LITCHFIELD BOARD OF EDUCATIONSPECIAL MEETING September 14, 2005 |
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A regular meeting of the Litchfield Board of Education was held on Tuesday, September 14, 2005.
Present were: Mrs. Knox, Chairperson; Mrs. Reardon; Messrs. Costa, Doyle, Fairchild, Falcetti, Noone, Shuhi, and Simone; Dr. Vita; Mrs. Perusse; Dr. Breslin; Dr. Stuhlman; Mrs. Longobucco, Mrs. MacDonald; the public and the press.
MOTION made by Mr. Costa and seconded by Mr. Simone: to go into executive session at 7:00 p.m. to discuss current litigation.
MOTION carried. All votes were in the affirmative. There were no abstentions.
Dr. Vita and Attorney Marsh Moses were invited to attend.
Open session resumed at 7:30 p.m. No action taken.
MOTION made by Mrs. Reardon and seconded by Mr. Simone: to approve the minutes of the August 23, 2005 Special Meeting as submitted with the following correction: Mr. Doyle and Mr. Falcetti were excused.
MOTION carried. All votes were in the affirmative. Mr. Falcetti abstained.
MOTION made by Mr. Fairchild and seconded by Mr. Simone: to approve the minutes from the August 23, 2005 regular meeting as submitted with the following correction: Mr. Doyle and Mr. Falcetti excused.
MOTION carried. All votes were in the affirmative. Mr. Falcetti abstained.
Public Comment
Betsey Fabbri reported on the STPC activities at the high school including the candle sale and parent technology night.
Betsey Glassman commented on the bus parking lot location and its affect on condition #6 of the inlands-wetlands conditions.
Dr. Vita noted that the town is working on this now and the Board will find out from the town and then notify the community.
Mike Murray thanked Board members for the easy email access the Board have set up for open communications.
Special Presentations School Building Committee
Mr. Waugh and Mr. Healy presented an update on the building project including: meeting held on September 1st; overruns article in the newspaper; creating a proactive list of add/delete; bid on the 29th; laundry list to administration; contingency build in; possible historical preservation for the gym; and issues for the sprinklers and windows.
Board members discussed the following: possible joint meeting when numbers are in; issues of seating capacity in the renovated gym; ribbon cutting first week of October; and possible people who would like to attend the event.
United Way
William Egan distributed packets to Board members and discussed the behavior initiative the United Way has begun. A brief video was shown and Mr. Egan outlined the needs covered by the United Way.
Board members discussed the following: running the campaign with the staff; need for Board support; and the program has been running for many years.
Administrative Reports
Dr. Breslin reported on the following: fundraisers through the year; constitution discussions to be held on Friday; and the CAPT results to be presented.
Mr. O’Connell reported on the 2005 CAPT results including the following: percent certified; 10th grade results in all areas; ERG and state comparisons; participation rates; current juniors testing over the years; current seniors testing over the years; class of 2006 summary; number of juniors not meeting graduation skills; SAT results and participation rates.
Dr. Breslin discussed the following: meaning of low reading scores; good data all around; writing highest in 5 years; needs for 10th graders helped in 11th and 12th grade; reading might be an anomaly; data will be looked at and followed up; concerned about higher order thinking skills; students need to get into the work in a deep, meaningful way; NEASC saw less evidence of higher thinking; need to figure out how to improve; need to set goals; need to assess in critical areas; need to report back to the Board; behind numbers is a kid and the school is committed to them; there is no control over the SAT’s; have ways to improve; and higher participation means lower scores.
Dr. Vita discussed the following: small district; overall level of performance isn’t where we want it to be; not seeing significant improvement; pre-K through 12 effort; cohesive program of studies; deal with CAPT in 2nd grade; big job ahead of us; and proud of students.
Dr. Stuhlman reported on the following: science consultant used for opening day in-service; rewrote the curriculum; needed some support; will return for October workshop; 10 new students; paperback and teddy bear drive for donations; slow start for music; inspiring, phenomenal teacher; change in dismissal time running smoothly; enjoying new fields; and celebration of the Constitution planned for Friday.
Mrs. Longobucco reported on the following: nice to have grade 4 in the building; smooth opening; 4th grade teachers had an enormous job unpacking; school is cozy with no extra room; technology had a busy summer; did go through every single machine; cut over to CEN state lines went well; Litchfield Education Foundation grants included 3 smart boards, 5 electronic microscopes and 3 large format printers; and a huge thanks to that group.
