOT GET TO WHERE THEY NEED TO GO TO BE SCREEN, I'M GOING IN AND I'VE BEEN ASKED, AREN'T YOU AFRAID TO GO IN SOME OF THE PLACES THAT I GO, BUT MY THING IS IF MY KIDS LIVE THERE. 
          HOW CAN I BE AFRAID TO GO IN THERE? AND I'M NOT TRYING TO GET RELIGIOUS AND NOTHING BUT I DON'T GO ALONE. 
          LET'S SEE HERE WHERE I WAS AT. 
          WE HOST AND FACILITATE THE WESTERN TABULAR EARLY CHILDHOOD COLLABORATION AND ACTIVELY PARTICIPATE IN THE FRANKLIN SOUTHAMPTON WELLNESS COALITION. 
          PARTNERS INCLUDE SCHOOL SYSTEMS, HEALTH DEPARTMENT, DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES, THE CHILDREN'S CENTER HEAD START, HOME VISITING HEALTH SERVICES, LOCAL HOSPITALS, CLINICS, YMCA, LIBRARY, AND MORE LIKE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT ALSO PARTICIPATES IN OUR ACTIVITIES. 
          WE WORK TOGETHER TO PROVIDE SERVICES AND RESOURCES TO MEET THE NEEDS OF OUR FAMILIES, ESPECIALLY IN THE UNDER-RESOURCED AND UNDERSERVED NEIGHBORHOODS. 
          WE ARE THE BRIDGE FOR BRINGING SEVERAL RESOURCES INTO SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY, INTRODUCING THEM TO THE CRITICAL POVERTY POCKETS. 
          WE ARE INSTRUMENTAL IN GETTING THE FOOD BANK INTO THE COUNTY, ESPECIALLY IN SOUTHAMPTON MEADOWS. 
          WE WORK WITH THE DARDENS, CHARLES DARDEN AND DEBI DARDEN, AT THEIR FACILITY GATHERINGS IN SOCO TO PROVIDE EVENTS FOR FAMILIES THAT CONNECT THEM WITH PARTNERS OF SUPPORT AND NOW WE ARE WORKING WITH ODU TO GET A MOBILE HEALTH CARE UNIT IN THERE. 
          I'M EXCITED ABOUT THIS. WE WERE A SLEEPTIGHT HAMPTON ROADS CRIB DISTRIBUTOR PROVIDING CRIBS AND SAFE SLEEP WORKING WITH THE CHILDREN'S CENTER TO MOTHERS WHO HAVE LIMITED RESOURCES. 
          [NOISE] SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY HAS ONE OF THE HIGHEST INFANT MORTALITY RATES AND SO THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS THAT WE BROUGHT THE SLEEPTIGHT PROGRAM IN. 
          BACK TO FIVE OF THE MOST CRITICAL IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF LEARNING AND CONSEQUENTLY LIFELONG EARNING ABILITY. 
          EVERYBODY KNOWS THAT YOUR EDUCATION IS DIRECTLY TIED TO YOUR EARNING. 
          THESE ARE THE AREAS WHERE WE WRITE THE HARD DRIVE ON WHICH ALL FUTURE REVENUES BILL. 
          [01:45:04]
WHAT WE DO TODAY DETERMINES THEIR TOMORROW'S. 
          WE TAKE THIS CHARGE VERY SERIOUSLY. 
          THERE IS NOTHING MORE IMPORTANT IN LIFE THAN FOR THIS GENERATION TO PREPARE THE NEXT GENERATION FOR A BETTER LIFE. 
          WE WOULD LIKE TO ASK FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT FOR OUR PROGRAM AS WE WORK TOGETHER WITH PARENTS, EARLY CHILDCARE PROVIDERS, THE SCHOOLS, PARTNERS, AND THE COMMUNITY TO RAISE OUR CHILDREN OUT OF POVERTY AND INTO COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS. 
          I'M A DOUBLE PERSONALITY WITH THE SCHOOL SYSTEM, I JUST WANTED TO LET YOU ALL KNOW THIS IS YOUR 46 YEAR IN SCHOOL SYSTEM. WE'RE GETTING OLD [LAUGHTER]. 
          >> YEAH. WE RESEMBLE THAT. 
          >> LET ME ASK YOU SOMETHING. 
          IF I WAS A FIVE-YEAR-OLD CHILD IN THIS SITUATION, WHAT WOULD YOU DO FOR ME? 
          >> WELL, FIRST OFF, IF YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT AT-RISK [OVERLAPPING] 
          >> YEAH. IF I WAS A, LET'S SAY, FOUR OR FIVE-YEAR-OLD AT-RISK CHILD, WHAT EXACTLY STEPS ARE YOU DOING TO HELP ME OUT OF THAT? 
          >> FOR ONE, WHAT I STARTED OUT DOING WAS GOING INTO THE NEIGHBORHOODS AND SO THAT I COULD BUILD THE FAMILY TRUST. 
          YOU CAN ALWAYS TRAVEL OR ACHIEVE AT THE SPEED THE TRUST. 
          THE SMART BEGINNINGS OF VIRGINIA EARLY CHILDHOOD FOUNDATION DID A SURVEY OF THIS AREA TO SEE WHAT THE PEOPLE IN THIS AREA AND THOSE POCKETS THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, WHAT THEY PERCEIVE ME AND THEY SAID THAT I WAS RESPECTED AND TRUSTED AND THAT'S THE FIRST STEP RIGHT THERE. 
          I GO INTO THE COMMUNITIES LIKE I SAID, AND I TAKE BOOKS OUT INTO THE COMMUNITIES. 
          I'M GOING TO GIVE YOU A STORY. 
