001Good evening everyone. It's Monday the 23rd of March and it is 7:00 3:00. My apologies for being late. Um Uh I have to read a little notice. Notice of Shepaug Valley Regional School District 12 Public Budget Hearing. Notice is hereby given that the budget hearing for Regional 12 District of Regional School District 12 will be held in the library of the Shepaug Valley School 159 South Street, Washington, Connecticut on Monday, March 23rd, 2026 at 7:00 p.m. Do you do attendance? I don't It's not on here. >> I noticed that. Do I need to say my name? Say my name. Do I need Say uh Jennifer Pote >> Yes. >> Chairwoman Board of Education, Shepaug Valley Regional School District 12. Thank you. I'm going to for giggles for Alex's sake, um Justin. Oh. Goodness. Oh, hey.
002Hi. >> What's up? Can you Can you please just do attendance? >> Sure. >> Thank you. Joe Abdalla Here. Victoria Saillon >> Here. Stephanie Komanek Jesse Leavenworth Here. Angela Macky Rullo Here. Alex McNaughton Here. Justin Angley here. Jen Pote Here. Jane Sargent Here. James Uh Pete Tagli Mary Webber Here. and Christine White Egg Here for the process. What What would you just Yeah. Um And it's customary this time I understand for the superintendent to just give an overview of the budget process and how it built to this point. So, the budget process is very inclusive, very collaborative. Starts early in the fall when I schedule meetings with all building leaders and they have time to reflect on their needs and they talk to their leadership teams, instructional leaders, content coaches, teacher leaders and they put
003together their requests for their building budgets along with other departments like facilities and technology and I meet with all of them. Nicole and I do and I consider their requests carefully and there's a lot of dialogue in those meetings. Again, it's very collaborative. It's meant to be teamwork. And after we have those discussions, I take a look at the requests and then working with Nicole I try to narrow them so that they achieve what we need in a way that's most responsible and then I present those reductions to the school leaders so they know what's happening. And then we move forward by me preparing a budget presentation that I deliver to the board and that the board considered several weeks ago. I then also invite involvement of our PTOs and make sure they stay abreast
004of what's happening and I visit with the selectmen all three at a luncheon that we provide the day after my budget presentation and I also make a little Harry Truman-esque whistle-stop train tour around to talk to each Board of Finance so that they understand our budget. Uh and then after all that's done, we come back and have a series of budget workshops here whereby the board and the public get to at certain point ask questions and other times make comments about the budget leading us to the hearing that we're at now where folks could again board members can certainly in a minute begin discussing the budget and if the public were here, they could make comments about the budget. Um and that's where we are right now and that leads up to um later tonight
005or when the board decides to be able ready to do that, leads up to a board vote to adopt the budget and then it becomes the board's budget and then we will announce um at after that process when town meetings and town votes will happen which around here are in early May. So, that's the an overview of the budget process. Thank you. Thank you. Um Are there any public comments regarding the 2026-27 budget? Okay. Thanks, Ben. Okay. So can I have a motion to adjourn? Motion. Second? All in favor? I. Anyone opposed? We are adjourned. Okay, now the the agendas we will done issue for tonight and then provide a set for a second regular board meeting after the budget hearing and that's uh set to occur at 7:30 or immediately following the budget hearing.
