001Okay, I'd like to bring the October 22nd board of ed meeting to order uh at 7:19 p.m. Sorry for the secondies signing in. Let's do the pledge of allegiance 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. >> Dr. Will, do we have any acknowledgements? >> Yes. Um, we do. The boys soccer team, the boys middle school soccer, I'm sorry, the boys middle school cross country team won their league championship. So congratulations to and boys middle school completion. >> Was awesome. >> Is that it? >> That's it. Okay. Um any additions to the agenda? >> No minutes to approve. So we'll move on to public participation. The members of the Talon Board of Education welcome members
002of the public to share their thoughts and ideas at this time. When appropriate to do so, members of the board and the administration may respond to comments during points of information. However, in consideration of those in attendance and in an effort to proceed in a timely manner, follow-up discussion may need to take place outside of the meeting session. Do we have anyone who would online who would like to publicly participate tonight? Going once, twice. Okay, we will close public participation. Uh, Mr. Bodie, correspondent. >> We had two emails come in. Uh, one concerning um gifted and talented classes, questions about that and another come in about lighting on a pathway on the back side of the school. >> Okay. Points of information. Would anyone on the board like to speak at this time? >> I'll
003raise my hand verbally. I just I'm all over the place, so I don't know how to work this thing. Um just to uh the second piece of communication from the public regarding the um the um the the pathway the the the lit up pathway. I'm sorry everybody. I am going on a few weeks here of dealing with whatever I'm dealing with. So bear with me. Um we were leaving you know we were leaving a high school football game a couple weeks ago and Mr. McCluskey, you know, I was talking with him after the game. You know, were some of the last people in in the in the stadium and there's, you know, three younger students, uh, three, you know, gentleman, boys that are, uh, leaving from the high school to go to that back path
004back there, uh, and to enter that neighborhood because that's where one of the boys lived. Um, and I just want to shout out Mr. McCcluskey because, you know, he he asked the parent to confirm with, uh, him that they got home safely. Um, because again, it is a dark path and you don't know what's going on down there. And so um so I think it is a fair discussion to have. I'm not sure if we can have that full discussion tonight and come up with a solution tonight obviously but um it did come up as of I mean a few weeks ago where you know there's there's there's children walking you know from the school to that path and I think it's a good it's good to mention it. It's good to bring it up
005and I appreciate the email we received. So, just in case anybody was wondering, again, there was an example just as of a few weeks ago of, you know, one of our staff members making sure that, you know, these students got home safely um just because again, it's just a dark area down there. And so, um you know, I'm sure there's case after case of sort of situations like that happening. So, just wanted to uh just wanted to, you know, point that out. >> Thank you. Yeah, that email just came in today. So, um why don't we let the superintendent take a look at it and if it's something that we need to address, we can probably add it to um an agenda further down the line. Um unless anybody else wanted to add anything to
006the meat, >> I just wanted to add I don't know if that's you know town responsibility or responsibility probably be looked into in that regard. >> Yeah, take a look at that one, please. Dr. M. >> I will. >> Okay. Um anybody have any other importance of information? Yeah, I just like to say thanks for all the people I've I've been, you know, uh on the board of education with for the last two years who might not be running again or moving on to different things, different paths of life. So, I just appreciate everybody, you know, interacting and helping me learn the ropes and uh just communicating and being together, making decisions for the town. So, thank you, Ditto. I have you, Brian. Um um I was really excited to hear the acknowledgement for the
007middle school cross country team and I just wanted to congratulate uh those young athletes. Um and it was great to see the post online they had because it was a variety of sixth, seventh and eighth graders that were there that took them all the way. So it's pretty impressive feat for all of our student athletes. And then you know we have some other of our our high school teams going further on. Mr. Best of luck. >> Thank you. >> Anybody else? >> Okay, moving on then to our student representative reports. Camila and Angela, you got for us tonight? >> That's right. The Talin High School is having a homecoming Saturday this Saturday, October 25th, and our official theme is the fall harvest. And Angela and I have also reached out to other clubs like Smith,
