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2026 09.09 Mont Vernon School Board Meeting

Video

I'd like to call the meeting to work.
Our person do the pledge.
It's just to
love one of the record.
Either a word
or just fan
one notion
kind of indiscible
justice or one.
All right.
The agenda for
some nuts
for some transportation up
to take public comments and we have some
to review anything
and see that
I sent a judge
overproof draft minute
anything else to be talking
tonight
no
let's go
on Tuesday from Bob
I know you want to say
I think you all know
but he is here because he is
the record boards
between needing
the project so
otherwise he would appear
but he's down there getting set up
and ready around that
all right um i'll do some things i've already heard right so i'm going to start with the importance of
busing right it sets the tone at the start of the day the end of the day and every child needs to have
on time accurate busing because it informs how they're going to feel about going to school right
the same is true for parents parents are busy and they need to get their kids to school and they need to be able to
I know when the buses coming and so not having that was a very frustrating
stuff for you folks or our family for us also I think about you've heard me say before
we kind of get one shot Mike says a two one to one shot for every kiddo at every great level
and busing is just as important although not everyone realizes that one's run smoothly but you
see how disruptive it is when it's not running smoothly so we need to fix it it has a frustrating start
for all of us um
Some people have asked how we got to where we are with STA.
We started with Butler's.
You may remember that company.
What we're feeling up here this year started the school year and
for a couple of years.
Butler just couldn't get their act together quite honestly with on-time runs in
so that led us to put out the bid and I think we interviewed six companies and
STA was the whole chose.
They are a reputable company.
They funds for Gostown, Merrimack, Bedford,
and Hollis, I think, just local.
And I experienced their service in Bedford and it was spot on, not in sheep.
So we were all quite surprised that a professional company like themselves just weren't doing what they're supposed to do.
It has been disappointing.
So I'm going to say, I apologize to you folks, to the family,
so everyone at Mon Vernon, about how it started because it's unacceptable, quite honestly.
If I'm a parent here, I'm going to be peoed at me in this role for how things have
gone. And so I apologize for that. Roots, I'm just going to take you through a little bit
of history of how we got to this point right in this week. So roots were established in August,
around mid-August. We sent out a parent survey to say you're going to do bus runs or you're going
to drive your kid or school. And we only had about 60-ish, 62. 65% of mid-odust families get back to us.
So we opened it up again. We got about 80, mid-80s.
And that led to Roots going out late.
And honestly, just getting a late start, everything should have been done a little bit earlier in that regard, much earlier.
And it pushed it so late that I don't think we honestly gave SDA enough time to adopt or adapt to the late information of getting from families.
That's one piece.
We did anticipate Roots being published two weeks before, but again, they were published quite late.
I think the week before.
Just one week before.
It was just too close to school.
That's when they started flight on Friday, and then we're sending more updates based, and just got, got hectic.
But, yep.
For roots.
Yep.
I mean, I understand that was done late, but we don't only have roots from last year that they could have had at least a preview, because they weren't going to change that much.
I think they did start with that as a draft of all of the Bupfish roots.
I think that's where they're going to swing.
I mean, that's a good portion of what the roots are.
So, I mean, sure, we were late.
Yep.
But they had a good foundation.
I don't disagree.
We added a more, a few more, not a few, but more stops this year.
After getting parent feedback, there were more stops that had to go in.
It's just one piece of the puzzle.
Amy Facy right now is looking into sort of how things went off the rails and getting after some of those questions with STA.
One targeted job right now is just to figure out what happened and then help us figure up moving forward.
which Dave will talk about in a minute.
Practice runs were done, which surprised us when we heard that,
because if you did a practice run, what's happened on the actual run?
But practice runs were done.
We're still talking to them about that, because they're supposed to document it,
and get a report from the driver, we're just looking into it.
All that actually happened.
We've been told they did practice runs.
The STA, obviously, they had a new location.
You know that in their office was being, I guess, put together.
Yeah, but their phone line wasn't up and running immediately, and they didn't have enough staffing in that office.
So, parents made the call, you might know, but you definitely heard about it.