006So, um I suppose we're ready to segue into that board meeting now. I think so. Yes. Uh I think we have to Um I would say hi, welcome to tonight's meeting. Uh Monday, March 23rd at um 7:00 09. Can you please take attendance cuz actually there's somebody new with us. Joe Abdalla Here. Vicky Saillon >> Here. Stephanie Komanek Jesse Leavenworth Here. Angela Macky Rullo Here. Alex McNaughton Here. Justin Angley here. Jen Pote >> Here. Jane Sargent Here. Pete Tagli Mary Webber Here. Christine White Egg Thank you. Um moving on to public comment on agenda items. Okay. Thank you. Uh we're going to move on to the consent agenda. So, um Alex I found I did not find anything to complain about. >> fantastic. What That's even fantastic. So, thank you. Um so, can we since
007there's nothing to complain about, we can just accept the agenda for the consent agenda for what it is? So, that is wonderful. I am speechless. Uh that's great. Moving on now to uh uh board reports and recognitions which would be me. So, um which I'm actually very excited about. I had spoken to I spoke with Dr. Shells about um this uh senior projects and I had um after Dane had reached out asking me to um uh talk about his senior project that was out in the foyer and I felt badly cuz it was a budget workshop so it wasn't our traditional uh kind of meeting so there wasn't a lot of people here. Um so, unfortunately he didn't get the kind of traffic that I was hoping he would get so I I am going
008to invite him back on a maybe a little bit busier meeting. But it did uh I actually Stephanie and I were talking afterwards, too, and it um made me think that I think that from here until the end of the school year, I want to invite all of our seniors to uh the opportunity to come and speak to the board about their senior project. Um they don't have to do a full 45-minute presentation. We'll save that for their big day. Um but I did think it would be a great opportunity for them to share with us a little bit about what they're working on all year. Um maybe practice a little about speaking publicly and um share a little bit with us about what they're doing and what they have been working on and maybe
009even dare to invite us to their big night their big day um possibly if they have it on their schedule as they get a little closer. Um so uh Wendy Youngblood uh did in in fact invite started inviting some of her students and lucky enough our first student is here who is Ryan Saillon. So, uh Mr. Saillon, would you love to come up cuz I know I would We all would. We'd love to hear about your project. So, thank you for being our first uh senior to share with us. Of course. Uh hello everyone. Uh thank you for letting me come here today and talk about my senior project. Uh if you don't know me, I'm Ryan Saillon with the best mother in the world, Vicky Saillon. Of course I have to say that because
010I have to eat dinner at some point tonight. So, hopefully Chinese. Uh yeah, fingers crossed for that one. Um and I'd like to start off uh you know, following uh Ms. Pote's remarks, uh you're all invited to my final presentation. I don't know what date that is, what time that is, or where it's going to be, but I'd like to invite all you because uh my project uh is pretty important to the community, the athletes of our community. Uh when I started my project coming out of the summer and walking to the senior year, I didn't know what I wanted to do. Uh my mind there's a lot going on it, college, sports, you know, uh school so senior projects was kind of the one thing that I was pushing off to the end of
011it, but I finally came around and decided that I wanted to update some of our facilities and benefit the athletes. So, uh what I've done is I've started to deconstruct and reconstruct the shot put pit down at the uh track uh with the soccer field over there. And uh I'm actually 95% of the way done. Uh what I have to do left is install a perimeter around uh the shot put pit. Um but that will not be easy because uh it's 14-ft wood beams and they're pretty big. Um but the reason why I did this project is to benefit the community. I've written it so many times in papers that I've written for classes. Uh I've said it in numerous presentations. Um Shepaug has given me so much. Region 12 has given me so much.
012It's a great education, a great experience, great social life, great people all around me. And I couldn't figure out what else to do than do something to benefit Shepaug. Um the shot put pit was very old. It was lacking technology. When I say technology, I say drainage or uh you know, updated facilities. It was practically a mud pit, which practicing in that was not the best scenario. So, I decided to call uh some people to help me and I was thankful uh enough to get Connor Dusky in Washington to help me. He brought his excavator and his uh truck and he dug up about a foot of dirt and we threw it off to the side of the hill, which Mr. O'Leary and Mr. Parachi said was okay to do. And then we filled that