008Health, Science, and Yearbook about any concerns that they might have about their clubs that they could talk to us about. Um, and then we met with Mr. Poland on Monday about my classes in particular, and we're hoping to meet with them roughly about once a month, um, continuing on. and he said that um lengthening the time was definitely um an option that he's willing to support. We're just going to wait until the end of quarter 1 so we can look at some data and make sure it's a good solution. And then next Monday, the 27th, student council is meeting with Smith to talk about penny wars coming up. >> Great. Thank you. >> Thanks. >> Thank you for all the work that you guys put into homecoming. Very excited. Saturday, my son will be attending,
009so uh that'll be fun. And uh great job bringing um your concerns about smart pass to the principal and uh sounds like you had a good conversation and keep uh keep us updated. >> Okay. Uh committee and liaison reports policy you met >> we met today uh our last policy meeting um for this term and we went over the school calendar that'll be coming that'll be going on the second board agenda. maximum. So the end of the month, >> we met today and go further uh into the the NEAS report um with their um upcoming visit in March. So we discuss that. >> Uh Brian, we did not have communications, right? >> Correct. >> And Dan, you gave um FFC last week, right? >> Yes, ma'am. >> Okay. and we have no negotiations at this
010time. >> Uh chairperson's report. Okay. So, I normally do not do a chair person's report when I'm the acting chair, but I think I would have Tony's blessing tonight to do a vice chairperson's report. And I just want to take a moment and thank this board for the last two years of our term and the time that you put in volunteering for our schools and for our community. Um Katie and Dan, we will miss you. Um it has been great to get to know you. You have been intelligent professionals who have brought a lot to the board. Um and I thank you very much for your service. Um Bill and Brian, I'm excited to continue working with you for the next two years. Um really happy that we'll still we'll still be together and I
011really appreciate both of you very much. Uh Reine, good luck to you on your candidacy for the town council. I wish you the best of luck. Dana and Jaden, same to you. Um hopefully you'll be back with us in the next two years. And I wish you guys the best of luck, too. This is not an easy job that we all have volunteering. Um it definitely it definitely takes a toll. We've been through a lot together. Um you know, Reie, you've had so many years of service. S you had so many years of service. um Jaden and I not quite as many as you guys told me. Um as well, I want to thank him for being our chair these last two years and um for working alongside me and supporting us. I'd like to
012thank our new student reps. Um you guys have this really kind of cool opportunity where you get to see the new board come in and and all the changes that happen from the old board to the new board and a lot of things that stay the same. So, um, I'm excited to keep working with you and I can tell that you guys are really going to continue to offer us a lot. And thank you, Lisa, for everything that you have provided us these past two years. And thank you, Dr. Willlet, for being an excellent superintendent and for all the guidance that you have given us these past two years, especially me in this leadership role. So, thank you very much. I think I got everybody. >> Okay. So, superintendent report K1 school resource officer. All
013>> right. So, um this is an update to the um to the pro the process of the school resource officer. We um unfortunately we were unable to meet Mr. Foley, myself, Mr. Wilkinson were going to try to meet this week, but uh there were reasons we couldn't. So, we're going to be getting together next week to attempt to finalize a way forward. I think that the council and the leadership of board and council have given us a clear message that you know that this is something that um you know has a element of a green light to it. So, when I meet with Mr. uh we'll talk about resources that may be coming in um the direction of the district uh and we'll talk about the process of using those resources to um post post
014and fill the job of SRO. So my I wish to be able to come to this meeting tonight, give you more, but my impression is that um we will be able to hire um an SRO in the next few weeks. Hopefully between now and November 15th when um you know when the state police segue back to an earlier structure they had u because Mr. Brennan will be coming back from a deployment. Mr. Brennan, you know, has some seniority over Mr. Sheepard. Mr. Sheepard works for Troop C. So, there's some possible bouncing and then we'll have a little bit of a window there, a period of time where there's a transition. Um, but somewhere in that span of November to December, I think we'll be able to place an SRO. We'll be advertising for it as
