A regular meeting of the Litchfield Board of Education was held on Wednesday, August 13, 2008, at 7:00 p.m. in the Litchfield Intermediate School cafeteria.

 

Board members present were: Mr. Katzin, Chairperson; Ms. Carr, Mrs. Fabbri, Messrs.  Falcetti, Noone, Shuhi, and Simone.  Mrs. Reardon and Mr. Gorman were absent.

 

Also present were: Dr. Vita, Mrs. Perusse, Mr. Buccitelli, Mr. Johnson, Mrs. Longobucco; Ms. Marinelli, Ms. Della Volpe, Mr. Zaremski; and members of the public.

 

MOTION made by Mr. Falcetti and seconded by Mrs. Fabbri: to approve the minutes of the July 23, 2008 meeting as submitted with minor typographical corrections.

 

MOTION carried.  All votes were in the affirmative.  Mrs. Carr abstained.

 

Public Comment and Correspondence

 

Mr. Gary Waugh reported that the school building committee has not met since the past Board of Education meeting. He further reported the school building projects are coming to a conclusion with funds being retained for only three contractors. He indicated there is a $461,000 contingency which may be used for parking facilities and/or FF&E.  He asked the Board if they were still committed to the parking lot. There was some discussion on this issue with a variety of views expressed by Board members. Bids for the parking lot will be received in September after which the Board will revisit this issue and consider the cost for the parking lot in relation to other building needs.

 

Ms. Barbara Putnam (Chair of the Planning and Zoning Commission) stated that she is interested in discussing the Plan of Conservation and Development regarding the use of school facilities as community facilities and parking issues. Mr. Katzin indicated this issue will be referred to the Facilities Sub-Committee of the Board. He also indicated the Board will revisit its Long Term Plan this fall.

 

Ms. Winnie Harrison expressed her concerns about the parking lot proposal, reimbursable expenses related to the school building project, FF&E needs, safety issues related to parking, and the projected shortfall in the 2008-09 budget.

 

Ms. Gayle Carr expressed concern that a local gas station was selling items which could be considered drug paraphernalia and that it was located near the schools.  The Board discussed the possibility of sending a letter. However, no decision was made pending additional information.

 

Mr. Don Falcetti noted that he attended the LHS parent meeting on the high school schedule held by Ms. Della Volpe. He indicated it was a very positive and informative meeting with no contention.

 

Mr. Katzin indicated that he received correspondence (letter) from Diane Knox (member of the Board of Finance) indicating that the BOF would like to be represented at the contract negotiation with the new superintendent. He indicated that Mrs. Knox would be the BOF representative.

 

MOTION made by Ms. Carr and seconded by Mrs. Fabbri:  to add agenda item 8D – approval of retirement benefits for Margaret K. Perusse.

           

MOTION carried.  All votes were in the affirmative.  There were no abstentions.

 

Administrative Reports

 

a.       Mrs. Longobucco reported that center School is almost ready to open. All new teachers have been hired and one educational assistant remains to be selected. The handbooks are finished and are being printed. She reviewed a series of pre-opening activities scheduled noting that parents have received letters indicating which classes students will be assigned to.  The school is in its final stages of summer cleaning. Roof works has started.

Kindergarten has 94 students enrolled with one more anticipated this week. This number is higher than projected.

 

Board members discussed this issue and expressed concern about 19 students per class in kindergarten. The Board also discussed the financial implications of hiring an additional teacher to create six kindergarten classes.

 

MOTION made by Mr. Simone and seconded by Mr. Falcetti: to authorize the administration to hire an additional teacher thereby establishing a sixth Kindergarten class for 2008-09. 

 

MOTION carried.   Six Board members voted in the affirmative. Mr. Shuhi voted in the negative. There were no abstentions.

 

2. Ms. Marinelli reported the Intermediate School is almost ready to open. She has received many comments on how nice the school looks and the good condition of the facility. A new special education teacher and two new educational assistants have been hired. A scavenger hunt is being planned for late August to assist in familiarizing incoming fourth grade students with the school. This may become an annual event. Back-to-School night will be held in late September to provide an opportunity for parents to meet teachers and to hear about the programs offered and academic expectations.

 

3. Ms. Della Volpe reported on a parent meeting to inform parents of the new schedule and to answer questions. She also presented information about the new schedule and the events which led to the discontinuation of the co-op classes with Wamogo Regional High School. She indicated further exploration into cooperative activities and experiences for students in the two high schools would continue to be explored. She further informed the Board of the new weighting procedure for Advanced Placement classes and Honors classes. Effective for 2008-09, AP will be weighted higher than Honors since these courses will be more rigorous.  She also indicated there would be an open house in October to allow parents to meet with teachers as they cycle through their student’s schedule. The evening would provide course overviews, information on PowerSchool, and information on how parents can contact teachers and vice versa.

 

4. Mr. Zaremski provided information on Least Restrictive Environment for special education eligible students and explained the continuum of services which is required by federal and state law. Appropriate educational options must be available for special needs students with disabilities.  He also reported on the movement of special education students in and out of district and students exited from special education.

 

5. Mr. Johnson reported on summer professional development activities. He noted that administrators have been working on the professional evaluation plan to make it more effective and efficient. He indicated the Board will be informed of this work in October. He further reported that the professional development plan for 2008-09 has been worked on over the summer. He reported on work being done regarding standardized testing analysis which will drive the district’s data driven decision making process and assist in developing goals and a budget. He also reported on the back-to-school activities for staff and associated professional development schedules for each school and the district.

 

Old (unfinished) Business

 

1. Discussed under administrative reports – no further action or discussion

 

 New Business

 

MOTION made by Ms. Carr and seconded by Mrs. Fabbri: to approve the payment of   invoices and adjustments to line item expenditures for the 2007-08 (6/30/08 warrant).

 

MOTION carried.  All votes were in the affirmative.  Mr. Simone abstained

 

MOTION made by Ms. Carr, seconded by Mrs. Fabbri: to approve the payment of invoices and adjustments to line item expenditures for the 2008-09 budget ( 7/25/08 and 8/7/08 warrants)

 

MOTION carried.  All votes were in the affirmative.  Mr. Simone abstained

 

 

MOTION made by Mr. Simone and seconded by Mr. Falcetti: to appoint Northern Life Insurance Company (ING) to be the third party administrator for the 403(b) annuity plans of the Litchfield Public Schools.

 

MOTION carried:  All votes were in the affirmative.  There were no abstentions.

 

MOTION made by Ms. Carr, seconded by Mr. Noone: to authorize the chair of the Board to approve the retirement benefits as previously discussed by the Board for Margaret K. Perusse effective upon her retirement as of September 1, 2008.

 

MOTION carried. All votes were in the affirmative.  There were no abstentions.

 

Committee Reports

 

Facilities and Technology Committee:  Committee did not meet since last meeting. POCAD report to be reviewed by committee at a future meeting.

 

Finance Committee:  Committee met on August 13, 2008 (prior to Board of Education meeting) to review 2007-08 and 2008-09 budgets.  A discussion of the floor cleaning contract will be scheduled for next meeting.

 

Programs and Personnel Committee:  Committee did not meet – involved in Superintendent search process.

 

Policy Committee:  Committee did not meet.

 

MOTION made by Mr.  Simone and seconded by Mr. Noone: to adjourn the meeting at 9:10 p.m. 

 

MOTION carried.  All votes were in the affirmative.  There were no abstentions. 

 

 

 

 

 

Respectfully submitted,

Dominick C. Vita