013up with some gravel and with some stone dust. Now, stone dust is a very fine gravel. It's kind of crushed gravel and uh that's pretty universally uh used for shot put pits. And I I mean, I'm practically done with it, like I said earlier, but it was a long process. There was a lot of issues that we came across. Um like the ground that the school initially built the pit on was unlevel. So, it's a big slant and the ball kind of rolls to the left down the hill a little bit now. Um going to try to find a way to work that out. Maybe order some more stone dust. And that was kind of what my first semester looked like building the shot put pit. My second semester is looking more towards the athletic
014side of everything, the training side. Uh December 18th, I got a knee surgery, which has stopped me from doing everything athletic. So, I can't run, I can't jump, I can't do any exercises. So, that's been uh pretty uh negative on me, but so I'm going to be rehabbing, doing training, and uh whole bunch of stuff that goes with that. But like I said earlier, the challenges that I face, you know, there's if there's a problem, there's a solution. My dad says that to me all the time and I found solutions for everything. I was actually short about um 8 yd of stone, which doesn't seem like a lot, but in reality, it is about four truck loads of stone and that took up two days just transporting to and from uh the stockyard that we
015got it from. So, it was pretty big uh a pretty big job to do, but we got it done. And then of course, um stone's pretty expensive. And being a 17-year-old who works over at the GW Tavern, I don't make that kind of money to pay for stone. So, I was grateful enough to have my parents help me out a little bit, but even then uh they were a little unhappy with the bill that was sent their way. And there I think there's going to be a couple more bills. Sorry, Mom. Kind of destroyed the grass down there. So, we're headed to Home Depot. Um so, I I'm thankful enough to be uh helped by the Shepaug Senior Project Fund. I was able to get $500 from them, which uh I can't thank them enough
016for. That's it was really great. And then uh Miss Grant, she's been helping me a lot. Um I actually have a meeting uh soon to be set up with National Iron Bank down in the Depot. And uh they said that they'd be more than willing to help me with some of those financial uh burdens that have been placed on my shoulders. So, in that meeting, I'm going to be looking for uh donations from their top clients in their portfolio and I'm going to see what I can do to take this weight off of my shoulders and to keep my project going because once I figure out the finances for my project, I could look forward into what am I going to be doing for the next two months until my presentation. How can I make
017everything so big yet so small to where it can fit into a 45-minute presentation. So, my project uh you know, it taught me a lot about life. Public speaking is the first one. How to uh come up with solutions to problems is the second. And you know, focusing on myself, who I am and what I can do to better myself and the people around me. So, you know, I thank Shepaug for giving me the opportunity to do this senior project and I look forward to what else I could do. Uh if anyone has any questions, uh uh I can answer those. Well, I just have to say I remember the first time, although I know it was a rocky start for you and I, but I do remember the first time that you did uh
018No, but I but even then, like I do you left such a strong impression with me when the first time you did your first public speaking at the board meeting and you did impress me then, but you've I mean, just listening to you now, you you're just such an impressive young man and and you're so comfortable speaking in front of so many people, especially at the board level and I just I'm you're not even my son and I'm so proud of you. So, I can't wait to see how well you do at your senior project. You're done so well. So, >> Yeah, thank you. I hope I do well. There's a there's a lot of stuff to cover in there. >> to be great. Two-week building process and it's still ongoing. So, uh it's going
019to be a lot to put into 45 minutes, but I hopefully I could do it. I think I think I'll do a good job. I don't know. I can't predict the future, but yeah, it's all been great. I hope not. I'm a little too tired in the morning. So, I'm going to try to go more towards the afternoon. You're going to be fine. Yeah, thank you. Ryan, if you're so excited and you are that you're about worried you're going to be able to fit all the good stuff into the 45 minutes, that's a good problem to have. >> That's right. Yeah. I know some folks are on the other side of that coin and yours is where you want to be. >> Yeah. I can tell from what you're speaking right now that you're going
020to be very adept and fast with I'm not I don't have much of a brain for engineering or fixing stuff. They know that about me around here, but how the heck do you go about leveling that much space? I mean, know and knowing that it's level. You can't get out there with a 4-ft level and keep putting it on the ground, right? How do How do you do that? Yeah, so the 4-ft level was actually my original idea. Uh I was going to bring a 4-ft level and try to level out the whole thing until I realized that that would take a lot of time and I don't have time. Time was actually against me because we started this on Thanksgiving, right after Thanksgiving. And the weather's it started to snow, it started to rain.
