TOWN OF ROCKY
HILL
BOARD
OF EDUCATION
MEETING
OF DECEMBER 06, 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, December 06, 2007 in the Council Chambers of the
The pledge of allegiance was recited.
A moment of silence was observed in
recognition of the passing of Elaine Levin, staff member at
AMENDMENT OF AGENDA
Moved by Charles McMonigle, seconded by Rene Rivard, to add
line item #18 to the agenda for discussion of special substitute candidate and
pay.
FAVOR: ALL
MOTION CARRIED
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Moved by Catherine Vargas, seconded by Jennifer Viggiano, to accept the minutes of the November 15, 2007 Board of Education meeting as amended.
FAVOR: ALL
MOTION CARRIED
Amendments to the
11/15/07 minutes are as follows:
Mr. Wisnioski
requested that the last sentence on page 12 of Dr. Prowda’s Enrollment
Projection report be added into the record.
It states: “In the near term, at least, enrollment is likely to fall
short of the projection.”
He also
requested the record show that the June, 2006 BOE space study reported 3,000
projected students, while Dr. Prowda’s report showed 2,800 projected students;
a difference of 200 students.
CORRESPONDENCE
Mrs. Carol Parmelee-Blancato reported that a letter was received from the
Stevens School PTO regarding the requested recess play area for the
school. They are requesting that a
hemisphere circle and swing set be placed on the school grounds for student
use, and requested a specific location based on the Shoenhart report. The letter outlined the specific cost of the
equipment and installation. The PTO met with the Town Manager prior and was
instructed to initiate the request with the Board of Education. Mrs.
Parmelee-Blancato stated that she would forward a copy of the letter to the
Board of Ed. Chairman MacDonald
requested that a line item be added to the agenda of the next facilities
committee meeting, which will be held on Monday, December 10, 2007 at 6:00 p.m.
in the Superintendent’s conference room.
A parent (no
name given) stated that the PTO has been working on this project for 2-3 years,
has obtained the funds through various fundraising, etc. and would like to expedite the process. Mr. Wisnioski stated that this issue would be
the first item on the agenda at the facilities committee meeting.
Chairman MacDonald announced that the
high school is putting on a production called “Employees Must Wash Hands Before
Murder.” The show is Friday, December 7,
2007 at 8:00 p.m. and Saturday December 8, 2007 at 2:30 and 8:00 p.m. Tickets are $7; students and seniors are
$5. He encouraged all to attend.
AUDIENCE
PARTICIPATION
RHTA
Liaison Committee – No Report.
Student Representatives
Stevens /
Jackie Owden and Michael Costello
reported on the recent events at Stevens/ Moser:
Steven’s PTO family craft night will be
on December 7, 2007 from 6:30-8:00 p.m.
Attendees are asked to bring a donation
of a non-perishable food item, which will benefit the Rocky Hill Food Pantry.
Kindergarteners have been
listening to several versions of the story “The Gingerbread Man.” They will be holding a Gingerbread Man play
on Thursday, December 20, 2007 at 9:30 a.m. in the gym.
1st Graders have been
learning about empowering themselves and developing their character by using
positive language and behavior, and enriching their home and school
environments.
3rd Graders recently
kicked off their annual reading incentive program sponsored by local
orthodontist, Dr. Rosenburg. The goal is
to read 500 books by June. If the goal
is reached, Dr. Rosenburg will sponsor a pizza party to celebrate.
5th Graders are adopting more
acreage in the
On Thursday, December 20, 2007 at 2:00
p.m. Moser students will have a carol sing for the Murphy senior housing.
Vishnu Gaparthy and Anna Englehart represented
Kindergarteners have been
working on their chef costumes for the annual winter concert, which will be
held on December 18, 2007.
1st Graders are learning
about winter celebrations around the world.
They will learn about different holiday traditions in the
2nd Graders Students are
studying a program about dancing around the world.
3rd Graders will be
studying the concept of area and addition and subtraction. Students are utilizing the magazine, National
Geographic Explorer.
4th Graders are continuing
their study of the Southeastern region of the
5th Graders will be
studying the early American settlement of
Family Math night had 150
attendees. Students and parents applied
math concepts using Trailblazers.
Judy Guptka, and another student
(inaudible), 7th grade Student Council members reported on the
activities at GMS:
On Saturday, December 1, 2007, the Drama
Club put on the play, “Cinderella.” Both
the 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. shows were sold out. There were over 50 cast and crewmembers, and
several parent volunteers.
On Saturday, November 17, 2007 the
Student Council held a Holiday Bazaar to benefit families from the
On January 23, 2007, GMS will hold its
annual winter concert and art show. The
6th graders will perform at 6:00 p.m., and the 7th and 8th
graders will start at 7:00 p.m.
