001Welcome. Sorry. This is always It's hard to believe this is our last board event evening for the school year. It's always an uh an enjoyable evening to recognize so many people. So, Mr. Angley, can you please take attendance? Joe Abdella here. Greg Cava here. Victoria Salon. Stephanie Colnik here. Angelo Mirulo, Alex Mcnauten here, Justin Angley here, Jen Pod here, Jane Sergeant here, Pete Tagley, Mary Weber, and Christine Wedig. Uh, like to welcome Dr. Rodrigue for recognitions. Good evening everyone. This is a wonderful night because we're usually celebrating kids, but tonight we're celebrating all of our wonderful adults, our staff, and our volunteers. And much of this is sentimental for me because this is my last year. They've brought me back three times. Um, but we're here because of the dedication of their efforts to support
002our students and our schools. some through volunteer work and others a talented members of the faculty. And we also say goodbye this evening to those who will be leaving for a muchdeserved retirement. So I want to begin this evening's program with a recognition first of our teacher and parah of the year. We're going to start with Brienne Leslie who is being recognized for the Anmarie Murphy para profofessional award. The award was named for Anarie Murphy who was a victim of the Sandy Hook tragedy. The award is bestowed upon paraprofessionals throughout the state for their work with our special education students and who devote their time and effort to care for and support our most vulnerable students so they can be successful learners. Come on up, Brian. Brienne Leslie has been a dedicated PAR educator in
003region 12 since 2003, most recently supporting the special education department at Burnham School. She is an outstanding member of our staff who whose presence positively influences every part of the school community. Miss Leslie received numerous nominations for this recognition. One in particular captures the essence of her impact in region 12. It goes like this. Brienne consistently demonstrates exceptional skill and dedication in every aspect of her work. She gives a 100% of herself to her job, the students, the staff, and the entire school community. Bri is instrumental in helping students find success, providing unwavering support not only to the children she works with, but also to teachers and fellow staff members. She is always willing to step in whenever needed, going above and beyond to assist and ensure the school day runs smoothly. Bree's commitment, reliability,
004and care have made her an integral part of the school family. Graduates. Next, we are proud to celebrate Chris Dennis, our region 12 teacher of the year. The the teacher of the year committee reads nominations from across the entire school community. Our teacher of the year program recognizes caring, dedicated, a highly professional staff who have made a mark in the classroom, established a rapport with students, colleagues, and families, and contributed to the positive climate and culture of the school. This year, the region 12 teacher of the year committee received six nominations. The committee made up of five most recent recipients of the award carefully considered each nomination and the amazing contributions of everyone. Although the decision was difficult as all of the nominees were worthy candidates, the committee determined that Chris Dennis's accomplishments and longstanding
005commitment to the students of region 12 rose above the rest. Come on up. Mr. Dennis has earned this award and there are some sentiments I'd like to read. Mr. Dennis's humanities students collaborate, debate, speak, listen, and question. Mr. Dennis views these skills not simply as vehicles to help achieve content learning, but ways to lift each other up, build relationships, and foster community. He has a profound understanding of the challenges that some students face, and he wants to build classroom experiences that will lead to success for all students. Chris is a voice for professionalism, integrity, and forward thinking. He challenges his colleagues to think critically about the role of the school in a child's life. Mr. Dennis has served for many years as model UN adviser. He was previously the adviser also for the world affairs
006forum and he's he is also our longtime beloved golf coach. Mr. Dennis's work in the classroom is the number one reason that he has made our school a better place. Mr. Dennis puts his brain and his heart into his work. Congratulations. Okay, next on our agenda are what we call the volunteers extraordinaire. These individuals go above and beyond for our schools to support our students, our staff, and our entire school community in so many ways. When I call your name, please come up to accept a gift on our behalf. We're going to start with Millie Johnson Booth Free School. Millie Johnson has been an outstanding parent volunteer whose dedication and generosity hasn't gone unnoticed. As the longtime treasurer of the PTO, Malia has not only managed responsibilities with care and precision, but she has also
007gone gone above and beyond in her support of the school. She has played a key role in organizing and running beloved events such as the annual Santa's breakfast and Holly Jolly Boutique along with countless other schoolwide activities that bring joy and connection to the students and families. Millie approaches every task with a positive attitude and thoughtful collaboration, always putting students at the heart of her work. Her willingness to give more than is ever expected ensures that our school continues to be a vibrant and caring place for all. Congratulations again to Millie. The next uh volunteer extraordinaire, Miranda Har is not able to attend, but I do want to read um a little bit on on her behalf. Miranda is this year's Burnham School volunteer. Miranda's commitment to the school and the Bridgewater community is always
008apparent. Miranda is a tireless advocate of student needs and a staunch supporter of faculty and staff. She has been an active member of the PTO and has served as the vice president for the past year. Miranda has helped plan and run many fundraisers and events for the students. In addition, most recently, she chaired the Barrels and Blooms fundraiser, which raised nearly $20,000 for the Burnham PTO. Miranda is also very active around town and with the Burnham Library. We are pleased to recognize Miranda for her dedication to Burnham School and Bridgewater. The next volunteer extraordinaire is Alexandra Patrick from the from SVS the Agra Science Academy. We are thrilled to announce Alexander Patrick as this year's volunteer of the year. She has been an integral part of the Shap FFA parents, friends, and alumni organization, bringing
009incredible energy and commitment to everything she does. After helping lead last spring's successful farm-to-table event, she stepped up even further this year by taking on an officer's role. once again spearheading the farm-totable dinner, raising funds, rallying support, and making it all come together. Her dedication, creativity, and hard work have had a huge impact on the program, and everyone is so grateful for everything she brings to the Shap FFA community. Thank you again, Alexandra. Next is Millie Perry, Chaplag Valley School volunteer extraordinaire. This year, Millie Perry has worked with Shapers and sixth grade teaching team on a major project to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Steep Rock Association. Groups of sixth grade students adopted trails and the Steep Rock Preserve. They hiked and studied their adopted their trails on two different dayong field trips, making
010notes about the flora, the fauna, and markers of natural history. Students then wrote interpretive descriptions of the trails, painted watercolors, and wrote poems about the preserve. Their work is being used to publish what's called a passport to the trails that will encourage all families to hike in steep rough. In addition, Chapag Agracience students produce plaques based on sixth grade art. These plaques will be mounted along the trails and families will be able to do rubbings of the plaques in the passport to the trails as they hike. Students from Abetch High School will be printing the passports in time for Steep Rock's 100th anniversary in June. Millie initiated, coordinated, moved forward and participated actively in this process and the many steps to completion. This project is a model of project-based learning and school community partnerships. The
011Shap 6th grade team plans to continue this project into the future, focusing on a different preserve in Steep Rock every year. Community members with ideas and energy for collaboration are a critical resource and project-based learning. They can help students reach beyond the classroom. Millie is just that sort of community member. Congratulations, Millie. Is Sarah Bellinger here? She is. Okay, great. Sarah Bellinger from Washington Primary. I knew you were going to be a little late, so I put you at the end. It is with great enthusiasm that Washington Primary School honors Sarah as the volunteer extraordinaire. For the past eight years, Sarah has served as PTO president with unwavering dedication. Her enthusiasm, commitment, organizational skills, and creativity have been the driving force behind the PTO's many accomplishments, benefiting both students and staff. Always open to new
