LITCHFIELD BOARD OF EDUCATIONREGULAR MEETING January, 18, 2006 |
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A regular meeting of the Litchfield Board of Education was held on Wednesday, January 18, 2006, at 7:00 p.m. in the Center School library.
Board members present were: Mr. Shuhi, Chairperson; Mrs. Reardon; Messrs. Costa, Gorman, Fairchild, Falcetti, Noone, Simone, and Tourtellotte. Also present: Dr. Vita; Mrs. Perusse; Dr. Breslin; Mrs. Longobucco; Mr. Zaremski; the public and the press.
MOTION made by Mr. Fairchild and seconded by Mrs. Reardon: to approve the minutes of the December 13, 2005 meeting as submitted.
MOTION carried. All votes were in the affirmative. There were no abstentions.
Public Comment and Correspondence
Jen Kalita reported on the Student Council activities at the high school.
Angela Penny requested that when considering a change in the math curriculum that parents and the community at large be notified so there is an opportunity for people to voice their opinions.
Dr. Vita noted that no decision has been made and when and if there is a decision made, an opportunity for sharing and feedback will be made available.
Mike Murray noted that there seems to be a conflict of interest when Board members, who are members of teachers’ unions or are spouses of a teacher, have to vote on teachers’ contracts. A request was made as to how many members of the Board were in that position. Mr. Murray was requested to fill out an information form and receive an answer in that format. Also, Mr. Murray requested a statement from the Board re: binding arbitration. It was noted that this is a matter of public record.
Board members received the following correspondence:
Special Presentation
Mr. Waugh reported on the two Building Committee meetings held on December 15th and January 5th where all contracts were awarded. Construction is underway and going well and construction site issues are under control. The contingency amount was discussed and the committee is comfortable about that. Timing is within the parameters with completion of the Intermediate School expected on September of 07 and the high school sometime in the fall of 07.
Nancy Polk from the League of Women Voters and Carol O’Donnell from the Connecticut Community Foundation reported on possibly holding a community conversation on education in the Litchfield area. They included a presentation on the following issues: concerns for reading on grade level; Lit Links, A Literacy Initiative handout; Connecticut Community Foundation, Fall 2005 handout; two LWV Community Conversations, Spring 2005 handouts; focus groups; opportunities in the community; action teams; feasibility for Litchfield; application process; possible topics; timing issues; and funding support.
Mrs. Longobucco and the technology team presented a short overview of technology that is going on in the Litchfield schools including: network schematic before infrastructure wiring; network schematic after infrastructure wiring; instructional machines by age and location; non-instructional machines by age and location; LPS web page; LPS intranet page; LPS staff tutorial homepage; CS internet projects; LPS web mail logon; and video clips from each school.
Board members discussed the following: possible way of contacting teachers; and several technology additions were a result of a grant from the Litchfield Education Foundation.
New Business
Mr. Shuhi presented the new and revised policies related to school health and #9270 Conflict of Interest as presented by the Policy and Facilities committee and Health services staff. These are works in progress and are presented for the first reading.
MOTION made by Mr. Costa and seconded by Mr. Noone: to discuss and vote to approve the payment of invoices and adjustments to line item expenditures as required.
MOTION carried. All votes were in the affirmative. There were no abstentions.
MOTION made by Mr. Costa and seconded by Mr. Simone: to discuss and vote to approve out of state field trips for the second semester as presented by the list provided and one additional trip presented.
Intermediate School – Bentley College, March 14th – 18 6th grade students for Model UN LHS Close-Up Program – Washington DC, March 19-26 – 8 LHS students LHS – New York City, Dance/Sport Youth Program, March 31 – 46 Spanish IV&V classes LHS – Boston, MA, Boston Science Museum, early May – 8th grade LHS – New York City, Historical sites in Manhattan, June 8 – 7th grade
MOTION carried. All votes were in the affirmative. There were no abstentions.
MOTION made by Mr. Costa and seconded by Mr. Simone: to discuss and vote to accept teacher resignation for the purpose of retirement as of June 30, 2006 including Dorothea Bartholomew, Stephanie Oakan, Douglass Parker, Philip Pagnoni, Sandra Buckland-Look, Margaret Dwan, Maurice Steinberg, and Ronda Worcester.
