TOWN OF ROCKY
HILL
BOARD
OF EDUCATION
MEETING
OF NOVEMBER 15, 2007
Members
Present: William MacDonald
(Chairman)
Nadine Bell
Rafaella A.
Calciano-Coler
Charles
McMonigle
Frank Morse
Rene (Skip)
Rivard
Catherine
Vargas
Jennifer
Viggiano
Charles
Wisnioski
A meeting of the Board of Education was
held on Thursday, November 15, 2007 in the Council Chambers of the
The pledge of allegiance was recited.
ELECTION
OF OFFICERS
Moved by Rene Rivard, seconded by Jennifer Viggiano, to
nominate Mr. William F. MacDonald as the Chairman of the Board of
Education.
FAVOR: ALL
MOTION CARRIED
Moved by Charles Wisnioski, seconded by Raffaella
Calciano-Coler, to nominate Mr. Rene (Skip) Rivard as the Vice Chairman of the
Board of Education.
FAVOR: ALL
Moved by Mr. Rene Rivard, seconded by Mr. Charles McMonigle
to nominate Mrs. Nadine Bell as the Secretary of the Board of Education.
FAVOR: ALL
MOTION CARRIED
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Moved by Catherine Vargas, seconded by Nadine Bell, to accept the minutes of the October 25, 2007 Board of Education meeting as amended.
ABSTAINED: CHARLES WISNIOSKI
RAFFAELLA A. CALCIANO-COLER
WILLIAM
MACDONALD
FRANK MORSE
FAVOR: ALL OTHERS
MOTION CARRIED
Amendments to the
10/25/07 minutes are as follows:
Mr. Rivard
noted that on page 2 of the meeting minute motions and page 11 of the
corresponding minutes, the motion should read “calendar” rather than “meeting
schedule.”
Mr. McMonigle
added that the motion was tabled, not passed.
Moved by Catherine Vargas, seconded by Nadine Bell to accept
the minutes of the October 25, 2007 Curriculum Committee.
FAVOR: ALL
MOTION CARRIED
CORRESPONDENCE
Mrs. Carol Parmelee-Blancato reported that a congratulatory letter was
received from Governor Rell to honor
Cold-Spring
Commons residents sent a letter to Mrs. O’Connor in the Family and Consumer
Sciences class at
Catherine
Vargas sent a thank-you note to the Board for the flowers she received for the
loss of her father.
AUDIENCE
PARTICIPATION
RHTA
Liaison Committee – No Report.
Student Representatives
Adam Vancisin and Hope DeJohn reported
on the recent events at
Stevens / Moser:
Selonie Shah and Jacob Lautoro represented Stevens/ Moser schools.
Stevens school is celebrating its 50th
anniversary this year. Several events
have been planned including Movie Night, which was enjoyed on Nov 2nd. Wednesday, November 21st will be
the 5th annual Turkey Trot and Bake Sale, which will benefit Project
Graduation at
Tyler Leublin, 7th grade
Student Council member reported on the activities at GMS:
The Drama club is preparing for its
presentation of “Cinderella” on December 1st. 45 cast and crew members are involved. Shows will be at 6 pm. and 8 p.m., so buy
tickets early, as there will be none sold at the door.
Rocky
Ms. Hayward reported on recent events at the high school..
20 students attended bridges training sponsored by the NCCJ to cover diversity and tolerance training.
The girl’s cross-country team won their first championship in their history. Katie Matthews came in 2nd in the state tournament.
The junior ring dance will be held on Friday, November 16th.
The “Coffee Clutch” meetings will begin the week after Thanksgiving. This is a program to help introduce the 8th grade parents to the high school.
The holiday plant sale will be held on the first weekend in December.
Meeting Open to Public:
Valerie Montabano of
Mrs. Carol Parmelee-Blancato responded the Board is aware of this, and the issue of keeping the website up to date will be addressed the following day.