021It actually got so dark at night to the point where I had to pull my car down onto the track and shine my lights on the building area. But so, how I leveled it was there's actually a machine, I want to say machine, but it's a device where you put it on a flat surface and it sends a laser out in a 360° um circle. All right. So, we did that and we were able to see what parts were level, what parts weren't level and that kind of told us where to distribute our gravel, where to build uh certain structures. So, although it's not perfectly level right now, um like Connor Dusky said to me, you can't fight Mother Nature. Uh-huh. So, with the way that the earth is built, I can't ask uh any
022groundskeepers to put more dirt in a certain area cuz then it would be soft and you don't want a 14-16 lb ball to land on a soft area and then the whole thing's dented. So, the leveling was a big process. Uh took about half a day to do that, but after that, it was smooth rolling. So, um it Yeah, it was a hard process, but we were able to use the laser and get everything sorted out. >> Nice work. >> Great. Thank you. For those who don't know, Connor Dusky, um who is he and who is he to Shepaug? Yeah. So, he actually graduate graduated Shepaug, I want to say somewhere between 2016 and 2019. I think it was 16. I could be Yeah, I think it was 2016. Um he played soccer here. So,
023when I asked him, I reached out to him, I called him and I said, "Hey, is there any chance that you might be able to help me? I know that one of my friends works for you because he runs Dusky Landscaping and Estate Care, which I know a lot of people in the area use and he does great work." Um and he was actually kind enough to do all the work uh to help me for free, which was great. Yeah. >> Uh he was he actually paid for some of the materials, which I have to pay him back for, obviously, as a good person. Yes, sorry about this. He's so great. A lot of money. Um but so, Connor Dusky, he's great. Uh I couldn't ask for a better person to help me Mhm. because
024if he didn't help me, I was going to have to rent an excavator myself, which that would have cost $2,800. Yeah. So, that would have doubled whatever expenses I had. So, um you know, he just he told me originally, he told me throughout the work day, the work weeks that helping the Shepaug community is what he wanted, which we connected on that. We both want to help the community. And he said whatever he could do to give back to Shepaug is, you know, he could do his best opportunity there. Well, I have a soft spot for Connor, too. He's really a an amazing kid kid-ish young man. And he he really does give back to the community cuz for the senior center, he reached out to me and said, "Is there anyone that um needs
025help? Um please let me know." And so, um he has done that and he there's a few seniors that he goes and um cleans up their yard and does some things for her. So, he's he's an amazing young man. So, that doesn't surprise me at least, but so I'm glad the two of you connected. That's amazing. Any other questions for Ryan? >> I I just had one. Obviously, track season starting soon. So, you kind of have that deadline, right, to get that done by? Yeah, so track season actually started today today and the coaches came up to me and they said, "Ryan, there is a pile of wood sitting right next to the shot put pit. What do you want us to do for that?" And I told them I explained my scenario. In order
026to install wood into the ground, you need completely dry surface because once you install wood and if it's muddy, the rod that I would be using to install the wood would shift and then that would cause the wood to shift, which would lead to the perimeters um to move and those actually follow CIAC guidelines. So, I'm kind of on a time crunch. The weather isn't helping me out. It was actually snowing earlier today, which made the ground completely wet and that kind of pushed me back, I want to say a couple days, but I'm looking at the weather, it's still raining for the next couple days. Um but the second it's dry, I was talking to my parents about it actually. The second it's dry, I'm going up I'm coming up to Shepaug and I'm
027installing all the wood because once this is this pit is done, the weight's off my shoulders and I can look forward into what my future holds for me. Yeah. Yeah. Ryan, you were out there and it was snowing today? Yeah, I was out there. >> Were any of you nervous that I was going to close school? I was hoping for it. I looked outside and I said, "Oh, it's snowing. Maybe we're going home a little early today." >> Uh didn't happen. Yeah, so. But next time it snows, the students would appreciate to go home a little early. Yeah, I should have you kids make a video that I can play for the kids. You know, you're all singing and dancing, it's a snow day. Then we can play when we have snow days. Would you
028be interested in being in that video? >> I'd be more than happy. All right. Yeah. >> Thanks. I can incorporate that into my project actually. The weather's affecting me. Well, thank you so much, Ryan. We really appreciate it and we look forward to your presentation. >> perfect. Thank you. So, thank you. Well done. All right, perfect. Yeah. Thank you. Well, that was exciting. So, I appreciate that. Thank you. Um that's it for me. Um yeah, other than we're just really excited to see more presentations from our senior senior project. >> And thanks for making that invitation, Ms. Polio. I think that's great for our kids to get some more publicity and start recreating the connections between the school and the community and and experience. and experience public speaking and so forth. If they can do
029it in front of you, they can do it in front of anybody. So, with your permission, I'll just go to my short report, which tonight is not very involved. Um just two field trips to inform the board about since they're out of state. One is to the Great East Festival in Agawam, Massachusetts, which is a band competition. That's on May 1st. That's a great experience for our student musicians to be able to play in a in an audience that is there to hear just them uh and to get um feedback from professionals and experts. It's called an adjudication on their performance and they get feedback that will help them grow and improve. So, that's on on May 1st and then there's a trip that the board already knows about and you were informed about to