Rocky
Sara Bowdwin and John McKenna reported on the events at
Winter sports have started up including girl’s track, basketball, boy’s swimming & diving, wrestling and basketball, hockey, & track.
The Drama Club will be holding a play this weekend as stated by Chairman MacDonald.
Progress reports will be given to students on December 14, 2007. The National & International Honor Society & the Community Service Club have all finished the latest community project of collecting cans for Food Share with great success.
The annual holiday photo will take place in a few weeks during all lunch waves. The yearbook is currently on sale for $65.
The Habitat for Humanity is trying to raise money to help
send students to
Meeting Open to Public:
Mr. Ed Chicarella of
Mr. Chicarella requested a report from the Board on their recycling efforts in the schools. He questioned if there was a recycling program, a coordinator, and if blue bins in every classroom.
Mr. Chicarella added that the kids are responsible for the work involved in the recycling program at the school where he currently teaches, and it results in no extra work for the custodians.
He added that the
Valerie Montabano of
Superintendent’s Report:
Mrs. Carol Parmelee-Blancato reported that there were unannounced lockdown drills at all of the schools in the month of November. The drills went smoothly, having the police department, fire department officials, Mr. Greg Turansky, the Director of Facilities, the Superintendent, and the administrators present. A walk-through was done in order to be sure all procedures were being followed. A debriefing was done afterward. She stated that another drill will be conducted after the holidays at a different time of day, and that students took the drills seriously, knowing that they were being conducted for their safety.
Mrs. Parmelee-Blancato announced that the high school would be due for its accreditation in 2010. She noted that Mrs. Hayward has already received notification from the New England Association who has acknowledged a few areas that they are pleased with including current leveling of practices, expansion of instructional practices, and increasing the learning opportunities beyond the campus, and the hiring of the K-12 math specialist. The accreditation is done every ten years.
1. Consent Calendar
Moved by Nadine
FAVOR: ALL
MOTION CARRIED
COMMITTEE
REPORTS
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
Mr. Charles
Wisnioski reported that the first joint facility committee and Government Ops
committee took place approximately a week ago and also a meeting of the
Council’s Government Ops in which the Board of Education facility committee
members sat in took place. Several
issues were discussed involving infrastructure such as security, energy,
communication systems, etc. He stated
that it was a positive meeting. He said
that there was discussion about having a referendum during the November
election and having a school plan prepared and presented to the Town Council
prior to it (possibly in June). He
reported that the Town Council sent back Scenario #5 to the Board of Education
to be revisited. The facilities
committee is going to look at their options again. He noted that Dr. Prowda’s enrollment
projection is 200 students below the Board of Educations report. On Monday,
November 10, the facilities committee will look at the Shoenhart report, prior
minutes from the past 3 years, and look at the information to get ideas of what
needs to be done if a new high school is not needed. Mr. Rivard noted that the Board of Education
is still awaiting a report from Dr. Rodriguez.
Mrs. Parmelee-Blancato responded that she expects to have the report
within the next 2 weeks.
8. Technology
No report.
9. Transportation/Accommodations
No report.
OLD
BUSINESS
Mrs.
Parmelee-Blancato stated that she was able to contact CREC and spoke with them
regarding the April vacation, and found that CREC and the other school
districts that are involved in the enrichment program are tying in their April
vacation in with Good Friday. She
requested that the Board approve the 2008-09 school calendar.
Moved by Catherine Vargas, seconded by Nadine Bell to approve the 2008-09 school calendar.
FAVOR: ALL
NEW
BUSINESS
11.
Recognition of Retiring Board of Education Members
Four individuals
were recognized for their service on the Board of Education:
Anne Schmidt
– served for 9 years
Neil Geldof –
served for 4 years
Peter Arico –
served for 4 years
Mark Carberry
– served for 2 years
Superintendent
Parmelee-Blancato, Chairman MacDonald and Vice Chairman Rivard thanked the
retired members for all of their dedication, support, guidance, and hard work
throughout their service to Rocky Hill.
12. Recognition of Retiring Board of
Education Secretary
Donna Wadstrup was recognized for her 27 years of service to the Rocky Hill Board of Education. Donna began as a volunteer in the West Hill school library and ended as the Secretary to the Superintendent of Schools and the Director of Finance and Operations.
Moved by Catherine Vargas, seconded by Nadine Bell to break for 15 minutes for cake and reception.
FAVOR: ALL
13. General Mills Champions for
Healthy Kids Grant
Mrs. Boutilier reported that Dave Dubois, the PE coordinator for K-12 has put together a grant proposal to go to the General Mills Corporation. He has been working over the past year with the PE staff at the high school, trying to focus the PE program more on wellness. If the grant is received, it will be used toward hart monitors that would be utilized by students in the 11th and 12th grades.