Mrs. Montabano asked what the timeline was for the selection of a new superintendent. Mrs. Carol Parmelee-Blancato responded that as soon as the Board has established itself as the search committee for the new Superintendent, they will move forward in the process. Several interviews will take place. The Board is hoping to hold these interviews in December. Mr. MacDonald noted their number one priority is to move forward with the search process, and get the right person on board as soon as possible.
Mrs. Montabano also questioned the term limits for the Board of Education members. She noted there have been too many transitions in the district lately, and she feels 2-year terms are too short for Board members. She noted with a lack of staggered terms, there is a possibility of a whole new Board being elected at once.
Mr. McMonigle noted the Town Charter sets the terms of the Board, and the Board of Education has no ability to change it. Chairman MacDonald commented that she is not the only person to voice this concern, and encouraged Mrs. Montabano to approach the Town Council regarding it.
1. Consent Calendar
Moved by Jennifer Viggiano, seconded by Nadine
FAVOR: ALL
MOTION CARRIED
COMMITTEE
REPORTS
Chairman MacDonald
noted he has requested all Board members put together a list of what committees
they prefer to serve on. Committees will
be set up as soon as possible. He
preferred to have as many meetings televised as possible.
2. Personnel and Negotiations
No report.
3. Policy
No report.
4. Finance
No report.
5. Curriculum
No report.
6. Professional Development
No report.
7. Facilities
No report.
8. Technology
No report.
9. Transportation/Accommodations
No report.
OLD
BUSINESS
None.
NEW
BUSINESS
Amendment
of Agenda
Moved by Charles Wisnioski, seconded by Frank Morse (for
discussion), that for each educational space, for each period of the day, and
for each day, the following information shall be identified:
1)
A unique
identification of the space
2)
The number of
students
3)
A unique
identifying code for each faculty member, aide, para-professional, tutor,
etc.
4)
The capacity
of the space as expressed in square feet
5)
The use of the
space
6)
A comment on
the character of the space for its use
FAVOR: C. WISNIOSKI, J. VIGGIANO, W. MACDONALD
OPPOSED:
Mrs. Bell noted some of this work has
already been done in the context of the Shoenhart study. She noted that she needed a chance to look at
the details of the motion and absorb the information first.
Mrs. Vargas requested that the issue go
through the facilities sub-committee first, and then come to the Board, as this
is the proper channel. Mr. McMonigle,
Mr. Rivard, and Mrs. Calciano-Coler agreed.
Moved by Charles Wisnioski, seconded by Frank Morse (for
discussion) that every Rocky Hill public school student be accounted for on a
full-time equivalent (“FTE”) basis in each Rocky Hill School building including
but not limited to the following: Rocky Hill High School, Griswold Middle
School, Stevens School, Moser School, West Hill School, and Brook Street.
Students that attend out of district schools including but
not limited to the following and/or the schools listed on the State Department
of Education report titled Public & Nonpublic School Enrollment by Town of
Residence October 1, 2006 (copy attached) or later:
The
The
The
Technical schools
CREC schools
Other locations
FAVOR: C. WISNIOSKI, J. VIGGIANO, W. MACDONALD
OPPOSED:
ABSTAINED: R. RIVARD
Mrs. Bell commented that she opposed
this motion for the same reason as the prior one, and asked that in the future,
Board members be given motions that contain significant detail in advance, so
that the information could be absorbed before members are required to vote on
it.
Moved by Rene Rivard, seconded by Catherine Vargas, to move the 2 motions presented by Mr. Wisnioski to Facilities Committee.
FAVOR: ALL OTHERS
MOTION CARRIED
11.
Recognitions
The Board had
planned to recognize members who are no longer serving on the Board of
Education; however, due to scheduling conflicts, Chairman MacDonald requested a
motion to table these recognitions until the December 6th meeting
when all recipients can be present.
Moved by Frank Morse, seconded by Charles McMonigle, to move
the recognitions of previous Board members to the December 6th
meeting.