015soon as possible. As soon as we have that meeting and I know that there's funding available, then we can advertise. And when we advertise, you know, hopefully within the next few weeks, somebody will apply or people will apply and then we can interview and get that placed by by the time that transition occurs. Um, and we will obviously get some assistance there from Corey Brennan, I'm sure, when he comes in. He's been in in the schools a lot. Um, Troop C may help us, you know, in continuing trooper Shepard. Uh, so I think we'll have a good transition period. people will help us as we look to place the SRO and I'm confident, you know, we will find someone in the span of November, December for that permanent role. The difference is that um Thaland
016would be hiring a municipal officer instead of a state border and that's I think where they're going to want to go. So I I haven't had the meeting so I can't tell you for sure and I was hoping to to be able to do that but that's the direction I think that they are going to go is the municipal officer structure it's a difference >> uh they don't report to the well they are not a Connecticut state trooper but they do report to the administrative officer at Tral City I'm sorry at the resident troop. So they work as a police officer with all police powers. They're armed, but they're technically paid directly by the town. Um, and that would be different because the troop wouldn't be paying the town would and they report to the
017administrative trooper of the resident troop, but they are they are not part of that. So they are deployed solely in the schools and they work 10 months solely in the schools and they're paid for 10 months solely in the schools and they will have the summers off and the school uh student breaks off. Um they don't do any additional work in the summertime. Uh and they work kind of like a constable. So, it's a full-fledged police officer, but they are basically stationed in and only for the schools for the duration of the school um year. And that, you know, a trooper would be all year long. Somebody would have to pick up, you know, if you're going to pick up 10 months of a trooper, someone would have to pick up the other two months.
018The troopers are more expensive. >> Um quite a bit more. So that's it's a structure a lot of towns use. They have municipal officers across. We actually have been using that structure. It's just we were limited to two 24-hour people. Now we can hire one full-time 40hour person. >> Any questions or comments? Um, I guess my only question would be, and I apologize if you said this, but we won't have a a gap in coverage. >> No, >> at all, will we? >> Well, I mean, no, we shouldn't. I mean, right now we uh Trooper Shepard, you know, he is working in schools. Sometimes he will have to go and uh do a report or uh do a gun permit. So, not any more than the the gaps that we have for that >> in
019the transition when Corey comes back, Mr. Brennan, Dr. Brennan. Um, there may be a week or two there where one or the other or someone is covering shifts or whatever. So, there'll be transitions, but we're not going to be uh without somebody working in schools. The decision to go more on the municipal officer side. It's the fairly recent development and unfortunately just weren't able to have that meaning prior to this meeting. Otherwise, I could give it to you exactly as it went. But right now, I think within 90% accuracy, I can say that the direction this is going is that municipal officer direction. >> Okay. >> Just uh just just for clarification, this still would be covered under those excess funds that the town had >> the rental or something. Yeah, the uh we have
020some great troopers at the last meeting of >> great troopers in town and you have a experienced trooper that had um a trooper with more years but transitioned out trooper with less years transitioned in and that referential is what they're going to use for officer. >> Thank you. >> Yeah. >> Anything else? >> Okay, thank you Dr. Willlet for that update. Um we have no new business so we'll move on to old business and M1 is the task contract. >> Right? So you remember that uh last week you had your first session uh and exposure to the contract. The contract has been available to you. The contract does not get moved forward, finalized until after the board approves it in which at which point I can then say that you officially did that and we