          WE HAD A PARENT, WHAT I CALL BC, BEFORE COVID, WHO HAD SIGNED UP FOR SCREENING FOR HER FOUR-YEAR-OLD, BUT SHE DIDN'T SHOW UP FOR SCREENING. 
          I HAD AN ADDRESS OUT AT MEADOWS. 
          SHE DIDN'T SHOW UP FOR SCREENING AND WE DID HAVE A PHONE NUMBER FOR HER, BUT HER PHONE HAD BEEN TURNED OFF BY THE TIME IT CAME TIME FOR HER TO COME FOR SCREENING. 
          I WENT OUT TO THE MEADOWS. 
          I'M VERY GOOD FRIENDS WITH BARBARA AND MAC OUT THERE. 
          THAT'S ANOTHER WAY YOU GET IN, YOU HAVE TO KNOW THE MANAGEMENT. 
          SHE TOLD ME WHERE THE TRAILER WAS THAT THIS PARENT LIVED IN. 
          WHEN I GOT TO THAT TRAILER, THERE WAS NO ONE IN THE TRAILER SO I WENT BACK TO BARBARA AND SHE SAID DURING THE DAY, THERE'S NO ELECTRICITY IN THE TRAILER THAT THIS PARTICULAR PARENT LIVES IN, BUT DURING THE DAY SHE STAYS IN THIS OTHER TRAILER WITH SOMEONE WHO DOES HAVE ELECTRICITY. 
          SO MYSELF AND ONE OTHER WENT TO THIS TRAILER AND KNOCKED ON THE DOOR AND WHEN THEY OPENED THE DOOR, YOU ALL KNOW THE ARRANGEMENT GENERALLY OF A TRAILER. 
          TO THE RIGHT WHERE THE KITCHEN WOULD HAVE BEEN WAS THE WALLS WERE TORN OUT COMPLETELY AND DEBRIS WAS ALL OVER EVERYWHERE. 
          THERE WAS TWO STAND-UP WHITE LAWN CHAIRS IN THE LIVING ROOM. 
          THERE WAS A TELEVISION AND A OLD MATTRESS LAYING ON THE FLOOR. 
          THE TWO ADULTS IN THERE, ONE WHO OWNED THE TRAILER AND THE MOTHER AND THREE SMALL CHILDREN, FOUR AND BELOW. 
          SO I WENT AHEAD IN AND I HAD TO SIT ON A MATTRESS ON THE FLOOR TO DO THE SCREENING. 
          I DIDN'T CARE WHAT THE CHILD'S SCORE WAS, THAT CHILD WAS COMING OUT OF THERE FOR PRE-K. 
          WHEN I FINISHED THE SCREENING, I SAID, IS THERE ANY REASON WHY THIS CHILD CANNOT BE AT RIVERDALE IN THE PRE-K PROGRAM ON MONDAY? AND THE MOTHER SAID, "THESE ARE THE ONLY CLOTHES THESE CHILDREN HAVE." THEY WERE LIVING IN DORCHESTER IN FRANKLIN AND A BULLET CAME THROUGH THEIR CHILD'S WINDOW. 
          SHE SAID, "I PUT THEM IN THE VAN THE NEXT MORNING, THEY CAME OUT HERE," AND THEY HAD BEEN LIVING OUT THERE WITHOUT ELECTRICITY FOR THREE MONTHS BECAUSE OF HOW MUCH, IT WAS LIKE 400 AND SOME DOLLARS TO GET ELECTRICITY CUT ON. 
          SO AFTER THAT, I WENT TO THE DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES AND GOT THE ELECTRICITY CUT ON. 
          I WENT TO THE CLOTHING BANK AND I GOT CLOTHING FOR ALL THREE OF THOSE CHILDREN. 
          THEN ON MONDAY, I CHECKED TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT CHILD WAS IN PRE-K, AND I'VE CHECKED ON THAT CHILD CONSEQUENTLY EVERY YEAR SINCE. 
          THE TOWERS AND MORAL RIGHTS PRE-K CLASSROOM, AND SHE SAID HE THRIVED. 
          SO FOR YOU, I GOT ELECTRICITY FOR YOU, I GOT CLOTHES FOR YOU, I GOT YOU IN SCHOOL. THAT'S WHAT I DO. 
          >> DO YOU FOLLOW UP YEAR AFTER YEAR ON THAT CHILD? 
          >> I HAVE EVEN FOLLOWED CHILDREN TO THE MIDDLE SCHOOL. 
          [01:50:02]
          >> VERY GOOD. BECAUSE I'VE ALWAYS THOUGHT THAT'S A BIG THING. 
          YOU GET OUT THERE AND YOU'RE ON DAY 1, YOU DO EVERYTHING FOR THEM AND THAT'S THE END OF IT, BUT IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU'RE PURSUING THE WHOLE THING. 
          >> NO BRAG, JUST FACT. 
          IT'S HARDLY ANYWHERE THAT I CAN GO THAT I DON'T HAVE [NOISE] CHILDREN THAT JUST RUN AND HUG ME. ANY QUESTIONS? 
          >> I'M GOOD. ANYBODY? 
          >> KEEP IT UP. WE'LL GIVE YOU WHAT WE CAN. 
          >> [OVERLAPPING] [INAUDIBLE]. 
          >> YEAH I DO [LAUGHTER]. MY WIFE HAS THE SAME THING. 
          >> KEEP IT UP AND WE'LL GIVE YOU WHAT WE CAN. 
          >> THANK YOU FOR THAT. 
          >> THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU DO. 
          >> THANK YOU. 
          >> MY PLEASURE. I GOT ONE MORE THING TO SAY. 