There was no one there to pick up the phone.
That was very frustrating, but their office just wasn't ready in time, and it should have been.
I mean, they could have forwarded the phone.
This is another office.
Well, we have, in the very much, I think what they did was they forwarded to an email, and then from there, they need to, it just created a whole lot.
That human interaction does a lot.
No, no, they're going to call people back there.
those agreed.
So again, I'm just going to publicly apologize for the way busing started here because it's just not acceptable, and I apologize for that.
We should have come back.
Testiase, that rough start, met with us quite a bit.
Dave's going to talk about that.
We just had an hour-long meeting with two of the folks.
One was the VE of operations in England, yep, yep.
That was a far-long meeting.
We ran through a lot of deeds that we needed information on to get this right.
So we're going to turn it over to Dave.
he's going to go through some more specifics, and then we'll answer questions.
So out there, with regards that I mean, we had them on Tuesday, the 8th.
A lot of, we talk a lot of things, obviously, but some of the things we talk about is opportunities
for GPS.
If there's opportunities, jeeps in the buses, we don't have, obviously, we don't have that right now.
And also, there's an option we can get a parent app, the track, track where their student is.
So those are two big things they're going to get into.
One thing we ask for multiple times is to have a companion driver with the third bus three and be the bus that started today.
Little will be this morning, but this afternoon I didn't hear any issues from a late, maybe a couple minutes,
but I think that we've been seeing the last week and a half, whatever it's been a week and a half.
So good news there, the same person with the bus tomorrow.
And from our expectations, either it goes continuously, will they find someone else that can do
the route without any issues, because I think that's been the trouble, the most troublesome route
in this, in this, for the elementary school. So that, I have a little bit more faith there.
You know, one, we're, we're, for one, to hopefully tomorrow will be two. And then from there,
we'll, we'll go from there and continually evaluate. They have, they know the expectations.
You guys doing his problems last year. And all of a sudden, we have them this year.
And we need that quite clear that that's not acceptable.
And whatever you do, obviously, we want all buses to be on time.
But MB3 has to be a priority to be on time.
And so they make them that a priority, which I should have done last week when we asked,
but they are doing that.
And it sounds like we had a good after more to come on that.
But let's keep open on that.
So the one thing we did right away on the out shoot is, you know, Karen saying,
Barry in our office, she's actually dedicated to this process.
So she handles all the family email.
emails. She'll call that. The ones that Mike doesn't handle, she'll deal with,
she'll all families back, she'll talk to go through issues they have, talk about ropes and
whatever they need. And the biggest piece that we added right away after last Tuesday's issues
is in the office with STA. Every morning at 630, every noon at 2 o'clock, just ensuring that
if more organized, we're getting more of their communications out of that office to our
administrators to handle the information they need when questions are. So she's helping. She's
in the interim, when Bob said that the staffing is just not there.
She's been helping the interim.
She's committed to us this week and we'll re-exvaluate where we're at with that.
So that's been a great help.
And then from there, the parents with go up if we know the bus to go out 20 minutes.
15 minutes we get notified.
Then in 20 minutes, we send out the parents with us, kind of where we're at with that.
And at the end of the day, Mike will send out an update with summary of the day kind of stuff.
I think one thing is we, so when we did post the rest that last Wednesday before school started,
we had not made any updates.
So any changes that have happened since that last Wednesday and not online, they will be online this Friday with the updates.
But with that being said as well, we are also working to look at timing, efficiencies, and all of them, for everybody
and come up with a final update for the week 21st.
we're kind of one of those things we're saying, let us know, or you know for a new piece kind of thing.
So that's the way we're at with that.
So we'll be more updates on that.
And we're still fielding calls.
And sometimes we're even still getting by notices from families, you know, we can happen to school.
We're going through that.
So once that's all set, respect to final update online, out to families, the week of the time for us.
I suspect midweek to end of that week.
Um, let's see what else.
I think, you know, it's constant communication with these guys.
Extrictions are, you know, clearly, clearly dictated to these guys.
