001Right. Thank you everybody. Welcome. Let's call the meeting of the board of education to order at 7:07. If you all 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. >> All right, Dr. Willlet, any acknowledgements? No. Good. All right. Any additions to the agenda? >> Hearing none. I'll entertain a motion for the approval of the August 27th minutes. >> So moved. >> Thank. >> Any discussion? >> All right. Hearing none. Jen. >> Hi. >> Bill. >> Hi. >> Jaden. >> Hi. Katie. >> Hi. >> Rinnie. >> I >> And Dan. >> I. >> All right. Motion passes. Public participation. Members of the Talon Board of Education.
002welcome the members of 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 public setting. Uh if you would like to speak, either step up to the the owl be recognized or raise your Zoom hand. As always, please start with your name and address for the minutes. All right, going twice. One more opportunity here. All right, seeing none, we'll close public participation bill correspondence. >> Nothing to report last two weeks. All right. Thank you. Points of information. Would anybody from the board like to speak? >> Yeah, Tony.
003Um, and Jen noted it when I walked in that, you know, I'm a little moody right now. And unfortunately, that's, you know, today today's events and it's not just the shooting of a of a a popular, you know, free speech advocate, you know, whatever you deem, whatever. Um, there's a school shooting literally coinciding with it at the same time in Colorado. This is not necessarily a message for the public. This is more a message for between the two parties as we head into campaign season. Um I don't think there's any room for this type of stuff. I don't care again whe whether this side or that side. The first thing I think of and this is what I said when I heard the news today on the phone was the first thing I think of
004are the children. In any scenario, you know, whether it's a hurricane, first thing I think of is what happened to the kid? Do the kids have somewhere to go? Like it's just a natural. That's why I work with children because it's a natural sort of instinct and to think that he's got two kids that won't get to see him come home, it's devastating. And not to mention three kids wounded in a school shooting on the same day. So, you know, in this room, I see a couple um you know, candidates on there. I see I see and plenty of board of ed members currently serving on there um between both parties. And it is my hope that going back to our parties or whatever you want to call it, um that we can emphasize at
005the end of the day we all have a right to feel how we feel and not worry about some sort of political or any sense of violence, whether it's us, whether it's the person in charge of the school district, whether it's the person in charge of the town, whoever it may be, or the kids in our schools. And um and so as we head into tonight's meeting, you know, my my my thoughts are with everybody affected today because it it's got to stop and it it it it's got to. So, um feeling a certain way today. I hope um everyone can be safe and and uh again, just just just get along. Get along and and we'll get through this. So, let's talk to each other and and and get through it instead of the
006alternative. So, that's all that's all. I just figured it was important that at least that gets said for the candidates for the current serving board of end members as well. So, that's all good words. Thank you. Anybody uh else thank you committee and liaison report FFC. >> Nothing to report at this time. >> Hill anything reported last week. We haven't met this month yet. Cover that policy. >> Nothing to report at this time. Copy. Negotiations. >> Uh, we settled the administrator's contract yesterday, so we will be bringing that to the board probably on October 15th. >> Wonderful news. >> What's up next? >> Communications versus >> Thank you. Yeah. All right. No chairperson's report this week. Dr. Willlet. Item K1, monthly financial report. Okay, let me get this shared over. Okay. So, uh again, we
007are pretty early in the year. Um there's not a lot of movement yet for for August for this financial report. You know, as would be expected, you know, at this point, 2.4% of the budget is u un unencumbered. It's about two uh $1,69. The rest of it still remains kind of to be spent as we enter the year. August is still just the second month of that fiscal year for us. And um most of the balances are going to be pretty high. Not much has been expended. Uh and there's really not too much to report. Um basic trends um excuse me, I have to let somebody in. Uh basic trends uh are essentially that um teacher salaries are a little under budget at the moment. Um that's due to resignations. There's some new hires. Um
008extra grular is a little over but um you know that's because of the pay to participate aspects of uh of um our clubs now and we're going to be waiting just like we do for sports for the um funds to be coming in. The deadline is September 19th and then October 7th. I will identify which ones are running, which ones are not. That should balance out at that point. At least some of it will. other employee benefits. Um there's a little bit a little bit high on that right now over there's a new um TSA that some you know contractually are obliged to. So that's going to impact a little bit. Not again these are small movements at this time. Um let's see anything else really. I think that's kind of the highlights as they
009are now. There's other things I could talk about but you know online online services. Um, but it's it's all stuff you'd expect and we're really just in into the first month of the, you know, school year right now in September and this is a month ago. So, there's not a whole lot to really talk about right now from the ins and outs. >> Any questions? Ken, >> are we still having trouble finding substitutes? >> Like sub subs teacher sub? Yeah, I mean, um I think we're doing okay, but but we can always use more. Um what everyone pays in the area dictates sometimes who going where and when. >> We're competitive. We're not the highest, right? >> We're not the lowest. So, you know, we do Okay. >> Any other discussion? Will item A2 open
010choice program. >> Okay. So many of you know that uh we're involved with the open choice program and um we we got involved many years ago um at this point getting close to almost a decade. uh and it is a program established in the state of Connecticut in response to the Chef versus O'Neal Supreme Court ruling. Uh there was a second um Supreme Court ruling with respect to Chef versus O'Neal that put additional um action needs on the state of Connecticut to balance out its schools from a racial, ethnic, and economic um point of view. So it's it's in force across Connecticut to try to to remedy what Shepherd's O'Neal indicated was uh in um you know was unbalanced in our state. So it's governed by Connecticut General Statute 1022 266AA and it its main
011objectives are equity and opportunity, diversity, enrichment, community partnership, and positive outcomes because the literature shows that kids that are together grow up together get along better and that it helps all the kids involved. Um it strengthens regional collaboration as we do many things together and we have I've gone to Harvard to present before. I've worked with a variety of people um that I wouldn't have worked with otherwise and we've you know formed really strong partnerships. We've gotten PD out of it that is at low cost. Some of it was at no cost. Um and it's been a very good good good partnership since the beginning. Um there's a price structure that uh provides funding for students who are coming to the district to our students uh that are talent students from Hartsburg and that escalates