          THE WORLD IS FULL OF VAMPIRES. 
          I'M TALKING ABOUT HUMAN VAMPIRES THAT'LL SUCK THE LIFE RIGHT OUT OF YOU. 
          BUT THEY DON'T REALIZE THAT THEY'RE ACTUALLY POISONING THEMSELVES. 
          BEING KIND TO EACH OTHER, HELPING EACH OTHER, THAT'S THE REAL SOUL FOOD, IT'S NOT SOMETHING YOU SERVE ON A PLATE. 
          THAT IS WHAT FEEDS YOUR SOUL, IS HELPING EACH OTHER. 
          >> AMEN. 
          >> AMEN. 
          >> THANK YOU. COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND PLANNING DEPARTMENT. 
          MS. BETH LEWIS, DIRECTOR. 
          >> [INAUDIBLE] I'M SURPRISED TO SEE YOU HERE THIS EVENING. 
          BUT THERE HAS BEEN DISCUSSION ABOUT THE REQUESTED SALARY ADJUSTMENT FOR EMPLOYEES IN THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT AND PLEASE LET ME EXPLAIN HOW WE GOT TO THIS POINT. 
          I BEGAN WORKING FOR SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY JULY 1ST, 2009, ALMOST 14 YEARS AGO. 
          MY POSITION [NOISE] AS A PLANNER WAS A NEWLY CREATED ONE AND I'M GRATEFUL TO MIKE JOHNSON AND DALLAS JONES FOR OFFERING IT TO ME. 
          IN 2010, I WAS ASKED TO LEAVE THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT UPON THE RETIREMENT OF ROBERT BARNETT. 
          IN 2013, OUR DEPARTMENT, WHICH CONSISTED OF LEE COPELAND AND ME, WAS SENT TO WORK FOR THE CITY OF FRANKLIN AS PART OF THE SHARED COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT. 
          WE WERE WELCOMED BY THE FRANKLIN DEPARTMENT AND THE DEPARTMENT GREW TO 10 EMPLOYEES IN THE ENSUING YEARS TO SERVE BOTH COMMUNITIES. 
          IN 2016, SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY COMPLETED THE SALARY STUDY AND MADE A NUMBER OF CHANGES TO THE COMPENSATION SCHEDULE FOR COUNTY EMPLOYEES. 
          AS WE WERE EMPLOYEES OF THE CITY OF FRANKLIN, OUR POSITIONS WERE NOT INCLUDED. 
          IN THE STUDY, IT WAS NOTED THAT THE COUNTY HAD NOT DONE A COMPENSATION STUDY FOR AT LEAST 10 YEARS, AND THAT WAS SEVEN YEARS AGO. 
          WE WORKED SUCCESSFULLY FOR FRANKLIN FOR SEVEN YEARS. 
          WE SERVED BOTH COMMUNITIES, OVER 610 SQUARE MILES, TWO COMPREHENSIVE PLANS, TWO ZONING ORDINANCES, A COUNTY CODE, AND A CITY CODE, TWO PLANNING COMMISSIONS, AND TWO GOVERNING BODIES FOR SEVEN YEARS. 
          THANKFULLY, THE UNIFORM STATEWIDE BUILDING CODE IS ENFORCED THROUGHOUT VIRGINIA, SO WE ONLY HAD ONE SET OF BUILDING STANDARDS. 
          IN 2020, CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS SAID THEY DID NOT WANT TO BE SERVED BY A SHARED COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT. 
          SO OVERNIGHT, THE DEPARTMENT IN ITS CURRENT FORM WAS DISBANDED. 
          BOTH MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT WHO WERE DISMISSED BY THE CITY OF FRANKLIN, AS WELL AS THE REST OF THE DEPARTMENT WHO CHOSE TO JOIN THE NEWLY RECONSTITUTED COUNTY DEPARTMENT, WERE VERY THANKFUL TO BE WELCOMED BACK HOME BY MIKE JOHNSON WHEN AT LOW AND THE BOARD SUPERVISORS. 
          WE CAME BACK ALMOST THREE YEARS AGO WITH THE SERVICES PROVIDED IN FRANKLIN, NOT BASED ON THE 2016 COUNTY SALARY STUDY SINCE OUR DEPARTMENT WASN'T INCLUDED. 
          SO BASED ON THE 2016 SALARY STUDY, SALARIES IN THE COMMUNITY [NOISE] DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT HAVE NOT BEEN STUDIED SINCE AT LEAST 2006, 17 YEARS AGO. 
          FRANKLIN, AFTER OUR DEPARTURE, UNDERTOOK A SALARY STUDY FOR CITY EMPLOYEES. 
          IN THE STUDY PROVIDED TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS AT THEIR APRIL 2016 MEETING, SEVEN YEARS AGO, IT WAS FOUND THAT SALARIES IN THE COUNTY WERE FOR THE MOST PART LOWER THAN AVERAGE SALARIES IN COMPARABLE REGIONAL ORGANIZATIONS. 
          IT WAS FOUND SEVEN YEARS AGO THAT ENTRY-LEVEL SALARIES WERE 12% LOWER THAN AVERAGE COMPARABLE SALARIES. 
          IT WAS FOUND SEVEN YEARS AGO THAT MID-RANGE SALARIES WERE ALMOST 15% BELOW AVERAGE COMPARABLE SALARIES. 
          IT WAS FOUND SEVEN YEARS AGO THAT UPPER-RANGE SALARY WAS 17% BELOW AVERAGE COMPARABLE SALARIES. 
