We appreciate your time here. Thank you. Well, um there are no other pressing questions. I think we can release Mr. Bedard back to his duties. Thank you so much for making time to come and and have this talk with us today. Um it's really helpful as we're thinking through uh some long-term plans. No problem. Thank you, and thank you for all you do. Absolutely. All right. So, our next item, um I had had Becky send some draft stuff, and I want to be very clear. This is just something for people to react to um when it comes to advertising for the fact that we're looking for community participation in this subcommittee. Uh and uh getting like the form that people would fill out, etc. So, I um I don't want you to get the the sense that this is how it is set, but it was the same structure that we used for the superintendent search, which seemed to work well.
Um this board sets the tone for our schools. I see you're smiling, so um I >> [clears throat] >> Okay. Uh the board sets the tone for our schools and our leadership matters. Uh if that's the message that's being conveyed to our community and to our students, I believe this district's underestimating how many uh it's it's future declining enrollment. Um this community is speaking. It's been speaking clearly and consistently. We want strong schools, but they have to be affordable, sustainable, and reflective of the values we expect from our leadership. Thank you for your comments. We have Um couple more raised hands. I'll go with Aaron and Ms. Vincent. Yep. I'll allow Aaron to talk. The mic is open. Uh I think the mic is open, right? Mic is open for you, Ms. Vincent. Okay, wonderful. Thank you. Uh my name's Aaron Wagner Vincent. I live at 30 South Street, Collinsville, and I'd like to start by thanking everyone on the board um for your hard work and dedication.
He has a deep interest in the physical science and tremendous potential in this field. Please join me in congratulating this year's Fred Willitz Award recipient, Jack Mooney. [applause] >> [applause] >> The Bos Shalom Award is presented to a member of the junior class in recognition for outstanding academic achievement and good character and superior intellectual promise in the field of science. When asked about this year's recipient, Mr. Alexis shared that he is one of the best students he has ever had the privilege to teach. Not only because of his exceptional academic ability, but because of his impeccable character. His discipline, focus, and commitment to excellence consistently set him apart. More than that, his positive presence and natural leadership help create a classroom community where others feel supported, included, and motivated to succeed. Please join me in recognizing this year's recipient of the Boschan Lom Science Award, Noah Roert.
We know excessive screen time, especially on one-to-one devices, is overstimulating. It can lead to anxiety, behavioral issues, and reduced attention spans. The district needs to evaluate if what is happening in the schools is the best for learning and for our kids' well-being. Thank you so much for your time. Next, we have Kathleen Meeks. Superintendent Kim, members of the board, my name is Kathleen Meeks. I'm a Batavia parent, community member, public school educator. My husband teaches in this district. My daughter attends H.C. Storm, and my son will be joining her this coming school year. I appreciate the time, unpaid labor, and care that goes into many of your roles, and recognize the difficulty of the decisions before you. Here to share I'm deeply concerned by the direction and cumulative impact of programming decisions currently being discussed by this administration. For example, H.C. Storm some of the most diverse needs in the district, some of the highest opportunity gaps, and houses the district's EL program.
If we don't come up, um we're going to lose teachers. We're going to not, you know, attract as many new, um hires. Um and then maybe we'll find, hey, our benefits way outweigh Crystal Lake or something. So, you know, even though the salary may look lower, our benefits are are meeting or exceeding neighborhood um communities and districts. Um and that would attract other. So, that that's my thought. It's just transparency. And there's no need to hide it. I mean, we should be have clarification, and then it'll give us 4 years to plan, right, for for some of it, if need be, if we really needed to come up and make big changes. So. Is this all? I have a question. Um well, I was for it last time, and I'm still for it this time cuz I think we severely lacked in this in the admin center, and I think super important for you guys for them to especially get this study.
>> Yep. It's nice getting >> Jennifer's so excited. [laughter] She's friends with my new kids and she is so excited. >> I had her as a cadet teacher two years in a row. She is she was amazing. Then she will be a great addition to our building. >> Yep. We're very excited. >> Yeah. And Tim's a wonderful guy, too. Known him for a while. [clears throat] >> Any no further questions? No comments? Uh look forward to meeting both of those. Make a motion to accept Jennifer Schwarz and Trooper and Tim Hendrickk. >> I'll second. >> All in favor say I. >> I. Elementary summer school teacher. >> Okay. So, at the last board meeting, we were able to approve Laren Nep as one of our two summer school teachers who we are going to have. And then the second position, we were still waiting because we didn't have someone who could fill all four weeks of the summer school.
