001Welcome, Jennifer, to communications. >> Thank you. Okay, you're all set. >> Okay, great. All right. Um, I'd like to call the AMD Board of Education Communications Committee um to order at 5:32 p.m. Our first order of business is approval of the minutes uh communication minutes from uh this September 9th, but I think it should be November. >> No, because remember we canceled that meeting. >> Oh, right. It was >> Yep. And then we didn't have we didn't have an an um >> a form. >> Yeah. >> Okay. Yeah. Okay. I was like, we met. Okay. Yes. Um All right. Um anyone have any changes to the minutes from September 9th? >> I'm good. >> Okay. [clears throat] >> So, I still need somebody to make the motion. Please. >> I make a motion. It's Kathy
002Bradley to approve the meeting minutes. >> Great. I don't I wasn't there so I don't know if I can second. >> We don't need a second in committee. Um so uh vote uh Dr. Olle. >> Yes. >> Um Kathy, >> yes. >> Jen, >> I'll abstain since I wasn't there. >> Dana, >> I'll abstain since I wasn't there. >> Okay, motion passes two to zero. All right, great. Um, public comment. Doesn't look like we have anyone for public comment. Um, the next item on our agenda is review or of the bylaw that um establishes our communications committee. I'm gonna um do you want to review that? I or would you like me to Jen the >> um just give me a quick second. Let me put I pull it up. Um yes. So we thought
003it was a good time to just re um establish the purpose of the committee um and especially welcoming Jan on as a new member, make sure that she was familiar with it. Um, so the bylaw just simply states that a communications committee consisting of those members of the AMD board of ed appointed by its chairperson shall be a standing committee of the board. The communications committee is established to facilitate effective communication and is charged with increasing opportunities for two-way communication between the superintendent, the school community, and the public. The communications committee will develop strategies to improve communication between the board of education, schools, parents, students, staff, and the wider community to ensure efficient, effective, and varied methods of communication among all stakeholders, and will work to align communications with the district strategic plan and district
004board goals in keeping with the board's roles and responsibilities. The communication committee shall recommend action to the board as necessary. And and Jen, just for your uh just for some uh Jennifer, for some background, um the the committee really uh came about because of exactly what's in this bylaw um to facilitate effective communication and I'd say the first year our uh primary activities um activity involved um hosting community forums where you know uh community members could come and and have that sort of dialogue with board members um outside of sort of the the uh board meetings where we can't do that. Um we've since expanded to do a couple of other things. Um we uh provide input um as we have it for uh the chair's newsletter that goes out to the community. It's published
005I think in the the orange paper and and maybe some other places. And also I think Jen also sends it out to the AMBI community. And more recently we've been talking about um connecting with uh the uh PTSOs or PTO's um and maybe you know visiting with them twi once a year or twice a year um just to keep them a breast of you know what what we're working on and just to have lines of communication open. Is there any um communication with the uh boards in the elementary school towns >> from one board to another board? No. >> Yeah. Okay. >> Um the superintendent will convene together, excuse me, the pupil services directors all convene together. The assistant superintendent, curriculum people all meet together. Um, so kind of at that up and and even
006honestly like Mrs. Burke will meet with the three or well three principles from the Orange Elementary Schools. Dr. Tracy will meet with um the principles from Bethany and from um Woodbridge. So at pretty much every kind of administrative level, we have our little sort of smaller groups. Um but board to board um we don't. And that's typically probably because as soon as we pull a few of you in the room, it becomes a board meeting for somebody. Um so I think the greatest extent where I've ever really seen that happen um has been maybe the the four board chairs can come together or like when we were talking a little bit if we went if we move forward with the ad hoc um school start time committee like at a at a disa level one