          ONCE AGAIN, SEVEN YEARS AGO, [NOISE] MY EMPLOYEES AT THAT TIME HAD 
          [01:55:03]
COMPENSATION CORRECTIONS PROVIDED OVER A THREE-YEAR PERIOD, THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS PHASED THOSE IN OVER A FEW YEARS. 
          SINCE OUR DEPARTMENT WAS EMPLOYED BY THE CITY OF FRANKLIN, WE WERE NOT INCLUDED. 
          THE CURRENT REQUEST IS ADJUSTMENT FOR OUR DEPARTMENT IN THIS BUDGET REQUEST IS 7% FAR BELOW WHAT WAS FOUND TO BE THE AVERAGE DOUBLE-DIGIT INADEQUACY SEVEN YEARS AGO. 
          IN THE 2016 STUDY, IT WAS FOUND THAT MARKET ADJUSTMENTS UP TO THAT POINT IN THE COUNTY HAD FALLEN BEHIND THE REGIONAL MARKET, AND THE JOB CLASSES WITH COMPARABLE RESPONSIBILITIES REQUIRING COMPARABLE EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE WERE ASSIGNED TO DIFFERENT PAY SCALES, RESULTING IN MARKET PAY DIFFERENCES. 
          FOR EXAMPLE, I REVIEWED COUNTY DEPARTMENT HEAD COMPENSATION FROM THIS PROPOSED BUDGET, EXCLUDING PEOPLE IN THE ADMINISTRATION, THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE, AND THE COURT SYSTEM. 
          OF THE 10 DEPARTMENT HEADS THAT I CONSIDERED IN THE COUNTY, MY SALARY IS RANKED SEVENTH, RANKED ONLY ABOVE THE THREE DEPARTMENT HEADS AND THE PUBLIC UTILITIES DEPARTMENT. 
          WITHOUT THE PROPOSED 7% ADJUSTMENT, ONE PUBLIC UTILITIES DEPARTMENT HEAD WOULD MOVE AHEAD AND MAKE MY SALARY RANKED EIGHTH OUT OF 10. 
          I DON'T KNOW THE RESPONSIBILITIES, EDUCATION, OR TENURE OF THE OTHER DEPARTMENT HEADS BUT BESIDES THE OPERATION OF BOTH THE PLANNING INSPECTIONS DEPARTMENT [NOISE] STAFF TO A NUMBER OF CITIZEN-FACING ENTITIES, INCLUDING THE PLANNING COMMISSION, THE BOARD OF ZONING APPEALS AS NEEDED. 
          I'M THE PROJECT MANAGER FOR THE ADMINISANCE PROJECT. 
          RECENTLY ADDED TO MY LIST WAS THE CITIZENS' TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE, AND SOON I EXPECT THE LITTER CONTROL AS WELL. 
          NO PAY GRADES OR JOB DESCRIPTIONS FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT POSITIONS HAVE BEEN ESTABLISHED. 
          ONCE UNABLE TO COMPARE APPLES TO APPLES, ALL OF THE POSITIONS FROM OUR DEPARTMENT HAVE CERTIFICATIONS REQUIRED, WITH BI-ANNUAL CONTINUING EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS. 
          MY POSITION AND OTHER LOCALITIES REQUIRES A BACCALAUREATE DEGREE WITH CERTIFICATION AS A PROFESSIONAL PLANNER FROM THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF CERTIFIED PLANNERS. 
          AS A MATTER OF FACT, I POSSESS A MASTER'S DEGREE, HAVE ASCP CERTIFICATION, AND HAVE BEEN A PROFESSIONAL FOR OVER 25 YEARS. 
          THERE ARE ONLY THREE DEPARTMENT HEADS THAT HAVE A LOWER RATE OF COMPENSATION THAN I. 
          IF THE 7% ADJUSTMENT IS NOT MADE, THAT FALLS TO ONLY TWO DEPARTMENT HEADS WITH A LOWER RATE OF COMPENSATION THAN I. 
          IT SEEMS PERHAPS THAT DEPARTMENT HEADS WITH COMPARABLE RESPONSIBILITIES, EDUCATION, AND EXPERIENCE ARE COMPENSATED AT DIFFERENT RATES. 
          IF MY PAY GRADE ARE COMPARABLE TO THE DIRECTORS OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, PUBLIC WORKS, AND PUBLIC UTILITIES PLANNING OPERATIONS, MY CURRENT SALARY IS THE STARTING SALARY. 
          EVEN A 7% INCREASE WOULD STILL FALL BELOW THE MIDPOINT, 8-10 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE RANGE. 
          THIS DISCREPANCY IS THE CASE WITH ALL THE EMPLOYEES AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT I WAGER. 
          THE ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER AND OTHER LOCALITIES REQUIRES A BACCALAUREATE DEGREE AND CERTIFICATIONS BY THE CANBELL VAGINIA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY, WHICH YOURS HAS. 
          THE BUILDING INSPECTOR AND PLAN REVIEWER POSITIONS REQUIRE CERTIFICATION BY THE VIRGINIA CODE ACADEMY THROUGH THE DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT FOR ALL TRAITS WITHIN THREE YEARS OF HIRE UNDER THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE UNIFORM STATEWIDE BUILDING CODE APPLICABLE IN ALL LOCALITIES. 
          AGAIN, WHICH YOURS HAVE. 
          THE PERMANENT TECHNICIAN REQUIRES CERTIFICATION THROUGH THE DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AS WELL. 
          THIS EMPLOYEE HAS OVER 30 YEARS OF SERVICE TO THE CITY AND THE COUNTY AND ALSO SERVES AS THE DEPARTMENT ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT AT WHAT WOULD BE A SENIOR ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT GRADE. 
