>> I I don't recall off the top of my head. I think >> we were the very well. >> We're at the bottom. Yeah, we're near the bottom of that list. >> Uh and so I strongly want to move toward uh increasing our full five day weeks. This is one opportunity. Um what we're doing here, this is one way to do it. I support it because I I do want to have for example the professional development and I don't know the best way to structure it and you're looking at it. Um I appreciate that but this is one thing we can do to increase the number of uh full 5day weeks. Um and I would I suggest we take this even further. One thing that I had heard and I don't know if you can speak to it off the cuff but some districts use a floating holiday.
Okay. Yes. Member Webb, >> when looking at um the motion C that we did just pass and motion D, I'm just wondering um if maybe like the same student who was possibly on the advisory council would be a sitting member and they would be able to bring that back to us. like we like using the student as a facilitator if I'm making sense. >> Can I just ask for a clarification? Do you mean instead of us designating a representative? Although it seems like we >> Yes, because we would have the representative already as a sitting board school committee member from that student body. Member Den, do you have any thoughts on that as the bringer of these two motions and how you sort of envisioned them working together if at all based on the training that I received from Liz Leont who was just here.
Do you know what I'm talking about? >> No. only from a you know collective bargaining perspective I wouldn't know what you're talking about. >> Okay. Anyway, anything that we can do include including looking at um including looking at some other days like uh that I'm not sure how many kids well uh if we could do something like a floating holiday good Friday yam kapore u >> I mean that's what we're doing with the the uh indigenous people's day in effect. I mean that's a day that are in the collective bargaining contracts for like our administrators 12-month employee secretaries. So uh building maintainers so paras some paras basically um I had to talk to each of those groups and they agreed to applying that day off on a different day. So they would get a paid day off on a different day probably over Christmas break.
I wish she stayed because I was like I have more questions for you about other things. Um, I think it's supposed to be a school committee member, but then again, as she's told me many times, everybody needs to try. It's not necessarily going to work because it has to be our body's capable, their body is capable, and we make a bridge. Maybe they aren't. I don't know. But we have to try to walk across the bridge and see because maybe it's not for now. Maybe it's for later. But we don't know. So I guess I would say it should be a school committee member and maybe one of you want to do it. I don't know. But you go and look and find out where they're at and how they feel and what they want. And maybe maybe all you do is plant a seed about this law and tell them that there's a bridge opportunity and then see what happens.
So I think yeah I think this is a slightly different aspect or perspective which is the students. >> So if we did hold school on uh religious holiday say um would there be something that could be done to address that to you know not drive up their absenteeism rate or something like that? And I I don't know what you could do. I know that I've heard something about that related to the students not to the not to the bargaining units at all. Um, but ultimately really I don't mean to push anything other than simply requesting for you to look at everything. Oh yeah. Because that 15 weeks what I recall you saying out of 40 is just >> really low and moving directionally moving to a higher number I think is a good thing. >> Sure. Yeah. I don't disagree. Um, one more interesting thing that I uh took out of that that calendar meeting was um there was some discussion about now that the elementary schools are going to be sort of more evenly populated.
It could be next year. It could be the year. I don't know. But exploration onward. >> So we have high school students coming to school committee and reporting to us. Maybe the first step is to talk to them about this and what it how it would fit. They think it would fit. They're here like almost every month with a report. Um, I'm just thinking you need to do this slowly. So, you've already got sort of a beginning bridge, which is two children, sometimes one, who sit here and tell us um different things that are going on. I don't know. I I just think is how is that going to be different? Are we doing both? >> Member Childs, >> I think if we're going to them and talking to them on their home turf, they will perhaps say different things, maybe more things than they would up here on camera and on TV.
Um that maybe we can have like one less conference day because we can spread them. Uh we don't need to have with Highland with what 800 students >> 950 Mr. Jeff um it'll be down to like a more reasonable number where we wouldn't maybe need as many days uh off for conferences. So, um I really appreciate the work that Marleene is going to do on that front. Um in terms of looking at those kinds of days. >> Okay. >> Um can I just I know we're going along. I just wanted to um yeah know regarding the email that we got from parents, I uh do want to thank um Carrie Stingo and Steve Alexandria specifically for their comments and I uh appreciated meeting with them and the thoughtful way that they presented and then shared their insights, their information and like rather than posting things on Facebook, it's really important to become part of the public record.
