Good luck! I think "we don't want to rehash last year" may be a pretty good starting point. Something like, "We hear you, and we're sure you're right for many children, but we already know from last year that our DD needs more"?

Do you have a bottom line, or a Plan B in case you get absolutely nowhere? Even if Plan B is much worse than what I'm aiming for, I often find it helps to know in my head what's the very worst that could happen - that is, to know what deal I'd just walk away from.

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