021can publish it for the council. The council will have to do the final vote on the contract. So once you endorse it, it becomes you will have endorsed it, the task will have endorsed it. Now I can actually show it around because negotiations is technically complete at that point and it goes to the balance. Um, >> so you have access to the red line >> and the um overall stats on it. I did put those out there, but there is a um agenda item for that here too. Just to go over some basics. um the state of Connecticut average for settlements and the way it goes is it's rolling because not everybody's in negotiations at the state same time but the state of Connecticut has a very required you know very scripted process you go
022through a certain date negotiations have to open by a certain date they have to go to mediation by certain date they have to go to arbitration by so there's rolling rolling number of towns and districts in negotiations at any given time. So of the 38 districts, 38 39 districts that were in negotiations during the period of time that we were, the average settlement was 9.92% in this range of time. The settlement for this one is 9.49%. So the settlement that your negotiation team got is lower than the average settlement of all settlements. Connecticut during the same negotiation period. So, that's a good thing. Um, it shows that your team did a good job keeping things modest and under control. It's got a three-year duration of 2026 to 2029. Um, it's got updated wording to match
023all the other bargaining units. So, there were some cleanups. uh insurance premiums for health over the period of the contract go up by two 1%. Um one thing to keep in mind is their percentage share or the contract is up there as it is. So it's 1% may seem modest as an increase to an insurance um line but um they are higher right now than the teachers are. So they're going up. Um and that the uh bereavement language was modified to allow for um them to have more discretion because sometimes a person other than your direct parent is the person who raised you. So if we try to limit it to say someone's mother and father and so on, if the mother and father weren't in the picture but somebody's aunt was and you don't
024list aunt. So the bereavement language has been um widened to be you know more gracious and so that was a change too but that doesn't cost the district anything. Um so these are just some of the basic things. Um updated language for workrelated injuries cleaning up language in there. Uh so over the span of the contract, you know, you've got a contract that is lower than the average settlements right now and cleans up language, has reasonable insurance because they're already kind of high. Um and I think overall it was a great job on part of your negotiations committee and they're a great group of people, a great unit. They're all awesome administrators. So we talked a little bit about that before. You have a lot of wisdom and experience in this group. So, it's great
025that we're able to retain them. Total cost is 200,927. >> Um, and you guys know I always like to add a little personalization when we talk about contracts. Um, I think for administrators, I think we're well aware of the business that is our school district and these are the people that run our school district, right? So, they're doing many of the uh the heavyhitting items like writing curriculum and reporting out to the state and running the day-to-day operations of our school and working closely with Dr. Willlet on budgets and um so much more. Um but there's also the personal side of it. Um I think that we are very lucky. We have a very experienced workforce of really highly talented administrators and most are veterans of our district. They have really served the town and
026our schools well. We we want to keep them. We've invested a lot of time um in their development and we we want to retain them and of course we want to retain them at fair compensation rates. Um, you know, as we all know, I've gotten I've had the opportunity to spend a lot of time in in the schools volunteering. Um, there's so many personal things that our administrators do. They really do work very closely with our students and our families. Um, it's also a business thing, but they are in, you know, our PPTs and our 504 meetings. They are meeting with parents. They're meeting with staff. They've taken on a lot of the duties that were done before by the team lead and we seem to have put more on them every budget cycle. Um,
027but they also they're they're at recess, you know, and the younger grades and sometimes they're even out playing at recess with the kids. They're they're working closely with our PTO organizations. And I can tell you from experience that when we do a line item budget with them, they they are very um they treasure every single penny and they're very careful about where those where those funds are allocated. Um they are at all the PTO events and then some at our schools and they assist with setup and clean up wherever they can. They, you know, I've seen them putting deicing down, you know, when they've had to because somebody just slipped, you know, at drop off in the morning. They're walking in young students who are having a really hard time and some of them are