So, I see it as a separate thing entirely. And I Yeah, I'm in favor. Any more discussion questions? Yes, member Denife. >> I think the law sort of intends it as a listening session. Like it's I'm you're not going to go there and tell them what to think or do or anything. You're really not there to be involved. you're just there to listen and maybe take some notes and maybe you learn something that you know you might want to bring back and head off at the past I don't know or maybe you get some good ideas but it's not it's not an interactive role is from is what I think anything Okay. And so just to clarify, the motion that's on the table as amended is to say yes to this and to refer it back to policy to figure out how it would work and have policy sub commmittee bring it back to us with a little bit more like this is this is what it is.
It's important to put things in an email. it's important to talk to people um who can do something about it and just to share with folks you know if anyone's listening uh BOE contactes.k12.ct us is the best email to use to do that. So thanks again. Um I see in the minutes and I know we talked about it a little bit there was this idea of YMCA potentially doing some extended programming and I that's being discussed. Is that true? Yeah. And then soonish, like March, April, people will maybe hear if there's anything. >> Yeah. I mean, people the the YMCA has already publicized. Great. >> Yeah. Yeah. So, they've already publicized >> different camps and opportunities >> that are covering those gaps. Awesome. And then I just again question, this is newish to me. the so the calendar that I see that's being proposed um does not yet include all professional development and parent teacher conferences that comes later.
This is the plan. Um, so that's that's what's on the table right now. How do folks feel about that? >> All right. >> Oh, sorry, Mayor. I didn't want to do it, but I just thought it's going to go back to the um like the whole idea of it's going to go back to the policy subcommittee, which I think is a great idea. I think maybe we designate a person when it comes back to us. Does that make sense? >> Yeah. Thanks for bringing that forward. Okay. >> Not at this time. motion policy around >> correct. >> Okay. All right. >> Ready for a roll call vote. >> Member Dyman. >> Yes. >> Member Goodwin. Pass. >> Chair Ston. >> Yes. Member Webb, I'm a yes. Vice Chair Childs, >> yes. >> Member Dene, >> yes. >> Member Dorger, >> yes. >> Member Goodwin, >> yes.
>> Yeah. So we've the once the board approves the days that will actually be in school then we plug in all of those dates after the fact. Okay. >> Thank you. Mhm. Okay. Can we take a vote on the uh the two motions? Miss Cullinin, do you have those motions in front of you? Would you mind making them? >> And I don't mean to put you on the spot, but I just did. >> That the Cheshire Board of Education adopts the 2627 school calendar as presented. >> Do I have a second, Mr. Holhower. All in favor? It's unanimous. And the second motion >> that the Cheshire Board of Education adopts the 2027 28 proposed draft school calendar as presented. >> Can Can we just modify that with the exception of um >> October 11th. >> Yeah. So, we're going to amend that um motion. >> We don't have to amend the motion.
>> Passes unanimously. Okay, moving on. We are on item E. Motion from member Deniv to have the Greenfield School Committee rescend the vote on subcommittee assignments from the January 14th, 2026 meeting. Member Den, would you like to provide the rationale at this time? >> I am thankful that Liz Leond was here because she explained the rationale. So any subcommittee that anybody brings forward the chair or otherwise has to be voted on by the full committee. So if anybody decides one day that they think we should have a whatever committee, then we all have to vote on whether or not we want that work to be done. So we have some things on the list that and this isn't a p this isn't personal to me. I'm just literally doing procedure. This is just procedure. So we have to res the process is we have to resend what we did just just because it wasn't correct because we didn't vote on everything.
Like we could just we'll start that over again and >> just make the point that uh >> as long as Carol has it down in her notes. >> Yeah. It won't include um indigenous people/Italianame >> but we will keep the October 11th Yamaport. >> We're not going to we're going to drop that date. >> Okay. though that the Cheshire Board of Education adopts the 2728 proposed draft school calendar with the exception of dropping the October 11th Indigenous People/ItItalianamerican Day. >> Do I have a second to that motion, Mr. Colehower? Sorry, he's fast. All those in favor, it's unanimous. Thank you everyone for getting those calendars approved. Next on our agenda is um are there any board members who wish to report on any other standing committees? Didn't think so. Approval of minutes. You have in your packets and hopefully have looked over uh the minutes of the meeting held January 22nd of 2026.