012as the number of students that are in the district uh increases. Uh and I've talked about that in budget season. The one of the pages of our budget booklet speaks directly to the open choice program. Um, and it talks about all of the aspects of it, what its escalation points are, um, all of that. And so, you know, there's many benefits. Um, and the kids have had many benefits from being involved as well, which has come out in a variety of ways over time. The state of Connecticut has information on the link that I provided. And from fiscal year 20 to fiscal year 25, um, we've had our budgets offset by 532,000 based on our partnerships. So, um, you know, it's been something that's been beneficial for our school system from the standpoint of, um,
013kids growing up together and and, um, you know, equity and and having a better balance in Holland. But it's also provided an opportunity for us to um provide the best programs available to um all of Taland students whether they come from Talland or Hartford or somewhere else. So it's an excellent program. We've benefited greatly um and I think um you know the state of Connecticut put it in place for these reasons. Currently our enrollment is 14 kids in open choice and uh just doing giving you basic information tonight should you decide to instruct me to do anything that you might want me to do with respect to the program. You know, right now we open up the seats typically every year in kindergarten and um the purpose of that is we'll take kids in in
014bring in the kids and enroll them in kindergarten so that they can grow up through all the grades together which helps it helps establish really good strong relationships. Sometimes if children, you know, drop in in 10th grade or something, there hasn't been enough time for kids to grow up and get to know each other. And so sometimes there's tension points with that. um you know if people aren't mindful about how to best best implement it so that the kids are getting the best experience. Uh we do allow siblings. So if a child comes in who's a kindergartener and has a first grade, second grade brother or sister will allow a sibling into. Um so right now the in the um enrollment area is right up through our elementary school, but we could expand that and
015I have let siblings in. um long ago the board uh brought in the program and it was looking at five kids a year, five to 10 kids a year. That was the group um that was typically what was discussed and we could expand that into more grades and accept many many kids um if that was what the board wanted to do. You know, um, one thing that we do want to make sure we're doing is, you know, we want to continue to make investments in, um, professional development for staff and, um, programming for kids so that we're providing the the most [Music] beneficial environment for all students. And that's that's important when you're engaging in a program of this kind so that you're you're giving everyone the best educational experience possible. So it does come
016with additional investments if we were to expand that. Um things that worked against us. Um as we engaged in the program, we also ended up having two major issues. We had the crumbling foundation that ended up having our kids in portables for quite a quite a while. And uh we found that not many people wanted to send their children to a district where the children were just going to go into a portable. So that was that kind of impacted enrollment and then COVID impacted enrollment that kind of is a double whammy. Um so you know we've we fluctuated a little bit but landed around 14 students. >> Okay. Go ahead. >> Um the 14 kids, what did the um what are they in right now? Where are they at? >> Uh let's see. Um they're
017across all the way through through 8ighth grade. Um there go. So let's see. We have a K, two first grade, two second grade, a fourth grade, a sixth grade, six seventh graders, and two Um, you had mentioned uh investment in personal development for the staff. Are you saying that we would need more personal development days than what we currently have in the calendar or we would need to >> we'd need to work more PD into the days we have. >> Okay. >> Of course, it would never be bad if the board wanted to have um but you know, we would have to do we'd have to expand that. We have to we have to be doing that anyway. But you know the bigger this program gets um you know you do have to make sure
018that you're doing the adequate um scaling of your programming to the growth of the program. Um so that would be a fact. >> And what are what are we getting like one or two kids a year essentially? Is that what we've been doing minus the COVID and the portable years? >> Yeah. Uh yes, it can fluctuate. Also, the state of Connecticut is um the second chef settlement uh provided for um other magnets and charters and additional financing. So, some kids uh opted for that. You know, they they saw it and they thought, "Oh, wow. There's an aerospace or there's, you know, there's this, there's that. There's more of these than there have been in the past." And so that also provides competition for this program. Um so that's happened too. >> So >> the other
019thing that helps is pre prek, >> right? >> Districts that have prek tend to get kids at the youngest ages. We if we look at it, we're the second train stop on the ride. A lot of kids get on at the first train stop and the first train stop is the districts that have prek. So I mean we do have prek through the through the the one program, right? >> FRC FRC. Is that available? >> Not that not even connect with cost. >> Okay. >> Right. >> That it would be the prek I'm talking about would be the kind that like kindergarten. >> Sure. >> You know, there's no tuition or payment for that, >> right? Um, do you think our staff is ready for an an expansion of this? >> Well, I think we
020have, you know, amazing staff here and I've been here since ' 06, so I can give you, you know, historical perspective. I mean, Tom's got awesome teachers and awesome bears, awesome secretaries, all, you know, nurses, everybody. So, it's fantastic. Well, I mean, you can have awesome awesome staff and we still need to have PD, you know? I mean, it's just it's for everyone, right? So, um yeah, we have awesome staff. They they would they do and will continue to make any talent student feel um you know, feel energized and inspired. Um but everybody needs training and so the more you the more students you have that you know um just really the more students you have from any program the more training you need to make sure that they're getting the best experience and everybody's
021getting the best >> I know you and I have talked about this a number of times um you know so this is definitely close to my heart to try and expand this program and I think uh you know the the board back in guessing in fiscal year 2000 when they they first adopted this. I think it it was a it was a great move and I think you know we're ready for a small expansion to I would be in favor of an expansion to like K through five instead of just K. It's my opinion. >> Go ahead. >> I think it's an interesting discussion. I I do go back to and we see it, you know, even in Manchester, the dropping a kid in from a certain district like a like a like an inner
022city Harvard or depending on the location whether it's the Verplank district in Manchester could be different from the Bowowers district, right? So you drop a Vplank kid into the Bower school is going to be immediate immediate and it's just because of their environment and how they grew up and it's just because there's a lot of factors there. So, um, I'd be interested in the conversation. That's just where I am right now in the sense of I would love to expand this somehow. I do think the the original idea though of starting let's get them in K and and and SL them here um to give them that it's just that much more time for them to avoid at that point. they don't really know, you know, you know, you know, >> know what they don't