Students will do a pre-assessment, develop a fitness plan, use the hart monitors during activities, and consult with the nutritionist. Mrs. Boutilier will keep the Board posted with the results. Mrs. Bell asked about training the coaches in nutrition, and Mrs. Boutilier agreed with the idea.
14. Special
Education Grant
Dr. Cathy Riggs explained that the Special Education grant is offered though the Bureau of Rehabilitation Services, which works with students transitioning them to work or higher education. The goal of the grant is to improve transition activities especially in the school to work area for students with disabilities. Rocky Hill was selected by CREC to participate in this program with one other school. CREC provided a grant writer, and the grant is ready for submission. If the first phase of the grant is successful, Rocky Hill will move on to the planning phase where the staff will work with CREC to plan what would be done during the implementation phase. Once the plan is devised and accepted by the agencies, the district would be moving into implementation, which would span over the next school year. The grant would bring in about $60,000 - $65,000 into the district to use for transition planning activities such as staff professional development, job coach professional development, developing linkages with local agencies, etc.
15. Discussion
and possible action on extension of lease between
Mrs.
Parmelee-Blancato reported that the Board of Education has a lease located at
Moved by Rene Rivard, seconded by Catherine Vargas, to
extend the lease between the Connecticut Student Loan Foundation and Rocky Hill
Public Schools through this year and next school year based on the same terms
of the contract of the current lease.
FAVOR: ALL
MOTION CARRIED
Moved by Charles Wisnioski, seconded by Rene
Rivard, to authorize the extension of the lease between the
FAVOR: ALL
MOTION CARRIED
Mrs. Bell
suggested that Mrs. Parmlee-Blancato send a letter of thanks to Mr. Mark
Valentae for helping Rocky Hill with this endeavor as well as the education
foundation and being so supportive of the Rocky Hill Schools.
16. Strategic
School Profiles
Mrs. Boutilier explained that state legislation requires that districts do annual reporting of their schools (Strategic School Profiles) and the information must be shared with the Board. Mrs. Boutilier provided that information to the Board in report format. Information included in the report is from 2005-2006 & 2006-2007 because when the state gathers the information, it is mid-year. This information is used in-district to analyze Rocky Hill’s own programs in terms of how the programs have done, how to determine resource allocation, etc. Rocky Hill schools do very well in relation to the state and in relation to its District Reference Group (DRG). The information in these reports is final and was submitted last November. Chairman MacDonald encouraged the Board members to review the report, especially the computer and technology component. Mrs. Boutilier explained that all of the information comes from the district, and then it is put into report format by the Connecticut State Department of Education. Mrs. Boutilier stated that she would call Mr. Ray Martin from the State to find out where he came up with the enrollment figure of 2,807 in the year 2011 as prompted by Mr. Wisnioski.
17. Televising
Board of Education Sub Committee Meetings and Workshops
Chairman MacDonald initiated discussion on the matter of televising Board subcommittee meetings. All members were in favor of providing more information to the public as long as it didn’t impede progress. Mr. Wisnioski asked if there was capability to broadcast from the high school. Mrs. Hayward didn’t think it was possible. Mrs. Viggiano noted that providing access to sub committee meetings would help limit misinformation and provide more factual information to the public. Mrs. Bell commented that she is also in agreement, but does not want to hamper progress due to scheduling conflicts. If the Board or committee is unable to run live, she suggested taping and publicizing a re-run schedule so that the public still has access to the information. She stated that channel 14 has a rerun schedule online. Mr. McMonigle noted that a budget should be set up for this, as costs for the extra meetings can add up since some people are paid to be there.
18. Employment of
Special Substitute Candidate and Pay
Moved by Charles McMonigle, seconded by Jennifer Viggiano,
to move into executive session at 8:50 p.m. to discuss employment of special
substitute candidate and pay.
FAVOR: ALL
MOTION CARRIED
Moved by Raffaella Caicaiano-Coler, seconded by Catherine
Vargas, to come out of Executive Session at 9:15 p.m.
FAVOR: ALL
MOTION CARRIED
Moved by Raffaella Caicaiano-Coler, seconded by Rene Rivard,
that the superintendent be authorized to employ George Tanner as a special
substitute at the rate of $425 per day.
FAVOR: ALL
MOTION
CARRIED
Moved by Catherine Vargas, seconded by Rene Rivard, to
adjourn meeting at 9:17 p.m.
FAVOR: ALL
MOTION CARRIED
Respectfully submitted,
Lisa R. Reed
Recording Secretary
Accepted by: _______________________ Date: _____________________