And I said to, listen, if we need some with NB3, if you need change drivers or keep a companion,
you know, we've got the expectation to make sure to spend a runtime every day on, you know,
without any issues.
So just let you know, like I said, we're disappointed.
We've articulated that to the bus confident.
And the expectation is guys going to affect this.
And we, we are there, wherever they need, we provide resources to help them do that.
So it's not a lot of effort on our end.
But so at the end of the day, I guess, they're a rep company.
They'll assume that they'll start, that they'll get this moving forward.
And with the case, long terror there, like in school district will face with busing.
I think that's buddy.
You have any questions beyond that?
I do, but I'll let somebody else go first.
You want questions?
Yeah, it's just one thing.
I mean, it was an issue of not getting roughs to clean out.
I mean, is that something we just that's something we just start earlier.
And also, it's hard to get people to respond.
on the surveys, right? So even if people don't respond,
you still have something to fall back on.
This is just the route to start.
I agree. And I think we talked about that today, actually, that, you know,
we just need to start earlier with guys. And, you know, now that we, so once we finalize the
roads in the coming weeks, that's our starting point.
So it won't be as big of it. Hopefully, it's a heavy lift at this year.
And we just will just improve on process and start earlier and just, and do better.
that's what that's what the idea.
You can try to start from
more like this day and
instantly because it's been working my way.
So was the expectation with
as he said that they were
this is not established yet
by the beginning. Did we know
about that going into this?
They had, yes, they were
at two locations directly from
to put the bus depot at
and we knew that coming. We're in. We're in
Newtown. They're thinking, I think,
of moving, actually, the Hollis,
Epo, and combining the two, but
when we started with them, they did not have
a Caching yet. Yeah, that caused
some credibility
issues because it just
began hearsay, and like, through the great
benefit, is they don't have
called in, and there's not even an office, and there's not
even an office to support our right. So I think
it was a book
and maybe you've ever gotten messaging with
STA to, not saying to
not be honest, but
obviously be communicated out on the gate.
No, great.
No. To your point. Yeah, they
struggled. They were in the third or fourth week of August.
I would say a third week, and they would do their thing and
getting all the technology set up. It was, it was tough.
Yeah, it was late in the game
to make sure brand new routes and they're going smoothly.
No doubt.
And they don't keep their, for my understanding, I was trying to pull
of the presentation, but my internet's just like totally
bombed out.
So they don't have, they're all, from my understanding
from presentation, they had all vehicles.
Yep. There's no GPS in these.
So not for a driver to sit there and say,
it goes with turn, turn. They have Zonaut, which we can track the buses
where they go, but not visually that a bus driver can say
plug in the whatever they need to go and follow.
They don't want that.
They bonged to GPS trackers, not GPS Navigation.
My question.
That's just bonkers to be like anything has a GPS.
What does our contract say?
So I want to follow on, right?
So my question will say, we got bait and switch with the word PS
indicating indication, we got GPS trackers.
What do you say?
does a contract say?
Does a contract promise any
position and highlight information?
or was that just in a presentation to a presentation to it?
So we'll tell us.
Definitely the scenario is up and running
and we have that piece of it, but
because
the problems happened.
The driver didn't have
navigation in front of them telling him to take
a left. I kept time for five minutes.
Right? And multiple times.
A driver
went off route, and that puts you behind.
So not only you, are you five minutes off, you have to get five minutes
back on. That's only
one error. Not only that.
They have a piece of paper that is distracting you're driving.
I agree.
I agree.
They're using a piece of pretty work stop.
The next stop.
Yeah.
Yes.
All right.
It's 22, it's not 90s.
So we had that conversation on Tuesday with that with them to reach that for us.
The only thing I can see, and this is their contract,
but we went through their contract and closed stuff.
It was like it says operational genes tracking.
So I'm not naturally sure.
New technology.
I'll have to look in the contract.
All right.
So we should be able to do it.
Well, tracking isn't going to.
No, I know.
We actually do and ask for those records.
Yep.
Yeah.
To log in.
Yes, we have access to the records.
So we can go through some more questions.
I'm eventually going to probably want us to ask them to require that.