023know, >> right? In that. So, it's it's it's I am, and we've talked about this before, I am interested um while also keeping an understanding of why that decision Oh, jerk. Um why that decision was made in the first place to to cater to cater to kindergarten essentially. So, there's my there you go. It's lame. corrected. Randy, go ahead. >> Um, I wanted to thank you guys for for bringing this up for discussion. Um, I I go along with u both what Jay uh Jaden said Jaden said God and Bill. Um, I just I'm not sure about up to fifth grade. I I would think maybe maybe more of some baby steps, you know, like start doing maybe what we're doing now and add first grade, maybe second grade or, you know, do first grade,
024see how that goes, and then if it goes okay and you're I I don't know. I I maybe feel like maybe what was said, you know, dropping a fifth grader in right out of the gate might be a little bit um difficult perhaps. Hard to say, but Jen, >> uh, Dr. Will, do you know if if we had a principal program, how many do you have any idea how many >> that would be the that would be the greatest magnifier? >> But are we talking like five? >> There would be five to 10. I think the re if there is a you know there could there are a variety of reasons why a student may choose one place over another. can be distanced or whatever. We're about a 20 minute bus ride, 20 25 minute
025bus ride. So, we are pretty competitive from that point of view because we're right off the highway. Our four schools are right off the pay. So, we have an advantage that with that. Um, so because children that are coming are not going to be on a bus for an hour to get here. They will get here within, you know, reasonable amount of time. Our biggest obstacle right now is if we had it, we would um we'd probably get quite a few more and then they would have siblings that they brought. So, it's it's the biggest magnifier for districts to have a preschool program that is a like a kindergarten. And once you get to a certain point, it actually um it would uh it would um the compensation would balance out the costs. Yeah, that
026was where I was >> after a certain point. Yeah, >> but it would take a little while for that to happen. Then it would >> I'd be interested in exploring that discussion further. Um I think I agree with Reie. I think you know anything past second grade I I don't know that I would think was the best idea right now. Um but I um you know the other thing I'd want to think about is you know if we are going to expand this and and bring in older kids you know we should also think about you know the support that we have in our schools you know the guidance counselors the social workers the school psychologists um and we're low on those and we haven't been able to add more so um I would definitely
027want to consider that as well if we're going to make a decision with this >> to that. Sorry, Dana. >> Um, I just wanted to add on to the expansion because I know that we talked about this a handful of meetings ago. I think it's a fantastic opportunity to grow um some folks have some more folks added to our district. Um, my suggestion would be keep it at Birch Grove to start I think Jen said through second grade. I think Reie said, you know, start at the earlier levels, but I mean, maybe even just expand through Birch Grove only. Um, but I definitely think this could be an opportunity to help help us in many ways. >> Just a question off of Jen's point, and we talked about this during the budget cycle last year
028or this most recent year, so I'm so sorry for asking again. If we were to expand the open choice program into prek, what would what would we need in terms of stat? Is that just an additional teacher, an additional parent? Like what would that >> I mean if you were going to really do that at least >> or Okay. So for 5 to 10 kids, that's where I'm getting tripped up is so if we we're expecting five to 10 students, excuse me, to come from, you know, what wherever. That to me sounds like, okay, we only need one staff member, one additional teacher. Well, I mean, if you're going to do preschool in Holland, you're taking in >> all, you know, you're not going to do preschool for just >> just open, right? >> You
029would open it to your entire population. So, you will get a group about the size of K >> because that that is the group coming into K the next year. You're basically Yeah. Starting year. I mean, you probably might not get as many because some parents may not want to have their kids start that early, but you'll get a group that is sizable from talent. >> But that answers my exactly what I was thinking. Thank you. >> So, and just my thoughts off the cuff. I mean, I I hear I'm hesitant, you know. Well, well, I certainly recognize that Taland offers opportunities that some of the the Hartford schools may or may not and there's certainly benefits that are coming here. I I still look at there's also a struggle for that kid that gets
030on a bus and travels a half hour away from his friends, his family to get dropped in the middle of college to be educated. So while I think that's something that we have to be cognizant of uh which is why I fully support you know starting at the younger grades and bringing them in to where these are their friends these are you know basically um but when we start looking at making talent you know what would it take to to increase the program what would it take to entice more uh of these young these students that are that are available to want to choose talent we're going back to that same conversation that we had almost a year ago in how are we advancing? How do we advance talent to the place that we feel
031it needs to be? Uh not just for the the kids at open choice, but for the kids down the road for the the homeschooler, the kids that are choosing magnet schools out of this area. Uh I I think when we start looking at increasing opportunities for these programs, we need to dial it back and really put a plan together that is a multi-year prep rather than something where we can just start bringing them in. How many can we bring in how quickly is not the right question. I think we've we've got to say where do we need to be and then we can say what opportunities do we provide for any of these students outside the state or outside the city of the state. Just a thought. Very good. >> Yeah, I did I do
032just want to say that, you know, I had the opportunity um when I was PTO president to um meet some of the um students and the families that were coming into the program. You know, in typical Tom Swanson, our princip fashion, he was, you know, bringing them around and he saw me and called me over. And I will say, you know, again, in typical Tom fashion, he did an amazing job. the excitement that he showed that the the kids were so excited, the parents were happy, the staff, you know, was exuberant to meet them. And so I really we I I do believe we we've done this well. And uh and at the younger grades, I you know, I was really just impressed with, you know, how it it it it felt very seamless. It
033felt very exciting. It felt very happy. self just as a little >> I I don't want to fall into a pitfall of trying to polish everything up before we finally say we're ready. You know, Colin right now has a lot to offer. Even with all the reductions that we've had to make over the years, we still are an excellent school district producing excellent students and excellent human needs. and we have a lot to offer. And if I I fear that if we if we get into more discussion and say, "Well, let's polish it up a little bit more. Let's tweak it over here. Let's tweak it over here." That another five years are going to go by and how many kids could have come out here and really taking advantage of what we have. So,