          HER CURRENT SALARY IS LESS THAN THE MIDPOINT, THE 8-10 YEARS OF SERVICE. 
          WE'VE ALWAYS DONE MORE WITH LESS. 
          HOW MUCH LESS IS THE UNKNOWN? A LOOK AT OUR BUDGET REVEALS A NUMBER OF ITEMS THAT ARE UNIQUE TO OUR DEPARTMENT. 
          WHILE THESE ARE EXPENSES THAT NEED TO BE ACCOUNTED FOR SOMEWHERE IN THE COUNTY'S BUDGET. 
          SHOWING THEM AS EXPENSES IN THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT DOESN'T PAINT AN ACCURATE PICTURE. 
          OUR DEPARTMENT BUDGET IS $3,500 A YEAR FOR ELECTRICITY THAT OTHER DEPARTMENTS DON'T INCLUDE IN THEIR BUDGETS, EXCEPT PUBLIC UTILITIES BECAUSE WE SHARE A METER WITH THEM. 
          WE PAY APPROXIMATELY $5,500 A YEAR FOR JANITORIAL SERVICES THAT OTHER DEPARTMENTS DON'T INCLUDE IN THEIR BUDGET. 
          [02:00:04]
THE $1,500 REPAIR AND MAINTENANCE SUPPLY LINE IS FOR REPAIRS AND MAINTENANCE OF OUR COUNTY-OWNED BUILDING. 
          A COST NOT INCLUDED IN OTHER DEPARTMENT BUDGETS. 
          WE PAY FOR GIS SERVICES FOR EACH NEW HOME ADDRESS THAT'S ISSUED. 
          WE SERVE AS THE LEGS WHERE THE E911 FOLKS, WE USE OUR STAFFED TIME AND GPS MACHINE TO SHOOT THE ADDRESS ONCE THE DRIVEWAY IS IN AND THE CORNERS OF THE HOUSE ARE STAKED OUT. 
          WE TURN THOSE COORDINATES OVER TO THE COUNTY GIS PROVIDER TO SUPPLY AN ADDRESS FOR E911 PURPOSES. 
          WE DON'T NEED A STREET ADDRESS FOR ANYTHING WE DO. 
          WE CAN ISSUE A PERMIT AND DO ALL THE INSPECTIONS, WITH JUST THE TAX PARCEL NUMBER. 
          OUR DEPARTMENT, HOWEVER, SPENDS OVER $3,000 A YEAR FOR THOSE MAPPING SERVICES FOR THE USE OF THE E911 SYSTEM AND THE COMMISSIONER REVENUES OFFICE. 
          THE $50,000 IN OUR DEPARTMENT BUDGET FOR THE NUISANCE PROJECT WAS APPROVED BY THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS WHEN A NUISANCE APPLICATION IS SUBMITTED AND IT'S NOT AN OPERATING EXPENSE FOR OUR DEPARTMENT. 
          THAT AMOUNT WAS ZERO IN THE CURRENT BUDGET, ALTHOUGH THERE HAVE BEEN SOME EXPENSES THIS YEAR. 
          THE CONSIDERATION FOR GATEWAY SIGNS WAS RECOMMENDED BY THE PLANNING COMMISSION IN 2020 AS AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND TOURISM ENHANCEMENT. 
          THOSE SIGNS WILL NOT BE AN OPERATING EXPENSE FOR OUR DEPARTMENT. 
          THIS NEW LINE IS PROPOSED AT $20,000. 
          ALMOST 80% OF THE INCREASE IN THE PLANNING OPERATING BUDGET IS MADE UP BUT THESE TWO ITEMS, THE NUISANCE PROJECT AND THE GATEWAY SIGNS, NEITHER OF WHICH ARE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT OPERATING FUNCTIONS. 
          THEY NEED TO BE PAID FOR BY SOME ENTITY, BY SOME BUDGET, BUT THEY ARE NOT PART OF OUR OPERATING EXPENSES. 
          THE $33,000 ASSESSED BY THE PLANNING DISTRICT COMMISSION IS ASSESSED TO ALL COMMUNITIES PER CAPITA AND IS A STATE REQUIREMENT, IT'S NOT A COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT OPERATING EXPENSE BUT A COUNTY EXPENSE. 
          THIS REQUEST, A SALARY ADJUSTMENT OF 7% IS OVERDUE. 
          IT WAS FOUND SEVEN YEARS AGO THAT AVERAGE SALARIES WERE BELOW BY DOUBLE-DIGIT PERCENTAGES THOSE COMPARABLE TO REGIONAL ORGANIZATIONS, AND CORRECTIONS WERE MADE. 
          IF COMPENSATION WAS BELOW REGIONAL AVERAGES BY DOUBLE-DIGIT PERCENTAGES SEVEN YEARS AGO, TIME HAS DONE NOTHING BUT LEAVE OUR DEPARTMENT FURTHER BEHIND IN THE ENSUING YEARS. 
          IT SEEMS THERE ARE TWO CLASSES OF EMPLOYEES, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, AND EVERYBODY ELSE. 
          WE'D PREFER SALARY STUDY BE COMPLETED, AND WE SUBMITTED THE REQUIRED MATERIAL IN 2022. 
          I KNOW IN THE PROPOSED BUDGET, HOWEVER, THAT THERE ARE NO FUNDS FOR SALARY STUDY IN THAT YEAR SO THESE INEQUITIES WILL CONTINUE UNABATED, IT APPEARS. 
          ABSTANANCE STUDY, I REQUESTED OUR DEPARTMENT BE BROUGHT AT LEAST IN THE RANGE OF OTHER EMPLOYEES WITH COMPARABLE RESPONSIBILITIES, EDUCATION, AND EXPERIENCE. 