007representative from each board could attend and you know have have participation But um with we can't put more than one of them, one of you guys in a room from each board without it becoming a board meeting. So it tends not to happen. >> And I know that's officially the case even by email, right? >> Yes. Um it I'm just thinking it might be nice um in the same way that the I don't want to cause more work but in the same way that the chairman's report kind of you know gives some overview pieces um just for us to have a little bit of that overview. I I think they maybe get a little bit more from AMD. We our our meetings are a little bit more talked about and we do have you know
008Paul writing um about it but I think in the other direction we have less of that. So um you know even just overviews of like any major changes or um initiatives uh just might be helpful for us to know about so that um >> if there's any aligning that's necessary you know >> um be in Bethany well I can't say this now because I don't know that it's going to continue but traditionally the select men of Bethany always had like a um like a new like she had her own newsletter and they reserved a column um for either the school principal or the superintendent to put their information there. Woodbridge um did that also for a while. Um that I think was distributed electronically. I don't know I've seen it so much lately so I'm
009not quite sure what happened and then the Woodbridge Times kind of went defunct so that kind of all disappeared. Um I don't know what Orange has in how Dr. Scarpetti communicates out to the Orange community, but I'm I'm assuming he must have some ability to do sort of like what we do um for the um Orange uh Times and and the Milford Orange Times. So um >> yeah, I'm we're talking like board to board. So like uh for example, I know one of the things going on with Orange uh Board of Ed is that they're feeling like a lot of their policies have not been updated in a long time. So that's an initiative they want to do is update a lot of their policies. So like just hearing that like finding that out from
010you know the schools more of that of like kind of what are the big things they're working on or initiatives and um I just think it's again being a regional school it's such an unusual thing. Um I I don't know how that could be done or what the what the point would be but um I feel like it might help us to be more aligned together. I can I can certainly use my meetings with the BOAS to see what it is if there's something I mean like you know like I know right now Woodbridge is deep in the middle of a study of what to do with their school and that's going to have a significant impact on their budget which in turn means our budget has to have some sensitivity to that. Um, so
011I get that information through my meetings with superintendent and can convey it back when I see that there's going to be sort of a a a an a a give and take that we have to kind of work together. Um, you know, and and the AFC honestly probably one of the best places. It's not so much board related, but definitely budget related. The purpose, the whole purpose of the AFC is that we get feedback from the towns on where they're going to have to spend money and we give feedback to them as to where we would need to spend money. And it's really should be a give and take so we understand how we're impacting each other. Sometimes doesn't quite feel that way. It sometimes just feels like it's all like us telling them information
012and asking for stuff. Um, but it would be great if you know because again I I don't want to go out and bond for you know $70 million if I know one of our towns has to also go do that to build a new school. Like we want to be, you know, working in harmony, not in opposition. >> Yeah. So Jen, I typically watch Orange Board of Ed meeting every week. I can't always make it to it just because time's constraints. So I typically will watch it. So, that's a really great resource for you if you want to just watch their meetings and you'll be able to find I'm sure you could watch I've never actually watched the Bethany and Woodbridge ones, but I know it's public access, so you can watch them as well.