012ideas, Sarah encourages others to think creatively and collaboratively, ensuring every decision serves the best interests of our students. Sarah leads by example, inspiring others to share in the PTO's mission to serve and to enrich WPS. She has been the foundation behind many of the successful initiatives including bingo night, family fun night, ice cream social, the spooky trail, cultural enrichment programs, parents night out, and the fifth grade play. Generous with her time and guided by kindness, respect, and teamwork, Sarah embodies the spirit of volunteerism. The WPS parent and school community deeply values her positive contributions, exceptional leadership, and steadfast dedication. And they are grateful for her and her wonderful influence. Again, congratulations. Okay, it's always with mixed emotions that we say goodbye to wonderful faculty who are retiring. Jill Haran, preschool teacher from Reach. Eileen WBlanc,
013para profofessional, Washington Primary School. Stephanie Davyy, special education teacher, Chaplag Valley School. Mary Rose Granka, math interventionist at Booth and Burnham. Deborah White, social studies teacher, grades six and seven and English, grade six, Chapag School. And Betsy O'Neal, special education teacher, Chapag Partnership. I will tell you that these educators have been a part of our region 12 family for many years. In fact, the teachers retiring this year have a combined service to this district for more than 133 years. I think that's a round of applause right there, don't you? As superintendent, I have witnessed their diligence, their efforts in caring for our students and working with our families, contributing as valued members alongside their colleagues. They have each contributed in a myriad of positive ways to the district, both in and out of the classroom,
014working as teacher leaders and taking initiatives to support students. and they will certainly be missed. In fact, several leaving this year were on my middle school staff when I was principal here earlier in my career. And so, this is especially nice to be able to honor them on my way out as well. I do want to give the principles a chance to speak on behalf of our retirees and following that introduction, each teacher can come up and receive the gift we have for you. So I will begin with the principal of Washington Primary School, Emily Jud, who will speak on behalf of Jill Haring very much. Um I don't think Jill is here, but I do want to take a few minutes to honor her. Um she has served as our re teacher for the
015past 10 years. Her dedication to our youngest learners and to our school community has been nothing short but inspiring. Jill is calm, compassionate, and endlessly creative. She brings a sense of curiosity and care to every corner of her classroom and to every connection she makes. She cultivated a rich, nurturing environment where play, academic growth, and social development came together seamlessly. Her classroom was a vibrant space where students were constantly creating, exploring, and celebrating beautiful work together. Jill had a remarkable ability to guide children through conflicts with grace and empathy, helping them build the skills to resolve challenges peacefully and respectfully. Jill had a special gift for noticing and celebrating the small, magical moments of our students. And she shared those moments generously, particularly with families, giving us all a glimpse into the wonder of preschool
016life. Jill's presence, warmth, and impact will be greatly missed by students, families, and colleagues. And we do very much wish her wish the best in her vet. Wish she were here, but she deserves a wrap her father. Now, Emily Rue, principal of Booth and Burnham, will speak on behalf of Mary Rose Bronco. Well, I've been very lucky to be able to work with um Mary Rose since 2012. She's retiring after a remarkable career decade to the students at all three elementary schools. Over the years, she has worn many hats as classroom teacher, Spanish teacher, and then reading and math interventionist. She brought warmth and patience and an unwavering commitment to student growth. Whether teaching a new language, supporting struggling readers, or help building foundational skills in math, Mary Rose always approached her work with her
017heart and professionalism. We thank her so much for all of her hard work and dedication to the students and staff, and we really wish her a well-deserved retirement. Congratulations, Mary Rose, on your retirement. Hey, I have the honor of speaking on behalf of Betsy O'Neal um this evening. Betsy O'Neal has dedicated an incredible 38 years to region 12, leaving a lasting impact across multiple schools and generations of students. Most recently, she has partnered with Ali O'Hara and they launched the groundbreaking transition program designed to empower students with the skills they need to thrive in life beyond high school. With a passionate focus on our 18 to 20 yearear-old students, Betsy has brought life to the community, championing independence, workplace readiness, healthy living, cooking, and leisure skills for our students. Her work has not only built
018confidence in the students, but has helped shape futures for them. Bets's legacy is one of innovation, compassion, and unwavering commitment to student success. She will be sadly missed. Congratulations. And now Don Shells, principal of Shap will speak on behalf of Stephanie Dave Davies and Jeopard. Good evening. Uh, I guess most of you know about Laura Hillbrand's famous book Unbroken, which also became a rather popular movie. It's the story of Lewis Zampirini, Olympic athlete and World War II hero who was shot down in the Pacific, suffered through several years of brutal treatment as a prisoner of the war. Now, as an adult, Mr. Zampirini showed incredible heroism, stamina, determination, dedication, and resilience. He was someone we can all look up to. The thing is, when he was a boy in school, none of that was yet
019evident. As a boy, he was described as encourageable, causing his teachers many concerns around discipline and lack of enthusiasm for learning. What's the key difference then between Lewis Zampirini the boy and Lewis Zampirini the man? We could debate that for a long time citing contributions of every part of his world, I'm sure. But the magic of Steph Davies, she saw a future Lewis Zampirini in every single child she ever encountered. And that's what you want from a teacher. And she's not the only teacher we have who do that. We have them in droves and herds. Did she do it with passion and power? In fact, I call Steph relentless. And in this context, that's a serious compliment. She refused to believe any child could not be reached, could not be coached into growth and self-actualization.
020I can't remember a week in my tenure here where I didn't get a visit from her saying, "Don, I don't know if we're doing enough for so- and so, and here's what we could do that's more." And she was right. It was it was amazing. and so appreciated. Relentless then in the sense that she refused to give up on anyone ever. So education is about motivating and inspiring. And Steph believes that with enough time, patience, dedication, and effort, she can find the key to every unique soul and unlock its potential. If a student could not engage today, Steph wanted to talk about engagement for tomorrow. I believe that if a tidal wave or a monsoon were to flood down onto any one of her students, she would just start stacking sandbags around the kid one
021by one by herself if necessary. Relentless. Her steadfast commitment to our students has paid tremendous dividends over the years. Staff, all those acorns you planted and watered and fertilized even when you had no idea the guarantee that they would grow. I think if you stick around these parts a bit, you'll find how many of them grew into oaks. And we wish you a long, happy, healthy retirement. take the mic. Okay, this won't be long. I promise. As I prepare to retire after 22 plus deeply meaningful years in education, I wanted to express my heartfelt gratitude to the region 12 board of education for your steadfast support and commitment to our schools and students. It has been an honor of a lifetime to serve as a special education teacher, a role that has brought me immeasurable
022joy, purpose, and pride. To our administrators, thank you for your leadership and belief in me throughout the years. Your encouragement made it possible for me to grow, to innovate, and to give my best to every student who walked through my door. To my colleagues, a few here tonight, you have been more than co-workers. You've been friends, mentors, and a second family. The collaboration, laughter, and sometimes even high jinks, and shared purpose we experienced together have meant the world to me. Though I'm stepping away from the classroom, I will carry the memories of my students, the lessons they taught me, and the relationships I've built with me always. Thank you for allowing me to be part of this extraordinary community. Thank you. In the opening lines of Ralph Waldo Emerson's magisterial work, Self-Reliance, we find this
023idea. A person should learn to detect and watch that gleam of light which flashes across their own mind from within more than the luster of the firmament of bards and sages. In other words, deep within ourselves, we find truth and we ignore our own internal light at our peril. These sentiments are the core of the great American notion of transcendentalism, of course. Deb W never ignored her own internal light. She made it a beacon. She shared it with students not to wash out their own lights which would run contrary to Emerson's purposes but as a model of self-reflection and critical thought which could then be emulated by her students. Free societies need free and critical thinkers by always having the courage to speak her mind. She modeled courage and grit and engagement for her students.