          TO BRING OUR DEPARTMENT INTO THE RANGE OF OTHER EMPLOYEES WITH COMPARABLE RESPONSIBILITIES, EDUCATION, AND EXPERIENCE, AN INCREASE OF MORE THAN THE REQUESTED 7% MAY BE REQUIRED. 
          BUT ABSTINENCE SALARY STUDY, THAT NUMBER IS NOT KNOWN. 
          AN INCREASE OF 7% IS A WELCOMED STARTING POINT. 
          AS IT STANDS TODAY, THERE ARE COUNTY EMPLOYEES WHOSE WORK IS APPRECIATED AND FAIRLY COMPENSATED BY REGIONAL MEASURES, AND THEN THERE'S THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT WHOSE WORK I HOPE IS APPRECIATED, BUT WHO ARE CONSIDERED LESS THAN IN COMPENSATION TERMS. WE DON'T ASK TO BE COMPENSATED BEYOND OTHER EMPLOYEES OF COMPARABLES, RESPONSIBILITIES, EDUCATION, AND EXPERIENCE, WE SEEK WHAT'S EQUITABLE. 
          I CERTAINLY HOPE THAT YOU WOULD NOT RESENT THE SALARY ADJUSTMENTS THAT WERE MADE TO OTHER COUNTY EMPLOYEES OVER THE PAST YEARS. 
          AS AN EFFECT OF THAT SALARY STUDY THE REQUESTED 7% INCREASE FOR THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT EQUALS ONE-EIGHTH OF ONE PENNY IN THE REAL ESTATE TAX RATE. 
          ONE-EIGHTH OF ONE PENNY TO BEGIN TO REDRESS INEQUITIES. 
          I SEEK YOUR CONSIDERATION. 
          I'LL TAKE ANY QUESTIONS. 
          MS. LEWIS IS THAT 7% ENOUGH? WE DON'T KNOW, THERE HASN'T BEEN A SALARY STUDY DONE. 
          THE REASON I'M ASKING YOU IS, I'M NOT A PLANNING COMMISSION FOR 33 YEARS AND 
          [02:05:02]
SINCE YOU'VE TAKEN OVER THAT THE PLANNING COMMISSION HAS BEEN A VERY EFFECTIVE GROUP. 
          WITHOUT A GOOD PLANNING COMMISSION, YOU'RE NOT GOING TO HAVE A GOOD BOARD OF SUPERVISORS. 
          THAT'S CORRECT. 
          I JUST LIKE TO PUT THAT FORWARD THAT MY FEELING. 
          MS. LEWIS HAS SAVED THIS COUNTY A LOT OF MONEY OVER THE YEARS. 
          SHE USED TO BE THE OUTSOURCE TO COMP PLAN YEARS AGO AFTER THAT OTHER FIVE YEARS AT 80,000 BUCKS. 
          LORD KNOWS WHAT IT'D BE NOW, WE DO IT IN-HOUSE. 
          WE DON'T OUTSOURCE IT. 
          ALSO, THE SOLE ORDINANCE THAT WE ACTED, THERE'S A LOT OF COUNTIES NOW WHO ARE OUTSOURCING THAT, GETTING ALL SORTS OF LEGAL HELP AND DOING IT. 
          WE PROBABLY HAVE THE BEST, MOST DETAILED, STRICTER SOLAR ORDINANCE IN THE STATE. 
          MATTER OF FACT, THERE ARE 17 COUNTIES I'M AWARE OF NOW THAT HAVE ASKED ME, INCLUDING MY HOMETOWN COUNTY, ROCKINGHAM COUNTY, FOR OUR ORDINANCE. 
          THAT SAVES US A LOT OF MONEY, AND ALSO GETTING BACK TO RURAL RESIDENTIAL OTHER ORDINANCES THAT SOMETIMES GET OUTSOURCED, WE'VE DONE THEM IN-HOUSE, TO SAVE A LOT OF MONEY. 
          I PERSONALLY THINK IF WE DIDN'T GIVE MRS. LEWIS'S DEPARTMENT, WHAT SHE NEEDS EVEN IF IT'S MORE THAN 7%, I'LL BE IN FAVOR OF IT BECAUSE THAT'S ONE OF OUR BIGGEST STRENGTHS IN THE COUNTY. 
          IN LAST WEEK'S BACO, JOB LISTINGS, PALATINE COUNTY IS LOOKING FOR A PLANNING DIRECTOR STARTING SALARY OF 73. 
          SPOTSYLVANIA IS LOOKING FOR A PLANNING DIRECTOR STARTING SALARY OF 967. 
          PRINCE GEORGE COUNTY IS LOOKING FOR A SENIOR BUILDING INSPECTORS. 
          STARTING SALARY OF 49. 
          OUR BUILDING INSPECTOR WHO IS A LOT MORE THAN THE STARTING SALARY IS MAKING VERY LITTLE MORE THAN THAT. 
          PURCELLVILLE COUNTY IS LOOKING FOR A PLANNING DIRECTOR STARTING SALARY 97.5. 
          >> THE NINE COMMISSIONERS ON THE PLANNING COMMISSION GET A BIG TOTAL OF $53 EVERY MONTH AFTER TAXES. 
          LOT OF VOLUNTEER WORK THAT GOES ON THERE. 
          LIKE I SAID I THINK THE COUNTY IS ONLY AS STRONG AS THE PLANNING COMMISSION AND THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT. 
          THE PLANNING COMMISSION SERVES A LOT OF INFORMATION, DOES THE LEG WORK, DOES THE BOOK WORK, IT MAKES THE RECOMMENDATIONS. 