013>> Yeah. So, I think that's the point is like I'm I'm more clued in obviously to Orange just because that's where I am and like even just being part of the DTC, we get reports from the different boards and hear stuff, but I really don't know Woodbridge and Bethany at all. So I don't know, you know, and and maybe the other board members do, but we don't really have a forum to share that kind of stuff. So >> I mean, Jennifer, this might also be So two things, I guess. One, you know, uh we might when we start to have those um visits with the PTO's that might be um a venue where we get to learn more about sort of what what's happening in the schools. And then um the DTC's if they're communicating
014I think that's like right another another way that um I think everybody can sort of stay in the loop about what's happening at the elementary school level. All those folks are represented in the PCC. All right. anything any anything any other questions and even from um those of us who have seen the bylaw before and helped to give feedback and shape it. We think it's still um accurate our current still reflects our activities. >> Okay. All right. So, the next item on our agenda is uh the PTAso outreach status update. Um so, Jen and I actually that's what we we just ended up talking about that during um um that meeting last month. Um and I think you sent that letter out to PTSO folks. I don't know. >> Uh no, not yet. So, the
015it'll go out um tomorrow. I wanted to wait for this meeting, make sure that the committee was aware of the letter. So, I'm sharing it right now. So hopefully everybody can see it. We'll I'll send it out um tomorrow and um get feedback from them as to what dates um are available. I think we pretty much have a standing invitation to sort of go to any one of the AMD PTO meetings because it is our school district. So, um, if we wanted to at least plan that, um, I just have to find where I actually have a whole file on when everybody meets. >> And I think I believe last time we talked about um or in one of our meetings like timing like when I think we decided we'd start with like once a
016year. So, I don't know if there's a time of the year that we think is ideal uh to visit um and and sort of bring it bring updates to the uh PTO PTSO bodies. >> Um and what has happened in the past? I know when I first started um in this role um the board would go right sort of right around February March at budget time to go just let them know what the budget was for the upcoming school year. We talked a lot about kind of maybe not doing that so much because it just sounds like we only go to them when we need their votes. Um but um at the same time, you know, given that I'm sending it out right now in January, it's probably going to be in that February March
017window. Um so um and and the I think our idea was, you know, to send one or two representatives um just go give a quick update of what we're working on as a board and then really kind of just take questions from them. maybe not answer but at least create an an opportunity where questions can come in. Um all of the PTSO meetings will have the principal there. So a lot of times they can answer some of the questions that would come from them even if you can't. But mostly if you took them in I could help sort of craft a response that they can then kind of absorb and and use amongst their membership. So, if there was interest, um, I can tell you right now, hang on, I got to shut my door
018because they're vacuuming outside of my office. >> And is that three PTO PTSOs? Is it AMSO, AMSB, and AMD? >> We actually talked about going to the elementarymentaries also. Um because some of our things that we like when we do the bond referendum for all of these projects, it's not our kids that are going to benefit. It's their kids. Um you know, because you know, our our sophomores, juniors, and seniors won't even be in the school district by the time the bond gets through and we start construction on things. It's really when we do bonding projects or or big renovations, it's truly the elementary families that have the bigger kind of benefit from from the work that we've done. So, um we talked about sort of doing more outreach with them. And then again, just
019in terms of trying to um dispel rumors, um we don't have a nice K through 12 throughine. So people craft the stories they want to hear about what AMD is that sometimes may not be a fair representation of us. And so the idea of being able to go back to probably the people that should be, you know, that are most supportive of us, the the elementary PTSOs and that support education and care about their kids and to answer questions that they have. So we had thought of of going back to to the elementarymentaries as well. Um, >> okay. So, that's seven. Seven PTSOs. >> One, two, three, five, six >> PTO's or PTS. >> There's nine all together. Four in orange, one in each of the >> Oh, the elementary school in Orange. >> Yeah.
020>> Be sure and then there's a Bethany Elementary School. >> Yeah. So, if we wanted to start, >> um, the high school has a PTSO meeting. Well, January 15th. People probably can't do that since that's tomorrow or in two days. Um, but they have a meeting on um, February 19th and March 12th. that starts at 7 o'clock PM if some if there was any interest in in somebody or two of you going to that. AMSB has meetings on February 5th and March 5th. Both of those start at 8:30 in the morning. and AMSO has a meeting on January 20th, February 24th, and March 24th. All of those start at 6:30 p.m. >> Um, do you want to send out this email maybe to see? >> Sure. Can >> who who comes back first with interest?