If we want to add the handbook work to the policy subcommittee, we just have to vote on that if we want that and discuss it. Same goes with the motion to add warrants to budget and finance. And that might also have to go to policy because warrants are a policy and we have a policy in place. So if we're changing the policy, we'd have to change it and then add it. So that's something we have to do. Um we also have chair ston wanted to do a facilities use subcommittee, but we don't know what that is. So we have to hear their rationale and what they think the charges should be for that subcommittee. and then we need to vote on that and discuss that. Um, we also have to figure out if we want the redistricting ad hoc subcommittee to continue or not. That's also something we have to vote on.
Um would anyone like to make a motion on that? >> Sure. Miss Cullen >> that the Cheshire Board of Education approve the minutes from the meeting held on January 22nd, 22, 2026. >> Do I have a second? >> Mr. White. All in favor? Motion passes. And Mr. White as secretary. Is there any correspondence to be read? >> We definitely got a lot of correspondence on those on the uh the school calendar, but I'm going to defer to the superintendent beyond that if he has any other correspondence. >> Yeah. No, that that correspondence as I said was most frequently around and and when I say the correspondence probably like five people. Yeah. And it was almost always saying, "Why don't you take a look at that second day in the February break, too?" It was pretty limited. >> Yeah. >> Okay. Uh, superintendent's report. Dr. Solar, >> thank you very much.
So, in order to do all of these votes to make sure that everything is in line with our procedures, we have to rescend what we did the first time around. So, we could do that and then get right into this. That's the point of me bringing it forward is because we all have to have our voices heard about all of this because this is the work that you do for the year. So you should understand what your subcommittee's charge is, what your subcommittee is about so that you can go forward and do this work with the full blessing of the committee. Does that make sense? Did I explain it well enough? Then our policy BD um sorry uh BDE subcommittees of the school committee. Okay. Um the motion has been made. We need a second. >> I'll second for discussion. >> All right. Uh, opening it up for discussion.
Um, just hitting on some some quick items here. Uh this Saturday uh we'll be engaging in the Polar Plunge, the Cheshire Public Schools to support the affforementioned YMCA uh and providing camp scholarships. We have a great partnership with them. Um and I'll send out to the board a path for donation assuming you don't want to be jumping. >> Um but you get a choice. You can jump or or donate. So, >> we'll see you on the 27th. Anyway, now um I want to thank Tekon and OMG for stepping up to serve as marquee sponsors for the Cheshire Foundation trivia night on March 21st. Uh they both made significant donations toward that end and we appreciate their support. Uh again, that's March 21st at Cheshure Academy. I think it's 7 o'clock. And if you don't have a team yet of four, it is so much fun.
>> Yeah, mayor. >> I'll be voting no. Um, just for I think we allow some power to the chair of our committee and I thought they were done well. member child. >> What? So, a bunch of the motions that say need to happen are on the agenda. And the part that trips me up is why does this need to happen for those motions to happen rather than just going straight to those motions? because we never voted on whether or not we wanted those subcommittees in existence or whether we wanted to add those charges to the subcommittee if if we wanted to like bundle it together as a consent agenda. I mean, but I don't know. We have to discuss all of this. I mean, you can't let me put it to you this way. You can't serve on a subcommittee that none of us have voted on for it to exist and say that you didn't violate your oath of office cuz you agreed to uphold the policies and procedures of the school committee and the charter of the city.
Um, Bob or wine, uh, no hard liquor, please, but most people bring like snacks and, uh, hang out with their friends and have a good time. And, uh, it is a lot of fun that night. And, uh, so I encourage you to go to chaseredfoundation.org, uh, if you'd like to sign up for that. Um, I want Go ahead. >> It's the same night as the Dodd musical. >> Okay. Yeah, there were so many. We have the High School Musical, too. The Dodd musical has multiple per performances, too. So, >> um, playing around that uh, the Dodd Musical. There's a Friday for that as well, I believe, for the Dodd Musical. Uh, and I think they've had in the past a matinea as well. But um the uh I just want to let the board know too that uh I've engaged the uh various PTOs in town.
So if you go and you serve on a subcommittee that nobody agreed to have in existence that the body didn't agree on then that's a violation. and having all of these Robert's rules of of order and procedures in place, it exists to protect the minority voices here. So, I have seen chairs do procedural shenanigans both maliciously and also just because they didn't know. And so, I know that it can happen and that's fine, but there are ramifications down the road. So, I'm not I'm not saying that the outcome would be any different than what Chair Ston has already outlined. It could the chips could fall the same way, fine. But it's the procedure to get there that needs to be handled. Why would you vote to be on a on a committee that you don't know what it does that nobody has has described to you?