001I like it. >> It's a great book. It is just three kids and Okay, good evening. I'd like to welcome everybody here and everybody at home watching on YouTube to the summer's board of education meeting for December 8th, 2025. Officially call this meeting to order and please rise for the pledge of allegiance. I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. [clears throat] Okay, we'll move the approval of minutes. So, I'll take a motion to approve the minutes from the November 24th meeting. Shane, do we have a second? Derek. All in favor? I'm sorry. Any discussion before we go? No. All in favor? That's everybody. Okay, that's JT. What do you think about
002that the meet the minutes for last meeting? >> Great. All right. I think it's not here. Okay. Administrative report. Dr. Galloway. >> Thank you and good evening. I'd like to take [clears throat] this opportunity to talk about last week's uh snow event just to remind everyone the process that goes into making a decision about weather. So last week we had our first event and we all were all superintendents were on the edge of their seats. So the way it goes is at 4:30 a.m. I call Todd Roland who's our director of public works and roads who's already out. We have a brief conversation. and he briefs me on the current conditions of the roads and anything his team is working on or any challenges that they're trying to work through. At 4:50, I get on
003a call with a meteorologist, John Bagioni, and many other superintendents in this area. Actually, last week, the call prior to our call was a group of superintendents from the central part of the state. Um, New Britain was on there, Waterberry was on there. So he every 15 or 20 minutes he's with another group and he briefs us on how the weather is moving and what the projections are. So that that happens at 4:50. After that I once again call Todd to get another update and then start to make a decision if he says Sam roads look good or it would be good if there's a delay. Our guys are out. We're in good shape but more time would be helpful. So that's part of what goes into the decision-m and I also speak with um
004our folks on deck here about the condition of our parking lots and our walkways. In summers we run a 2-hour delay. So sometimes a 2-hour delay is really about giving folks more time to clear walkways and parking lots. If sometimes at 4:50 when we have that weather call, the meteorologist might say, "You're good to start school, um, but you might want to think about an early dismissal." In fact, the the situation, I'm not being dramatic, but it was kind of fluid last week. Uh there was a superintendent uh around Bloomfield and Windsor who pinged the uh meteorologist during the school day and said, "I'm thinking of releasing early. The pressure was getting thick, right?" And he said, "Probably not the best move. The best move is probably to keep everybody in place because it's due
005to move out at a certain time and a smoother dismissal will probably happen." And that that's the way it worked out. So, I just wanted everyone to know that that we're plugged in. It starts at at 4:30, 4:50, and then it's ongoing and we will continue to communicate via school messenger, our website, and of course the local TV stations. So, I Are you my first? Well, via text. >> Yeah, the admin team gets a text at 5:00 a.m. >> So, I text all the admin and then they have their responsibilities whether to post on uh the news stations or send out school messages. So, that's how it happens and that's how we will proceed. uh for this year. Uh I just wanted everybody to know that. So I just want to transition now into a
006brief mention on the budget uh process. So our administrators have come and presented their budgets. Um I've heard all of them and I just wanted to let you guys know on January 26th I'll make my presentation to the board about our the formal budget presentation. I do encourage administrators to uh advocate for their space, advocate for what they think they need, and that is what they do. Um I'm not anticipating any large pass. For instance, last year was over $200,000 in curriculum, over $40,000 in technology. Those large purchases are not going to be coming to towards you for that. So our percentage will most definitely be lower than last year. Um, moving on the regarding the SCES HVAC project, uh, we hit submit this afternoon and submitted our non-priority grant to the state, uh, in
007the amount of about 11.5 million for funding for the SCS HVAC project. I'm not sure when we'll get a response. It could be two weeks, could be four weeks, but as soon as I get that response, I'll update you. And lastly, on Wednesday evening is the National Honor Society induction. We have 37 students who have achieved that prestigious honor. I'll be there to uh fawn all over them and congratulate them. That is a huge accomplishment. That's something you actually have bragging rights on that like even when you're an adult depending on the company that you're around, right? Uh and that concludes my uh briefing for this evening pending. Any questions? >> Great. >> Thank you. >> I have a question and I'm asking this um for education. What is the SCES uh nonpriority funding grant
008for the for the HVAC? >> It it's it's a grant now that's offered to school system on a rolling basis each month. So we our window closed with the original funding for this grant. So we've been working with the building committee and outside consultants to submit another grant to the state and they go on they approve these grants on a rolling basis. >> Okay. And that that funding source is from the state specifically. Okay. All right. Thank you. >> Yep. >> Any other questions for Dr. Galloway? >> Great. Thank you. Thank you. Uh Stephanie with our monthly budget report. >> Okay. It's going to be a quick one because there's not that many changes that you didn't wouldn't have already known about. Um, so as I said last month and the month before, we were
009expecting some fluctuations in salaries due to long-term subs. Um, so we've hired a new permanent uh science teacher up at the high school. So that long-term sub that was covering that, their wages were taken out of the budget. The new teacher was put into the budget. So there was a little bit of a fluctuation there. Um there was also um and benefits there was a slight change that that was only because somebody who nuke that came in is taking a waiver instead of insurance. Um so it was just an additional $500 that somebody that gets normally would get $1,000 but the timing of when they come on they're only getting the $500 of the waiver. Um, and then the last somewhat significant change was in tuition for special ed services provided to magnet school students.
