001meeting of the board of education at 5:32 p.m. Please rise for 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, justice for all. Mr. Burgerer here, Miss Conway here, Mr. Corey here, Mr. Cronin here, Mr. Pis here, Mr. is excused. Miss Boner here. Mr. Kiscoco here. Mr. Ny here. Mr. Putnham here. Mayor Carbona representative. Miss Ferguson here. Miss Clemazooi here. Miss Lavy here. Mr. Pabola here. Miss Schulty here. Miss Beans here. Mr. Wilson here. Thank you. Uh I will give a motion for the approval of the agenda if there is one. So move. Sorry. Second. Okay. Uh all those in favor, please say I. I. Opposed. Okay. We have our agenda. Uh school community service and public participation.
002If anybody's signed up, excuse me. Okay. Okay. So, we have one sign up here in person. So, we'll start there. I've got to read the paragraph. The board invites members of the community to speak on topics to be addressed in the agenda or on other topics of interest. Individuals wishing to make comments are requested to fill out the speaker signup sheet, including your name and address, which must be stated at the beginning of your comment. The board will not allow comments regarding specific staff members, parents, students, or personal grievances. Courtesy is expected in this limited public forum. The participating time will be limited to 3 minutes per person and 10 minutes overall to guarantee operation of the meeting. Uh, so we have Aaron Sullivan is our first personal speaker. Take a look. Wherever you like.
003Okay. Um, hi everybody. Erin Sullivan. Um, I'm a teacher at High School. Um, and I wanted to give a recap tonight of our recent um, Scotland and Ireland trip. Um, and part of my notes. Um, over spring break, the group of ths students embarked on an educational tour through Ireland and Scotland. The trip was an astounding outstanding success. Our students enthusiasm and maturity were a credit to ths and all we do here. We started in Dublin where students had a chance to explore Phoenix Park, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Trinity College, and several of the city's museums. Students learned about Ireland's Viking history, the story of Irish independence, the importance of music in Irish culture, and the global impact of Irish immigrations. Whether touring landmarks or navigating the city in small groups, they brought a thoughtful and
004respectful energy to every experience. In Northern Ireland, students had a deeply moving tour of Belfast, including a visit to the Peace Wall, where they themselves wrote personal messages on the wall of hope and unity. The firsthand encounter with the history of the Troubles was handled with sensitivity and compassion. The students embraced the city's charm and even had a chance to perform during one of our cultural nights. We had a guitar player and singer um from our student group. They also loved exploring some nearby natural landscapes. Giants Causeway, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site, was a huge hit. Crossing by ferrying to Scotland, students continued their historical and cultural immersion. We traced all over Edinburgh, visited the birthplace of Robert Burns, including a sighting of Brigadeun, climbed monuments, tooured castles, and participated in more local
005traditions. A tour through the Scottish Highlands, including Gleno Valley, Loch Ness, and Noah's Abbey, offered natural beauty and hands-on history. Throughout the trip, students were both adventurous and resilient, even when the unexpect could happen. Uh we had a little morning early morning um evacuation of the hotel to the fire alarm which according to the hotel was a very naughty and ambitious spider. Um but the students handle these surprises with good humor, teamwork and positivity. At every stop our guy our travelers they ask great care of our DHS community, kind, respectful and just plain amazing. I'm so grateful we could give them this opportunity to broaden their horizons, deepen their global understanding and create lasting memories. Thank you for supporting global learning experiences like this one. Our students return home with new perspectives, new friendships, and
006a richer understanding of the world and their place in it. And I would also just like to shout out my fellow chaperons, Lisa Roach, Mary Deari, Richard Dubois, and Mackie McGillicuy, who use every opportunity to connect with our students, build on their learning, make curricular connections, and really just support them along the way. Couldn't do this without them. So, thank you very much. Just may I We also received an email from a parent that had a student on the trip who just raved about their experience from a parent perspective and being kept in the loop throughout the whole thing. I don't know if there was a blog or if there was access to a email home to Yeah. So they were able to follow you through the trip and she just had wonderful things to