034you know, I'm I'm open to expanding to Birch Grove only. I'm good with that, you know. I just want I I want to put a foot in front of the other. You know, we took a step five years ago. Let's take another step because that first step was successful. True. Let's take another little step and let's see how it goes. And and I understand I'm with you, Bill, what you're saying. I think when we say what what will it take to take that next step, I think that's the conversation we need to have. not can we expand but what's it going to take to expand I know when we talked you know just a few minutes ago in Dr. Will's uh presentation, he talked about to scale up increased PD. Uh he talked about opportunities
035to really entice people. Um when we're when we're looking at program changes like this, like expansions, uh I think there's harm in trying to jump into it before making sure that you've identified what needs to happen. I'm not saying we polished everything. we we don't need to, you know, implement all of the goals and u strategies that we we came up with a year ago. Uh but I do think especially when we're talking about some of these programs that it it requires caution. It requires to make sure that we've identified those things, we put plans in place to meet the requirements before we open up the doors and not after. I don't think we've had robust discussions and make sure that we're right. >> Dr. Willlet, if we went to K1 and two, what additional
036personal development would you need to prepare our staff that they're not getting for preparing them for kindergarten students in the open choice program? I mean, we're still talking about little little kids. >> Yeah. Um so so uh you know the u Harford uh is a much larger place than Tal there's a lot of um individuals from many different areas of of the country and the world in Arthur and Thailand doesn't have that. So, um, right now, you know, I think we do an excellent job of, um, and and and again, human beings in town, they're the very beautiful human beings. They're the best people you could have anywhere on Earth. Um when we interact with students from a variety of different places and backgrounds, there's going to naturally be um variance in their own lived
037experiences that that we would need to be best prepared for to best educate. And that would require training. you know, it required training because um you know, there's going to be a a larger diversity of backgrounds than we have here and we have to be prepared for that. Um and that that does require um you know giving people time to understand those differences um you know to understand the unique qualities that everyone possesses from every aspect and every background. You know intuitively we all have that in us. We we love each other. But um you know there are nuanced aspects of things that in order to be able to educate children in the best possible way we will require um you know education and training on the variety of backgrounds that we experiencing that we
038don't necessarily have. >> So what does that look like a whole curriculum for teachers to learn that? at all. We probably just bring in people for some of our ER days. There's some portion of them, some of the inservice days. Um send send teachers into locations. One of the things we did once was uh send our teachers in to um you know into Hartford to meet with families to take a ride into the neighborhoods um that you know in Hartford and so on. so they could get to know the kids, the families, where they're coming, you know, from, what their feelings are, what their lived experiences are. Um, we'd have to do more of that in order to be responsible. We would need to be doing more of that. Um, right now we do some
039element of it. Um, but I think we would need to expand that if we were going to be expanding the program significantly. um because we would be that that would be our that would be our obligation to do that due diligence to make sure that everybody was getting the best education possible. Also, when kids, you know, come from a variety of different backgrounds, they interact with each other differently. Um and so we'd have to do some training with the kiddos about, you know, um the opportunities they would have to have more and more experiences with individuals from different backgrounds um than that uh goes best when you put effort into uh making sure it goes best. So So it's training. It's uh training for our own kids. It's training for our own staff. Um, everyone
040has a huge heart, but it has nothing to do with whether you have a huge heart or not. It's kind of like it's just learning, you know, everybody has to learn. I mean, it it has to learn what what we don't intuitively know. And we don't intuitively know everything about every background unless we have the opportunity to learn it. So, you know, >> so if if this board gave you a directive that beginning year 26 27 to open it to K1 and two, would the remainder of year 2526 be enough time to ramp up and get people trained in a manner that you feel is ready for 2627 school year? Well, I mean, you know, I will always do what the board asks to do and, you know, I have time set aside that I
041would utilize for that purpose. That was the directive. I just wouldn't use that time for other things >> in the regular personal development days that we've got schedu. >> Yeah, I would start utilizing um I have superintendent time I spend with faculties. I would tool that towards this initiative. Um, you know, I just wouldn't use it for other things. Okay, that would be one example. Reie, >> um, is it typical, Dr. WLET, to to start off with maybe some sort of a limited lottery sort of situation where maybe you could say, okay, we're going to take, you know, five, you know, first graders and five second, something like that. So, you're you're kind of again easing into it a little bit because obviously we already have some kids in these grades. So, you know, there
042is some there's been some exposure here to, you know, how this could go, but would it be better to do it in that way? Um, so or do you think it's not really going to be an issue? >> No, I u I I think we have actually applied that u that methodology to K in that we have opened up to traditionally five seats. So, what we would probably do is it would be five seats in each grade. you wanted me to expand the you know the initial opening to so we would now take kids at five seats in you know K five five seats in one and five seats in two or you could tell me to take you know three seats in in two and one or no seats in two and expand it
043to one with five seats you could give me any configuration you want what tends to happen is um a lot of times a student or maybe not all the time but you know enough they'll come and a sibling will want to come too or they'll want to have both children come and so that sometimes will mean that if a K comes a grade two might come with them and that might take up one of your five grade two seats. Right now I I do it as an exception. We will allow a grade two child in if that um K child has a brother or sister that would otherwise be separated from them. >> You know we do sometimes do that. Now I'll take a grade two in but I usually won't go we don't usually
044will do that with high school for instance because there is uh you know we haven't had that opportunity. >> Yeah. Too much. Well so I mean ultimately we're really talking about you know probably bringing in like 10 kids. So it's not I mean when we're talking about professional development and that kind of a thing it's it's not maybe quite so overwhelming certainly in the beginning here um in terms of you know getting ramped up since we've been doing it anyway already right >> yeah some of it yes that's why I would try to start to handle it with super meetings that I have with staff um but let's say we did move aggressively into recruitment um and did that for all three grades if we have five max in the grades and we are putting
