It is u been shown to be oxidative stress and oxidative stress those free radicals cause a slew of chronic health problems. I think those of us that are aware that it's a problem are lucky because many people have no idea that maybe their their high blood sugar, their high blood pressure, their mood, etc. Their inability to sleep, their cardiac functions have anything to do with the electromagnetic environment in which they're they're living and the smart meter included. >> All right. Well, Dr. Mcnite, thank you and my great thanks to your husband, Larry, who's another doctor, for joining us today to help our communities learn what wireless radiation is. It's not a toy. It's convenient, but we can have far better connections much safer, much faster simply by turning off the antennas and hardwiring our devices. So, thank you everybody. We hope you will have a techsafe day.
And for um being so articulate in describing what you're doing. We appreciate you. Thank you. Thank you, guys. Thanks, Amanda. All right, on to warrant approvals after that. Best night ever, ladies. I'm leaving now. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Exactly. That's why we're here. I'm waiting for something to It's a good reminder of why we do what we do, and why it's important to keep it going. All right, between February 26th, 2026 and March 11th, 2026, I Paul Kendall, authorized by my signature, payables in the amount of 208,774 dollars and 6 cents. This includes general fund expenses of 165,029 dollars and 17 cents and revolving expenses of $43,744.89. Finally, I authorize payroll in the amount of $1,565,825.02. Thanks, Paul. Okay, next up is Jim with the two updates, your goals as well as the budget. Yeah, so thank you. I just want want to give a brief update on on the goals.
Um, so I'll use teacher Squirreloff as an example. Teacher Squirreloff teaches math and science and Miss Murphy Davis teaches ELA and social studies. So there's a group of students 20ish that switch back and forth. Um, but it averages about 15 depending on students um um needing other services during that time. Um, and I I think that and and I know many of you have received letters from from my wonderful fifth grade uh teachers this week. They are tenacious. Um, and I think the biggest benefit is that we are able to concentrate our resources. It's difficult when you have grade bands split up among three different schools to have cohesion. So when we get them all in the middle school um in fifth grade, it's a little bit of growing pains, but then we're able to really align our instructional practices, our curriculum, and and our interventions.
Um and they've seen incredible uh gains with student um student literacy and on our map scores. Um so, I would say the the concentration of resources, it's also efficient to have everybody in one building. So, I'm not sharing in uh any teachers with anyone. I'm not sharing an MLL teacher. Um Miss Erickson is our fifth grade uh inclusion special ed teacher. So, that's all Miss Erickson works with. So, we can concentrate those resources to ensure that we are meeting the needs of the students um more globally. And we also have access to two interventionists. We have a math interventionist and we have a reading interventionist full-time. So, um that would be a huge benefit. A consequence of that uh none of that happens, right? Because they they they go to three different schools um and you you lose the cohesion of the curriculum and the instruction and just the school culture.
And so basically many of the area superintendents are not submitting individual testimony. CAPS has submitted a pretty substantial response to that and it's mainly around the concerns about the unfunded mandate and the what it would cause in the school system to hold check-ins, annual check-ins with with homeschoolers. And among other things that are in the bill. So, you'll probably see some more of that in the news. Basically the the bill was proposed if you remember a while back there were some concerns with a couple of students who were killed or who had sort of disappeared or lost in the system after some concerns. They were home-schooled students but there were some DCF involvement there and so there was a lot of concerns around tracking students once they leave the school system. There was a high profile case in Waterbury and another one I can't remember which town it was in which really sparked the fervor around this and I think what school systems were looking for initially was for the state to create some sort of portal system to help keep track of students a little bit better.
Um the campaign that our ASB students uh have shared that Rhonda mentioned um highlights the six key areas that researchbased studies would suggest impact students with regards to cell phone use. And you can see those six here. The survey is linked here for your perusal, but I'd like to take a moment to talk about why we're implementing a researchbased uh short version of the smell or the smell phone, excuse me, the smartphone addiction scale, the SAS SV. SV of course stands for short version. Uh it's a sixpoint liyker scale based on research. You can see the educators uh reference down there. Um, and I just want to take a quick moment to read some of the questions that um, our parents of course will have the option to opt out their child should they not uh, agree with some of the questions in here, but they're all very benign as an example.