Mrs. Perusse reported the following: year end report in the folder in the black; returned $12,417.05; consolidated grants reviewed; transportation fuel update; waiting for target; $1.50 budgeted; redeployment of resources; being fiscally responsible; smooth bus runs and rerouting; timing of busses; cut bus due to budget issue; and clarification of numbers.
Superintendent’s Report
Dr. Vita reported on the following:
·New Latin teacher has been found and the hiring process is in progress with presentation to the Board at the next meeting. Some custodial issues still need work. The staff is inspiring with a positive can do attitude.
· Regulation #5118, Tuition for Non-Resident Students, and noted that this adjunct to the Board policy states that money will be gotten up front and will go to the town.
·Memo from Commissioner Sternberg entitled: “Final Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) Results for Elementary and Middle Schools.” Scores from Center School, Intermediate School and the High School were reviewed.
·Updated list of tenured teachers.
·Student enrollment at 1336.
New Business
MOTION made by Mr. Simone and seconded by Mrs. Reardon: to pay bills in the amount of $54,182.04.
MOTION carried. All votes were in the affirmative. There were no abstentions.
MOTION made by Mr. Costa and seconded by Mr. Shuhi: to approve to authorize the Superintendent to submit all state and federal grant applications as required.
MOTION carried. All votes were in the affirmative. There were no abstentions.
Dr. Vita discussed the tax shelter annuity and payroll deduction opportunities for staff.
MOTION made by Mr. Costa and seconded by Mr. Shuhi: to authorize the Superintendent to sign plan documents in order to make available to all eligible employees two 457(b) eligible deferred compensation plans as defined in Section 457 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended and further authorize the vendors: QUADS Trust Company and ING to offer investment funding vehicles for said plans.
MOTION carried. All votes were in the affirmative. There were no abstentions.
As a result of the Board’s interest, Dr. Vita reviewed the CABE handout and suggested subscribing to the Annual Policy Update Service which has a great deal of information and will save on attorneys’ costs.
MOTION made by Mr. Costa and seconded by Mr. Shuhi: to subscribe to the CABE board of education policy services at $535 which is in addition to membership.
MOTION carried. All votes were in the affirmative. There were no abstentions.
Old Business
Dr. Vita discussed the process of goal setting and the plan that has been set up with the principals and vice principals including: work with staff; see how things evolve in system; K-12 perspective; key education people involvement; STPC, PTO, and Board of Education priorities; strategies for goals; sense of where we want to be a few years from now; and preliminary stages now but will get done soon.
Dr. Vita discussed policy #5137.1 Pay for Participation and wanted to clarify the Boards implementation process.
Board members discussed the following: concerns for charging for participation in the play; how to explain the fee; some functions are not charged; how to distinguish levels of participation; student services in play are not charged; possible alternative to fee for play; possible fund-raisers instead; gray areas cause confusion; further discussion is needed; policy has been issued and should be followed; possibly eliminate policy; possibly re-write policy; invested in the policy; evidence that students would drop out; credibility issues; some students participate to be helpful and shouldn’t be charged; possible explanation to students; need to get resolved soon; stage hands not charged just performers; concern for students who perform a very small part; possible activity fee to cover all activities; basketball expense vs. play expense; producer and director are paid positions; not a real issue for parents of athletes; layer of activities should be charged accordingly; needs to be untangled; $42,200 needed to get rid of pay for participation; need to follow policy until figured out; possible overwrite policy and redefine parameters; gate fees do not cover basketball expenses; possible increase in price for play ticket; any changes creates more issues; hardships need to be handled; realign funds; is factored into budget; find alternate way to mitigate this cost; if can’t pay, students will still participate; administration needs to present policy to play participants; and importance to look at policy very closely and resolve these issues.
Committee Reports Curriculum Committee
Mr. Costa reported that the committee discussed the technology and curriculum goals and set dates to address the topics. The state is coming out with a new template for a technology plan the districts are to supposed to submit. This framework could be a scaffold to start once we get some of what the state is looking for. We can combine what we want to have happen with what we need to have happen. If we know the template, then that could be followed.
Facilities Committee
Mr. Noone reported that the committee will meet on October 16th to discuss the issues pending.
Item X was tabled until the next Board meeting.
MOTION made by Mr. Simone and seconded by Mr. Fairchild: to adjourn the meeting at 10:25 p.m..
MOTION carried. All votes were in the affirmative. There were abstentions.
Respectfully submitted, Donald Falcetti, Secretary Joanne Bertrand, Recording Secretary
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