GPS dedication.
Well, it's.
I mean, it is confusing.
Just looking at this, the whole slide dedicated to technology.
This is applicant track for GPS units, API dashboard.
that have a platform called Bus Hive, which I'm looking up,
which looks like it plans a whole, which shows the stops.
Just seeing, I just, I just, I can't around my head around, but there's no GPS.
There's no video screening in the bus.
No, where to go.
That's crazy.
Okay.
So that's, and it's not really.
written into the contract, so they're going to ask for more money to be able to do that.
As far as I'm concerned, well, I'm sure you're going to get her back.
So, I mean, and the cost we're asking for here is what, $300, $300, $300 phones and
subservice, like, that's, it should be not even enough costs that, um, to be asking for more money.
You know, I have something negotiated where you do the brow, upload it
their own GPS.
And then, I mean, I'm just thinking, you know, yeah, so since we don't have the solutions,
they can to, we need to dictate the solution for them other than separate environment.
And we have to do it through these guys.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Right?
By giving you all direction.
And other questions about trying to get all right?
I lost people who's going up on the GPS.
I'm sorry.
Yeah.
ever think is, are they having problems that, you know, at the back of the best of the
Yeah.
Yeah, so it's a good question, Lee.
So we did have a few call-outs last week, so where are you guys in the office of taking the
bus and want them out?
In our contract, there's a, why is a bench?
I forget the exact numbers, but I can, I'll get them to you.
It requires them a bench, requires us, have a certain amount of buses, so backup buses and all
that kind of stuff, when buses break down, it was MVP3 did last Wednesday.
Branding boss breaks on.
One of the last year, one of the nice, the fight tire, like, what the hell breaks on the bus?
It's a transmission issue, man?
Yeah, I heard transmission.
It's supposed to be talking about the way, which I find out of believe, but, yeah.
One of the benefits of SBA, though, with, you know, local network is the trade the bencher,
right, but that's the reason that's how GPS is you're bringing in drivers up over
your hand and the other key, too, is our service is in the vast either, so, yeah,
it's downloadable and then have that I'm standing, you know, you could go with the downloaded
because the GPS is calculated on the device, and not on the internet, so if you have the map downloaded, you're
fine, yeah. So, the only thing I can probably recommend when things settle down
before winter and snow is, since this is a new company and they're learning the roads,
is perhaps have them reach out to DPW, Ben, to get an idea, have him provide an idea of how
the roads can be. Is that question a couple of, couple of areas on the routes, because on bus one's
for how they added towards the end.
And I'm kind of questioning how that's going to be in the winter and with the ice in tandem with how
DBW handles the roads.
Sure.
Will the bus.
And the bottom of Gregory broke in Weston Hill, right in that section.
I mean, it always went down there, but it goes down further now.
Yeah, it goes, from my understanding that they're going to do a turnaround right, right there.
So, I mean, dirt roads, ice, and whatnot.
I mean, my recommendation, at least have them reach out to Ben just so they can get a lay
of the land how these roads could be.
Oh, great.
Build a rapport, too.
Yep.
Yeah, and also a driver experience, too.
Right.
I mean, if they're bringing in new people that have driven a bus in the snow before,
and it's just saying, where it's okay to something.
I hope that's, but we also could call off school whenever it's too bad.
Yeah, I would think, yeah, we've been aired on the side of Boston as well, based on last year's.
Rules you type, though, to stop, so.
Okay.
So people called out, but there was someone to fill it in.
Yeah.
Better than Butler?
Yeah.
Yeah.
Um, okay.
So, uh, you have a note on the priest, preys,
pre-snow condition check-in.
For the, I think we all, a couple of us at least, if not all of us, feel strongly about GPS navigation.
So, do you need any sort of vote from us to be able to require that in some way?
It's like, if it's not there, and we can add it.
what I would say is let's find out what our opportunity is with us and get you guys the
information you need to make that decision to cost and everything so you have that information
you're trying your tips when you're voting if you would like or you can do it today I guess
but it's just the next meet let them strong arm them a little bit based on how our experiences
use that I mean quite honestly they should we should have a trial of it is you know for a period of
time. Maybe, maybe they'll come back and do it anyways. So we have, are we the only school?