021>> Yeah. And then if you want to send us all of the dates in an email, then we can maybe Are you opening this up to other people on the board or just the four of us? You know, I I don't I mean I think think communications can take a lead, but to to me it would make sense like if that the people from Bethany and Woodbridge would be the ones who would do the AMSB meeting and that some you know couple people from Woodbridge would go to the feature meeting like when we do it. It seems like we would want to sort of represent our towns which means that you're certainly welcome to bring along some other members of the board but primarily coordinated by communications and then we would do the work around
022the questions that we get and how we do craft the messaging coming out of those meetings. >> Okay. So I think >> I think also crafting something of what we're presenting as well. I don't know if you want to start something and then we can maybe review that. >> So, we talked about that. I mentioned that before. So, just standardizing like the updates so that everyone gets the same updates across all the different schools. Um >> um and and it would be essentially a small infographic. We'll do a little quick blurb on the budget, quick blurb on some of the initiatives that we're trying to move forward. um you know that that are going to have benefits for their kids. So a new middle school schedule will um career um and college clusters are going
023to things like the CNA program and and the education path and then certainly what we're looking for to do in a bond referendum. Um so you know again kind of trying to highlight those um aspects and we did talk that again if we start doing more work around school start time changes it would be a venue that we could communicate that information. Um although that might sort of come best at least initially from the superintendent and the actual districts themselves and then we can kind of like lean in a little bit more. But um but yeah, so um I will send out those dates and I can start working on kind of a a handout thing that people can take with them when they go to the the meeting. >> Yeah, thanks. That would be
024great. >> Anything else uh for discussion about the PTSO outreach? So, just so that I'm I make sure I have everything correctly, we're thinking February, March each year. Um, and it will obviously we'll we can include items about the budget in that update, but we'll have other other items included as well. Um, and we'll each try to go to the elementary and middle schools that are within our our own communities. Um, and it sounds like we're open to having other board members um from our communities to join us, but this will be an effort primarily led by this communications committee. And I think we have we're missing someone to I think uh >> Donna's not here. Yes. Okay. Yeah, three of us are from Orange, but they also have the most >> Oh, do we
025have a Bethany? >> Remember? [laughter] >> No, this is the one committee where we don't have a Bethany rep. Um, just because the two of them are stretched so thin across so many other places. >> Yeah. So, um, hopefully we can send somebody and well, Autumn's kind of out of [snorts] commission for a little bit, but, um, but, you know, maybe Donna and Schlank would be able to come along just to to do a quick visit. >> Yeah. Yeah. I suspect she'd be happy to to do that. All right. Um, so we'll look out for uh the email with the with those dates and um folks can start to um select dates that work for them. >> Yeah. And I think the other one that will be easy to schedule would be Turkey Hill because
026Megan is the um chair of that PTSO. So Okay. All we have to do is just probably talk to her some night at a board meeting and that should be easy to get done. >> Okay. Um, so yeah. >> Great. All right. Uh, next item is a discussion of topics for the BOE chair newsletter. >> Okay. And just give me a second to pull that up. I had it up. Um, okay. Uh so my couple of thoughts for January um and again looking at what we did last year um we did um a quick update on the 26 27th school calendar so that way it's out there for everybody when graduation is and everything you know or when presumably last day of school is so people can sort of start planning that. Um, I think
027that'll dubtail nicely because then we can also do a brief [snorts] explanation of the school calendar policy that passed last night. So, all of that information will be forward- facing. Um, I will be able to do a very quick budget update um since I've presented to AFC already. So, that way they have um everybody has kind of where we currently stand. Um I think excuse me in terms of some of the um highlights that we will include. Um I just had an um oh I know what it was. Um so I will do an update around AMD Creative Theater um and the production of Prelude to a Kiss. But then I can also do a launch for My Fair Lady since that's coming up in the springtime um and get some information in there. I'll