024She taught them that maybe they can fight city hall. They can work for social justice and fairness. They can speak truth to power. They can allow their own inner voices to be in dialogue with the other thinkers and speakers they encounter in their lives. Apathy is the enemy of growth, but engagement triggers growth. How many students learn to engage with their own inner truth and with the thoughts and ideas of others because of Miss White? Deb, you leave your students and chap with a wonderful legacy, one built on the belief that each mind is unique and owes deep and abiding reflection about truth to itself and to the world. We could not ask more of any true social studies teacher, especially one teaching in an imperiled perhaps Jeffersonian democracy. Well done. Congratulations on a wonderful
025career and we wish you too a long, happy, healthy retirement. I will turn it over to PO. Well, that was a great way to end that. Thank you, Deb. Um, we going to spend a few minutes celebrating all those wonderful um acknowledgements. So, we're going to we have some refreshments. We're going to take a few moments and thank everybody for coming. So, let's go. All right. Fine. Okay. All right. So, uh, moving on to public comment on agenda items. Do we have anybody here to make comments on public comment. Pete, are you getting up? No. Okay. Anyone? Great. No one. Moving on to the consent agenda. Do we have anybody who has any Alex? I know you like to look at it. Any Nobody one, right? I'm looking for Okay. Mark, there's no changes to
026the consent agenda. Okay, so we are going to keep the agenda as is. Terrific. Okay, great. Now moving on to the board chair's reports. Okay. So I just have a few things that I'd like to say a talk first about Dr. Rodri. So I'm just going to read a little something that I've put together. Um because obviously this is our last meeting with Dr. Rodrigue and we're going to be coming together to celebrate her at some point this week. Um but I just kind of wanted to say a few things. Um because I feel that we really have kind of lucked out like we just really won the lottery with an interimm superintendent. We just I really because I mean in a way you know most people who get an interimm superintendent they just kind
027of call it in. they dial it in. And we just have a an interimm superintendent who really um came in with her whole heart twice. And I just have really never experienced something so amazing. So, not only did we have somebody that offered to jump in after retiring and just said, "Yep, I'll come." Um, but somebody who had already had relationships and was already rooted here previously. So, how lucky were we that had somebody that came here who already knew this district so well. So, for the past three years, Dr. Rodriguez has been more than just an interim superintendent. She's been like family. a steady unwavering presence. She has shown up every single day for our students, staff, and the region 12 community with a level of dedication that has never wavered. Dr. Rodrigue played
028a pivotal role in bringing our our strategic plan to life, turning it into the backbone of our education educational mission and the guidepost for everything that our district would do. Her leadership wasn't just about systems and strategies. It was about people. and it showed in every decision that she made, every conversation she had, and it has been an honor to work alongside of her. And I consider her a friend and a colleague. Dr. Rodrigue was ready to enjoy a well-earned retirement when she got a call very quickly to come back to her old stomping ground here at Region 12. And she came when we needed her the most twice and stepped up without hesitation and in doing so gave us something truly special. Her care, integrity, and deep commitment left a mark that will last
029here beyond her tenure. We're so grateful for the light and leadership that she brought to our schools. And while we will miss her, we know she's heading into the next chapter of her life with the same grace and heart that she gave us. Thank you, Lori. You will always be a part of our region, and I know that you're going to still be a part of it from a distance, but we are so lucky that we have you. So, thank you. really so lucky. That was so nice. Thank you. I I just want to say um this was easy for me. It It's been a pleasure. It was so nice coming back with, you know, obviously so many people that I've worked with over the years. Um it it was a nice kind of circle
030of life as as as we say. Um and I have to say um I mean Deb White talked about being brave, but you are truly um one of the best boards I've ever worked with and you need to know that. Um and that's the truth. Uh you're supportive. Teachers know you have their backs every day and that is so key. Um it's been uh a long road. Um someone just said, "Are you sure you're leaving?" Yes, I'm leaving. My sister said, "I don't want you to give us give me a call and say they're asking you back again." Um it it really I I'm honored to to have been given this privilege uh one last time before um I thought I was ready. I don't think I really was. I I really truly wasn't and
031and now I feel ready and thanks to all of you. So, anybody's ever in North Carolina in Stokesdale, please stop by. Road trip. Have a Yep. a road trip. But thank you all. It's been Yes. You know, third time. Yeah. Thank you. Okay. So, I'm gonna move on to the next one. I'd like to take a moment to talk about Greg. So, I'd like to thank you, Greg. I know that you're moving on. Um, sadly, um, and I want to thank you for your many years of dedication and service to Region 12 Board of Education. How funny how things change. I'm sad, and I know that you and I have had our bumps in the road, and I am really, really sad to see you go. I really am. Um and uh for your years
032as chair, your steady leadership helped guide our district through critical decisions uh meaningful progress. Your passion for this district has always been clear and your voice, your presence, and your tireless work. You were uh never just filling a seat. You were invested. You were informed and you were deeply committed to ensuring the best for our students, staff, and community. From your leadership on the aggra science building committee to your countless hours spent in negotiations and behind the-scenes problem solving, your impact was everywhere. You've helped lay a foundation that will serve region 12 for generations to come. Uh we are incredibly grateful for your vision, your perseverance, and your heart. So, thank you, Greg, for everything that you've given to this district. It will not be forgotten. Thank you. Can I just say two quick things?
033Are you sure? Yeah. No, you you're never going to shut me up, you know, but you're going to shut me up now. So, at at the very least, let me give a parting comment. I I I want to say there basically three things I want to say. The first is is that it's been my it's been my uh honor to serve on this board with all of you. Uh you have done a tremendous job. You have been a phenomenal board. Uh the entire time I was chair, I never had a doubt for a second that we all had one objective and that is how do we create opportunities for kids? How do we make this the best school system? How do we work hard to to keep everyone on on track and to keep this
034place going? and you have you have really helped mightily to advance it. You have you everyone I've seen everyone grow as a tremendous board member and and so we're very lucky this community is very lucky to have you. Um Jen, I want to say something. You have impressed the hell out of me in your stint as chair. Uh I haven't said this to enough people. I I say it to everyone I I managed to think of, but you know, uh you and I had our interesting times, but uh you have you've made me a fan because you have really really stepped up and you've done some really good things and I don't think we'd be in the position we were in, especially with respect to having a a a terrific new superintendent coming on without
035your hard work and your vision. And uh I want to say thank you very much. I am so impressed and everyone here should be uh with with your chair and I hope you continue as chair. Um and good luck on uh the upcoming poll. Uh the last thing I want to say is is uh Dr. Rodrigue um on the best of days an interim keeps the the trains running. They keep the doors open. They keep the lights on. They keep people from running off the reservation. But that would be an excellent interim superintendent to do that. You have decided to add another superlative on top of excellent because you advanced our program. You took over twice after the after the um uh early departures of two superintendents. Uh and and and especially the second time
036uh you know having those two things happen so closely on the heels of each other put us in a tough position. But you managed to get us not only back on track, not only keeping the lights on, but keeping the stars shining. You have really done something that no interim, I think, in the state of Connecticut or anywhere in this country has ever done. You have acted like a full-time superintendent. You have delivered and you have brought us back, got us back on track and got us advancing into the future, and that's no easy task. Um, now we were thinking about trying to figure out how we No, no, you're you're done. Get out. Um, but but I've got to say I I cannot thank you enough because I I thought we were headed toward
037years of having to recoup what we what we had had because leadership changes are fraught. But no, you you've returned us there and for that we will be eternally grateful to you. Yeah. Enjoy North Carolina. I'll be down next week. Yeah. Yeah, exactly. Okay, that's it for me other than tomorrow baseball 3:30 Berlin, Connecticut. Be there. We'll see. Pouring. Okay. Or not. Okay. Lori, you're reporting. Sorry, there it goes. Uh, we're days away from obviously the closing of another school and uh I'll be visiting uh I already feel the excitement in kids um having been to uh some of the alohas already and I have one at WPS coming up uh this week. Um, and it's just it's wonderful to see how the students feel about their teachers and it's just amazing when you see
038tears streaming down kids' faces. Um, and that happens every year, but how much they really love being at school and that's just um just phenomenal to watch. Um, it's been a pleasure working with all of you as I said. Um, and thank you for giving me this opportunity. Uh you you really have an amazing district and thank you Greg for all the wonderful kind words you've said. Um I have some personnel announcements. Um Ashley Albaneseise uh these are appointments. Ashley Albanise, special ed teacher at Chap Valley Partnership. Um Laura Batista, Spanish teacher at Chaplag Valley School. Uh Tanya Sheret, special ed teacher at WPS. Brianna Killian, art teacher uh for the elementary schools. Um Tammy McCannerney, building sub at Chaplain Valley School. That's a one-year position. Chenise Rolls, uh will be our reach um teacher