007say. So I wanted to mention that too. So thank you. It sounds like they had a great time. Excellent. Uh that's all I have who's signed up. Is there anyone else here in person who would care to address the board? Okay. Uh is there anyone online? Someone told me that Mr. Lir. Excellent. Take it away, sir. Uh good evening. Jason Lafaneer, proud special education teacher at the incredible Torington Middle School for the past 21 years. That's two decades of teaching, advocating, adapting, and yes, loving this work. Thank you to the taxpayers of Torington for your support which has allowed me to help shape the future of this city one student at a time. I hope you'll continue to support the jury system that's doing just that. Thank you to the board of ed for allowing
008anyone to speak at your public forums so that you get a full scope of information be able to make informed decisions. Mr. Corey, I do not hope uh I hope that I don't step on your toes and and steal your thunder. I'm fully expecting and looking forward to it. snarky, honest, good of the order from your uh from you in response to last night's joint board of science and board of ed meeting. But please indulge me a little longer than the usual three minutes. I've got a few things to say. Let's start with last night's commentary, specifically from those who appeared suddenly to weigh in on public education and the budget with the confidence of someone who skimmed a headline and decided they were now in authority. Let's be clear, this budget process has been
009transparent. It has been public. It has been accessible. There have been presentations, Q&A sessions, forums, you name it. The invitation has been open for months instead of showing up. Then some folks uh waited until the 11th hour to swoop in, armed not with facts, but with hot takes and halfbaked outrage. Public education isn't a punching bag for those who've ignor you who've ignored every opportunity to engage. It's not a pinñata you get to swing at because you just realized the party was happening. Dialogue is welcome. Questions are encouraged, but performative outrage at the last possible moment, that's not civic participation. It's community theater. And spoiler, no one's winning an award for it. Next year, I hope more people choose to show up before the curtain call. Now, let's tackle some of the greatest pits from
010last night. We're just throwing money at the problem, right? Because investing in teachers, student supports, mental health resources, safe buildings, and actual materials for learning is clearly the same as tossing spare change into a fountain and making a wish. Here's the truth. You can't starve a system and then criticize it for being malnourished. You can't gut funding year after year and then being shocked when outcomes fall short. Throwing money isn't the problem pretending we can fix complex educational challenges with less of of it is. And then there was all the chatter about the fast academy. So many assumptions, so little fact. Just to be clear, there is a principle for that building. And we are not building a program from the ground up. Let's be clear, the need for alternative education didn't originate in a
011classroom or in the school building. It didn't start with teachers. It's a reflection of the world our kids are growing up in. What they hear at home, in the streets, and especially online, where schools are regularly mocked, mistrusted, and scapegoed for everything short of traffic. And just to be crystal clear, educators aren't standing in classrooms tearing down families. We're not the ones modeling disrespect. We show up every single day for every student, no matter what's going on in their lives outside our walls. The division, the disrespect that's being modeled loud and clear by the very voices dragging public education through the mud, then asking why students no longer value it. We can't feed can't keep feeding kids a steady diet of contempt for schools and then act shocked when they disengage. If we want fewer
012students needing alternative programs, if we want better outcomes, if we want to build rebuild respect and trust, then the grown-ups in this community need to start settling setting the example. We can disagree on details. Absolutely. That's democracy. But what's not fair is pretending to care about children while using schools as a political chew toy. Our students deserve better. Our educators deserve better. And frankly, Torington does, too. Thank you to the board of education. Thank you to the administration. And thank you to my colleagues for making this one hell of a community that I'm proud to serve. Thank you, Mr. Lafrener. Uh is there anyone else online or in person? Last call. Who would care to address the board of education? Okay. Uh we'll move right to uh recognitions. Take it away, Mr. Superintendent. Thank you.