028probably do something about um just kind of broadly sort of the volunteerism stuff because in December we get a lot of you know the the kids and the teachers they all raise a lot of money and do a lot of things for the community. So I'll try to capture that. Um, and then, um, I will probably do some kind of explanation of or summary of Mr. Down's school climate presentation that we had at the end of December and sort of school climate plans and where they can be found on the website and kind of just sort of try to capture the December reading in a nice short paragraph. So, I don't know if there are any other ideas. >> Um, do we have anything sports related like from the like end of the fall semester
029that we can um include? >> You know, we like we definitely had both cross country win the doublel championship and then um uh soccer, girls soccer was the runner up. the cross country boys. I was thinking we could probably put something in when we have them at the board meeting. They'll come to the board meeting for their recognition in March. >> Um so my thought was I'd wait until then and then we can and and stuff like that is covered in the paper, right? Like >> sports gets to the you know register and it's on the news. Um it's sort of this other stuff that doesn't. So, um but yeah, we'll definitely be able to do um the do the boys cross country team when they come to the board meeting. >> Okay. >> Um
030anything go ahead. >> When you were talking about the budget update, um I think it would be really nice if you were planning on it to uh have it point to where it is on the website. Um because I think the way that it's laid and maybe even hype up the way that it's laid out I think is really powerful for people to be able to click through all the pieces and the graphs and all of that. So, um you know, >> yeah, that you know what and now that honestly um I'll have to check with um my administrative assistant because we used to write these for physical publication. So, we wouldn't put hyperlinks and stuff in because it was just not working. Um I don't even know how many of these publications still have
031physical papers. I think some of them most of them are now electronic. So if that's the case, I'll check and see if they take hyperlinks because then I can just embed them into what I write. >> Yeah, I think I mean even if they are a physical paper, they usually have an online version as well. So maybe you say available under you know this spot on the website. Here's the hyperlink and here's why you should look at it because it's very interactive or something like that, you know. >> Yeah. Jen, did you say that um you'd also include information on where to find the school climate results? >> Yeah, I'm sort of I I'll kind of it's not there yet. I don't know how long it's going to take Peter to get it up. So,
032I'm going to kind of and I usually try to get this newsletter out this week. >> Yeah. >> So, I'll see if I include that or not. Um or I just might say very broadly it's you know we share this information on our website and at some point >> it will be coming at some point. Yeah. >> Okay. Um, the only other thing would be like uh anything sort of club related, any um I feel like I've watched our kids on the news and maybe you've done it in other um uh newsletters, but any any of our clubs make it to like do something spectacular, make it to some competition or anything like that? >> Yeah. And we tend to get that a little more in the into the springtime, right, as sort of the
033competitive club clubbing seasons sort of wrap up. Um I know we just got Scholastic Art Awards, >> but those haven't even gone out like in the community happenings yet. >> Okay. >> So, I'll probably hold on that until it comes around at the end of January. Um, I'm trying to think. We just got a $5,000 grant for um some, you know, Long Island Sound conservation things. But again, I'll wait until Andre gets that into his community happenings because that's what he uses for me to help create the board report. And then once it's in the board report, I'll pull from there. >> Okay. All right. >> Maybe the superintendent uh award recipients that we had last night. >> Yes, that's another one. And um because Mrs. Burke just sent one out for her kids, but
034I want to make sure I have all of them recognized. That's a good one. >> Yeah, >> cuz I don't think that was anywhere. I I hadn't seen it published anywhere. So, even one of the parents was like, "Who's being awarded?" And I was like I was like, "They didn't tell you." She's like, "No, they just told me my kid." And I was like, "Oh, okay. Yeah, I think it's amazing that that gentleman is getting that article published, right? That was like amazing. >> I think that was one of the girls. >> Yeah. One of our SR students. >> Yep. Yeah. >> Yeah. That is amazing. That's great. Any other suggestions for the chair's newsletter? Do we think we have uh enough content, Jen? >> Oh gosh. Yeah. Yeah. They usually don't like it if
035I make it more than two pages. So, um >> Okay. I was gonna say I Jen I don't know if you can get it all in there. >> Yeah, I know it may be too much. So I may have to pick and choose or just keep shorter blurbs, but I have enough certainly to get the >> get one put together. >> Okay. Um All right. Uh that's it for >> I I just have one question, Jen. That takes a lot of effort for you. I mean you you know you publish the weekly report you so I think this is a valuable um tool. Do you have any idea how many people open it? >> No because it doesn't well I could find it on our website but the whole point behind Paul's newsletter was that