So is any within our SUU having the same challenges regarding directions, GPS, or is it just that?
We've had a couple buses, bus seven. It's, uh, CW7 has had some challenges that we're working through.
And there's a couple others sporadically, but seven's been a consistent problem that we're dealing with.
So it could be a shared concern. It is amongst, uh, oh, yeah. Okay, sports. Good.
As far as the tracking it's concerned, is, is it just we get, would we get it and it's just available, or is it something that, hey, we get it, but then if, like, if a parent really wants it, there's a subscription to the parent.
No, so it's the cost to the to us that we, I guess when we did the contract, that wasn't something that we opted for.
So if we were to opt something that would be a cost to the districts.
And I don't know what that cost is right now, I can find out, but.
Well, I'm just curious.
options of costs because, I mean, some parents are going to be like, they don't care.
And then some parents are passionate and they want it.
So instead of to the town, there could be a subscription cost to the individual.
Yeah, some more information.
Those are the dual thing they're looking to do right now.
And we have more information we'll present it in.
Just curious.
Yeah.
But the way I understand it is it would come to the district.
And from there, you'd have to figure out, right?
Just, I'll be interested in that, but as far as costing of software goes,
it would be kind of silly for us to try to manage payments from parents in comparison to the amount of money from the district.
Like, you're just going to burn money managing the system if we wanted to do individual payments.
I have to deal with this for work, right?
So it might just be easier for the district to pay, whatever it might be.
Now, how much they charge for it, companies like this tend to really suck this as a profit center and turning it on, whether or not it's them,
or their vendor that's reminding it to them that hits you up for a giant charge,
I know it's only going to cost them like a couple, a hundred bucks, a couple hundred bucks,
a couple hundred bucks, it must, right?
Especially if they're already offering this tool to other school districts,
it's just flipping a switch first.
And some cycles on a computer somewhere, right?
But the navigation GPS would be very separate from this.
So the buses would be going around with two different GPS devices.
Right.
Great call out, though.
We want to see costing on that.
We see costing on navigation.
Anything else?
I know you've had a lot of communication from parents already.
As things are hopefully starting to kind of regulate, is there any other information that you want parents to share problems with routes, that kind of thing?
I guess by the week of the 21st is when.
Any help?
Yeah, I would say within the next week, 10 days, because they're going to be in it be sooner.
I say sooner rather than later, quite frankly.
Any, any, and people aren't shy.
They've been do really good about it, giving us, give us feedback, positive, negative.
It's all across, it runs the gamut.
It's just from, we're talking this morning.
I think we've received over a thousand emails in the last 10 days, something like that.
Yeah.
And, yeah, it's been, you know, some good, some bad.
It's various.
But, yeah, it's been pretty, people aren't shy.
But, yeah, I definitely say the next.
Should we put out, like, a reminder, the cutoff is date now?
Like, just trying to, you know, does your child, do you want your child to take the bus or not take the bus cutoff date?
I think we're already passed it at this point.
Yeah.
Right?
Now, it's how, what's your process for responding to a new child being added to a bus route?
when, you know, when does it trip for you to redesign the bus route?
Last year, I can remember the Amherst bus routes being redesigned whenever they were certain
they couldn't find another driver, right?
And it was share of the load, so the bus routes weren't that much longer.
So I will say, obviously, when we do the op-up this week, that's going to trigger to parents,
are going to see that, that we're putting any changes?
just since that last week of August, this Friday, I think it believed it's going to be,
that's going to trigger something.
Common effect, exactly.
Anything else about transportation?
We thought we'd have some.
Yeah, I thought we'd have some people here.
Everybody wants to email my phone.
Sorry.
I can't wait.
I was trying to make this meeting being email anyways.
All right.
So, public, you're doing public comment.
You do have one person online with any raised.
Wonderful.
Wonderful.
So we will enter our public comment period.
If you wish to speak during the public comment session, in-person guests, which are there
aren't any, we'll be invited to speak first.