030the Bronx Zoo, which is a middle school trip. Um the students go to observe animals in their natural ecosystems. Well, not natural, right? But a reconstructed natural ecosystem. Uh it's part of a science unit on ecology. Um that's an important trip and that's scheduled to happen uh now on June 10th because it got the weather preempted it last time. So, those are just the the two things that I wanted to tell the board about tonight. Thanks. Now, moving on to the treasurer's report, Alex. I'm going to combine the F&O report with the treasurer's report. >> Okay. Uh the F&O met hold on on March 2nd and Nicole presented numbers through February 2026 and we reviewed some of the items but we're in good shape for the last four months of the year. Uh we also
031were presented with the audit for 2024-25. There were no findings. For those of you who don't know about accounting, a finding is not a good thing. You don't want them to find something wrong with your numbers or procedures. Um on page 50 uh they reconfirmed the number of of 684,108 dollars that are to go back to the three towns. Um also, the pension fund is 94.02% funded um uh which is which is very strong. If you look around the state, particularly some of the bigger cities, their funds are they're not funded very much at all. Um Let me just uh we were we we got a presentation of the 2026-27 budget without actual numbers in it, more about the show that uh the Don put on for us. Um Currently, there are 812 students in
032Region 12 and core values are being stressed. Uh the strategic plan was discussed and one of the things that was stressed is a partnership between the school and the community. Um and to get more publicity for the school and in a positive note. And that is my report. Thank you, Alex. Um Committee reports, agriscience, Mary. Uh we had our last meeting of the year tonight and let's see some of the things that happened. The advisory committee the agriscience advisory committee is going to meet the new one is going to meet for the first time next Monday um in the agriscience building section. Um things that have been going on, the the We had a Correct me if I'm wrong. We had 100% of the uh students that were accepted uh from us actually accepted us
033as and they're going to be our students and they will be with our freshmen the freshmen that are this year. Those children are going to be going on shadow days so that they can find out what's going on and and how that works. Um our I think he said six students students went to SUNY SUNY Cobleskill for an ag mechanics uh presentation there. And then the we make donations to the to the food banks and that comes from in the winter it comes from our hydroponic uh growing and that's coming to an end so those those will that will change but I think some of the other the traditional growing will take the place of that so they'll still be going to making donations. Um the floral arrangements are are available for the rest of
034the year. Um that started in January and they said that we make a small profit off that. Um so that and well, any money that they that they make from um you know, sales or from that from the floral arrangements, that money goes into the student activity fund. Uh let me Oh, they had they had ag day at the capital and two of our kids uh were interviewed by Fox 61 News. And Don's going to show you a little bit of that at another time. Okay. I'm going to get a hold of that footage and I'll put it in a in this week's um We got enough built up for a good juicy Friday update this week so I'll put it in there. And then the ag plant sale is is May 9th and and
035it starts at 10:00 and so we hope you'll all go and support our kids. And then of course then our farm to table dinner, that's put on by the friends uh no, parents, friends and FFA alumni. Uh that's happening on May 2nd and that will be a dinner served at Wallingford Farm and then there will and then before that, the agriscience students will make hors d'oeuvres. So, there'll be a whole whole thing and like I said before, Mike Ratman and all a kid that graduated from Shepaug Shepaug in uh he'll be he's the chef so it'll it'll that'll be fun. So, I hope you'll all come. Because it's fun. It's great. It's a great time. That's it. Thank you. So, I appreciate that. Thank you. Um moving on to uh curriculum Justin. Nothing new. Our
036next meeting is April 6th. Thank you. Edvance, Joe. Uh the latest Edvance board meeting had approvals for two healthy food food certifications, which are the healthy food option and the food and beverage exemption. The 20 the 2026-2027 board meeting schedule was also approved during this meeting. And we also approved the uh addition of Region 10 into the EdAdvance member district uh member um member schools. Uh this district was in uh the the CREC um They fell under the the the CREC guidelines, so they've decided to switch to EdAdvance cuz it was um it's a better fit with their size of the school district. Uh also, we had a quick review of the budget for next year, which has a slight de- decrease in reserves, but the sale of the Workspace Connecticut and the funds from
037the IRS regard- regarding their employee retention tax credit process have yielded some financial gains, which will be applied to next year's budget. Uh also, the governor has allocated 830 30,000 to the agency to continue the funding of the school-based mental health program, um which they lost many of the staff. Now they are starting to rehire some of that staff back. Um and unfortunately, the current this current funding only lasts through December of 2026. So, they are still looking for uh a way to fund it through the year through the 20 uh 2027 school year. And that's my report. Thanks, Joe. Um Alex, back to you for finance and operations, which you already did. So, >> One quick comment. I I want to make sure it gets in the minutes that there was popcorn served today.