013So, we have a bunch of recognitions this evening and those are always the highlight as you know. So, we're going to start with Tor School. Come on down and do our normal everyone who is recognized will come back up. Um, Touring for School would like to rec recognize our intervention team. Um, Tory for school has six dedicated interventionists who cover pull out tier 2 and tier three math and literacy and sometimes writing or other things that come up as needs for students in intervention. Um, we call our intervention team the dream team at Toringford. They're integral in our success and student achievement. The team works directly with students in tier 2 and tier three, ensuring interventions used are researchbased and aligned to best practices. They collaborate often not just with each other but they always
014have a common process progress monitoring resources and language when working with students so that the outcomes are seen no matter what the interventionist you see you'll get the same outcome. Um our student data demonstrates growth when those students are working with our intervention team. They've seen phenomenal growth year over year with this team in place. Additionally the intervention team supports teachers in providing tiered interventions in the classroom. They have provided specific professional development to teachers to support intervention implementation in the classroom including strategies, progress monitoring, and documentation platform support. They facilitate student success team meetings where we determine specific targeted goals, strategies, and progress monitoring tools. Um and we started to offer um office hours to give specific feedback to teachers, be a thought partner, work with them to figure out what strategies the teacher
015can implement and also in tier 2 intervention in the classroom. So they really come together to not only help the students but really raise the level of instruction in the classroom as well. Um they also lead our district assessment and assessment team and function as our schoolwide data team. This includes a deep dive into group and individual data to determine our intervention needs. There are great resources parents as well. Interventionists attend parent conferences, collaborate with families, get on the phone with parents if they have questions or concerns and ensure a partnership with parents to ensure student growth. So, the team really supports every part of the touring community and we're really proud of them. when Mary Gad came on as our office of teaching and learning um staff, we we introduced them to her as
016the dream team and that she would be blown away who she was. So the team that I have in front of me, Sarah Hannah, Megan Lefay, Brandy Sema, Diana Mazakane, Jen Fernandez, and Sarah Reynolds could not be here today. [Applause] or else Marissa yells at us. You don't want that. [Applause] Dr. Buchanan, come on down. I have the pleasure of recognizing two of our administrative colleagues this evening. If you remember last year, I shared with you that two of our administrators, what they do above and beyond their daily job is pretty amazing. Um, they were two of four administrators across the country to be selected to work with the US Department of Education's task force on artificial intelligence. So, I want to give you the update. So, Peter Michaelelsson, principal of Wetmore Elementary School, and
017Gavin Craig, assistant principal of Torington Middle School are leading efforts to integrate artificial intelligence into K12 education. Their leadership was highlighted during the 2020 2024 panel discussion organized by the US Department of Education's Office of Technology where they shared insights alongside other school leaders on the transformative potential of AI in schools. Mr. Michaelelsson emphasized AI's capacity to customize learning experiences and assist educators in developing innovative instructional methods. He also highlighted the importance of using AI to shift educational focus from rope memorization to fostering higher order thinking skills. Mr. Craig discussed how I AI can streamline administrative task thereby increasing direct interaction time between teachers and students. He also stressed the necessity for professional development to ensure that educators are equipped to use AI tools effectively and responsibly. Both administrators expressed concerns about equitable access to
018AI technologies, potential biases with AI systems, and the importance of safeguarding student data privacy. Their proactive engagement in national discussions underscores public schools commitment to embracing IIA thoughtfully and ethically to enhance educational outcomes. So, building on their current initiatives, both Mr. Michaelelsson and Mr. Craig are scheduled to participate in the panel at the 2025 American Federation of School Administrators National Conference this summer. And at this event, they will delve deeper into the implementation and implications of AI in education, sharing their experiences and strategies with a broader audience of educational leaders across the country. Very proud of what they do. [Applause] We have you. You introduced him to beautiful Las Vegas in July. [Applause] Mr. Scott, calm down. So, I'm going to do this a little bit different tonight. I actually have a group of people