045ourselves out there with that new information because we don't advertise that right now we advertise just one grade and if we advertise more than that we will get into the booklets as o as having that opening because right now we only get the people who are willing to say go into K but new now new materials would say we're open K2 two for instance and we you know the max we don't usually say max the payment we'll typically open seats like that. So if we got 10 to 15 a year, what'll happen is in three years it's let's say you got 15 a year you've got 45 more kids which adding to the group you have now would be 69 to 70 kids in a span of three years that would be the max kind
046of a situation and uh you know if you get you know 10 more in three years you got 30 obviously so it's a you will start to expand fairly quickly which is why you know right Now there's there's a lot of kids spread out over a series of grades. We'd start to get uh larger numbers in the same school. So if we have 14 across eight grades right now, we'd start getting you know 15 per se in one span of three grades. So it would require a ramp up. But you to your point it's not like backbreaking. No, I mean I I would say I couldn't handle it if I thought I couldn't handle it or we couldn't. But it's going to require reallocation of resources, probably some expense. Um, but yeah, we can do
047that K2. >> So, if we if we've brought in siblings that are in some of the older grades at this point, then we should have some data on how how that transition has gone for them. I mean, I think the work we've done going back for years, uh, that transition goes fairly well when they're young >> up to second grade. >> Yeah. I mean, we don't we don't have any real examples of not, >> right? Or >> well, we don't have anyam we don't have too many examples of situations where the kids have not had some time together in our system for a few years. But if if >> the siblings even have had a few years of they come in. So it's usually in the K2 zone where that has been the case >>
048and we found the transition to be well. >> Yeah. But I mean again we are not talking Yeah. I mean yes. >> Yeah. But I don't think it would be a good idea to drop eighth grade high school kids in no in a situation that >> I'm just asking because I don't I don't think that we we can make that decision. But obviously our educators, obviously you, but our educators in K through two and the the people that there would know if they would be able to say this doesn't really work as well. So that's that's what I'm saying. If we had that be I'd want that feedback. I'd want I'd want to know from the people that are actually working in the school with this age group of children. No, we've had a couple
049first graders. We've had a couple second graders. The transitions have gone well or they have not. If I'm doing my job and teachers are getting the training they deserve, it will go well >> and that's the training you were talking about the professional. >> But if you give me the directives, my a lot of my energy, I will tool it towards the objectives you give me and if I'm doing my job right in the next few years, the teachers will have all what they need to make that happen. But that's going to, you know, when we talk about me approaching you with my goals and like theory of action out to the future, if you're giving me directives to sort of expand programming, you know, I will do it. This will be a good chunk
050of of the time and energy depending on what what you're asking what you're wanting to do. But you know, you do it right to expand it. Uh there are programs around us that you could look at to us. So examples of programs that have many children and Ellington has many many more students of open choice than maybe Ellington Ellington students from Hartford. We could expand to a level like that. Um and you know that's an example of a district around us with many many more open choice students. You have a question. >> So right now our 14 students range from K to 8th grade. Is that what I remember you saying? Uh with with those students and you know I don't know how long they've been in here. Have we had any significant discipline issues
051or >> you know >> well you know we have kids from who live in Holland. >> I agree issues. We can do it on Harvard. You know there's no real difference there. I think it's just u >> has there anything that stood out with all >> I mean there's been some students whose situations uh did not work out perfectly yet but there's also kids who are living in town whose situations did not work out perfectly you know I think it's just it's hard to answer that question and that you know I I think it comes back to um whether you know I'm doing a good job of preparing us for that and I think I think our staff has made excellent efforts works to uh to to serve all children really well and and that's
052that is um manifests itself in great programming for all kids. But you know the larger a program any program gets the the more support it needs and and that's going to be true of this too. >> So then let me ask you let me ask it a different way. H has there been um any students has there been anything in the program currently the open choice program that makes you step step back and say this isn't quite working >> well you know u I want to answer that by saying that um it always work the kids are always wonderful no matter where they come from the busing is terrible well it's not great from it's just not great and and I'm not casting stones. It's um you know it's logistics and um but the busing
053is not good and I think anyone who you might talk to about the programming would say that I don't think I'm saying anything that is unique. It's uh sometimes that is a significant challenge and um hey a lot of logistics I don't blame um you know the people running the busing it's not our busing um maybe it should be because if I had more direct command of that I think we'd be doing a little bit better with it um but there's you know factors there that uh we have not uh we have not um been able to resolve quickly So that is a headache. The busing is a headache, but it's not insurmountable. But the kids being here schooling that there's been nothing in that that has said >> there children that have been very
054happy with Taland and there's been some families and children put on but most the majority of the kids we have I think the families have been happy and I think that's true of our general you know that's true of Talon students from Taland and Talin students from Harvard and kind things just different proportion. >> Any other comments? >> Yeah, one more question. >> Oh, did you? >> No, I was just going to think through this discussion. >> Um, if a child is in the open choice program with us that lives in Hartford and then moves to a town that is not open choice eligible, what happens to that child? They cannot stay in Thailand >> or they have to pay tuition to be here. Is that the option? >> Yeah. >> Essentially, >> but they
055won't. Uh I mean 90% of the time they would not. Uh yeah. It's basically it's it's treated like one big place. It's Tall Hartford. It's like if you live in Taland and you live in Hartford, you're free to go to Taland or Hartford. But if you move out of Taland or you move out of Hartford, you are no longer part of the Taland Hartford partnership. So it's um you're almost like one entity, but you you have to live in one or the other. In interestingly um any child from Thailand as part of this relationship can attend any program in Hartford. So open choice goes both directions. A child from Talent could choose to go to any Hartford school. Um and and you're enrolled in the same district from the point of view of a mindset.