For that, we can certainly entertain There's no board action to be taken tonight. So, we can answer any and all questions that might uh come from the financial presentation. But certainly make sure the board has any clarifications needed for a recommendation that will come next month. So, together the information provided during the April work session and what you'll see from the financial analysis will offer the board a comprehensive view of both programming and the financial considerations related to staying or going. Um so, based on both of those, there's no formal action tonight, but I will be bringing I plan on bringing a recommendation to uh leave the co-op. We had a 6-month period of time from January through June to evaluate all aspects of our special education programming and how that works within the co-op and without. And so, um I hope you'll agree that once we um review the financial analysis for Dr.
Such a great finisher. Just That's sometimes that's all you need, someone to put it in the back of the net, so. That's it. Pellegrino drove in, drew the double double team, found the open Illingsworth, and Illingsworth buries it in the back of the net to put the Spartans up 7-2 with 2:50 left in the first half. One of the big problems I think that the Spartans tend to always have for uh when we get leads like this, we never really just keep the the pedal to the metal. >> Yep. They they tend to slow down, let other things happen, and Mac Whitworth goes through everybody and gets ball over their straining line, looks to set up the Spartans offense once again, finds Lucy Parsons. Look like Parsons was trying to do a little flick of the wrist just throwing a ball over the net. Crimmins there to back it up.
So, and they're moving to Andover from Boston. So, those things and right now they're paying these kids work in downtown Boston. They're paying their Uber to get to they have a free Uber lift so they can get to work. So, I mean, it's companies like that and that we're just looking for Rathon and all these companies now are really starting to dig deep and depending on co-op education. So, getting the kids ready and getting them out there is right now our top priority. And it's just little things like Nasser and everything that keep us going. That's that makes it fun. So, I've taken up a lot of your time. I thank you all very much. >> Thank you, Donnie. Keep up. Thank [applause] you. Give that guy a raise. >> Safe office is going to give us uh an update now. Chad Jackson, Christy Gillis, and Bill Vogel.
And I for me, it's always easier to react to a um something that's already written rather than like look at a blank page and try to come up with something together in the next 20 minutes. So, did folks have a chance to look at either the There's recruitment like in submitting um There's text that we have that describes what the what the commitment is, and then there's also a draft of a Google form where people would actually submit for interest in being part of this advisory committee. Did members have a chance to look at those things? Yes. For myself, I did. Great. Thank you. I'm look I'm looking at it now, but it seems like a very basic poll of interest. Um are we asking people to commit to like every single month because that might be challenging for some. It it might be, and um we were uh I I think that it is important that we ask people to say, "If you're going to sign up for this, if you're going to submit your interest for this, then it is you need to know it is for the year.
Um I went to every Board of Education Finance Subcommittee meeting this year. It was very helpful to me to better understand the process and how decisions are made prior to the annual vote. I heard someone else also reference that. Like you can ask questions, you can reach out, you can go to all these different um board meetings prior to the annual vote to learn um all these different pieces. I want to highlight that the Board of Education was asked to cut $200,000 from their proposed budget prior to their budget being voted on. Yes, there was tax cut relief from the governor's office, but that provided approximately $162,000, leaving a deficit of approximately $38,000 from the originally proposed budget, and I don't think that's been highlighted enough Uh you know to the other residents of the town either perhaps the town of Canton has above average median income and below average spending per student.
[applause] Class of 2026, now it's your turn. The senior science award is presented to the senior student who has displayed a continuing interest in the pursuit of science and has maintained a superior academic record throughout his or her high school career. I first met this student four years ago when she was just a freshman already taking the Connecticut Science and Engineering Fair and the Connecticut Invention Convention by storm. Since then, her resume has read less like a high school students and more like a high-tech superhero. When we recognized her last year for the Bowshin Lama Award, she had already published a paper on Alzheimer's research and designed an airline seat belt alert system. But she didn't stop there. This year, understanding the limitations of current treatments for tool syndrome firsthand, she went right back to work. She wrote and published a paper, a wearable technology for toric treatment.
There's discussion about decreasing class sizes at some of the grade levels, again eliminating the EL kindergarten and first grade program, cutting a valued educator at H.C. Storm with a provisional license without offering an opportunity to interview, and consolidating or reducing interventionist positions at all schools. At the same time, there appears to be little discussion around reducing enrichment opportunities. My own child benefits from enrichment programming, but I also don't want her to experience an educational advantage at the expense of her peers who also need and deserve support. This is antithetical to the promise of public education, and I don't want her any student receiving the implicit message that some students matter more than others. These don't feel like isolated decisions. Together, they send a message about what and who is considered expendable. Additionally, the district continues expand expanding access to technology and screen-based learning at increasingly younger ages.