Once you go throughout the in-person guests, we'll open up for virtual speakers on Zoom.
In order to speak, please do the following.
Raise a virtual hand, which is already up.
Enter your full name and your avatar profile, which I assume they already have.
When speaking, turn your camera on and say your full name in town of residence.
When these are complete, you'll have three minutes to speak.
Please promote them.
I'll take them.
It matters if it matters.
This is Corrine Adams.
Yes. Hi. Hi.
My name is Corinne Adams and I live at 15 Mason Road in Mont Vernon.
I've listened to your
presentation about the bus routes.
the infamous Mont Vernon Bus 3 route. My son is an attendee at Amherst Middle.
So we are the second to last bus stop on that route to the school.
The bus stop is at 758.
School starts at 8.30.
My son has not ridden the bus a single day in almost two weeks.
He has stood outside for 40 minutes some days because you're supposed to get to the bus stop 15 minutes early.
And I am frustrated, not just with the clear lack of any kind of situational knowledge
that the driver seems to show, but also at the communication, I understand that you guys are
telling us that the bus is 20 minutes late.
If it's 810 or 815, I think the message today came at 812, that the bus was 20 minutes
late.
My son had been outside since 740 because it takes some 10 minutes to get down there.
Do I wait three more minutes?
Is the bus really three minutes?
minutes away from us or is the bus not coming until 8.30? I don't know. So I just drive
drive him. And I am frustrated that this seems to be something I have to give grace for at this
point. And I also am frustrated that, yes, we can talk about we want more GPS tracking, what that pricing
is going to look like. I'm not sure if you guys can hear me. This thing is loading and loading and loading and
I'm sorry. But I will say that this is also really, really dangerous. Some of our children
in the, you know, that go to the village school and also go down to Amherst Middle are type 1
diabetics. What happens when they're stuck on the bench for an extra 45 minutes and they're not
next to a nurse who has their insulin? Like, you're asking me to trust you guys and to trust this
bus company to get it together and kids are ending up at the wrong schools. Buses are going to
wrong towns. This isn't just like a have grace and it's what we'll figure it out. This is
like, I mean, I know that you guys have said. You're going to talk to them. But this is like for me,
you've got a thousand emails. I know no one's at this meeting. But like for me, this is like a nuclear
option. Like, how do we get out of this contract, honestly? So that was my piece. And I will
put my hand down. Thank you. That was a, there was one question in there. I'd like to see
addressed at least, which is when
you say the bus is running 20 minutes late and there to stop where it's already been 15 minutes
when the past when the stop was to be picked up. Is that true? Does it just mean wait around five more
minutes and the bus will be there?
I guess it depends when the update comes through, right? So what we've asked the company to do is when
a bus is 15 minutes late to tell Karen. Karen's at dispatch. Yeah. She, she, she really,
lays that information to us within minutes. We're sending out the parent square and we give
ourselves a little bit of buffer and say it's 20 minutes late. So really, it should only be 15
minutes late if they're doing what they told us they would tell us when it's 15 minutes late.
My assumption, if I'm a parent, I would assume that that bus is going to roll up soon after I'm getting
that parent square. Right. I don't see why it wouldn't. Right. Unless something, we don't know about
second to last pickup. So the bus has been going for a while at that point.
Yeah. So it sounds like, yes, you know, wait three more minutes, the bus will be right there.
Yeah, yeah, the next station is 20 minutes from when they were supposed to be there, right?
Yes. Okay. So that's good. I think that should be communicated to the parents.
Yeah, I was just going to say to Corinne's point. It's like, unless it's just accumulating over time,
that time is like, like, the last couple stops, I have to assume that they know it's running well in advance, that either hit traffic,
or, like, a gas, or something like that, I think I heard.
So, I mean, that has to be known before.
I probably communicated before the second or the last stop.
I would think it would have to be known while in advance.
Yeah, typically, yes.
Yeah.
So that probably should go out.
I guess it depends when the, when that happens, right?
If it happens when you're sick stops in or right off the bat, right?
Yeah.