MOTION carried. All votes were in the affirmative. There were no abstentions.
Old Business
Dr. Vita reviewed the Capital Budget expenditures that are prioritized over the next five years including: furniture not included in the building project; carpeting at Center School spread over a few years; 2 vehicles to be replaced; and the roof project is covered by the town. The Operating Budget will be presented to the Board of Finance by February 28th in the preliminary form and in the updated form on March 6th. It is a goal to get the budget under a 4% increase so a budget of $14,895,000.00 is being targeted which is a 3.99% increase. A more in-depth presentation will be made on February 1st.
Board members discussed the following: possibly doing away with all the pay to participate; possible options to use in order to generate the $50,000; health benefits increase amount; and retirees receiving benefits.
Dr. Vita presented a summary of Connecticut’s lawsuit against the Federal Department of Education re: NCLB.
MOTION made by Mr. Falcetti and seconded by Mr. Gorman: that the Litchfield Board of Education supports the State of Connecticut’s NCLB lawsuit against the United States Department of Education.
Board members discussed the following: more towns have been added to the list of supporters; cost impact for the district; State Board of Education has not taken a position on this lawsuit; curriculum changes due to NCLB; possible changes from the Federal government in 2007; and some discomfort going against the Federal government.
MOTION carried. All votes were in the affirmative except Mr. Simone who voted in the negative. There were no abstentions.
Mr. Shuhi thanked the Board for their input regarding committee preferences and indicated the assignments as presented in the memo. Further assignments for liaison positions will be discussed when these assignments are needed.
1. Policy and Personnel Committee – Harold Fairchild (chair), Tina Reardon and Roy Tourtellotte 2. Finance and Facilities Committee – John Noone (chair), Frank Gorman and Frank Simone 3. Curriculum and Technology Committee - Jonathan Costa (chair), Wayne Shuhi and Don Falcetti
MOTION made by Mr. Costa and seconded by Mr. Simone: to discuss and vote to accept the Intermediate School roof project as complete.
MOTION carried. All votes were in the affirmative. There were no abstentions.
Dr. Vita presented an overview of the Long Term Planning Process for Litchfield Public School District 2006-2010. Background information for the process was covered along with reading the Goals and elaborating on what the district will do to accomplish these goals. Strategies and assessments haven’t been addressed since the goal is not to assess but to accomplish. Board comments and suggestions were requested.
Board members discussed the following: ERG issues; need for intellectually reliable context; need for measurement for goals; standards; need for reliable data to base decisions; suggestions for incorporating; need for K-12 articulation; type of action plan; stated objectives; rubrics needed; reference to student learning; need to see something measurable; and part of goals process.
Superintendent’s Report
Dr. Vita reported on the following:
Administrative Report
Dr. Breslin reported on the scheduling discussions with parents, students and the consultant; an attempt to offer Chinese through Tunxis Community College; the power outage that occurred today; construction progress; NEASC follow up to take place with an early dismissal; student council focus is outward; and the game scheduled for this evening was cancelled because of a power outage at Wamogo.
Mrs. Longobucco reported on theme day at Center School and report cards now computerized.
Mr. Zaremski presented the Special Education Strategic School Profile 2004-05 to the Board.
Mrs. Perusse reported on the budget process; building project; weather issues for transportation; temporary classroom plans; and safety issues during the construction process. Committee ReportsFinance and Facilities
Mr. Noone reported that the committee met and discussed the bus lot, use of firehouse parking lot and zoning issues for the new bus lot.
MOTION made by Mr. Simone and seconded by Mr. Fairchild: to move to Executive Session at 9:45 p.m. to discuss school security matters/pending litigation.
MOTION carried. All votes were in the affirmative. There were no abstentions.
Executive Session
Present were: all the above Board members and Dr. Vita.
Open session resumed at 9:45 p.m.
No action was taken.
MOTION made by J. Noone and seconded by R. Tourtellotte: to adjourn the meeting at 9:50 p.m.
MOTION carried. All votes were in the affirmative. There were no abstentions.
Respectfully submitted, Donald Falcetti, Secretary Joanne Bertrand, Recording Secretary
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