          AND GOING BACK THROUGH THE YEARS, I THINK IN THIS COUNTY AND THERE MAY HAVE BEEN ONLY ONE OR TWO IN THE LAST 30 YEARS OF RECOMMENDATIONS THAT CAME FROM THE PLANNING COMMISSION THE BOARD DID NOT AGREE WITH WHICH IS A VERY GOOD TRACK RECORD. TWO YOU SAY? 
          >> THREE. 
          >> THREE, OKAY. IF YOU GO TO OTHER PLACES, I HAVE FRIENDS THAT ARE ON THE PLANNING COMMISSION OF SUFFOLK AND VIRGINIA BEACH AND THEY GOT OFF BECAUSE IT DIDN'T MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE WHAT THEY DID. 
          THE CITY COUNCIL OR BOARD IGNORED THEM. 
          THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN HERE. SO THAT'S MY FEELING ON THAT. 
          ANYBODY ELSE HAVE ANYTHING? 
          >> I DO SEEK EQUITY AND I KNOW THAT THAT'S BEEN A WORD THAT'S THROWN AROUND THIS EVENING. 
          BUT THE WAY THE WAY THE SALARY IS STRUCTURED NOW, THERE ARE COUNTY EMPLOYEES AND THERE'S COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT EMPLOYEES. THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION. 
          >> ANY QUESTIONS? 
          >> THANK YOU. 
          >> THANK YOU, MS. LEWIS. 
          >> ALL RIGHT, WE HAVE OTHER GROUPS. WELCOME. 
          >> TAKES A WHILE TO GET UP HERE BUT I'M UP HERE. 
          >> TAKE YOUR TIME. 
          >> DR. EDWARDS, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD. MEMBERS OF STAFF. 
          HI, I'M BILL [INAUDIBLE] MY LIVE AT 12685 APPLETON ROAD [INAUDIBLE] IVOR DISTRICT. 
          I'M HERE TONIGHT AS A REPRESENTATIVE OF THE IVOR REGIONAL LIBRARY, ESPECIALLY THE [INAUDIBLE] BRANCH HERE IN SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY. 
          WELL, THANK YOU FOR THE SUPPORT YOU'VE GIVEN US OVER THE PAST YEARS. 
          THE LIBRARY IS NOT WHAT THE LIBRARY USED TO BE. 
          IT'S NOT A PLACE JUST TO GO CHECK OUT BOOKS ANYMORE. 
          THERE'S A WHOLE LOT GOING ON, I'LL GET INTO SOME OF THOSE THINGS AS WE GO THROUGH [INAUDIBLE]. 
          MY PRESENTATION IS NOT LONG, BUT I THINK IT HAS ENOUGH INFORMATION PERTAINING TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA THAT YOU'RE GETTING A BIG BANG FOR YOUR BUCKS. 
          I'M GOING TO GIVE YOU JUST A BRIEF SYNOPSIS OF MARCH'S LIBRARY REPORT. 
          THIS COMES TO US EVERY MONTH IN OUR REGIONAL BOARD MEETINGS AND WITH IT, 
          [02:10:01]
WE HAVE PICTURES AND SO FORTH. 
          YOU'VE SEEN A LOT OF THE PICTURES THAT WE [INAUDIBLE]. 
          YOU'VE SEEN THEM IN THE NEWSPAPERS TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA WHAT THEY'RE DOING. 
          FOR MONTH OF MARCH THERE WERE OVER 2,000 LIBRARY VISITS ALONE. 
          THERE WERE OVER 3,000 [INAUDIBLE] CHECKED OUT. 
          NOT ONLY BOOKS, BUT [INAUDIBLE]. 
          THERE WERE 30 PROGRAMS FOR ALL AGES RANGING FROM OVER 300 PEOPLE. 
          AND WE PROVIDED 500 INTERNET SESSIONS. 
          WE PROVIDE 24/7 WI-FI SERVICE AND IN-HOUSE COMPUTERS. 
          THAT'S JUST PART OF WHAT WE'VE DONE. 
          YEAR-ROUND THE LIBRARY PROVIDES STORY TIME [INAUDIBLE] FOR THE SUMMER STORY TIME. 
          WE PROVIDE [INAUDIBLE] PROGRAM? WE'VE HAD AN AUTHOR VISIT OUR COMMUNITY, DISCUSSION THE BOOK AND SIGN AUTOGRAPHS. 
          THE THING IS YOU PROBABLY DIDN'T REALIZE THIS, BUT IF YOU WANT TO GO AND GET A CORDLESS DRILL WITH YOUR LIBRARY CARD, YOU CAN GO DOWN TO THE LIBRARY AND GET A CORDLESS DRILL. 
          YOU CAN ALSO GET A CROCK-POT FOR YOURSELF FREE OF CHARGE [INAUDIBLE]. 
          I'M HERE TONIGHT TO TELL YOU THAT YOUR LIBRARIES ARE NOT WHAT THEY USED TO BE. 
          IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER I'VE BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH LIBRARIES MOSTLY ME AND MY WIFE, HER 30 YEARS HERE AND I'VE BEEN ON THE BOARD HERE AND I'M INTO MY THIRD YEAR OF MY SECOND TERM. 
          I CAN LOOK AT YOU AND TELL YOU TONIGHT THAT I'VE THOROUGHLY ENJOYED THAT. 
          IT'S BEEN A PLEASURE TO GO TO THOSE MEETINGS. 
          IT'S BEEN A PLEASURE TO SIT IN AND GO TO THE LIBRARY AND TALK WITH MR. NEAL, TALK WITH THE STAFF. 