But the communication that parents need to know is,
They get the 20-minute late notice on pickup, and they're watching it's 15 minutes past.
The bus will probably be there at five minutes.
That's the expectation.
Okay.
All right.
That's important.
I do think in that case with bus three, there's an opportunity to know a little earlier because I think we're running into a situation.
Because I think we're running into a situation where they're late to the first run, right, to get to the school.
And that impacts.
So if we know that a little earlier, I think parents would appreciate that.
Yeah.
Information.
We'll be a little bit better.
Okay.
Perfect.
So with the double runs where we have the village school, then the high school and middle school, that would be a great call out.
I also sat around at a bus stop for 40 minutes.
So.
Yeah.
I know about all of you, but I'm getting those notifications too, and I'm getting those
notifications too, and I'm very fortunate that I have the ability to just drive my kids in,
but I have a lot of empathy for parents who are not in that situation.
And like you said, Bob, at the very beginning that school and timeliness,
in school has an impact not just on kids, but families and businesses and everything.
So our contract probably also says nothing about when a driver is going to be on the pale,
that we have any standards for driver performance?
We'll go check, but I know we do have, we do have ways to recoup issues.
So this is one of those interesting things about, but being a parent to school board member,
but we don't care about the money back.
as much as we do about the quality for our kids.
No, I agree with you there.
So my question wasn't necessarily about financial, right, because they just might pay the fine
and let the kids be late, right?
If there is an underport performing bus driver, which might be the case, you know, is there
anything in our contract language that triggers a change?
I'll double check that for you.
Right.
And if not, and do we have the option?
Like, they have a whole bunch of other routes around here.
They don't need to fire the person.
Just tell them they can't work on our routes.
You know?
We've talked a lot about that.
And that's probably most of being that.
Probably time to foot the foot down, right?
Well, I'll be honest with you.
I think I shared prior to the meeting.
I had that conversation this afternoon regarding MV3, just so you know.
Okay.
That conversation has been had.
All right.
because, you know, yes, you can't always, you can't have a companion every day, right?
It's a temporary fix.
The expectation is this driver makes it without the companion, and if it doesn't, then when you change, that's been conveyed.
Okay.
Well, I think we're a couple of days away from, you can put that companion on another route
in another school district.
Yeah, yeah.
Right?
Yeah.
So, all right.
Anything else?
Oh, so it's probably common period.
Anybody else online?
All right.
So, board business, we didn't have very much.
Let's get to it while we're here.
We have a deed policy.
There have been no edits made to it.
And then policies presented as a first reading.
There's a little pile of them.
Anyone want to speak to the changes to these policies?
So I don't think this is where Mike's sitting here.
He's at the policy meetings more often than I.
I never attend those, actually.
So I might defer to the two of you if you were at either one and the ones that
cover these policies.
Yeah.
There's several updates.
I can't open them right now.
So this is the first one.
Non-discrimination, I think it's not huge change, but there was some language added.
Like everything in green is what was added.
Correct, right?
Most of what is not a D policy is coming from the state as a,
or coming from NHSB A as a priority.
required change.
Yeah, so AC, I guess if you look at like the big block and green that was added.
Yeah.
I think it's right here.
Grievances, consequences.
Yeah, but the important part to me on this one would be that they redefined what
protected classes are here.
Right.
And that's language came directly from the state.
Yeah.
You don't remember the RSA or the...
We discussed that in policy and no indication from the district that they're suddenly going to...
I know that's not a good, like, excuse, no indication from the district that they're suddenly going to turn around and start discriminating against people.
I mean, these are like, the one about food is they're not discriminating against.
kids for food. We're going to feed kids, you know?
And I support if you decide not to vote for those.
And I think I understand, you know, where you're coming from.
I think we also talk to policy that there's wiggle room in some of the wording that there might be,
I don't know, it may be challenged.
I think it'll be challenged. I think it'll be challenged elsewhere.
and administration was supportive of rewriting it in that eventuality.
Yeah, I mean, you know, we always have the option to change worrying and whatever
Asian is, but it's, I mean, it was changed based on state law, right?