019that are going to come up and talk about our recognition for me. So, come on up. Yes. The floor is yours, ladies. Nice and loud. Hi, my name is Carla and my name is the advanced culinary arts and this was just to start off that we sorry the sandwich showdown was something that we did an event in the Torington high school. It was um an exciting TV show competition that we held in class. We worked in teams to create our own sandwiches and then raised against the clock, which I think we only had 40 to 30 minutes to get it finished on time just for all three. And our sandwich was called the uh Chipotle Chicken Crunch Delight. And the reason why we chose this kind of sandwich and we thought that it would kind
020of be like nutritious for everybody. And we thought that it would include like vegetables, stuff like that to be kind of all inclusive to um everybody's likes and needs. And uh before the competition, each team had to make a poster to advertise our sandwich and explain why it would be a great fit for Jimmy's menu. We also had to figure out the food cost of the grinder that we conducted using the prices from Jimmy's menu to calculate the cost of the meat and the cheese. And Robbie was so kind to give us all the ingredients off of his menu so we didn't have to deal with that. So our recognition tonight is for Robbie from Jimmy Sandwiches. So come on up here and I were lucky enough to serve as judges for both rounds of
021the sandwich showdown. Uh which was a lot of sandwiches but well worth it. They were excellent sandwiches. Thank you very much. So, they probably explained a little um what went on there, but I was very happy to be involved in the um process with Jen, culinary teacher for the first and second floors, sixth and seventh period, whatever it was. So, we did two periods. So, we had three sandwiches and four sandwiches, specialty sandwiches. Of course, they asked me to be the judge. And of course Fran and I who works at Jimmy's also was also came down to be a judge and along with these guys. It was tough to pick one. So we picked all seven. It was tough to pick and you know we asked around what their favorite was and everybody had a
022different one. So I don't think we I don't think we did a bad thing you know. So um the kids were really good. The sandwiches were amazing. They get posted on Jimmy's Facebook every every week. Um, today we just did one for this upcoming week just to give you an example was the Mac attack. So it was mac and cheese, bacon, roast beef, and nacho cheese. These young ladies did an what was it? Ever roast, chicken, lettuce, onions, chipotle gonna, right? mayo. So, we were all really, really different, you know, and again, it was a pleasure going there. The two two periods we were welcoming. The kids were amazing. Robbie's the best cuz I went to him. We've known each other for 20 years and you know, I went to him and I was just
023like, "Hey, I have this idea. Anything you need, anything you want, what do you need?" and he didn't really even know what he was signing up for. He said, "Wait a sec. Wait, what do I have to do?" No, you have to come in and like and he's running around, you know, it is a lot of his time because he's running around during that time making deliveries. So, you know, I do appreciate everything. I mean, not just the fact that you the donation of the food, but you know, your time as well. Thank you. And Fran came down and worked one-on-one with most of the groups. You know, they didn't know really, you know, we showed them how to cut the sandwiches, the bottom higher than the top. You know, we explained everything to them
024how we do it at Jimmy's, the weight, how much goes on each one. Your friend went group to group, one-on-one. And I got to tell you, the final outcome was amazing, huh? Final outcome was amazing. Fantastic sandwiches. So, stop by Jimmy's for the next few weeks. You can try one of the Torington High School student sandwiches. And I think you vote there, too, right? Yeah. Yeah. Well, we're going to do something on Facebook at the end. You get to vote as to which sandwich is your favorite. That way we know who the real winner was. I voted for these guys. But yes, M was there. Mr. Paris was there. So that So again, it was very, very nice. And I do want to thank all you guys for keeping the city of Torington going and
025going well and no complaints. I had a tour of the high school superintendent over there and I got to tell you, wow. I mean, it's amazing. Amazing. So guys did a great great job. I'm our building committee coaches. Finally Mario and that are off to the TV. I can watch something else now. Every night over there, you know. So, uh, so yeah, it was really really a pleasure to go through with Ryan and and Mike and go through the school and follow me. I can't believe that that's in Connecticut. So, you guys should be very happy with yourselves. [Applause] You're the congratulations. We have one more. One more. So, we have one additional uh it's under recognition uh but something that we wanted to bring to you guys tonight. You all know Wayne, so I'm
026going to turn it over to Wayne. So, we started a whole building project. I thought about a way we could help kind of dedicate the new auditorium. So I contacted a nationally known band composer and we started a whole process. I said, "I want to commission you to write a piece that we can play in the auditorium in dedication of the new building." So this composer I've known for a long time. We talked about what it's like to be in a new school. We talked what it's like to be in music. So he came up with the title, Welcome Home, because music is home for so many kids. So throughout the process he would zoom into rehearsals and the band kids could say we like this. Could you change this? This is what we like.