038Duly noted. >> That was my uh report. Thank you. Uh labor negotiations, Vicki. Nothing new to report. Policy, Justin. Nothing new. Our next meeting is April 27th. Okay. Uh uh long-range planning committee, we met on the 16th of March, where uh Dr. Shells and Carrie Snowden um updated us on the uh year two of the strategic plan. We talked about the update, which was the powerful learning, the teaching and learning. Um where we talked about year two's deliverables. All right. Like my I'm trying to read my chicken scratch cuz I haven't sent in my um minutes yet. Um and then also talked about the um the teaching and learning council. That's Is that right? I'm looking to you to make sure I'm getting it all right. Okay. And then the subcommittees as well. I didn't
039get the uh number four, but we talked about um uh the six different subcommittees. Four. Oh, I have the Okay. The six. Uh which was these um establishing the collegiate walks. That was right. Um the lab sites, the um elementary school, the teaching the visiting the classrooms. And then what was the fourth? One. The vision of learner, yep. Yep. That's right. Thank you. Okay. Great. Um and that that was basically this one. Yes. So, thank you. And it was um very informative, and we had a very uh we were limited in time, but it was a very fruitful conversation, and we had a lot of questions, and it was really great. So, thank you for that. Um and moving on to old We have no old business, new business, which is to discuss the um
040the It says 25 26 budget. Um which is um if we are ready to make a motion to set and approve the schools' budget for the 26-27 year in the amount of I always get like nervous reading amounts. Uh 29,128,139. Am I saying that right? Uh or a 3.11% increase over last year's budget with a request to the towns at referendum of 27,282,967, a 2.96% increase over last year's request to the towns at referendum. Um B, to And so, first of all, I need a motion for that. Motion. Second. Second. Okay. So, is there discussion? Right. All in favor? Anyone opposed? Any abstentions? It's a unanimous vote, right, Pete? Okay. So, it would be a unanimous vote. Great. So, terrific. You need your um microphone on. Having been on the board a quite a while,
041in the old days or the olden days, we would usually go to into each town and have a meeting in each town about our budget. Yep. We We're going to do we're doing that. >> by a meeting? Well, the the we would have a uh uh a board meeting and in at in each town and to discuss our budget and listen to the people who were going to have to pay for that budget. >> two things. Well, first of all, Donna and Nicole went to each town and had a board and had a meeting with each board of finance. >> Okay, well, that that that but that's what we used to do, basically. >> covers that. And I we've also had um two budget workshops, where anyone has been welcome to come here and have
042conversations with us. And so, Well, the only reason I say I'd like to cover all the options because there are people who do oppose our budgets from time to time, and sometimes it's best to be in a room with uh Well, I think Donna and Nicole covered that by meeting with the boards of finance in each of the three towns. Yeah. Yep. I was talking more about meeting with the people. Well, they're public meetings. >> Well, was that a public meeting, Nicole? All three towns >> Everybody in town was notified of the meeting. Yes, those they're public meetings that are warned to the town. Yes. >> Okay. Yep. Yep. Okay. So, again, unanimous vote. So, we are moving on to motion uh B, to set the annual district meeting date for May 4th, 2026, uh
043and a possible referendum date for May 5th, 2026. Can I have a motion? I so move. And can I have a second? Second. All in favor? I. I. Anyone opposed? Any abstentions? Passes unanimously. May I Can I have a motion to adjourn? Can I have a second? Second. Great. Thank you, everyone.