028outside anyway greeting students, but then they're they're taking care of the ones that they know that they need a little extra help. They are carrying vomit buckets in the hallway sometimes. So, they have a sick student, you know, they are the first people on the scene when there's any kind of emergency, big or small. um they're they you know um are in our cafeteria doing those duties which are very difficult at the middle school and the high school and our admin some of our administrators are in both of those. So there's just there's there's a lot that they do. But when I was thinking about it, one thing really came to mind, and that is that, you know, every time I've seen an administrator in the hallway during the day at school, they're often in
029like a speedwalk, right? Because they're either going somewhere that needs them or they were just somewhere that needs them and now they're rushing back from a meeting. So they're in a speedwalk. And if you're a staff member, a volunteer, you'll get like a quick, "Hi, Mrs. Gashant." You know, something like that. But I will tell you that every time a student stops them for a fist bump or a handshake or asks a question, those people stop in their tracks and they are present for our kids. I have never ever seen an administrator speedw walk back past a kid that was trying to get their attention. So, um I'm just really grateful for the people that work in our schools and uh just wanted to to take a moment to express some of those things that
030they do for us every single day. With that, any more discussion before we make a motion to move this to board action? Hopefully. Anyone? >> Okay. I will entertain a motion to move this to board action. The motion to move the board of bed and the task bargaining unit agreement to action. >> Second. Okay. Any discussion? >> Hi. >> Brian. >> Hi. >> Bill. >> Hi. >> Dana. >> Hi. >> Katie. >> Hi. >> Dan. >> Hi. >> Aiden. >> I. >> And I'm also an I. So that moves to board action N1. Okay. So next is M2 obsolete and surplus equipment. >> So uh as you know we have a policy for um processing obsolete and surplus equipment. Uh in this case we have identified some items here that we would like to turn
031over to the town and then the town can do as they see fit with them. Sometimes they'll sell it, sometimes they'll trash it. Um but when something is not working or is obsolete for our own purposes, you know, that's how we handle it. So there's a motion involved in designating these items as obsolete and moving them over to the town. If you see second page, there's a list of um there's a list of books that also at this point can be turned over to the town. So there's some technological equipment that's old or broken. Um there's a laminator. There's an infocus projector. Um there's monitors that don't plug into anything. Um and then there's these uh books. Journeys is an old program that was used in the district. These books, a lot of these books
032uh were given to us as part of our programming sort of a thing years ago and they're not really needed at this point. We have offered, you know, everyone that is in an education side this stuff. Um, nobody wants bees. Um, they're part of the old program. They're outdated. So, they are going to be turned over to the town and town decided to trash them or they gave them away in the library or something like that. But, uh, this is two or three generations ago of programming. A lot changes in that time. >> Okay. Thank you. Any discussion? >> Why are there so many dictionaries being the bond given away? >> Well, they there's nowhere. We don't they're associated with the program. We don't need them. Everything's electronic now. Um and they're basically just in
033storage. They don't use them. So, they would be turned over. We did try to see if others wanted them. Um, but people don't want them. I'm not even sure the library would want them. So, that's that's kind of where we're at because they um it's not the not what I grew up with, but it's not what they're doing anymore. Everything is electronic. You can look up everything electronically. >> No, no, I understand. >> So, they don't they just don't use the printed material. >> I just didn't know these. >> Maybe we could ask our student reps. When did you last use a paper dictionary? food grade. >> Okay. So, >> that would be a valid way in the program. >> Yeah. >> Started and that's basically what they just >> Okay. >> Are there um