056So >> is Hartford the only the only district with the open choice or >> open choice in our region with these regions is Hartford. That's basically open choice within our regions. >> Gotcha. You had some sense. Um, yeah. I mean, I think, well, yeah, but I think it's a lot of a lot of things that will come up when we start having the discussion of what the actual expansion looks like. You know, for example, we had a student in our program the other day. I mean, just lose her mind. We'll say her name is, you know, Nancy. Nancy lost her mind on us and, you know, sort of scolded us and said, "You don't know. You don't know what I've dealt with. you and I had to, you know, I saw the staff member to
057my right about to who are you? And I sort of put my hand and I said, she's kind of right. She's got a point. We don't know what led her to be in this exact position right now. And we don't know what has historically gotten her out of this situation. So even going to the trainings, just how to handle small small instances like that extremely helpful. And that could be a 30 minute hourong training, 3-hour training, whatever it is. Any bit of it helps. And it goes back to I think what helps mitigate a lot of those situations right there is get them in younger, right? Younger than older. So that's the prek and that's the kindergarten. And I like the points that everybody made, including yourself tonight, just about sort of where they envision
058kids start or students starting. Uh because I think you avoid a lot of, you know, the you know, you don't know what I've been through. you don't know what they've been through when when they're comfortable in the environment that they've been being sent to, I guess, is the best way for me to put it. So, I think through this discussion, I heard a lot of great points. I'm not going to lie to you. And I look forward to, you know, God willing, obviously a few months from now or whenever we bring this back up and we we engage in it and we and we at least look toward how can we I think Bill's term was get one step in front of the other here and and not necessarily wait another five years to see
059results, you know, to see us helping children, right? And helping families, not we're not just helping the the children there. um we're helping the families you know you know any any so um I just think that was again I think this was fair discussion I think there were a lot of points made that I hope we revisit this at some point whether it's before November or after whatever it is I hope we revisit this because this could be really beneficial for the district so that's all that's all any other comments all right Dr. Will it thank you for your capital plan update. >> It's that time of year again where your capital projects are getting on the radar for everyone at review. Uh this information has been available to the um board of ed in
060a couple of ways over the last few weeks and FFC reviewed it on August 20th. Um the green doc the green highlighting here within the table are the f the fiscal year or capital plan 2026 through 2031 uh requests that are being recommended to you to pass on to the um to the town. These are added to our already existing requests over the span of years. So I provide two chunks of information for you here. The first is the ones that we would be adding um to the overall plan or requesting that the board ask me to p um recommend to the town be added. Um and also all of the ones that have been in process in the past. You'll notice that um fiscal year 24 23 all that is off here because they
061are already done. But if you look through the um the link that is the overall history so far consolidated into a spreadsheet. This is what I reported out to the FFC. And you'll see that the new ones are linked here too. At the bottom there's a kind of a key and it talks about you know when opportunity arises is when you know if something were to happen like let's say somebody hit the 1.8 billion lotto. when opportunity arises that might be it. >> Um requests made in the September through October 2025 is whatever that color is. So I think it's awful kind of blue green and um and then previously submitted is all the yellow. So the highlighting is mainly last year and this year um or linking but you can also find all of
062these projects and their breakdowns in great detail on my capital page off the superintendent page. over there is a very long historical page um right off the superintendent's site um under the capital link you can see everything in a detail but if you want to see the detail for the ones being submitted for um this coming cycle and by the way we would be looking at it in this meeting as a first read then hitting it in a second read September 24th and then I would be hoping you'd give me a motion to move these on to the town I have to get them into the town's data and information um by basically the beginning of October and October 6th I think is the dead deadline. So if you click on these or if you
063look at them each disagregates to the description and the exact cost of the program and the request um you know for instance the surveillance server and storage updates. Here's the narrative. I won't read you the whole thing word for word but it gives you the rationale as to why it is needed and the cost of the installation and equipment. Um it's 161,375 or 53792 per school. So that's an example and if you want me to read them I will but I'm assuming we don't. So the gym you know another one would be the gym mats for the main and and many gyms here at ths and those are the ones on the walls. If you've seen them you know why they're so important because well everybody hits the walls in one way or another. So
064it's usually good to have. Um but I'm sorry I clicked on the heat pump. Okay. The gym mats. Oops. gymnast, [Music] the deceptive gymnast. Let me go over. Okay, so um it gives you a breakdown and as you know, Pete does a great job. I mean, you look at it, it's soup to nuts. There's nothing missing here. This is 56,000 even with pictures of generally what it looks like. Um, and anyone who's ever worked in a school who has any experience with children in a gym knows these wall gym mats are better to have there than concrete walls with, you know, gym mats, which you know, you're going to end up with more Kerma money you're spending than if you have wall mats. So, this is not something to mess around with. So, anyway, after