039at Washington Primary. McKenzie Schaefer, building sub at Chap, one-year position. Jenna Schilgen, uh Spanish teacher at Chap Valley School. We have some um resignations and retirements. Amanda Ketell, special ed teacher at Booth Free School, um has resigned. Uh I've already mentioned Eileen Leblanc, who is um retiring as a PAR educator at Washington Primary School. Uh Katie Liser, French teacher at Chap Valley School. Shannon Rupar, pareducator at Chap Valley School, um has resigned. And that's all I have with you. Can I ask a question? You you hired two French teachers. Those both one FTE positions? Uh, yeah, I think they were. Were they both 1.0, Nicole? I believe it was Spanish. You mean? Yeah. Treasures report. Alex. Um, it's I apologize for being a little disorganized. We had our FNO meeting at uh 4:00 today and
040it went for about an hour and a half and much of it overlaps into the treasures report. Um on the treasures report uh though you'll see we're do some transfers between departments. Um, it's it's reassigning dollars to be spent in in an area in the same department as the department heads requested and it'll be compensated. It will not add anything to the budget. Uh, one of the other things that's going to be done is we're uh going to redo the baseball field back stop. Um, couple of reasons. one to keep the balls from flying down into the woods, but also the kids are not protected from foul balls that currently set up so that there will be some kind of protection so that if a ball goes errant and some kid is sitting on the
041bench not paying attention, he doesn't get clocked. Um uh we will be moving uh in in uh later in the meeting to approve moving the money over into the 2% fund. Um also we'll be talking about elevators, the cost of of fixing the elevators. um uh the library project and uh I'm going to save the big news for Nicole to tell because she was really responsible for it. So uh I will let her tell the big news. Uh do you have anything to say Nicole? How about the egg stem audit? Definite drum roll. Um so at around 2 o'clock today we got the final um release from the state for the aggra science project audit from the office of school construction. Um, and after a lot of back and forth, um, they are releasing an
042additional $767,000 to us, which will go into our building fund to be used for future projects at Shapog in accordance with the referendum that was passed. Three4ers of a million dollars. She she's not taking enough credit because it's rare when the state doesn't claw back almost everything. They they were holding a million two and it's rare when they don't end up clawing it all back most of it back and instead we got $750,000 back. That's an extraordinary result which as chairman of the building committee I will take no I will take no credit. I I give it all where it belongs to Nicole. Anyway, and and that is it for me for the treasure port until we get to the very end with some motions. Um I'll just um uh agra science uh Mary committee
043report your mic microphone. I always tell everybody else uh Tyler talked about at the end of the year and the last few things that have been going on uh you Yukon had a spring field day and two of our groups be took first place food service and parliamentary procedure. Oh, we have the first um a student who has ever been uh voted to be uh an a state official and her name is Mina Kared and uh let's see what else. Um this summer the things that are going to go on are the Bridgewater field are a students will be there and of course this uh facility cleaning. uh one of the main concerns is they want to make sure that we blur the lines between agg and chip students so that they work together and
044think of each other as one. Uh and the um I wanted to say one thing. I went to the FFA banquet and and awards and one of the things that struck me was watching the students stand up and cheer for the for the for the student that was getting an award and it happened over and over again and I was really surprised and and I felt really good about that. That's great. That's awesome. Thanks, Mary. um curriculum Justin. So, we just had um a meeting and there's a couple of middle school updates. Um PE for middle school um grades seven and eight. There's now two options. There's a sports strategies and games option or a personal fitness and activity. And the whole point behind this was to give people who didn't want, you know, competitive
045sports an option to focus on personal fitness. Then in the CTE department, there was some reshuffleling of courses. Um, TV studio will now be eighth grade class. Robotics will be seventh grade and project leadway will be in sixth grade. And for summer curriculum, there are 30 teachers writing summer curriculum. at advance. Joe, I'm sorry. I just have a question for Justin. So, those changes go into effect immediately. How does that work? Yes. Okay. So, does that mean that some kids that I mean some kids might miss out if you're swapping the programs? Right. So, if robotics is now Yeah. Um I'm sorry this the project lead the way. Well just if the sequence is changing then presumably there are kids that will not be able to do one of the classes that would have been
046in their next academic year. Right. These are elective classes so they're options for students anyway. It's these are not classes that every student takes. Um, but yes, I see what you're saying that the the incoming eighth graders would have had the option of taking robotics and now their option is going to be TV studio instead. Um, but the dis they will have opportunities to do robotics in high school and robotics is also already part of, you know, stuff that they do in Project Lead the Way at the lower grades anyway. But yeah, that could be a concern for a student. And we'll uh circle back. I'm going to circle back with the counselors and see what they think about that. Okay. It just seems that that is more dour in a way than say a
047TV studio. So yeah, I' I'd appreciate some further insight once you have some more conversation internally. Sure. Sure. Yes, I will ask more questions about that. Great. Uh in advance, Joe. Uh the last board of directors meeting was on June 5th. Uh during this meeting, the board approved three items for the uh Head Start program, which included a grant application, a self- assessment plan, and an enrollment priorities program. During meeting, Jonathan informed us uh that the funding for the student mental health grant from the US Department of Education will be cut short and current funding will end in December. This is creating an issue for hiring and retaining um mental health uh teachers and and uh and also they've um sorry having a little bit of a brain fog here. They're also trying to uh
048rebut this decision with a letter that's come from many of the other rests as well. uh they're hoping to hear back soon, but um they've lost pretty much almost like 5 million of the 8 million that was promised. So with any luck there there will be a uh a change in in the um in the short but uh at this point I don't think any of the state legislation has kicked in on that and this is you know directly from the state or the US department of education and part of that shutdown. That's all I have to do. Um, finance and operations. Alex. Yeah. Um, a couple of things. We went over the uh numbers u as of uh well, we went through the numbers as of June 6 and at that point we had
0498% of our budget remaining. um as a comparison on May 31st of 24, which is not really an applesto apples comparison, we had 9.66, but we're still in good position to end the school year in and in good shape. Um, one of the other things that we talked about and, uh, Nicole gave a presentation on is the work that's going to be done in this room. Uh, new furniture, new carpets, paint. Uh, basically, uh, I don't think Well, I what are we 30 years on this rug or 40 years in this rug? Sorry, missed a decade. And the furniture. So, this will be the first upgrade. Um, and we will be talking about the dollars set aside for that. It looks like the total cost will be $552,336. Um, uh, uh, Don went on the,
050uh, his phone during the, uh, the FNO meeting and got the price knocked down by $2,000, uh, to get it under $35,000. Uh, we have elevator issues. Uh, uh, two elevators are going to need work. They're probably going to run about 100,000. We're looking to put generators in all the schools, but as of right now, we only received two bids, and they were so far apart that it made you wonder which one or both were wrong. So, we're going to start that process over again and uh uh see uh uh you know, what really our needs are and what the cost should be. Um I believe oh after the meeting if you want come back here on the table behind me is are the are the colors for the new carpeting uh upholstery uh a
051big diagram from two angles on what the room might look like. Um if you're interested uh you know you can take a look at the different swatches etc. And I think that is it for now. Unless Nicole, have I forgotten anything? Good. I'm done. I have a question, Alex. So, you said that you're going to rebid the job, the generator job. Are you revisiting the scope? Because if you get if you have bids that are that far apart, usually they just don't understand the scope that well. So, is someone revisiting? Well, I think what we're going to do is we're going to hire someone. Um, I after the meeting went online on Google to how to size a corporate I mean a commercial generator. And while I didn't understand, I didn't have the numbers. I
052think this is something that Don and maybe a a good uh electrician could put the numbers in for what we do in each of the schools and figure out roughly what size generator we need. Once we know that, you know, within 20% uh we can look at these two bids and see which one is out of whack. Um, and to some degree we're going to have to start the process over again. Uh, because it just didn't make any sense. Um, you don't want to take the low bid and find out your generator isn't doesn't have the capacity to run the entire school during a blackout. And vice versa, you don't want one that'll run all three schools at one place. Um, you know, it's something's wrong here and we're going to try and figure it
053out. Alex, let me add to that that the the difference in the bids was based on the size of the generator. They sized them differently. Even though they had all of our electrical requirements and all of our electric bills and everything, they had two different significantly different sizes on the generators. And that's what was driving the bids apart. And so we want to make we want to get some confirmation from an electrical person that what our needs really should be. and then and then put out another RFP that actually zeros in on the specific need that we have rather than having bids be wildly off. Uh it could be one of them's right. It could be that neither of them are right, but clearly both of them can't be right. Right. Okay. Yeah, sounds good.