034is there an opportunity at all for our homeschooling families to obtain any of this? I mean, I know that we don't >> Well, when we travel to the town, they'll do whatever they want with them. Sometimes we you can put them out in boxes that what will sometimes happen is during programs, these will be put out in boxes for people to grab. We did do a little bit of that you at home. I if you were at the open houses and things, some of these materials were open for parents if they wanted to take them, but none of nobody took them like nobody took the dictionaries for students. Um, so we would put them out. They have >> they put them out for the younger schools >> and we'd help. The library I think would
035be one place possibly, but I don't want to put that on them. I know they have they have boxes already of stuff that people can take. So >> Birch Gro Tom had oh my goodness the amount of books he had. >> Yeah. >> Must have had literally thousands of books. >> We tried to provide them to the families and people but nobody wants them. >> Yeah. >> That was lost and found >> they are older. I mean granted you know like a like a um a map. If you had a map from 10 years ago, it's not accurate anymore. You know, there's terms in those that probably are not 100% accurate after 10 years. >> All right, let's move. >> Can we um We need to move this to board action, right? Do we need
036a second read on this? >> You don't have to. It's up to you whether you do second reads, but if you second read, it won't be >> Would anyone like to make a motion to move this to board action? >> Yeah. Make a motion to move the obsolete and surplus equipment list provided to us today to action. >> Second. >> Any discussion? No. Great. Rainy. >> I >> Brian. Bill. >> Hi. >> Dana. >> Hi. >> Katie. >> Hi. >> Ian. >> Hi. >> Aiden. >> I am an I. So that is now N2 I think. Yes. N2. Okay. So, board action N1, which is the TADS contract. Uh, do we have language for that, Dr. Will? I do. >> Yeah, I'll read it. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Motion to accept the board of
037ed and TAS administrator bargaining unit agreement to be from to be in forced from July 1st, 2026 through June 30th, 2029. >> Second. you. Any discussion? No. Okay. Reinie. >> Hi. >> Brian. >> Hi. >> Bill. >> Hi. >> Dana. >> Hi. >> Katie. >> Hi. >> Jaden. >> Hi. >> And I have an I. That passes unanimously. Moving on to board action item N2. Motion to determine all items included in this report as obsolete and/or in disrepair and to turn the identified items over to the town according to board policy 3040. >> Second. Okay. Any discussion? >> Re. >> Brian. >> Hi. >> Bill. >> Hi. >> Dana. >> I >> Jaden. >> Hi. >> And I am an I. That passes unanimously. Okay, that brings us to public participation. So, comments must be
038limited to items on this agenda. You will have 10 two minutes two minutes. Uh feeling very generous this meeting. Um, is there anyone from the public who would like to speak more once or twice close public participation points of information? Would any board members like to speak at this time? I will just quick thanks for, you know, everybody on the board. appreciate, you know, working together and that type of thing and it's it's, you know, good luck going forward. >> Thank you. >> Yes, >> I will second that. Thank you, Reie. Thank you everyone for uh dealing with me while I was some remote andor just learning the ropes throughout the first year, second year, but it's been real. So, thank you all. Um, you haven't seen the end of me. I'll still be around,
039but thank you all. >> Thanks, Dan. Thanks, Dan. Jaden, >> exactly what what they just said. Um, what Dan and Reinie just said. I I can't thank you all enough. I think this board, fascinatingly enough, I think we've proven that, you know, you can get stuff done and disagree with each other. And to me, that's important, you know, and so I'm really grateful for for everybody in that room. And and Dan, don't feel bad about being virtual. I'm You know what? You're you've done a great job. So, um, thank you. and Reie and and Lisa, thank you for sitting next to me for the last two years and thanks for sharing the treats and and sharing the laughs. So, it's it's it's been a fun uh two years with this with this team. And again,
040I I I I can't thank you all enough. So, well done. Well done, >> Davey. I I won't belabor it because I don't really have anything different to say other than, you know, what Dan and Jaden and Reie have already said, but I just wanted to wish Dana and uh Jaden and Reie really good luck in your races. Um I think you're great representatives for the town and so I I wish you well. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> I can't not say anything. So it's been a good six years. So good luck to everybody. at all. >> Yeah. >> All right. So, the future is undecided. Uh and uh I'll accept a motion to adjurnn. >> So moved. >> I just Brian. >> Did anybody do it? >> Second it. Second. >> I second
041that motion. >> Second it. Aiden did it and I'll second it. Dana Katie. >> Hi >> Dan. >> Hi. >> Aiden. >> Hi. >> I'm an I. Good night everyone.