But it's going to be challenged with any of the kind of legal action.
All right. Well, there's a bunch of, there's a DAF or DBI. These are related to budget policies and processes. I saw a few that were just updating minimum values to have to report and such. Yeah. Okay.
There is one rescission on there just to note in case anyone wants to motion to approve the slate.
We may want to do the slate except for the rescission so that it's separate.
I'm not sure if that's important.
One is getting rid of a policy as opposed to changing word.
Yeah.
Roman numeral 7. 11, sorry.
No, 12.
X-I-I-I.
English teacher, sorry.
That's a man.
Used to audible and swing the full of the universe.
And, Leif, I think that was just getting rid of a little bit of language, does that sound right?
Um, on, oh, I don't know.
There will be a precision, yeah.
We're sending the fall.
Yeah, because it's already covered in the way above it.
Okay.
Oh, and one other note, KF, the very last one came directly to us from the policy committee instead of going through the school district.
And I think that one would be worth looking at for those of you who have been here longer.
The school related activities and organizations, a direct school affiliation shall receive first consideration for use of school facilities.
Yeah, so I buy me.
The example that Mike gave that I thought was helpful was that the old policy, a school basketball game would supersede programming or scheduling for, like, federal voting.
And so if you have very strict, rigid categories and you say school comes first in every instance, and then there's, like, voting that should obviously.
have a priority place above.
So it just gives them a little bit of common sense of wiggle room.
Oh, so the wording is not.
Yeah, rather than defining specific priorities.
Yeah.
The old wording said specifically to find what's first priority.
The new one is a wording a little softer.
Mm-hmm.
It just gives more flexibility.
And our KF is actually different from South Egan because South Egan has other language in there about Montburn and residents using high school.
Oh, okay.
But we don't have it in your face.
It doesn't really apply to us since we don't have the high school here.
That's really the reason for the LB is just to make it more flexible.
Okay.
So personally, I would like to vote for the A policy separate from the others.
Are there any other considerations?
Does anybody else want to break up the slate in any other way?
Well, so I think like this is a first reading, right?
Okay.
So we don't have to, we don't have to vote to adopt it now because we could just wait for the second reading.
Okay.
And so we have more time to look because there's a lot of,
policy here. So we can just pass for today.
Yeah. We may want to just a little more time.
Yeah, there's a lot. Anybody, we go to not adopt it. Does anybody want to make a motion
to adopt it? Okay. No motion to adopt a day.
Move on to the PTA update.
PTA is already hard at work this year. They have
They brought popcorn to new student night and scooped ice cream at the MVVS ice cream social.
Teachers were given their first teacher treat from the PTA and appreciation of their hard work.
Definitely appreciated all their work this week is the only thing that we heard about.
Feedback-wise was buses.
And so I assume that means once they got in the building, teachers knew what to do and took care of things.
And everybody had a smooth first week of school.
So we really appreciate it.
Thank you. And this month, the PTA will have a refreshment booth at Lambson Farm Day.
The next meeting is October 7th at 6 p.m. in the school library.
Wonderful. Thank you.
We do have a consent to generate today. It appears to be just the drop minutes from the last two meetings.
Are we going to vote on those? I do have a quick note.
Please too.
For the August 20th.
I failed to include minutes submitted by Melissa Oliver at the bottom.
Sorry, I forget that step sometimes.
So if we could amend that, I'll email Chelsea asked her to make that change in the draft for the minutes.
You can approve as amended.
Okay.
Okay. I'll take a motion to approve as amended.
So wrote.
All in favor?
All in favor?
What other business do we have for tonight?
We have adjournment.
I'll take a motion to it.
Do you want to approve the August 19th draft minutes?
Oh, it was separate or?
Sorry.
Were we specific in the wording of
She was specific on August 20th.
So yes, another motion.
I'm going to approve August 19, 2026 draft minutes.
Okay.
There a second.
All those in favor?
Good call out there.
It was not stated to approve the consent agenda.
All right.
I'll take a motion to adjourn then.
So we'll move.
All those in favor?
All those in favor? All right.
Thank you, everyone.