010We just don't know what that bill is until it comes in. So, that has now been encumbered um because we did receive that bill. So, those were the probably the the most noticeable changes in the budget uh this month that were kind of out of the ordinary. That's a November report. >> Any questions for Stephanie? So the special education overages because we just don't know yet, >> right? We haven't that will cut definitely come down because once we get start getting our excess cost money that get goes to the town, then I start looking at the purchase orders that are in the system for those out of district students. Yes. >> And offsetting their tuition costs with that money. >> Okay. But we know for sure that our tuition is set at 1.3. That's all
011we >> Yeah. Yeah. Unless there's some surprise, which >> Oh, yeah. >> could always happen early. Yeah. I mean, you just never know. Um sometimes you could get a student mid year that that's already outplaced. >> Thank you. >> There there's no I don't believe that there's any students currently in district that the anticipation is that they are going to go out before the end of the year. So, I'm not expecting anything. >> Okay. >> It's early [laughter] shot in time. That was as of November 30th. Yes. [laughter] >> All right. Thank you, Stephanie. Opportunity to add opportunity to add or delete agenda items. Nothing. Okay. And I will take a motion to approve the consent agenda. JP second. Okay. Uh Gina, any discussion on the consent agenda? All those in favor? opposed. Okay, that's
012unanimous. Uh, no old business, new business. We'll welcome America Krauss up to talk about the Connecticut Convention Center field trip. >> Hi. >> I guess I sit here. >> All right, up stand. Okay. So, um we are about to take all of these students uh to Yukon uh for the Eastern Region Festival. They're going to perform at Jorgensson Center. And all of these students because they qualify for Eastern Region Music Festival also qualify to audition for All State. The All State Festival is the reason I'm here. So, oh, I have to turn it on. Sorry. maybe. Okay. So, uh our kids audition for Eastern Regionals. They have to make the cutoff scores. Then they participate in the festival at Yukon. Then they audition in February at North Haven High School for All State. And then
013if they make that cutoff score, they have the opportunity to participate in the festival that's held at the Connecticut Convention Center. Um, in rare instances, we've actually had kids apply for all Eastern or Nationals, too. Um, at every step, our music patrons support the students by making most of the fees $10 with the exception of All State. And you'll get more of those details right here. So all state is March 26th through the 28th. They go Thursday and Friday and rehearse all day and then on Saturday they rehearse just a little bit in the morning and then they have their concert in the afternoon. Um it is incredible. There's a lot of students. Um and these are the three students that made it last year. Uh two of whom are seniors this year and are
014in the running again. So they're very excited for that. Um, you can see the festival fee is 225 for commuter students and then they have the opportunity if they so choose to be an overnight student, which is a lot easier on families rather than having somebody drive them back and forth um into Hartford each day. Um, and tends to be the way they choose. Uh, so this is the information. um CMEA provides the chaperones and the nursing and most of the time and in fact this year um as well as there's going to be um uh professional development offered for teachers to come in during the day um and Jessica Wolf and I tend to we almost always go to that um and take in a lot of the sessions and check on the kids
015and watch the rehearsal process and they hire people from all over the US to be the conductors. Um, and it's just an absolutely incredible experience for our kids. >> Great. >> Any questions? >> How do they how do they score? Like how does the scoring work? >> So, there's I actually was a judge this Saturday for the middle school one. Um, and so there's a rubric. Um, it's very detailed. They have to sing or play. um very there's lists of scales that they have to do. They have to site readad and they have to prepare for all state. They prepare um a coral piece where they have to sing like the recording plays all the other voice parts except for theirs and then they have to hold their own and they are judged for um
016their inonation and their you know basic things like rhythm and things that um pitch of course um and then but also more finite things um uh in terms of like um their tonality and um how bright their sound is and things like that. So, there's a lot that goes into it. Um and they are it's a very nerve-wracking process. Um but it's pretty awesome. What I love about it is every time they go into the audition, they also get comments and feedback and it gives them some direction on how to keep growing. So, >> so how many make So, so let's say there's 200 trumpet players. How many make it to All State? >> So, all state for trumpet is actually like it's very difficult uh in for instrumentalists. Um you there's a there's a