MOTION CARRIED
12. Teacher of the Year Awards
Mrs. Carol Parmelee-Blancato announced
this year’s teachers of the year. They
are:
Rocky
Stevens/Moser Schools & District
Teacher of the Year: Jane Gregg
13. CAPPS Awards
The following students are this year’s
recipients of the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents:
Rocky
Moved by Catherine Vargas, seconded by Jennifer Viggiano, to
take a 20-minute recess for cake and reception.
FAVOR: ALL
MOTION CARRIED
14. Enrollment
Projection Report
Dr. Peter Prowda presented his report on projected
enrollment. He first explained he had been in contact with Mr. Fred Carstenson,
head of the
Enrollment History:
1961 population in Rocky Hill was 1,617 students. By 1976, enrollment went up to 2,252. It declined 20.8 % falling to 1,783 students in 1985. It has been growing ever since. In 2007, Rocky Hill enrollment was 2,606, an increase of 46.2 % over the 1985 low. This contrasts to the statewide enrollment pattern.
State enrollment peaked in 1971. Between then and 1988, enrollment declined by 31.5%. State enrollment hit a secondary peak in 2004. It grew 24.5% between the 1988 low and 2004. State enrollment declined by 1.2% between 2004 and 2007. While both the state and Rocky Hill went through periods of decline and growth, Rocky Hill’s period of decline was shallower than the state’s and was of shorter duration. Its period of growth was steeper than the state’s and has not yet ended. During its period of decline the steepest one-year drop in Rocky Hill was 3.8% between 1979 and 1980. During the current period of growth, the greatest increase was 5.5% between 1989 and 1990. In recent years, growth has ranged from -.5 % between 2002 and 2003 and 2.8% between 2004 and 2005. The growth between 2006 and 2007 was 1.1 %.
Dr. Prowda stated there were 7 or 8 students overstated in 2007 because these students went to programs in the morning and afternoon, so they were counted as 2 students rather than 1 body. He stated there is no cause for alarm on this, as it happens often, and that the numbers presented earlier will be slightly lower.
In the past 10 years, Rocky Hill’s enrollment is up
11.7%. Mr. Prowda stated that Rocky Hill
does have solid enrollment growth compared to
Projections:
Dr. Prowda anticipates total enrollment up 35-40 students next year. He anticipates enrollment to be up 215 students to the peak in 2015, and a small decline at +200 students from the 2007 count.
He noted that this information is based on Rocky Hill students and students attending Rocky Hill schools through the choice program.
Last year 200 students from Rocky Hill attended non-public schools, 32 students at regional magnets, 19 attended other public schools, and there were 3 home- schooled students. He stated his study is not about these kids. He mentioned if something happened to the non-public schools in the area, then Rocky Hill would be responsible for these kids in addition to the numbers presented.
Elementary enrollment K-5 over the past 10 years had a 5-student decrease, or (0.5%) Dr. Prowda sees enrollment increasing by 30 students next year. He sees the peak at 2,013 a 55-60-student increase over today’s level. In 2,017, he projects a 30-35-student increase.
Middle school enrollment over the past 10 years has had a 56-student increase, or (10.1%.) Next year Dr. Prowda anticipates enrollment to be down 5-10 kids. At the peak, in 2011, he expects enrollment to be up by 70-75 students, and in 2017 he expects enrollment to be up by 70 students in the school.
High school enrollment over the past 10 years has had a 211-student increase, or (38.6%.) Next year, Dr. Prowda expects an additional 10-15 students. He expects enrollment to peak at 2014, when enrollment will be increased by 105-110 students from today’s numbers, and in 2017 he sees enrollment up 95-100 students from today’s numbers.
Dr. Prowda noted one of the key drivers in his data is births. He provided a graph that showed births increasing from 1980-1991, declining through 1998, and remaining fairly level since then. The peak number of births was 245 in 1991. These students are now 16 years old and in 10th or 11th grade.
The State Dept of Public Health is reporting a preliminary number of 195 births for 2006. He guesses the final number will not change by more than 1 or 2 when it becomes final.