027So they were integral part of the actual piece. The piece has not been published yet and has already won an award. Uh Pennsylvania there's a professional win ensemble that has new music competition. This piece was submitted and out of 50 pieces this won first place. So this is going to be played. Welcome home is going to be played by that professional win ensemble on May 19th. Any band that purchases the song on top right above the title it says commissioned by Torington High School band to connect. So our school again is going to be on the national stage based on the music that was created for us. It it's a long piece. It's about 6 and a half minutes long. We are not going to play the whole piece for you tonight. I did come
028up with a shortened version so at least you can kind of get a feel for what the piece was. [Music] So heat [Music] Perfect. Heat. Heat. [Music] That's a short version of the piece. I told the kids because there's no pressure on you. You're the first band ever to play the piece. They did a great job. There's a lot of hard work, but again, any any band that purchases a piece, we'll see. Torington High School band, Torington. And the composer personally said to me, I've never been more excited about a tune as this one. This is before it won the award and before we even played it. So, this is a piece because I have a long life. So, thank you. [Applause] I'd like to just quickly add I have the full length of the
029piece available. Um, you can access it either going to the the packet um on the website or if you're watching the live stream or watching the video after the fact. It's in the description. Great. Thanks, John. I was going to ask. I appreciate that. Um, and next we'll hear from our student representatives. When you're ready. Hello, my name is Adriana and I'm will be your students tonight. valuable hands-on experience through field trip certifications and real world teaching opportunities. This month, our child development students stepped to the role of a teacher for the first time, delivering engaging lessons to prek students. They created fun educational activities that help young learners explore concepts like plant biology, nature, and color mixing. This hands-on experience allowed our students to practice lesson planning, group management, and adapting to the needs
030of young children. Critical skills for those pursuing careers in education. 18 of our child development students successfully completed on-site training in right class pediatric and adult CPR and first aid right here at ths. This hands-on certification day provided them essential life-saving skills preparing them for future roles in childcare and education. Additionally, seven students in this pathway have taken the ne next step by preparing for the parapro assessment a certification exam for par profofessionals in education. This initiative led by Miss Demarco in collaboration with human resources department at Torington public schools offers a valuable opportunity for students to gain hands-on experience and certification as they explore careers in teaching and classroom support. By participating in this program, these students enhance their skills and gain insight into the important role pair professionals play in creating a positive
031learning environment for all students. This commitment to professional development will greatly benefit them in their future educational pursuits. Another standout experiment came from the learn to teach course. Students visited Boba Wetar Elementary School where they stepped into the teacher role and led interactive lessons with kindergarten students using the kids play rumaging a hands-on learning building system designated to promote creativity and problem solving. The students engaged young learners in activities and spark curiosity and collaboration. This experiment, this experience provided invaluable insight into the world of education and helped our students develop key teaching skills like lesson planning and classroom management. Our FCCLA members attended the spring conference at Ngatuck Valley Community College where they participated in workshops on culinary arts, fashion, and education. This event offered a great chance for members to enhance their skills and
032connect with peers. A highlight was a live cooking demonstration by Johnson and Wales University which also visited ths to share tips with our aspiring chefs. The students were enthusiastic and inspired to pursue their passions further making the conference a valuable experience for all involved. In the Yukon Biotechnology course, students visited Northwestern Connecticut Community College to conduct genetic testing on foods using real lab equipment. There they conducted genetic testing on food samples to determine if they had been genetically modified. Using college level equipment and techniques like DNA sample preparation and gel course gel electro forests, students gained hands-on experience that bridge the gap between high school coursework and college level research. This immersive experience made possible by a collaborative partnership between ths and Northwestern allowed students to gain practical lab skills while exploring potential careers in
033biotechnology and molecular bi biology. Sports medicine students continued working toward their first aid kit and CBR certification under Miss Brewer's guidance, learning essential emergency response skills like chest compressions and rescue breathing. During the sessions, they engaged in hands-on practice, allowing them to build confidence in their abilities. The students also discussed various emergency scenarios to understand when and how to apply these critical skills effectively. By the end of the course, they felt more prepared to handle real life situations where timely assistance can make a significant difference. Lastly, our students had a chance to explore marine science during a field trip to Avery Point, part of the University of Connecticut's coastal campus. Set against the backdrop of Long Island Sound, the trip allowed students to learn about marine ecosystems and environmental conversation. Students tooured research facilities, observed