054Thanks. Thank you. Um negotiations, Greg. Well, we haven't had any negotiations yet, but you will this fall have a negotiation with the teachers union. And uh I urge you to uh get on that as soon as possible. Don't wait till the they've given you a date for an arbitration proceeding. You know, you want to get on top of that as quickly as possible. Whoever chairs the negotiations committee working with our council, and I think you want to remember that this should be a I mean, we have really one of the most fantastic teaching staffs around here. Uh there's something that Chaplag has that's special. Uh when I when my older my younger daughter graduated from the University of Minnesota, um she graduated with high honors there. And she said that she went to college with
055a lot of kids from really fancy public high schools in in Minnesota, places like Eden Prairie, Adina, other really great school systems, you know, with 50 plus AP courses and everything like that, high-powered places. And she said I was way ahead of them in the ability to analyze stuff because of what I learned in. She named teachers uh here. Um and uh so I think that I think that there's something going on here where this where the school punches above its weight and you're going to have to to make a contract should not be a a divisive negotiation. It should be a good negotiation because these are the people that are going to mold our kids. So that's the only recommendation I give you um uh as the outgoing chair of the negotiations committee. Good
056luck. Thank you. Thank you. Uh nothing to report for the strategic long range planning committee. Uh moving on to the year end president. What? Oh policy. Sorry. No. Oh we do have something for policy. Justin very important. Um so we looked at the policy 2000 which involves the superintendent schools and evaluation. Um, and we'll get into that. No, thank you. Okay. Uh, year end presentations, Burnham and Booth Free Schools. Emily Rub and Emily Jud package. Sorry. and Emily Jud, sorry. We really have worked really hard the past three years just to make sure that we are doing um activities and you know obviously the curriculum across all three schools. So we just feel like yeah makes sense of the evening. We're going to highlight two um shared activities across the elementary school that we're proud
057of and um so the first um is the historical um fiction unit that our fourth grade students participated in. And this was a unit um that really explored a a few a learning focus. Um for example, they investigated the American historical fiction um elements um through reading and writing. Um they were encouraged to research real events that inspired the stories that they were reading. They had an opportunity to examine characters to understand how they fit in with the time and places for which they came. and they also had a chance to produce their own pieces of historical fiction which we'd like to highlight tonight. Um, in their historical fiction they obviously examine setting, characters, plot and theme. And what was most striking is the students use of vocabulary and understanding of those elements. Um, they
058really uh were able to articulate u what the elements uh were precisely and then how it was applied in text. So um here you see a few uh pieces of their planning. Uh one is the genre card which really explains all the elements in great detail that they used along their pathway. And then here are two organizers. One was the character study and you can see that they're really talking about uh diving deep into a character um through many aspects and then relating it to the problem and the topic and theme within the um text. And then there's a thinking map where they started to talk about the different types of character both major and minor um and then discuss how those characters added to the development of the theme and plot. Um, so from
059that they wrote their own historical fiction pieces and so we have a few that we'd like to share with you tonight. Um, so I can bring it up. So a student from each school is sharing a favorite part of their you can see I think as you hear you'll see the um sort of the uh amazing way that they develop their thinking and I think it's very much more advanced than I think we've had. Hi my name is Christopher. My favorite part of ARC unit 3 historical fiction was the diary that I wrote. I feel like my writing skills have improved by blending fiction and non-fiction together. I am about to show you a part from my diary that I created. And here is some background information. The story takes place in 1912. Right as
060our main character goes on the Titanic's first voyage. He writes in his diary as if it's his best friend. And here is the part for my diary. April 10th, 1912, Southampton, England. Look at that amazing ship. 882.75 [Music] in long. Oh, that beast. And I'm going to be riding in it. It has a pool, a working elevator, a smoking room, and it's unsinkable. Amazing, right? You must be wondering about who I am. Well, I tell you. I am George, an orphan. I am 9 years old and about to turn 10 on April 15th. My parents died a month ago. They were rich. I used their money to buy you and a life in America. But I could only afford third class. I need a name for you. H baby Elizabeth. How does that sound? But
061first, I need to explore the third class area. Thank you for listening to my presentation, everyone. Hi, my name is Ka. I'm from Bofree School. My favorite part of the historical fiction unit was when we wrote our stories. My writing improved by focusing on plot and characters more. I'd like to share a part of my story with you. Will and family in their house. Will family were in their house. They thought they were safe, but it was about to end. They heard Hitler trying to take over the world. They but they never thought they might be in danger. As the days passed, more planes start flying overhead and and overhead roming as they go past. The next day, soldiers started to bang on doors. Soldiers were taking away Willa's friends, her teachers, and a few
062hours later, we they heard a bang on the door. Will's father opened the door. "How how will we how can we help you?" her father said. "You can help us a lot," said one soldier. "You're coming with us," said the other. "Why?" said Willis's father. In order of Hitler, one soldier said, "Ruler of Germany and now Poland," said the other. "We're not coming with you," said her father. "Well, too bad. Soldiers get them," said the soldier. All was quiet in the alley. No laughter from children, no people talking, nobody outside their house. They were so scared of being captured by the Gestapo, they did not bother to ask what they were going to do. Hi, my name is Nia and I'm in fourth grade. We have been doing a unit on historical fiction and we
063read a westward expansion book together in class and then talked about it with our peers. My reading has grown because I got to read multiple historical fiction books and my writing has grown because I got to write my own historical fiction narrative and it's about a girl who's connected with Betsy Ross and the first American flag. I'm going to read you my favorite part. Sewing, sewing, sewing, thought Sarah to herself. The blondhaired, blue-eyed 14-year-old worked in a small upholstery shop in Philadelphia. A curious and adventurous girl like Sarah was wishing just one new thing in her life, like a promotion or a visit from her older brother, James. Every day was the same for her. would wake up, clothe herself, make tea for her and her mother, and then head to work along the strong
064cobblestone streets of the town. Before the war, the shop made clothes for the wealthy and rich. But now they make bandages, blankets, and anything else they could make to help the patriots survive. The owner of the shop was Betsy Ross, a widow Quaker woman who could stitch like a machine. And here she was now, walking right up to Sarah. Sarah, I have seen you so recently. I thought you were excellent. I shall teach you at my house on tomorrow. Yes, she asked. I shall, replied Sarah. Finally, something new, she thought. After work, she ran home as fast as she could. Mother, she called. Mother. Mrs. Ross had said my sewing is exceptional and would like to teach me new skills. She was so excited, almost excited enough to forget her mother was sick with a
065fever. She ran up the stairs to her mother's bedroom to talk to her. But what she saw was devastating. I hope you enjoyed the first paragraph of my story. Thank you. quite a lot from their reading and you know really working alongside the teacher and their peers. And now we're going to move on to um talking about diving deep and exploring marine life through literature and puppetry. I know last year um Emily Jud and I talked about how we started um an enrichment which was with Flock Theater and with our reading program. So students had taken fables and taken their fable stories and created their own fables with puppets and then that's where we link literature with arts and um the students enjoyed it so much and the families that came to see the presentations
066that we continued it again this year. Uh this year though we switched up the unit and we used ARC unit 4 um with uh flock the so they explored uh ocean ecosystems, animal adaptations and environmental impacts through reading and research while simultaneously bringing their knowledge um of the marine life with the performance of puppets. This interdisciplinary approach not only deepened their understanding of marine science but also fostered collaboration with their peers, creativity and public speaking skills which in the end cultivated into an experience where all three schools came together. All three school um third grade classes presented to their peers, their families and staff. The integration of Flock Theater added a meaningful layer of expression allowing students to synthesize their learning in a memorable and imaginative way. We ended up just taking photos this time,
067so no videos were there. But our students came back to our uh booth in Burnham after going to WPS for the presentation. And it was really the staff were all lit up. Our literacy tutors and some of the teachers that went and they just said that was phenomenal how the students brought that all together. They create the puppets themselves and they really take a lead on creating the stories that they present. So it's truly amazing experience. So thank you for proving that last year and letting that continue into this year. Um, and the amount of like skill that those kids practice to be able to follow every like that they have to silently tell each other what to do and raise like the um the oldfashioned the project like the projector. would have to lift
068up the paper from the light fade in the next the other projection that sit down. It was phenomenal. So that's a picture of that and that's we got kind of the shadow. The other the collaboration that sometimes there's multiple puppets doing multiple things one student side with other students controlling the puppets. That's really where the collaboration comes from. And I think this year what I love most about it is that last year and so they had a 44 around their table. Um and then give them the measurement. So their public and they had to then call their public out and get it ready foration. So that was really a big learning something like that. The public actually that was really Oh, I make one quick comment. Um, I know this was focused mainly on ELA