          I AM CHAIRMAN OF THE BUDGET COMMITTEE AND I THINK YOU HAVE IN FRONT OF YOU OUR BUDGET. 
          I THINK WE CAN SEE THAT WE'RE NOT ASKING TOWARDS MUCH MONEY AS WE DID LAST YEAR. 
          I THINK WE'RE DOWN AT LEAST $9,000. 
          BUT I WANT TO ASK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT FOR OUR LIBRARIES. 
          JUST GO IN ONCE IN A WHILE I THINK YOU CAN SEE A HUBBUB OF ACTIVITY. 
          >> I GOT ONE COMPLAINT TODAY FROM SOMEBODY ABOUT THE LIBRARY I WAS. 
          SHE'S WAS A TEACHER AND SHE SAID THE LIBRARY IS NOT OPEN WHEN SHE IS AVAILABLE TO GO GET MATERIALS. 
          >> WE ARE OPEN ON SATURDAYS. 
          WE DO HAVE SOME [INAUDIBLE]. 
          >> I WILL SAY BACK IN SEPTEMBER, WE HAD SOME MORNINGS WHERE IT WASN'T QUITE AS BUSY. 
          WE'VE MOVED THOSE HOURS INSTEAD OF 9:00 TO 5,00, 12:00 TO 8:00, SO WE DO HAVE THAT SECOND EVENING NOW FOR WORKING PEOPLE. 
          >> IS THAT EVERY DAY? 
          >> ON WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAYS WE'RE OPEN [INAUDIBLE]. 
          WE HAVE MORE SENSIBLE HOURS THAN WE HAD A YEAR AGO. 
          >> OKAY. I'LL RELAY THAT. 
          >> ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? 
          >> ANY QUESTIONS? 
          >> COMMENTS? SIR, THANK YOU FOR THAT. 
          >> THANK YOU. 
          >> THANK YOU, MR. [INAUDIBLE]. 
          >> FOR STAYING SO LATE. 
          >> PARDON? 
          >> FOR STAYING SO LATE ALSO. 
          >> IS IT PAST YOUR BEDTIME? [LAUGHTER] 
          >> AT MY AGE, MY BEDTIME, THE CHICKENS HAVE ALREADY GONE [INAUDIBLE]. 
          >> ALL RIGHT, DO WE HAVE ANY OTHER GROUPS? 
          >> GUESS WE'RE ALL GROUPED OUT. 
          WE'VE SORT OF DISCUSSED ALL THESE THINGS IN THE BROWSER PRESENTATIONS. 
          DOES ANYBODY FROM BOARD HAVE ANY OTHER THINGS THEY WANT TO BRING UP? 
          >> MOVE WE ADJOURN. 
          >> WHILE I'VE GOT YOU, ARE THERE ANY FOR NEXT WEDNESDAY? ARE THERE ANY OTHER GROUPS THAT THE BOARD REQUEST COME TO THE MEETING NEXT WEDNESDAY? 
          >> AMY CARR, ISN'T THAT RIGHT? 
          >> EXCUSE ME? 
          >> AMY CARR? 
          >> YES. WE'D REQUESTED. 
          >> I THINK YOU HAD ASKED ABOUT THE REGULAR MEETING, BUT THAT'S YOUR CALL IF YOU WANT TO [OVERLAPPING]. 
          >> I GUESS JUST SEE IF WE CAN GET IT NEXT MEETING SINCE WE ARE GOING OVER THE BUDGET SITUATION. 
          [OVERLAPPING] 
          >> ANY OTHER DEPARTMENTS, GROUPS? ALL RIGHT. 
          [NOISE] 
          >> IS THE SHERIFF? 
          >> THAT'S WHY I'M ASKING IF YOU ALL REQUEST AND IN THE OTHER GROUPS. 
          >> ANY OTHER GROUPS WHO WANT TO COME IN TO SHED ANY LIGHT ON THE BUDGET THAT WE'LL BE DECIDING PRETTY QUICK AFTER THAT. 
          >> WE USUALLY HEAR FROM THE SHERIFF. I DON'T KNOW. 
          >> SHERIFF, YOU WANT TO COME NEXT. 
          >> IF THERE'S SOMETHING IN PARTICULAR ABOUT HIS BUDGET, YOU'D LIKE TO DISCUSS. 
          >> WELL, THAT'S WHAT WE'RE SAYING. IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE UNUSUAL OR DO YOU THINK HE WANTS TO CHAMPION? 
          >> I DIDN'T SEE ANYTHING UNUSUAL IN HIS BUDGET. 
          [LAUGHTER] 
          [02:15:02]
          >> ALL RIGHT, WE'LL GIVE YOU A CHANCE. 
          [LAUGHTER] 
          >> [INAUDIBLE]. 
          >> ALL RIGHT, ANYBODY ELSE THE MEETING WILL BE 6:30 JUST LIKE TONIGHT. 
          >> A WEEK FROM TONIGHT. 
          >> EXCUSE ME. 
          >> IT'S A WEEK FROM TONIGHT. 
          >> A WEEK FROM TONIGHT? ONE WEEK. TODAY'S THE 12TH. 
          THE 19TH. 
          YEAH, 19TH, OKAY. 
          WEDNESDAY, THE 19TH, 6:30? 
          >> YES, SIR. 
          >> ANYTHING ELSE? 
          >> THAT'S IT. 
          >> [INAUDIBLE]. 
          >> THAT'S IT FROM ME. 
          >> ALL RIGHT. MOTION TO ADJOURN. 
          >> SO MOVED. 
          >> SO MOVED. SECOND? 
          >> SECOND. 
          >> ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE. 
          >> AYE. 
          >> WE'RE ADJOURNED.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.