Uh any discussion? Okay, let's go ahead and um do a roll call vote. We'll start with you, Eileen. Robinson, I. Lando, I. Conkin, I. Olsen, I. Okay. So, uh that will uh passes with a vote of four to zero. Um keep let's move on. Okay, um let's see here. Right now, we're going to be moving on um to our discussion action calendar. Um at this time, we're going to be uh discussing a charter charter review committee recommendation uh for Blue Oak Charter School. Um Heather Cifuentes is going to be speaking tonight on that. Good evening, everyone. Tonight, we are on the third stage of our petition renewal for Blue Oak. So, just to give a little reminder, they started the process on January 21st and presented the petition to the board. Our meeting on February 18th was the public hearing where we opened for discussion and comment.
She has her bachelor's and masters in English. Also 12 hours towards her PhD in English. Recommend the employment of Gerald Toonito as a teacher for the Unifi School District in the 26 27 school year. I'll ask a motion. >> I'll make a motion. >> I will second it. If there's no discussion or question, >> all those in favor say I. >> I. >> Motion carries 5 to zero. >> Next up, we have the classified retirement financial finance analyst. >> Yes, sir. Mr. President, members of the board of Gutas finance analyst estimated her retirement from office schools. As of February 27th, 2026, the retirement of bodis as a finance analyst in the unif school district is recommended. Sir, >> I will make that motion. Second discussion or question. >> All those in favor say I. >> I. >> Any motion carries 5 to zero. >> Next item approval of additional hours from the finance office for Susana Leon.
>> Yeah. Right. >> I can't say that some of the ones that I was in in Lafayette, >> it made me not want to >> not want to go to Yep. >> Yep. >> Yeah. >> And I think it I think it's also just a a good thing, too. I mean, I think it's a um in terms of just um you know, something that we can show that we're you know, supporting teachers, supporting education, you know, whatever, just as a district too, right? Like I I don't see any negative to it at all. Um you know, um but again, um >> unless they come on a bad day. >> Yeah. Right. Yep. And and certainly, you know, I mean, there um the nice thing is we have that freedom and flexibility too that if you know, if they if they get a student that I don't really care to have this student back in our building for whatever, you know, I mean, they're they're always late or they, you know, whatever.
Which is why on the next slide or a couple slides from now, you will have my phone number and my email. It's not lip service, guys. I have to answer to you guys. My mom still lives in Frankfurt. I mean, I I have ties here. I would say this to anybody that's that we'll ever listen to. You call me, I swear you will not get a secretary. You won't get anybody else. You It'll come to me. If I don't answer, I'm probably either on daddy duty or I'm in the middle of a school visit. Please. That's my straight contact information. I am genuine and sincere when I say please, please use me. I will listen.
>> And back to the most serious number in the world, 77. >> Oh boy. All right. Goes right past and unfortunately Samus punishes uh punches Izzy right there for that me cuz got a lot of lag on it. It leaves her vulnerable for she doesn't >> Oh, he doesn't manage to dodge the charge shot in time. But luckily, Izzy did manage to take another stock. >> Okay. >> Yep. So, she took more stocks than she lost. So, that's a pretty that's a pretty good ratio, I will say. Oh, that's a positive. >> Mhm. Do you remember who went against the Samus in the previous round? >> Oh, now you're testing my memory. >> Mhm. >> Yeah, I don't remember. >> I'm pretty sure I'm pretty sure Asher went against the Samus first and unfortunately lost and then Eli went against >> Okay. >> Samson won.
>> Any discussion? Okay, we'll vote. John >> I. >> Jody >> I. >> Destin. >> I. >> Myself. I'm an I. >> 26-114. Approval of contract with Dan Christian for EOSI demolition. Dr. Brown. >> Yeah. >> I'm recommending the board approve the contract with Dan Christristiani in the amount of $438,810 for the demolition of Eio Muny Elementary School. Can I get a motion? >> I'll make a motion to pass 26-114. >> Can I get a second? >> I'll second.
Join us at Massachusetts for safe technology. And Lexi, we send our love and light out to you and all of your colleagues working on this in Pennsylvania. >> Take care everybody. Have a tech safe day.