036it was really to start to hit people who aren't naturally gravitating to our website um to really get it out to the much broader community. And so it, you know, when it's put into the Milford Orange Times, I have no idea how many clicks it gets. Um, but I I think it I mean, at this point, I you know, I I do think it's probably our best resource for just connecting to anyone outside of the immediate community. Um, and we did talk about and and again I'll I'll include this as once I send the letter to the PTSOs is making sure that I maintain that contact list and I send it to them specifically each month. So that way if nothing else I have another place where somebody's getting information and can kind of keep
037spreading spreading the word. Um, >> that's a great idea because it is a lot of work, almost almost duplicate work to what you do every week. So, I just want to make sure it's productive. Yeah. I mean, the nice thing is is everything's already usually written. I just have to >> go find it, cut and paste, and adjust for the audience. So, it's not >> as terrible as as crafting the original things. So for my information it's on the website orange milk for times. Where else? >> Um we have um so we send it to all four or five news outlets. >> So channel 3, you know, channel 30, Fox, um 61, who am I missing? ABC. Um, so they all get it just in case there's something that captures their interest and they want
038to pick up a story of some sort. Um, we send it to the New Haven Register. We send it to Milford Orange Times and what's the other one that's in Orange? There's two. There used to be two paper. >> There used to be two. There's only one now. >> Okay. So, we send it there. Um, and I think that's about it. But I'm not a 100% sure. I I just know my admin assistant, she has a list of what we call the the, you know, news outlets and she sends it out to them. The only one who ever consistently does anything with it is Milford Orange Times. >> Then did we you did we um publish Paul's um newsletter in the Woodbridge Town paper before? >> We did when when that existed. Yeah. >> Yeah.
039It's just sort of sad. I mean, I think we've lost again these sort of traditional communication forums have disappeared. I mean, we do, you know, when it's published, Liz, um, my social media person will, you know, she'll send out a push on Insta and on our Facebook page. Um, again, just because it it's just another way to reach people. Um, so that's that's our kind of other place that it goes out. >> Those are probably great places, too. Uh, Instagram and um, yeah. Um, >> okay. Anything else on Paul's newsletter? Um, so that's the end of our agenda, but I I want to just make uh say for our next meeting. Um, so we decided at the beginning of this academic year that we would only host one forum and I think next month is
040a good time to begin talking about topics for the May forum and thinking about dates. Um and so getting you know that process um started. Um >> Carol, [clears throat] why do we do it in May? It's like the end of the year, you know, people are people have things they're interested in and now we're we're addressing parents at the end of the year. >> Yeah. Um, so, so part of it was we didn't want to do it in the middle of budget season because that is your most important message that you should be messaging. So, pretty much February to May when the referendum happens is kind of you guys got have something else that you have to be out messaging. Um, so that wasn't a good time. Um, the other thing too is I
041think when we first started, excuse me, started doing these, May just happened to like we started mid year, so May was just kind of our first chance to do it. >> Um, you know, then when we went to two a year, [clears throat] we picked May and October. Um, I think what we really if we want to rethink this and if we still want to continue it because again there's kind of that whole question of bang for your buck when we don't get a whole lot of people showing up and for this but probably shifting it to some place I I I don't know and December are terrible because people are doing the holidays and so I'm guessing either early November or maybe like early November is probably our optimal time to do it. >>
042How about April, Jen? What are your thoughts about April? >> Still in the budget. And I mean that that's I think it I think two things happen. I think one is the the discussion can get conflated to being more about budget, which is what we're trying to avoid because we're trying to be open and transparent and talk about something else. Um, and then I think your other challenge with April is because you have a vacation week in there, everything else is already cramped and crammed. Um, you know, we have to do our regular board meeting before the week of vacation, then we have the week of vacation, and then we do our our second board meeting. So, we just don't have that. It's just sort of takes up that extra space. Um, you know, those