069and I'm really excited to hear that from both being on curriculum over the last like year and a half and kind of watching the inception of this program being selected and moved through and then being distributed to the kids. You know, I had a kindergartener six years ago last year and then this year. And the difference in the learning that's happening and the work that's being produced is stark, but frankly, it's stunning. And just what like the the learning that's happening in the classroom, the integration of our ELA program with science and social studies and history. It's been really incredible to watch. I'm so happy that you're able to share some of that student work because I'm seeing it come home and I'm still like even this past week opening up that we're in the
070last week of school and we're still on entomology and my kindergarteners coming home with these really big concepts that I just it's it's really gratifying to see from like that that entire circle and how that's come together. So, and the obviously the collaboration between teachers across buildings and you know administrative down that's it's impressive and I I think that's there's a lot of applause to go around for the inception and then getting it into the classroom. So, I I see it coming home and I think um I think it's been really amazing. Thank you. very much. Um, Don Shells, Dr. Don Shells, Dr. Don, somebody ordered me a Dr. Donnie. Somebody ordered me a cap that says, "I'm a doctor, but not the kind that helps people." I'll probably wear it in here one time
071soon. So, you Ben, you'll help me advance. Well, um it's a long night for the board, but so nice that we get to do this. And I just asked all of our instructional leaders to come up with two or three highlights that um could um explain what went on this year. And two themes that I think will emerge throughout the slides. One is you'll see teachers moving more towards projectbased learning, which again is the idea that students learn important standards by doing and working on real world problems and solving them. And the gold standard is that solution can be used beyond the wall walls of the school. And the second thing is just attempts to to reconnect and with the community. Kids going out into the community and the community coming into the school are
072sort of the two themes that I think run through the highlight. So for the music department, they again performed at Radio City Music Hall which is our kids out in the community and a wonderful chance for them to get a performance opportunity that's unusual for music musicians of that age and they tend to really remember it. And this year, our high school band and chorus received highest ratings from uh an adjudicated festival in Springfield, Mass. Again, it's a performing art. They're getting out and finding audiences just beyond our school. Athletics, if Matt were here, he'd probably just say it's the year of championships, right? Uh and you know, field hockey, boys soccer, boys basketball, all won state championships. Golf won uh Berkshire League tournament champions. Baseball's still going. and we'll see. We'll see how far
073they go. Uh this is wonderful for our students. Uh we don't do it judge it just by the scoreboard though. I think there's a lot of evidence that our kids are um learning how to be good sports, learning good character, staying in shape, healthy, working through problems together. Um it's all wonderful. We're helping these kids grow up. But they did win a lot this year and we might win some more coming for coming up. So we'll see. Now, the math slide's a little busy, but that's because the math department was busy. The background picture is actually an image of the planetarium where an eighth grade class went as part of their solar system project-based learning unit, and they were learning about the math and the physics of the distance of the planets and how they
074move. They built models uh in the hallway that tripped me one time, but it was a good learning experience. And um used the planetarium for this. The other picture shown here from uh bottom left to right, there is a carnival game and a statistics class where students actually design probability puzzles that other people played to learn about statistics. Um there's a picture of um uh an ESPback prep um pep rally. Yes, we don't just have pep rallies for our sports teams. We the math department tries to get the kids excited about tests by having um pep rallies. And there's a picture of our high school kids visiting students down at the elementary schools to work together with them on a math project. Also a picture of um the afterchool SAT prep class that Mrs. Maher
075ran. Visual arts again like music. It's getting out into the community. Um we had students win some big art prizes including some golden key winners. Nine students completed AP portfolios. The art department was a big part of that steep rock project that you heard about earlier and that's why Millie got the volunteer award and Mrs. White was involved in that too where the kids are going out and researching and studying this area and creating a guide book that will actually be used by people when they're on that trail. So that's a gold standard PBL. Um and uh they also had a department focus this year of helping students improve uh their own critique of art and they developed a new pottery class. In the humanities they moved like like I was saying before towards more
076rigorous PBL. There was a full-blown mock trial of antiggony which is a figure from Greek tragedy that um the entire class participated in. There was a revolutionary war museum. There was a humanities fair. There are many others. They're still doing lab sites with Vigor, which is where teachers watch each other with support from us to practice teaching methods and then unpack them and talk about how they might apply them later afterwards. And getting back out into the community, like I said, field trips to Yale, Holocaust speakers came in, survivors to speak to us, which is very important. And our students did very well at the model UN school counseling. This class, 75% was accepted to four-year programs. 86% are continuing their education. We were recognized this year as one of the top 10 high schools
077in Connecticut for increased enrollment in Yukon and early early college experience programs, which is good. Our kids are earning more college credits and taking more post-secary course work while they're here on our campus. World language again out in the community. field trip in the upper right to the United Nations with a Spanish speaking tour guide. Up in the top left, you see two um AP uh students and French four students making a documentary in the target language. On the bottom, it's really interesting um Spanish 2 students were tasked with getting out into the world and using their Spanish to talk to somebody about real world things. And thanks to Dominic Parach, this is a freshman, Frank Mariano, who was able to talk on Zoom with a professional uh baseball player from Dominican who actually spoke
078to him in Spanish and they talked about baseball and and they talked about the target language. Those were nice connections. And then science highlights again, you see tons of movement towards projectbased learning, including a project ser a public service announcement on how to avoid bringing invasive species into um your yard. I guess you don't want those burning bushes here. They're very bad. Very bad. Um they designed roller coasters. They learned about their own genetics. And if you um and I probably need this, this the uh sports medicine project would design a personal training plan for anybody who asks. All good use where students are learning to solve real problems that are interesting and can be consumed beyond the classroom. And finally, in terms of community connection, so many great planetarium shows that Friezo Hermans ran
079where uh seniors and community members came in and saw wonderful things in our planetarium which this board generously supported. And lastly for Agra Science highlights for Mr. Creine again this year. Um Agra Science traveled to Indiana. They had um for the first time two teams competing meaning that they had won big awards back here in Connecticut. They earned silver rankings. One student earned a gold individual ranking. They again competed at um Connecticut Springfield Days up at Yukon where two more teams, food science and parliamentary parliamentary procedure qualified for nationals. So they'll be going to compete in Indiana next year and they had a great banquet that some of you attended towards the end of the year. So those are just the highlights um of some of the exciting things that happened here at Chipog. Thanks
080for your attention and does anybody have any questions for me? Thanks so much. Thank you. Thank you, Tom. You're so funny. I think we're starting I'm getting a little giddy. Okay, I'm video. I know. Ben, you're up. District video. When I when I get when it gets late, I get a little um giddy, a little punchy. Keep the M away from I know I get very um silly silly [Music] Heat. Hey, Heat. [Music] Thank you, Ben. Great job. Okay, moving on to old business. Consider for approval second read of policy 4218-113. Um, are we going back to that or No. Do we have any questions about it? No, I was just going to move we approve it for a second reading. Second. Second. Any discussion? All in favor? I. Anyone opposed? Abstensions? Moves on for
081a second reading. Consider for approval second reading of policy 5145-5. Can I have a motion? Second. All in favor? Anyone opposed? Extensions. moves on. Oh, I like this. Consider approval second reading of 5144-12. Can I have a motion? A second. All in favor? Anyone opposed? All in favor? Great. Moving on. Consider for approval. Second reading of policy 6220. Uh move be approve for a second. Thank you. Second. Uh all in favor? Anyone opposed? Moves on. Terrific. Thank you. New business review superintendent evaluation uh program and board of education self-reflection. So I we just I just presented this to the policy committee this evening. This is actually a regulation so it's not a policy but you did get the policy which is 2000 and that does talk about the superintendent evaluation. Um thought it was very
082timely that we look at a tool that goes along with that especially because within your policy it does mention the superintendent evaluation program document which there is none. um and that you would normally find in an in an um um appendices or regulation. And so it it um it's important and I've actually even spoken to he's not here any longer, but Dr. Shells um just any new superintendent or any superintendent wants to be very clear too about what he or she will be evaluated on ultimately by the board of education. Um, this it just so happened that I looked into it and Cab and CAPS had partnered to create this tool. Um, you'll see it. It's in the materials and it actually goes through a timeline. It gives all the standards for leadership and it