034marine life, and participated in hands-on activities that taught them about field research methods. The trip not only sparked curiosity about oceanography and marine biology, but also exposed students to potential college and career paths in in environmental science. From classrooms to college campuses, these experiences are preparing THS students for bright futures in education, healthcare, science, and more. Thank you for your attention. And that concludes Torington High School Board Report. Thank [Applause] you. Thank you both. Does anyone have any questions or remarks? Okay. Uh then as always uh thank you so much and you are free to go and welcome to stay if you'd like. Um and with that Mr. Scott will help you make difficult decision. What one day Scott one of your one of your students is going to be passionate about that. Yeah. So
035we'll hear from the superintendent. Uh good evening everyone. I would first like to take a moment to publicly thank the board of education and the entire team um central office cabinet administrators, teachers, educators, all staff members who actually came out last evening uh to support the budget presentation uh at city hall. uh your support was greatly appreciated and I think it went a long way that people saw us as a team and we were able to articulate our return on investment very clearly for all those involved uh while advocating for the needs of our students. Um Sue and I had a great time at the Wizard of Oz at the middle school. I know Kristen was right in front of us. She actually blocked my view at one point but that's all right. Oh yeah,
036all five tour. Uh the students were so amazing and talented and I was wasn't even scared of the wicked witch. So that was actually a good thing. But really true talent. The songs, the dance, the entire production. It was really an amazing movie. Um, Sue and I also attended a CAA site visit at Torington High School where they came to visit our music and art department and we got to showcase our music and arts students as well as highlight our new building and area districts and further area districts I should say around the state also came up and we were able to tour and see the great things happen happening at Torington High School. As Robbie and Mr. Scott mentioned, I took one for the teen board of education and I was a judge at
037the sandwich showdown. Um, but the chefs were amazing and Robbie said it best. There was no clear winner. I It really was great that he chose all of them because I don't know, Mr. Scott and I were fighting over some of our own picks at one point, but they really just did a great job and every sandwich was amazing. Um, really a super highlight for me this month was if you saw on Facebook, uh, I had the honor and pleasure of having lunch with Liam, my new friend at Toringford. He put all of his Pawson tickets in for a chance to have lunch with me. Principal Belulo showed me one time that they were doing this and I said, "Well, why not put me on the stand there? I'll gladly donate something or come and
038do something." And she said, "Fine, we'll do lunch." I said, "Even better." It was really cute that a lot of the student put their tickets in. But Liam and I had such a great lunch. We had some nice pizza. We had some great conversation. He was able to bring a friend which was even better. So I actually brought a friend. Mrs. Ferguson came with me as well. So we just really had a great time having lunch with those two students. And we've seen them now more and more as we've obviously the buildings and they always ask me now what funny socks and what cool things to us. And so we really got down and and deep with our conversation. So it was a really great time. Thank you, Kelly, uh, for doing that and for
039making me, uh, part of that as a father. Our spring sports seasons are all underway. Um, our student athletes, our student drama people, they continue to impress both on and off the field and on and off the stage and on and off the music platform as we heard this evening. So, couldn't be prouder of all of them to juggle all of that and still put on such a a great presentation, whether it be on the sports field, on music, or on the drama stage. Speaking of drama, the first production of Working um May 8th through 10th, am I correct, Mr. Scott? At the high school. I'm not too sure if I've heard of Working, but I will be there to support our students, and I'm sure it'll be a wonderful experience. And anyone who would
040like to come out and support May 8th through 10th. I would also like to share, as I shared with the board back in March, um I had the honor and privilege of being asked to speak at the RTM National Superintendence Forum out in St. Louis. And it was phenomenal. My topic was engaging every learner, overcoming the barriers to student participation through the power of team. And I'll tell you, it it was a well attended session, the competitive person that I am, and I shared this with central office when I got back. Of course, I noted who came to my session and who did. Um, so I was the most highly attended session. Um, but more importantly, uh, really humbling experience to talk to superintendent from all over. Uh we had superintendents from Georgia, Oklahoma, California,