065years, they get all worn and torn and deflated and and they lose their um, you know, their protective >> Yeah. protectiveness. So, that's That's one of the other reasons why we want them. And then installation of a heat pump. You know what happens when there's no heat pump? There's no heat. So having heat's really great. Um these things do come and go and they're you know necessity. Obviously this one is got a higher priority because um you know things start to fail and when they do we respond by trying to get these uh these things fixed. Now, the thing with this one in particular is um this unit is uh meant to preserve our access control elements in what's called the MDF. And so, it's a heat and cool pump. If that temperature is not
066maintained, the equipment um dies and that's a lot of money. You you got to protect that um you know, the the climate control in those MDF closets. So, that's what this does. um 28,725 is a small price to pay for the probably hundreds of thousands of dollars of stuff that's in those closets. And the closets are broken down what's called a main distribution frame and a and um where the IDF is, but um something in distribution frame and the main one is where all of the heaviest most expensive infrastructure is. Um so so anyway, that's important. Um the new walkbehind floor machine. It's a floor machine and they walk behind it. It's SC750 unit. They push it. It's $13,000 and it basically allows custodians to clean those areas. You might imagine that we already reduced
067our custodians. So them individually scrubbing floors on their own is not something they can do quickly. This machine will do it much more quickly. um labor saving device, but also allows the staff, fewer staff to clean more. Um, and that's going to be really important because, you know, the custodians are already overwhelmed and the unit that we had is really old and it dates back to um like 90s or something. So, we need to make sure we are making it possible for them to do their jobs and and this does that. Um, and then a medium here, concrete patio. This came up in FFC, all of it did, but concrete patio, uh, it was originally quoted some time ago. And that quote is no longer going to be accurate. And so, um, between the time
068prior to COVID when it was originally quoted and now, it obviously has gone up. Um, also, uh, there are regulations when the people come to look at it. you know, you have to have your steps, you have to have certain um railing and structures. So, that's all playing into it now. And uh the total cost is 160. 67,000 was already approved. So, the differential is 93,000 more to do it now. But it is important to do because these pictures don't really do the damage justice. said, "You want to go take a look, just go walk down at the middle school and look at the patio off to the right of the main entrance, and you'll see why it needs to be done. It's in really bad shape. Somebody's going to get hurt on the steps."
069Um, you know, the it's hard to see from these pictures, but there's big rivets and cracks and, you know, same thing with your driveway. If you leave those cracks and you don't do anything about them and the rivets and the holes every winter the salt, the ice, everything gets in there and then it just freezes, thaws, freezes, cracks, rips it apart even more. Then you add middle schoolers to the mix. Uh, and middle schoolers are very curious creatures. They see a hole. >> They want to know what's in that hole. They might want to test their strength. Uh there's a hundred reasons why, you know, you really want to probably get those things patched right up. And um I remember my years of geothermals when they had those geothermal things. I was a student. All
070kinds of things were found in geothermal things. >> So don't leave an open geothermal tube at a middle school. It's a very bad idea. Um in any case, these are um these are going to be important for safety. Um and just so it doesn't become a much more costly project the longer we wait. It's already become more costly. >> So that's a summary of the five that are being added. There may be one more, but if it does, I'll show it throw it at you in a in the 24th meeting. Um, so you have the overall picture of all the years and everything we've had for quite some time and then you have the ones that we've be had for this cycle and we just need you eventually to endorse that so I can give
071it to the tab manager. >> Good. Um, I'm looking at the spreadsheet which shows the the years and the projects and with us having to eliminate um officers for security, I'm wondering why the man trap at uh CMS isn't a higher priority for us. >> It is. It's just it uh it's the cost and the time. I think it's just you know CIS was easier to execute from a financial point of view the cost and the time of the TMS it's much bigger project it is definitely priority but um and it's and it's slated and in scheduled to be done it's just it can't be done faster than you can get the materials and um you know >> are we talking about putting a man trap there or are we talking about upgrading from that
072building the man trap. >> It's actually been planned and it's in process. It's just not full summer. >> Oh, no. One more. I see um I see the high school roof and we've talked about that a lot with the solar plant. Um you know, that talks about $5.5 million replacement for the high school roof. Um does it not get put on here the reimbursement that we would get from the state? You have to you have to find them out. >> Okay. >> Just in case. And then >> or you have to put it out when mount if you you just don't use it all. >> You know, any other comments? >> Oh, gosh. Which one was it, >> Jade? >> Yeah, I had two, but I'm forgetting number two. So, I'm gonna go with number
073one if that's okay. Um, just a quick one. The Billings Billings MW Billings Inc. they did the inspection for the gym mats and whatnot. >> Yeah, if that's what it says, >> right? Are they also who we get the equipment from or is that separate? >> Uh, usually the inspection people aren't the same people. Okay. >> Well, that's why I'm asking because, you know, >> and the fire marshals and all those, somebody's got a shot at anything you're doing. >> They got fingers in the, you know, in the in the mask there. you know, somebody could have taken a, you know, knife and opened it up and we need you. It's and that's just me being a jerk, but it's it's it's also, you know, being realistic of not the same person inspecting it. It's
074not the same person benefiting from >> our purchasing from them, right? So, that's that's all that's I just wanted to get that clarified. Um, who do we purchase this equipment by, if that's allowed to be said? I think you've got u the the inspectors aren't necessarily the people quoting everything. Um and you know, give you another example like Pete Staba is trained to inspect uh uh playgrounds. >> Gotcha. >> You know, so the people billing the people that would be selling us this I think is Billings, but they're not the ones necessarily >> doing the Gotcha. Okay. And that finger might be uh Mr. St. Mr. Gotcha. Well, I'd rather it be his than, you know, somebody who's trying to sell us, you know, an extra $10,000 for >> the mystery. Probably one of our