083gives you really breaks down a beginning of the year when the superintendent typically presents his or her goals, a midyear, a check-in, and then a final evaluation. And that is um also aligned with our own administrators or any administrator. That's the process for their uh evaluation as well. There's also what I thought was nice about it was they also put in a tool for all of you as board of ed members, a self-reflective tool, and they say that that would go nicely kind of a companion um throughout the year uh with the superintendent's evaluation. So, unless you have questions, again, a regulation doesn't need approval, but we just want I wanted you to see it. Give me your your thoughts, your comments. Um, we did tweak it, Jen and I. Some of the just few
084pieces of language that we thought didn't really fit region 12. Um, but it is being used in other other districts certainly. Why reinvent the wheel when they have one already? Right. a few of the things that I liked when uh Lori and I talked about it. Um I we I had kind of talked about um having uh a timeline for um next year just so that we could have it implemented so we knew when they were coming up so it was just already on the calendar. Um and when we talked about it, I really liked the self-reflection of the board to be happening at the same time as we asked for the um the time for the superintendent. So, it allowed us to sort of reflect at the same time we're asking for the superintendent
085because I think it's really important. Um, and I also like that we implemented the leadership part at the same time as the superintendent so it folds into uh the superintendent's uh evaluation. Um, so it just sort of uh helps us to be able to um ask the superintendent of his of his because it'll be Don's expectations of what the uh leadership's part what he's asking of what the leadership right is his expectations of the leadership when you when you see leadership in there. However, it it it also really focuses on you as the board with the superintendent as consider the district leadership team. That's right. Just that's right. They reference it that way. Yeah. So, I think it's great. And the timeline, too, is we said September, December, and May, June. Yes. You'll see it
086right in there. They actually have in if you look at the appendices, a it has a chart that gives you beginning, middle, and end of the year. So, it's very clearly laid out. And I think also too um the goal is to have um the same kind of retreat in September with Tom Mooney for the board to kind of talk about our role as a board again um at the same time as we have our own self-reflection as a board. So, I I feel like the timeline of it of it flows nicely. and take a look at the um past the chart you will see all of the superintendent's leadership um performance areas. So it's even it's very clearly laid out not only for example growth in student achievement and the areas of responsibility that
087go along with that standard and then educational leadership organizational management community relations board of education relations personal and professional qualities and relationships. Those are the standards by which he or she would be evaluated. Does anybody have any questions or comments? Are any uh are the new board members going to have to go some go through some education about what their role is on the board of education or what's not their role on the board of education? So the that's why the the timing of having the board retreat in September will be really important because I think that you know obviously all board members start their term in in July. Um and really they won't any board new or or not new new or old um will you know start in in June July rather but
088really they don't get their feet on the ground until the start of the school year. So I think September is a good time which is why I think that when we all had our retreat in September that was a really good opportunity for Tom to really answer questions and really remind us and it was really informative for people who for me who had been on the board for 11 years at that point to learn um and remind me of roles right so I think it'll be really important um and you know if new members come on prior to September, whoever is the chair, whoever it is, whe whether you know, um I will, you know, I think they'll be tasked with the responsibility before September to remind or, you know, introduce new board members of,
089you know, what those roles are. Yeah, for sure. And I just want to make sure I'm clear on this. Is there an action here? So the policy exists and this is a tool and this is something especially with an incoming superintendent and soon board members it's helpful just to resurface so that everyone kind of gets oriented around their roles and what they'll be evaluated on and so on. So there's no real action here. Okay. No. And this and and it just so h like this would be part of the policy 2000 which is mostly geared to the s for the superintendent but this is a regulation that we'd like to start July 1. Um that would would come with that kind of play in alignment with that policy that already exists but no regulation ever
090existed. There's no tool for the superintendent evaluation. So this would do that unless someone had an objection. We don't typically have to approve regulation. A lot of time we're tasked with writing those. So this was this was perfectly timed. Correct me if I'm wrong. And basically what we'll do is just so Debbie will basically implement this into our calendar. So it will be in so we'll just basically know that September. Yes. December. Okay. in May or June that it will just be part of our calendar that we will just plan for it. Okay, we'll go in um behind the regular policy in our book wherever online so that everyone knows what that regulation is really just how do we operationalize the policy itself and there it is. Yeah. Okay. Thank you. Um we're not members
091of CABE anymore, right? We have been and then we weren't and we haven't been for a little while. But they've done a lot of writing though for the state like the LA right I mean they're still you know the Connecticut Association of Boards of Ed. So we still take from them. Yeah. I don't know if we would be able to use it even though we're not members anymore. ages ago when we were at my very first time on the board. I remember the superintendent at that time had given every new board member. It was like a huge three- ring binder and it was really helpful in like talking about for new new members. You mean new board members, right? Yeah. Yeah. Well, I don't know if it was but it it could have been CA
092though. Yeah. I think that that time it was Cabman has one too. Yeah. Like legally what you can do, can't do, what a board member is. So there really is good like clarification of there is you know what and what it means which is helpful for onboarding of ed members to like kind of drive it home in black and white as well like and to remember and as Jen said typically when a new board member comes on the superintendent the board chair will sit with a new member hand them whatever binder or we used to do that all the time so right yeah so you're getting that even before the retreat because retreat just to kind of give them some um you know parameters and that's and to be honest though I mean they're very
093I I mean I would I I would I mean I'm sure a lot of you read it front to back right Joe I'm sure you did. Yeah. I just think it's nice to have cliffnotes in an office or sitting down with somebody who can kind of think it's important. So, um yeah. Anyway, um moving on to uh a motion to transfer. Here we go. 551,000. Wait. Five. I can't even look. I can't even thank you. I can't even read that. Which is 2% of the educational expenditures reserve fund. Thank you so much. That's why I don't do money. Can I have a motion? So move. Second. All in favor? Anyone opposed? Abstensions. Moving on. Motion to approve expenditures of capital non-recurring elementary funds. Motion second. Second. All in favor? I I. Anyone opposed? Extensions. Hold
094up. Hold up. You want to talk about it? We have to talk about what what we're approving. Which we're approving. Go for it. Make it quick. Kidding. I'm only kidding. You have the giggles, too. So, so at budget time, we talked about the fact that um Booth Free School and Washington Primary School both need to have their elevators upgraded and we had planned to put out an RFP to seek bids for that and we had a rough estimate to do booth free school of $85,000 and that's going to come out of the capital non-recurring elementary fund. And when we put the RFP out, we asked for bids both for Boothree and Washington just so that we had an idea. Um, and the bid came in to do both this summer at $100,000. Um, and we
095had a planned roughly that the expenditure was going to be $170,000. So, we were going to do it over two years. But since it's $100,000, we'd like to do them both this summer. And that we paid for out of the capital non-recurring elementary funds. So, that's what I need you to approve. I need you to approve the $100,000 expenditure to upgrade the elevators. I know. Did we vote to approve that? We you you can before the end of the meeting change your vote. So if anyone wants to change their vote, they can do it. But uh having already voted on it, you can always change your vote. But don't I'm not changing mine. I deal essentially. All in favor? Anyone oppose? Sensions. Moving on. Bad idea. Well, listen. I will slow it down. Motion to
096approve funding for the library renovations at Chapag Valley School. Thank you, All right. Just a little bit. Um this motion is should be larger in the sense that if it approves um the library renovation but also other projects that may come along to a total of a million dollars. Is that the right number? Yes. We talked at Ethano about approving a mo a motion to approve the director of finance to spend up to a million dollars including the library renovation and other year projects. Yeah. So this doesn't read quite the way the motion should be read. And that was my what I want to say. So, I I make a motion to approve uh the the director of finance to spend up to a million dollars on uh the library renovation and other uh projects
097that come before us, the school. I moved. Mary, did you second? You want Tell us about any elaborate. No, just to elaborate on the motion. What What are you going to spend a million? Oh, I thought we were just moving to amend the motion. Now we're we're actually talking about the motion now. Yeah, the motion was made to put on. So, do we have to Alex just made the motion he to amend it to amend it. So, now we need a motion to You have to vote on the amendment. So, can I have a motion to amend? I move to amend it to what I and you second it. All in favor? I. Anyone opposed? Anyone abstain? Great. Canal. Discussion. Discussion. Okay. You want to put the motion on the floor before we discuss it?