017possibility of auditioning for the jazz band, right? There's a oppos opportunity for maybe a couple of people to get into the orchestra. Most of them are going to get into the band, but you're competing against the entire state. Um, so it is not easy. Um, how many I couldn't tell you exactly. The choirs are probably 150 each choir. There's a mixed choir, a treble choir, there's the jazz band, there's the orchestra, and there's the concert band. So there's five different groups that they could possibly audition for. >> And are these the kids that um and this is awesome. This is great. I are the kids that are going for the fall state. They've already made NC like the N. >> So NC is actually slightly different. NC is um teacher nominated and it's done just
018with uh schools in our DUI. >> Um so NC is different. There's not an audition process. This is audition only. So they're we can't ever nominate them to get in. We have no say in whether they get in or not. We just prepare them. Um and so we can't judge our own students. I had to find other judges to come because they had a one of my own students scheduled for my room and I was like, "Nope, you got to get somebody else." So we get no say in it. It's all part of the audition process. >> So I apologize. This is probably way clearer than what I'm interpreting. Um, is that the date of the audition or that's the actual like >> the actual festival is the end of March? >> The audition was
019in February. >> Okay. >> Yeah. But it's it's a process. They auditioned for the first level in November. >> Right around when they had NC >> that same weekend before NC they had their auditions for Eastern Region. >> Yeah. And then the festival is January. Auditions for All State February. And then All State actually happens in March. So we don't stop. >> Yeah. Keep going. >> Pretty awesome. >> Nice. Good luck. >> Are the overnight students accompanied by a parent or guardian? >> No. Okay. >> Nope. The chaperones are all through they're all Connecticut music educators um and through many of the different schools here in the state. >> Are you like paired up with a roommate or do you go with someone in your own school? >> They try they're give they're paired up
020with roommates. They do try to um to put people with people they know. Um, but that doesn't always happen and I can't We've had times where we have one person that makes All State. The fact that we have three was pretty awesome last year. Um, >> yeah. >> Are they stay at the convention center? >> There's a Marriott, right? Connected. Yeah. In fact, we rehearsed a little bit in the Marriott, too. >> So, >> Oh, so it's all in the same building. Once they arrive to that building, they're essentially going >> They're right there. >> Yeah. They're just going through that little path. >> Yeah. Okay. just out of concern for the student safety. You just want to make sure >> of course >> appropriate protocols in place >> and there's security at the convention
021center like you can only get up when you have your ID tag and um yeah they they keep it very secure. There's always people with them. >> Excellent. >> Mhm. >> Any any other questions? >> No. All right. We'll take a motion to approve the March 2026 Connecticut Convention Center field trip. And second, Ken. All in favor? That's unanimous. Thank you. >> Thank you. Good luck. Good luck. >> All right. I will welcome Stephanie back up to talk about the new mortality tables. >> You're probably much more knowledgeable about than I am. Um so our uh USI or formerly known as Hooker and Hulkcom they're our actuary um and they do our valuation report for our pension and our OPED and that dictates or helps to dictate what our ADAC is which is the responsibility
022of the board. That's how much the calculation is done to figure out how much the board's liability is to pay into the pension or pay into the OPED every year. Um so this year USI did our evaluation and they let me know that um the mortality tables were updated in May of 2025. Um and this is mortality tables and Mike you can correct me. This is going to be very layman's term like layman is it's based on how long they expect you to live and how based on those tables and that calculation. It's a formula that determines how much they think that the board is going to have to put in in order to pay out the pension liability for all of the people that are on our pension plan. Um I think that's [clears
023throat] the gist of it. >> Yep. >> Okay, >> you got it. >> Um so these were updated in May of 2025. I reached out to Kevin at u Morgan Stanley just to say, "Hey, um could you just let me know like what your thoughts are because USI is telling me that we should do this and that I just want to make sure that you agree with us with that as our financial adviser." And he said yes, the majority of his municipalities have already adopted the tables. So um because this is a change to the pension calculation, I need to bring it to the board for full board approval on whether we stay is it 2010 mortality tables or move to the 2016 mortality tables. Um and they gave us a kind of a calculation
024of what would happen if we stayed with the current mortality table that we've always used or moved. And it's about a $20,000 savings um that we'll see reflected in next year's budget um that I won't have to budget for. So, sounds like it's a win-win to me. [clears throat] >> How often do they do the tables? >> Well, the last time that these were updated um was, let's see, I think that they gave me that. It may be in another email that I have. I can let you know. >> The last I remember were 2016. So, it's not it's not often. It's >> not often. Okay. No. >> So, I can I can double check it. Let's look at Karen date. Any questions? Okay. So, we'll take a motion to adopt the pub 2016 mortality