043would be my my two sort of perspectives on it. I don't know that it's April is a terrible idea. It probably would be hard for us to get it organized this year in time for April. Um, I guess that's the the other thing is just um, you know, from my staffing perspective, um, you know, Terry and I are are still, you know, I guess we're okay with the budget by then once we've once we have it out for um, once we've approved it through the the annual meeting. >> October. I think I think we should look at doing it in October. October seems to be a like I feel like everyone's kind of done with the whole back to school nights and we're in school and everyone's back to schedule and I think October would
044be good obviously this year we'll just do it in May and then maybe rethink doing it in October and that be the time to do it. It doesn't give us time. But >> so the problem and again, so this is what I think we have to rethink and maybe we just build out a timeline at our next meeting. If in October, right, we don't have time to plan it out because we literally come back, our first meeting is September and then we're rolling to the forum. Maybe what we should really do is spend our springtime like April, May meetings, planning the October meeting. It may not be a responsive topic, you know, like in the moment. Oh my gosh, this is the hot button issue that we have. But if we can thoughtfully come up
045with something that we think is meaningful for our families, we can plan it at the end of the year and have it ready to launch as soon as October hits. Um, and that would probably be a better cycle for us because Dana, I agree, October really is for us the best month. Back to school nights are done and Mrs. LA plant really hasn't started junior planning, senior college stuff like all that other those other meetings haven't started. Um, you know, and it's a lot to ask parents to come out to multiple meetings per night. Um, you know, you'll you got the email that Tom Brandt has a whole slew of mental health and wellness meetings that for open for families, but they're all in the springtime. So, um, and that's typically his pattern because he
046kind of sees what's going on with the kids and then he sort of picks the topics that we think are going to be most important. So, I think really for us and, you know, for our purposes, October or like I said, that first week in November are our two best choices. And then we sort of fit in nicely with everybody else. Yeah, I I like the idea of sort of spending our time in the spring planning. I think that also gives us an opportunity to drop the dates for the forum, you know, in different uh um pieces of dissemination and like on the calendar on the website, things like that. So that we increase the chances of people sort of >> Well, you may get more Yeah, you may get to you also may get
047more participation to new new parents. New parents at AMD, right? >> Yeah. >> Do we still have the opportunity to pull for topics just to see what's going on in people's minds out there? >> Um, yeah, we certainly can. Um, >> I mean, I know we didn't get a lot of traction on that, but maybe that's because we were doing two and, you know, there was two years where we did two. Maybe now that we haven't had one in a while, maybe there'll be more. just because it it's interesting to see what the parents are thinking. I mean, right now I don't have a kid in the school, so I don't I'm kind of far from that. Um I was more in it when Carlo was in, but just to see what they're buzzing about.
048>> Let me see if I can use the school climate survey, which we send out in about March and we get live time results on that. If I can embed a question on the parent survey around that, we would have the data that would help us plan in the springtime. It's not asking parents to complete an extra survey. I hate asking parents to complete extra surveys, but um if I can embed that um then we might be able to pull a little data from there. And I mean and and it'll it'll be a good seems to be a good representation of our parents. We have enough people completing it, it's statistically significant. So good. >> I feel like the uh middle school schedule, not that that necessarily has to be the topic, but maybe whatever
049topic we pick has some part of that because I feel like that's something that community-wise there's a lot of misunderstanding about and uncertainty about. >> So that'll that'll actually happen more at the school level because of kids registering. So, that's going to really fall on the shoulders of Mrs. Burke and Dr. Tracy um as they push out to sixth grade families and then as we roll our seventh grade kids up. The nice thing is that for sixth graders, they haven't experienced it, so they have no clue what is really going to be different or the the same. Um it'll be it we'll have our biggest um kind of trepidation with the seventh into eighth grade crew um because they had old and now they have new. Um but um but I think um I think