075own people, but I don't know. >> There you go. >> No, that's good. And then I It'll come back to me. The second one. It was related to the last point you had hit on, Bill, so it'll come back to me. >> Well, there'll be another check. Appreciate it. So, this is the first street, right, Dr. Will? >> Correct. Okay. Uh it may be beneficial if possible if we if you could come for the second read and that way Vinny board had specifics. He's done a wonderful job of being able to explain I try >> and James had an epiphany a visual learner. So as soon as I saw it it bam uh the the concrete patio and I'm not making a joke of the white house here. You know, you could go from a
076concrete sort of patio area to more of like a garden soil, dirt, seeds, cheaper alternative type of option. Um, has is that or is that not a good idea? And why might that not be? >> So, um, not being a >> right >> facicious or whatever. >> No, you're good. >> We are in New England. >> Yeah. >> So, many more months of the year will be sppy, mushy. >> Yeah. wet, you know, that. So, the concrete actually provides a stable place um for a variety of gens that just is, you know, kids coming off of muddy, mushy, mucky ground, walk into >> piled buildings. And again, mix that with middle school excitement and exuberance. >> Yeah. >> With slippery feet. >> That's fair. and you have hockey times, you know, 500 exuberant middle school
077children. So, >> it was a dumb question. That's >> not patio, not the entrance into >> which is why I The bigger thing, Jaden, would be to make sure that when we put new fresh concrete down, we're not using rock salt down there in the winter because rock salt and concrete >> doesn't go well. Yeah. that there is anti-slip stuff out there, chemical agents that >> don't interfere with concrete, >> the lifespan of the concrete. >> Exactly. Yeah. There's other stuff out there. So, we can't just throw >> go back. Well, I think that's a larger conversation that >> I got to believe that. We got to believe that peep >> council is that he's never he's never the problem. >> Yeah. And you know the and the thing is it is really nice to
078have because the kids for all the seasons that they can get out there, you know, they do go out there and it is such it is such an important part of giving middle schoolers just a chance to breathe outside a little bit. >> It makes the whole educational experience better for everyone. >> To be clear, I wasn't saying get rid of it. I was more so saying, you know, have more green, >> make it much, you know, make it a little more green. you know, you can still keep the concrete paths and you can still make paths and keep I'm just asking can can cost come off of that if we insert, you know, garden, you know, strips or something. I don't know. I don't know. Just thinking outside the box as to how we
079can spice that thing up while also making sure that the the kids still get the benefit of that space outside and the building the building itself gets the benefit of that space outside. >> Then you got to mow it. >> All right. That's right. That's right. If you could invest in a uh in a a field like the high school's field and I know we get >> we're good field around this. >> Not that I don't appreciate your desire to give more. >> There you go. >> All right. Any other questions or discussions? I'll read one. Okay. Hearing none. Moving on. Public participation phase two two-minute limit comments please limited items on the agenda as always if you're in the room step up the hour will find you online please raise your Zoom hand and
080be recognized a second opportunity right hearing none points of information. Would anybody from the board like to speak? Okay, seeing none, we'll move on to uh the first of our executive sessions. As always, Lisa, you are welcome. We move these to the end. Dr. Will can take uh any votes that happen once we exit executive sessions and get that information to you. >> I will accept I'll entertain a motion for the executive session attorney client communication on the solar contract and negotiation. >> We have to invite >> make that motion with inviting Dr. Will. Yes sir. >> I will make a motion to enter into an executive session for purpose of attorney client communication for solar contract and negotiations and um also inviting Dr. Willlet. >> You'll second that discussion. Okay. Jen, >> Hi, Bill.
081>> Hi, Jaden. Hi, Katie. >> Hi, >> Reinie. >> Hi, >> Ann. >> Hi, >> Anna. >> Hi. >> Okay. Non board members that are online, you will be put into the the waiting room. No votes will happen inside of executive session. We will come out of executive session for any votes. We appreciate your time. We will take a 5m minute break. Give Lisa time to to pack up the move. All right. Exited executive session at 8:44. I will now entertain a motion to enter second executive session for the purpose of superintendent evaluation. >> I say >> so moved. >> All right. Second. >> Second. >> Dr. need to invite Dr. Will. >> Dana, do you want to amend your motion to invite? >> Yes. I Dr. Will I'd love to invite you to our
082executive session. I'd like to amend my motion. >> Second. Discussion. >> All right. Jen. >> Hi. Bill. >> Hi. >> Jaden. >> Hi. Katie. >> Hi. >> You could just keep it on the back and wait. >> I think we might have lost them. I >> I didn't hear my name. Sorry. I >> Dana. There we go. >> I didn't know if it was Dana or Dan, but I'm an I. >> All right, we're good. Uh, so Dr. Willlet to the people non board members online. All right, I'll entertain a motion. Uh, what I'd like I'd like to make a motion to approve changes to the superintendent contract as specified in the September 10th, 2025 board of education meeting with a 3% general wage increase of $5,774.80 80 cents 5A and 5B. Language adjustments as
083articulated for 6 C and 6D regarding unused vacation and personal days fully provided by January 1st and extend the contractual agreement between the board of education and superintendent Walter Willlet for a year making the contract duration 3 years from July 1st 2025 through July 30th 2028 updating section three terms of agreement and the superintendent's contract accord. I'll second that motion. >> Discussion. >> Okay. Hearing none. Jen. >> Hi. Bill. >> No. >> Jaden. >> Hi. >> Katie. >> Hi. >> Reie. >> Nay. Dan. >> Hi, >> Dana. >> Hi. >> All right, Dr. Willlet. Motion passes. Uh 62 back. Lost my agenda there. >> All right. Uh any comments for future items, Dr. Lump? >> No. >> Okay. I will entertain a motion to objourn. So moved. >> Second. >> Discussion. >> All right. Jen,
084>> I Bill. >> Hi. >> Jaden. >> Hi. >> Katie. >> Hi. >> Ken. >> Hi. >> Jay. >> Hi. >> Right. Meeting is over. Thank you all. I have a great