I did share everything in the Is it popping up still? Let's see. There. Boom. It's on on this one. Can Can we get the share screen back on the the big one here? The front. Thank you. So, as you know, we we our goals or my goals and the district goals have been um really a couple year process. Some of them are taking 3 years, some of them were 1 or 2 years. I just want to give an update on where I stand and and I'll be frank. A lot of a lot of this year has been sort of budget focused. And while I think the goals that we've set here, these five goals with regard to the district um uh taking over the fields, one, district policies, getting time with Lauren and Paul, making sure that we're sitting down and going through. That was a 3-year plan.
So, in fifth grade, we have a model that the the fifth grade teachers did on their own. Um, and with the support of Assistant Superintendent Sullivan and myself, we have a targeted intervention instruction that happens every Friday, sort of like a walk to read. Um, and they've seen incredible uh gains with student um student literacy and on our MAP scores. Um, so I would say the the concentration of resources, it's also efficient to have everybody in one building. So I'm not sharing an uh any teachers with anyone. I'm not sharing an MLL teacher. Um, Miss Ericson is our fifth grade in uh inclusion special ed teacher. So that's all Miss Ericson works with. So we can concentrate those resources to ensure that we are meeting the needs of the students um more globally and we also have access to two interventionists. We have a math interventionist and we have a reading interventionist full-time.
Um and I think delaying that past fifth grade, I think it is not helpful. Um the students, like I said, there's a little trepidation, but after about a week and a half, they are super happy at the school. Of course, we have our our issues, right? But they're very happy there. And we just had parent-teacher conferences and a lot of my all of my fifth grade teachers shared with me that they have not heard a single family have a regret with sending their kid to fifth grade at the middle school. And so I and I've also received that feedback. I would encourage people to to look at that group of people who have actually sent their kids to our school and and um and ask them their thoughts and certainly my teachers. We would love for you all to come in and see how it runs there.
And in response the legislation really seemed to have pushed it back onto the school system to be the ones to keep track and that and so the debate is around whose responsibility is it to keep track. So, you'll see some more coming out in the news but um, you know, it's one of those bills that are that will get a lot of attention and most likely you'll also hear that as well at some point. Um, so outside of legislation, legislative updates, um, just a quick note that we will finally, without snow forecast uh in the future for tomorrow, we'll have our uh curriculum committee that has also been rescheduled probably as many times as um the playground presentation um for March 12th and then it'll be Zoom. And then um I'm very excited to announce to everybody that Danbury has been selected to present at the Connecticut Workforce Summit on April 2nd.
Um, I have my smartphone on my mind even when I am not using it. And then there's six point liker scale from strongly agree to strongly disagree. Uh, here's another interesting question. I would never give up using my smartphone even if my daily life were greatly affected by it. Uh I consistently check my smartphone as to not miss conversations between others. Um and I use my smartphone longer than I intend. Uh there in series there are about 10 questions. Um and so we're really looking forward to a pre-assessment and then the six week implementation of the actual cell phone policy. So students will have exposure to the impact that smartphones have on all human beings especially adolescence. We're going to do the survey pre and then we'll do the post survey at the end of June post the six week implementation. And our hope is that we'll see some statistically significant differences um in how students are reporting whether or not they are um feeling any differently about the cell phone act.
And now, at this point in time, the Ed Services team has taken the time to review the entire petition and look to ensure that everything that would be required for authorization is up to speed. Um in looking at all parts of the the petition, we can confirm that they've met all of the requirements that are necessary to move forward. Um in addition, I had the opportunity in between the February meeting and tonight to visit Blue Oak and and walk the campus and see the staff and the students and the program in action, which is always much better than reading the petition, no offense, but to see it living and breathing and it it was a wonderful experience. So, this evening we also have their new executive Tim Jury here. If there's any further questions for them.
>> Mr. President, members of the board with the retirement public finance analyst. The administration is requesting extra hours for Susana Leon. 6 to 10 hours during the week, 35 to 40 hours during spring break and possible summer employment. Susana will work in both the library and the finance office. The approval of additional hours for Susan Leon is recommended. >> I will second question I >> motion carries 5 to zero. >> Thank you. Uh, next item is spring interession employment for 26. >> Mr. President, members of the board, uh, spring interession program will be March 16th to the 19th. Staff reporting time 7:45 to 12:45 p.m. Student times 8:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Breakfast and lunch will be provided. Spring intercession teachers will be at 4 days, 5 hours per day. And you have your rate. Instructional intercession leader, four days, five hours per day. And there's her hourly rate.