025tables for the the pension chain. Second, Derek. All those in favor? That's who was unanimous. >> Perfect. Thank you. >> All right. Committee reports, curriculum, >> Absent. Uh policy. >> Uh our next meeting will be [clears throat] hopefully on January 26 if everyone can make it. That's a board meeting night. And uh for right now, we'll put 6:00. We can always go later. >> Okay. in planning and finance. >> Um we met last Monday um and went through first round of the budget and talked about some of the priorities um and we will have another draft of that on the 8th 4 p.m. >> Um salary negotiations, we are on full building committee. Um Sam discussed a little bit about the um the grant app going out which is great. Um the what we talked
026about, there's a couple things I just want to touch on. The estimated cost is somewhere right around 11.5 million, which after um the subsidy will be about a $5.8 million cost to the town. Because it's a different project, the committee decided to rebid the whole thing because we think we might be able to get better pricing. Um, so those bids are going to go out with a deadline of the 26th of January. And the other thing we learned that is that it's mandated by the state to have a commissioning agent. >> So we will need a commissioning agent >> agent >> to >> from what I understand is make sure everything works as we go through the project. And >> yeah, the state mandates on all school projects. So I think that they just make
027sure that everything is being followed properly. >> Yep. And that's a paid position. >> Oh yeah. >> Yeah. >> Us $70,000. >> Would we do we know did we need this person last time or because it was a different grant? >> Yeah, we know that it's about a 70 or it was a 70,000 on the last project because we did go out to bid for it in the last >> Oh, you get to pick who does it. >> Yeah, you have to bid it out. It goes to the lowest most qualified bidder. Okay. uh CIP >> uh next meeting is December 18th and then they'll set the calendar for next year. >> Right. Great. Correct. >> Had nothing. >> Uh and Shane SCS next meeting is January 15th. >> Okay. Hey, the advanced calendar. We
028have the uh the board of ed photo is going to be the next meeting the 12th of January. If everybody can make it, Kim, don't don't >> don't do it. Kim, >> who's in Tampa for soccer? Let me see. I have to be the one doing the picture. >> I'm the one escorting. >> Okay. >> Let me find Let me just make sure though, cuz I haven't booked a return flight. >> Okay. Um, the 13th of January is Capstone. It'd be nice if everybody can make it. I'm going to be there. I I think a couple of the other couple of the people here will be there. >> Um, just, >> you know, even if you're there for a half hour or so, walk around, check things out. It's pretty pretty neat. >> Or it's
029a time to evaluate. >> Yeah. I talked to Tenley. She said she needs evaluators for the morning. Yeah. >> So, um, I'll plan to be here for a morning. I'll just take a half day. >> Okay. He just needs confirmation. >> All right. Um, like Dr. Galloway discussed, Wednesday night, we have the NHS ceremony 6:00 at the high school. Again, Anna is going. >> I'll be there. Gina will be there. So, if you can stop by, be a nice event to go to. Um, one other thing to discuss. Um, just want to discuss the handbooks that went out a little bit. Right. We everybody got the revised handbook at the last meeting. So just for the new board members, we've tried to improve on our mentoring especially for new board members. So I know you
030don't keep it on your nightstand and look at it every night, but it's really meant as a reference. And when you I think probably the the best thing about this is everything in the notebook is all public information. So if you get questions from citizens, friends, there's nothing in there that cannot be shared. And I think that's the plus of the whole thing that we really try to be transparent. Um, and there's a a whole page of different definitions, um, which I learned myself when I tried explaining to someone else what the cost sharing formula was and I couldn't do it. Um, that maybe it was time to have an explanation so that we could all understand it. So, that's probably one of the best examples. So, we're going to try and update this at
031least every other year as we get new board members. So, one thing that's helpful is as you go through it, you know, let Mike or me know, gee, I wish you had you could have put this in. That would have been helpful to me. And we'll just keep making it better. So, that's it. >> Thank you, Ann. [clears throat] >> Um, audience to citizen, staff, students. >> Okay. Well, before we adjourn, I would like to uh this is our last meeting of 2025. So, I I do wish everybody a happy and healthy holiday season. >> See everybody in January? >> Everybody dropped off gifts. >> Every Yeah, everyone's got Yep. Everyone brought their gifts over here. >> Okay. >> So, we'll take a motion to adjurnn. >> Make a motion to adjurnn. Shane second. JT,
032all those in favor >> with enthusiasm. >> All right. Thank you. >> But she definitely plays on the 12. >> That's perfect. He's like an AI. >> What?