050that will be more local at the at the school level. Um and and honestly it's the best place to do it because we get more parents who will come out for parent information night for 6 to 7 and registration for 7 and 8 forum we could ever possibly pull together. So that's good. it is the best place to have that kind of conversation and to share that information. >> I just know like with the unleveling sometimes that >> these kinds of things take uh people get really into it even if it doesn't impact them and they have a lot of opinions and misinformation. So um just something I was maybe it's a small portion of what we other stuff we talk about but um >> well what may happen is would be sort of a
051reflect because we would be what two months into it so kind of a reflection on how it's going at the time. >> Yeah. Okay. >> Are you thinking the polling would be for the May forum or for something in the fall? Like would we get the >> something in the fall? >> Okay. We'll focus on the on October. And you said that parent the uh parent climate surveys March. >> Yeah, we usually send it out. Um well, you know, I have to double check. Maybe I don't know if we're doing one this year because it's every other year, but I can still use that time frame and sort of that same tool to to and the same process to send that out. So, I'll I'll have to double check with Peter. It just occurred to
052me that yeah, we're only supposed to do it once every two years, but So maybe it won't be so bad. >> Okay, >> great. Um items for our next agenda or topics that um you want to see reflected on the agenda for next month. Anyway, if you have uh suggestions, uh Jen and I will connect and figure out next month's uh agenda. Um please feel free to send them along to to Jen or or to >> go ahead, Dana. Go ahead. >> I just was going to ask, do we have the dates for when you're going to be presenting the budget presentations to the um towns? >> Yeah. Um it, excuse me, it's actually on the website right now. Um, if you go to the budget, you'll see my presentation to the AFC and it's
053the second to last slide there. So, I'm actually heading to Bethany in 10 minutes. So, >> what about the um not the actual AF, not to the individual finance boards, but you did like a community I don't remember what you called it, but you came out to Orange and did like a It wasn't to the board of finance. It was >> Yeah, it's their public hearing. >> Public hearing. So, I only Orange is the only town that asks me to do that >> and they set the date and I don't know when it is. So, I will go when they tell me >> it's happening, but it's usually in April. >> April because I'd like to get that communicated out. >> Um, there was a decent attendance, but I I think if people want to
054get information or question things, then that's a really great place to go. Well, where they should be coming and they never do is our public forum. >> We have a we have a public hearing in April every single year and nobody comes to it. >> And where do we where do we advertise? Just on the website for that. >> Um no, we I mean it'll be it'll be I usually put it into one of Paul's newsletters. We'll put it out on Facebook. It actually um I was going to say no, it's not there. And it's Yeah. So, it's in our it's in those two places. Um, you know, and then obviously posted like any other board meeting, but nobody ever pays attention to that stuff. But, um, >> but yeah, we we we mostly push
055it out through and then we'll do popups on the website and stuff like that, so you know, our immediate community will will notice that it's coming. Um, Yeah. Yeah. We'll we'll do everything that we can. >> Yeah. cuz I really want to try to to plug that a lot cuz I think that should be it was a little disappointing that nobody came last year to ours and we had a good turnout in Orange but nobody questioned anything. So, I want to try to be that plug for listen, if you're questioning this or you're questioning that, please come to this and question, [snorts] you know, because that's it's disappointing to me that anybody has any questions about things or they want to complain about things, but then there's two public for hearings and no one gets
056up and says anything. >> Yeah. >> So, I'm going to try to be a plug for those two hearings. >> Well, and it's also a good place for people to lend their support, right? Because again, there's this perception that I I realize it costs money, but and everybody hates the budget, but I mean, when you're the lowest budget in the state, like maybe you should, you know, come out and support it, >> right? >> Yeah. Dana, I think another um potential outlet to advertise is like through the town committees. >> Yeah. >> You know, so um that's that's another way. So, >> yeah, definitely. >> Yeah. see if he can swim. >> All right. >> Yeah. So, once you have those dates, if you want to share them with us, that would be helpful. >>
057So, yeah, I think on the probably on my slide, the only one I don't have is our public budget hearing. Um, I'll include it with the PTSOs, but it's the um it is April 6th. And Jen, who usually gives you the orange one? >> John Sarelli. He usually just emails Terry and tells her what day we're supposed to be there. >> Okay. I'll reach out, see if I can get that. >> I mean, I would have to think that Kevin Hulahan or Jim Ley knows what the date is right now. >> Yep. I'll get it. >> All right. Anything else? before adjournment. All right. If there's nothing else, I'll uh adjourn our meeting at 6:22 p.m. >> Right. Great. Thank you everybody. Thank you.