But, um how once we do it, like uh how long is it good for? Like, what's its expiration date? Does that make sense? Like, are we going to do it again in 10 years? Like, are we getting a 10-year plan? Cuz everything changes, or is this like a one-and-done? We've never done a salary study like this, so I don't really know the answer to that. But, but I would think it would be good for a few years, but the market changes so much that it's it will be I for me, I feel like the data will be very useful from now through the next negotiation with the CEA, which would be happening, you know, three three years from now. The contract is four years, but it would be negotiating in three years. So, the data should be relatively good at least through that amount of time.
So, we're going to split it and Gina Graber is going to do the first week and then Lindsay Fryberger is going to do the next three weeks of our summer school program. Both phenomenal, both very wellkilled to do this. And in your packet, you have their equivalent hourly rate based off of their salary. And so that is my recommendation at the time that you approve Lindseay Fryberger for three weeks at her equivalent hourly rate and Gina Graber for the one week. >> She's just going to get warmed up for one week. [laughter] >> I know, right? >> Just get everything going.
Williamson, entertain any and all questions that you might have, clarify any anything that we need to clarify, I fully expect to bring back a a recommendation for the board to consider taking action on to approve our continued efforts in moving to become independently and meeting the needs of our students and our special education program. So, with that, that kind of just puts a bow on kind of where we've been, and helps people who are maybe listening from home. Uh this information has all been communicated to staff. I have I made sure to include all the information that we received from Angel Ousley. Uh the power the the presentation that we had from April. And then two different items from Dr. Williamson, the the PowerPoint presentation that you'll hear from him tonight. But also his analysis report that I think really does a nice job of framing the financial and dual aspects of what we could expect moving forward.
Crimmins kicks it all the way back out to McKecney. And the Spartans will set up their offense. Jane Peltier checking back in. If they can get the ball to Jane right in front of the cage, it's I don't think I don't think too many Western Mass goalies have made a save on her when she's shooting it from 5 ft away. She definitely has a ton of power behind that shot. >> Another great finisher I've seen. Just always makes the most of those opportunities right by the goal. So, definitely be looking for her. She'll be playing hockey next year. I think at Connecticut. >> Yes. Yeah. With teammate Gianna Byron. Not playing hockey, but at Connecticut College. So. >> Byron's doing what? Track and field and >> Yep. and cross country. >> Yep. There you go. Nice. Pellegrino turning around trying to find a seam. Nothing there.
Hello, Principal Jackson. Hello. Good evening, everyone. Uh, as I said, the Mr. Olette leaving, we never apologize for celebrating kids who can do that all night. Um good evening. Uh tonight I'm joined by assistant principal uh Christa Gillis, administrative dean Bill Vogle. Um where we're going to present datadriven look at the safe office. Um I'd also like to thank our freshman academy team lead Kate Keys who's here in the audience uh to support as well. Uh throughout this year, my different team members have joined me to provide updates to the committee that have focused heavily on academic strategies from the implementation of highquality instructional materials to the expansion of targeted supports for our special education and multilingual learners. However, in a truly standard aligned system, we must always ask ourselves how we respond when students are not learning or are struggling to engage. Tonight, we want to highlight how our safe office serves as a valuable support structure for our entire school community.
Like it is until May of 2027." Um and it actually isn't helpful when we have people popping in and out. Like if if that's what you've got capacity for, that's great. Please come to meetings. Please give your public comment. Please send your emails. Like that's no shade, no shame about that. And if If want to be formally part of the advisory committee, I would I would really strongly suggest that you are able to make most like all but one or two and we'll try not to get each other sick during the the winter time. Um that kind of a thing. Only because this is it's the kind of it's the kind of advisory committee commitment where we are trying to build knowledge over time and if we have people constantly turning over and not able to to show up and do the the piece of work that they that we're assigned, you know, like that we're part of putting out for people to do then that kind of hampers our ability to stick to the timeline that we have laid out for ourselves.
This is data collected across the state of Connecticut. The idea that the Board of Education has out of control or excessive spending is not true. This is what it costs to run a school system in 2026. I've seen many instances where because spending is not allocated adequately it is not allocated effectively. For instance, paraprofessionals in Canton start at $17 an hour. The average pay for paraprofessionals across our country is $21 to $24 an hour. This is what surrounding districts pay. Due to the low reimbursement rate it is difficult to fill required paraprofessional positions. Due to this Canton has had to use temp agencies which end up being more expensive. This also results in paraprofessionals that may be inconsistent and do not know our students. Not adequately funded, not effective use of funds. The same can be said for our crumbling infrastructure our schools are experiencing.