Dr. Prowda anticipated 188 births between 2008 and
2012. The
Dr. Prowda reported in 2007, 13% of Rocky Hill children entered kindergarten at age 5. The DRG D average was 11.3% in 2006 (latest data available). He also mentioned that any DRG B reference was only a typographical error, as all DRG references should be DRG D. This oversight has no bearing on the numbers at all. Estimated student migration has been positive for the last 8 of 12 years. It ranged from –1.6% to 3.8%. The projection assumes a 2.2% average.
Dr. Prowda assumed in the projection that Rocky Hill would begin to accept 4 students in grade 1 annually from other towns. He anticipates the district may be forced to accept new students legally. He reported the superintendent was aware of that decision, and if the district chooses to do otherwise, the projection will be high by approximately 4 kids per year, which does add up. (In 3 years, it could be 12 students high.)
Housing:
Dr. Prowda noted some information was obtained from the Department of Housing & Economic Development. There was a high of 192 new housing units in 1996. In 2002 there were 100, in 2006 there were 55. Housing permits were at 21 through August 2007 vs. 46 thorough 2006. The projection assumes 75 units per year. Projections assume that the period in the near future is like the period in the recent past. He encouraged the facilities committee to further discuss the direction in which they think Rocky Hill housing will go in the future.
Estimated sales of existing units have stayed high. Non-resident enrollment had a period of growth, but has now receded. Non-public school enrollment has increased through 2004.
Dr. Prowda stated last year’s projection was 13 students high, or .51%. The five earliest projections had 5-year error rates equal to 5.6%, which annualizes at 1.1%. The projections made in 1998 & 1999 are off by 10%. He stated this is due to conditions changing in the town. The 2000 projection is 2.8% low after 7 years. Seven of the 8 projections made in the past are running low & that the current projection is below the projection made last year.
Charles Wisnioski had several questions and comments for Dr. Prowda. He questioned the annual projected new housing units. He stated that Dr. Prowda’s housing units figure was not adjusted for active adult units and that the sales for existing homes was too high. He went on to provide data related to active adult housing. Dr. Prowda responded, stating that Mr. Wisnioski is bringing up good food for discussion; however, he needs to take into consideration where the active adults are coming from. He explained that if they are coming from Rocky Hill, then they are freeing up their current homes, thus allowing for new families to purchase the homes those people are selling. He also noted that the model is based on enrollments.
Mr. Wisnioski, in regard to Dr. Prowda’s suggestion that
the Board check with the town’s plan of development to see if a net increase of
750 units over the next 10 years is reasonable, stated that he spoke with the
Town Planner, and that there are only two sub-divisions currently under
construction with a total of 27 lots. Mr.
Wisnioski also noted that all of the open land on
Chairman MacDonald suggested that the Facilities Committee
look into this in more detail, and that the Interim Superintendent get a time
and date for a meeting between the
15.
The Board members decided to have their holiday reception on Wednesday, December 12th from 2:30 – 5:00. Mrs. Parmelee-Blancato announced that their invitations would be forthcoming.
16. Appointment
of Superintendent of Schools’ Search Committee
Moved by Charles McMonigle, seconded by Rafaella
Calciano-Coler, to appoint the Board of Education as the search committee for
the new Superintendent of Schools.
FAVOR: ALL
MOTION CARRIED
17. Executive
Session
Moved by Jennifer Viggiano, seconded by Charles McMonigle,
to move into executive session at 9:20 p.m.
FAVOR: ALL
MOTION CARRIED
Ms. Jennifer VIggiano moved, Mr. McMonigle seconded, to come
out of executive session at 10:14 p.m.
FAVOR: ALL
MOTION CARRIED
Mrs. Vargas moved, Mrs. Calciano-Coler seconded, to adjourn
the meeting (10:15 p.m.).
FAVOR: ALL
MOTION CARRIED
Respectfully submitted,
Lisa R. Reed
Recording Secretary
Accepted by: _______________________ Date: _____________________