098I I move that we authorize the director of finance to spend up to a million dollars on the Chipog Library renovations and um other projects that may come before which will be detailed in a minute. I have a second. All in favor? I would love Oh my gosh. Jeez Louise. I'm sorry. I'm not paying attention. Yeah, Doug. Go ahead. I would love to talk to you about the library renovation. Thank you. Um, we have on the back table the plans and all of the um, fabrics and colors if anybody wants to look at it. We've been working on the plan for a couple of months now. Um, if we approve to fund it tonight, we hope that it will be completely renovated in August when the kids come back. Um, we do need to get
099the furniture order in. the cost of the furniture that you can see on the plan, new carpeting, new paint, including the ceilings, all the walls and the ceilings. Um the cost, we're still iring out a few of the numbers, but it's approximately $565,000. And I'm proposing that we use um budget surplus to pay for that. So, we won't be um using any of our reserve funds for that. We talked at finance and operations that right now, Alex had mentioned that we have 8% of our budget left. That's 2.2 2 million. We just transferred $551,000 into the elementary expenditures. We have about $450,000 left in June to spend on regular recurring expenses. So that leaves a budget surplus of 1.17 million. So of that 565 would be used for the library. And then um we had
100put out an RFP for a partial replacement of the Washington Primary School roof that is budgeted for next year in capital facilities for $145,000. We fell way short on that estimate because we did put it out to bid. We received responsive bids that are um $250,000. So we need to cover that shortfall. So I'm proposing we use year-end surplus to cover that shortfall of about $105,000. And as Alex mentioned, we put the bids out to do generators, which um we are looking to do with elementary capital funds, but we only have enough in that account um to do what we estimated those generators to be, which would be about $75,000 per school. Currently, they came in, which would be $225,000 total. Currently, the bid is two bids that we received were 320,000 and 380,000. Um
101the discrepancy that Alex was speaking about was the two bids that we received. The size of the sizes of the generators are very different. And one thing when we put out our scope of work, we were entrusting the professionals who responded to tell us what size generator we need. So we've decided to do is scrap those um responses and put out a scope setting forth what size we want them to bid on. We still hope to get that project done um relatively soon. So if it is going to come in, I think probably the size generator is somewhere in the middle of those two. So it the funding is we are going to need extra funding. It's going to exceed what we thought it was. So I want to encumber some of the year end
102funds to close the gap on that project as well. And then some other things we're looking at um when we say I'm I'm asking the board to authorize spending a million dollars of the sur up to a million dollars surplus including the library and other urine projects. It would be the Washington primary roof, the generator shortfall. We're looking at some improvements to the middle school baseball fields. Um we're looking at lining the tennis courts with uh arbor bite trees to try to help with the wind that comes into the tennis courts. Um, we've got a couple of things going on at A that need to be done. One is, um, the sugar shack doesn't have the chimney built yet so that they can process the maple syrup, I guess. Um, so that's something we're looking
103at. So, we don't have all of those things quite lined up yet, but we have the funding to do it. So, I want to be able to encumber the funds and get the work done to the extent we can. So that's why I'm asking for the approval to transfer within the budget lines the money move the money around to get it where we need it to make those improvements. And are those all to be done this summer? Any money we would encumber up to that million dollars will be done this summer? Yes. Great. I don't know. Oh, go ahead. I just want to know who the interior designer is. That's me. Unbelievable. Beautiful. Absolutely gorgeous. It is beautiful. Bravo. Yeah. Bravo. Yeah. Don't say that. I'd like to get on your books. I just have
104a question about the roofing project. So, do we have an idea why we got it so wrong as this sort of supply chain material cost? It's supply chain. At the time we were putting the budget together because we did budget it. That's one of the projects we budgeted. Don had reached out to a roofer that we've used in the past just to get a rough estimate and he came in at $145,000 which is what we used in the budget. Um he's not one of the roofers that bid on the project and the other two bids that we got were within $1,700 of each other. So I think um I don't know if the roofer that gave us the estimate in January I don't know if roofing supplies have increased. I don't know if he didn't
105consider all pieces of the job. I do know we did determine that there was some asbestous in the flashing. So, there is some asbestous remediation that has to be done, but that's not a huge that's not a huge piece of the difference. It's about $15,000. So, I don't have any reason for why the first quote came in the way it did. Got it. Yeah. Well, I guess we'll see for some of these other projects if we have issues between how we estimate and how the bid I mean it happens all the time, but I wonder if there's just a way we could tighten up that process a little bit. But also, it's it happened both directions sometimes that we'll get an estimate and we'll put it in uh uh and all of a sudden it's
106not 170,000, it's 100,000. until seven week. So these estimates just are estimates and really you well it's really don't have well yeah the thing it's a tricky science because we're limited to the number of tradesmen that will come out here. So we tend to see the same tradesmen over and over again and if you reach out and ask them for an estimate or a quote you've procluded them for bidding on your project. So you have to be kind of careful about who you ask so that you're not making your pool of people who are willing to bid even smaller. And the reason we had used that particular roofer um to give us a quote on Washington Primary is because we knew he couldn't do the job this summer and we needed it done this summer.
107Um and we have used him in the past. He has been he he actually did the Shap. Um he was the low bidder on that job. Um, so yeah, it's it's not the easiest thing to do because you don't want to go out and eliminate someone who might actually be able to do the work and bid on it. I also just want to add um in this volatile economy that we have that prices are out of control for supplies and um that's why I asked yeah I mean it's I mean I think there's so many different factors but we must also keep that in mind that you know prices are just outrageous across the board for all buildings and buyers and Any other comments? Pretty sure now I can ask for a vote. All in
108favor? No. Anyone oppose? I think you're all right. Any abstensions? It passes. Thank you. I keep hitting them. Um, it just it just need like we're in elementary school. All right, you'll be fine. Okay. Um, uh, uh, motion to approve budget transfers as recommended by the finance and operations committee. Discussion. This this was the money that we discussed earlier, the 31,000 I think it was where it it's being moved in the same department but from one column to another. So it's not adding to the cost for the budget of the year. Any other questions or discussion? No, I just I would just say that this is just so for the know about these things. Schools finances work different than municipal finances. A town once it puts money in a column is stuck with that column
109and they can't move it. They can't move it from one column to another. But a town is allowed to take almost an unlimited amount of rainy day funds and put them aside. So they can put away money. So if they if they get one column that gets hit with an extra expense, they can't move it from a different column. But what they can do is use the rainy day fund to cover it. We can't have a rainy day fund. We're only allowed 2% uh our weight is limited to 2% but we can move stuff around among columns and that's how we deal sometimes with changes in expenses and I believe that most of these these were departments that decided they didn't need money for one thing but they needed for something else and so that's
110how this works. All in favor? I. Anyone opposed? Any extensions? Passes. Motion to add Dr. Donald Shells as a signatory to all district bank accounts as of July 1st, 2025. Simultaneously removing Dr. Lorie Rodri. I so move second. We need to discuss. All in favor? I. Anyone opposed? Move. Okay. Can I have a motion to go into executive session? I move we go into executive discussion to discuss a confidential student residency. Second. Okay. What? Yeah. No. All in favor? I Anyone? I do. We need Ben. No. No. We're good. Well, thanks, Ben. Thank you, Ben. Thanks, Ben. loved your presentation. Oh, do we have to make a motion? Wait, do I need to make a motion? Yeah, we made the motion to go on executive session. Well, we want to invite Nicole. Well, you guys
111hold on a sec. Vicki, Mary, Joe, hold on a second. No second. Second. She second it. All in favor? I. Okay. Anyone opposed? Abstensions. Okay. Thank you.