A regular meeting of the Litchfield Board of Education was held on Tuesday, January 25, 2005, at 7:00 p.m. in the Center School gym.

 

            Present were: Mrs. Knox, Chairperson; Mrs. Reardon; Messrs. Costa, Doyle, Fairchild, Falcetti, Noone, Shuhi and Simone; Superintendent Chittum; Mrs. Perusse; Dr. Breslin; Mrs. MacDonald; Mr. Zaremski; the public and the press.

 

                        MOTION made by Mr. Falcetti and seconded by Mr. Simone: to approve the minutes of the December 14, 2004; December 21, 2004; and January 4, 2005 meetings as submitted.

 

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

 

Public Comment

 

            Mr. Murray commented on the following: congratulations to the interim superintendent; thanks to Dr. Breslin for information regarding trip to China; school in good hands with Mrs. MacDonald; objection to the trip when staffing at the high school is slim; granted leave of absence after budget passed; state encouraged trip to China; state should concentrate on improving 50% of the schools in the state that are inadequate; compliments to the student award winners; contracting 2% increase for 3 years violates the 0% budget goal Mr. Paul advocates; question need to hire search consultant; Torrington interim superintend in charge of search for their superintendent; possibility for our interim to search for a superintendent for Litchfield instead of paying the person from Torrington; and need for better communication.

 

Student Council Report

 

            Katherine Blake reported on the Student Council activities at the High School.

 

Litchfield Education Foundation Annual Report

 

            Mr. Chittum noted that the members were not able to attend the meeting tonight but will report at the next Board meeting.  Mr. Costa met with the foundation on behalf of the Technology Team to present a proposal for 3 pieces of equipment.  At the same time a request for a shed for the athletic fields was proposed.  The foundation will meet and decide the funding.

 

Communications

 

            Board members received the following:

 

• An informational letter from the Windham Superintendent of Schools re: floor drains within schools.  Superintendent Chittum noted that this issue does not apply to Litchfield but during construction things will need to be monitored closely. 
• An announcement of a CABE Conference re: Board Members and Superintendent Roles and Responsibilities. Superintendent Chittum noted that conferences he attended have been very worthwhile.

 

Building Committee Update and Discussion

 

            Mr. Waugh was not available, but Board members did have the minutes for their perusal.

 

Committee/Liaison Reports

Curriculum Committee

 

            Mr. Costa noted that a meeting would be scheduled sometime in February to discuss an update on the high school scheduling process.

 

Facility Committee

 

            Mr. Shuhi reported that the Capital Projects that were listed will be submitted to the town including the van, and renovation work in the nurse’s office.

 

NCLB Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) Report

 

            Superintendent Chittum reported that this is the district report based on data from 2002-03 including CMT and CAPT tests.  It is used to determine (AYP) and includes targets in math, reading, proficiency and detailed breakdowns of the scores. In this round Litchfield scored above all targets.  Students and parents will be sent the information sometime in February.

 

Old Business

LHS Schedule Planning Update

 

            Dr. Breslin reported on the following: need for great deal of care; right schedule will bring good things, wrong schedule will not; consequences of block scheduling; raised graduation requirement from 22 to 27 credits; mixed reactions from parents; block less stressful for students; sacrifice coverage of content; easier to absorb over 180 days than over 90 days; discussions with Wamogo principal; possible revitalization of co-op program; committee from both schools visited two schools; implications on staffing, classes and credits; need to go very carefully; different directions this summer with the renovations; passing time implications; transportation issues; issues if Wamogo and Litchfield can’t agree; fundamental changes in way we do business at the high school; need to inform the community; need to prepare for staff changes and September 2006 is the earliest time that this could be done.  

 

Board members discussed the following: need to take care of students when transitioning from the block; need to alert the faculty about needs; need to work on timing with Wamogo to take advantage of the co-op program; Wamogo has resolved to implement new schedule in 2006; need to take care of Litchfield students; issues of transportation and timing in the co-op classes; co-op does not mean saving teaching staff; labor laws come into play; doesn’t save the district money; and is a way to enhance the program of study for students.

 

New Business

Out of State Field Trip Requests

 

                        MOTION made by Mr. Costa and seconded by Mr. Shuhi: to approve the out-of-state field trips for the second half of the 2004-05 school year as listed in Exhibit I.

 

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

 

Crew Update and Discussion

 

                        MOTION made by Mrs. Reardon and seconded by Mr. Noone: to approve the establishment of a high school crew team with coaching and costs to be shared with Wamogo High School, Region 6; and that the compensation for the coaching position be set at Category B, Step 1 of the LEA Agreement.

 

            Board members discussed the following: crew is a club presently; concerns over supervision; need to be under the Board directions; need to change to a sport; support still comes from club; have shared costs all along; students pay $100 fee; district pays for buses; need to be included in pay for play; better for our students; is step in right direction; need to increase our control; rowing club supports this move; will be close to neutral cost; hockey pays separate fee; have been recognized in sports banquet; need for Wamogo students to participate in pay for play; Wamogo pays same fees to club; coaches under two athletic directors; not yet CIAC sport but could be; Wamogo did vote yes; done with legal advice; if rowing club does not support then could eliminate; and try for this year and revisit next year.

 

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

 

2005-06 Capital Budget

 

                        MOTION made by Mr. Falcetti and seconded by Mr. Costa: to approve the 2005-06 Capital requests for submission to the town.

 

            Board members discussed the following: issues of the new accounting software; need for further research and study; need to move forward but be general in terms of not being product specific; proposal for ASP plan; Munis designed for municipal accounting; differences between municipal budget and education budget; conflict with the capital budget; need for amiable discussion; $71,000 is a lot of money; town already invested; if asking for money need to be product specific; need to modify request; don’t want to fall in line with what everyone else is doing; town committed to Munis software; capital wants to prioritize what was cut last year which probably includes Munis; up to Board to decide on software needs; need to have further investigation sooner than later; need to present recommendation at February meeting; need to modify the request based on completion of investigation; Munis not affective in school system; other systems seem more appropriate; whatever results from the search needs to work with the town needs; need to educate ourselves and the town; don’t want to ruin a good relationship over a piece of software; present tactfully; need to take hard look at final product; and need to present in an understanding way.