041Florida, Maine, uh Massachusetts, Rhode Island, you know, Mississippi. So it was really an honor and privilege to get to share our story. And I told you before I went that I would share our story and make Torington proud. And that's what I did. And humbling for me was at the end of the presentation, several of the other superintendents waited around and really just congratulated me and how invigorating and how great of a speaker and how great our story was and they were really inspired and I made some good connections and several of them have reached out not only to ask me further about that piece of it but also um as we know our cell phone ban right that topic came up and they had seen some of the video when Sue and I presented
042at the state board of said Georgia is making it a wall. So my new superintendent friend from Georgia said, "Hey, why don't you come down and help me out with that?" He said, "Sure." So I can get yelled at. I said, "Absolutely." But I think they were really just intrigued on our process on how we do it and the benefits of it. So it's happening all over. But it's really really amazing to be recognized by all of the different areas and all of the different places around uh the states that have now are trying it or will be trying it and really reaching out and networking with us because we've highlighted so many things and we've had some great great interactions. You know, one of the things that they were super interested in is how
043we've come together as a team. You know, and I preached that throughout my presentation, the power of team. I included the board first and foremost and a pause in the room for a second. They were like, "Well, how?" And I said, "Listen, if you don't have them on the team, the work's not going to get done." And then we talked about our administrators and our teachers and our entire staff and you know how we do it and how it starts and how we motivate and keeping the students at the center. That's why we're seeing the positive growth. That's why we're seeing the positive gains. You know, I shared last evening um at our budget presentation, I shared parts of that just at a round table. This wasn't at my presentation, but at one of the
044other presentations, it was all about budget. That was the presentation. And I went in and they said, "We want to hear." And I shared our story and how we do a Q&A and how we have a Q&A document, how we make it a Vimeo and how we go about the process and how everyone is involved. And they were like, "Wow, our process takes X weeks. We made it so quick." I said, "It's not about doing it so quick. It's about doing more of a homework and everyone doing their homework and everyone coming together, understanding, being able to a ask thoughtful questions and getting thoughtful answers. So, I want to share that with the board because it was really amazing to me that, you know, once again, looking to us, looking to say, give me some
045ideas. How can I do this? My new superintendent friend from Pennsylvania, my new super friends from Maine, they were like, "Wow, I'm going to steal that." I said, "Absolutely." I said, "There's no there's no proprietary on it. Neither was my presentation. I made my QR code a torington t says we are team very proud of it and I will gladly share my presentation from board act in this meeting but I couldn't be prouder and and more honored to speak there. I do want to share a funny uh one of the things of my new learning because I had to attend several workshops myself and one of the chief of schools from Chicago Mr. Lar Roza came across this acronym CADE and he uses it broadly and it doesn't matter which organization which community whether it's
046a whole city whether it's a whole school or whether it's just some friends you're hanging out with. So he uses the term community just to mean that. So I just want to preface that. So cave community against virtually everything right and we are not that. But it was kind of funny and he let off with that for that reason. He wanted everyone to understand that if that's the mindset when you go into something, how do you change the mindset? And that was why he was such a great speaker. He spoke about having people in the buildings and in the community that may be naysayers, right? And how do we bring those naysayers on the world? So for me that that presentation really just sparked a lot of thoughts in my brain and saying okay if
047we have this type of person we have these type of groups we're not doing a good enough job promoting ourselves and promoting ourselves as a team is our team members not reaching out to bring those people on board. So I share that because I thought it was pretty funny. I've never heard of cave people that way but Mr. Lar Roza gave me that one and I thought that was pretty cool. Um, you know, we had a couple of key uh keynote speakers uh from one keynote speaker was from Chicago and another keynote speaker was from Florida. And believe it or not, in Florida, there are four superintendents in Florida that are actually elected officials. So, he is an elected superintendent, which is pretty interesting. I thought um he granted he has 14,000 students um but
048he has an elected official and he does not answer to anyone as an elected official which I thought was kind of crazy and unique and his name is Dr. Rick Sareni and that's in Putham County School District in Florida. He shared the pluses and minuses of being an elected official um as we can as you all are elected officials but as a superintendent being elected I don't understand how that works. He tried to explain it in several different workshops and I'm still not sold on that idea but at the end of the day it was good to see a different perspective as well. And finally, you know, we what I wanted to share with everyone here is, you know, while it was a ton of work, a ton of preparation for me and an honor
049for me to speak, it was actually also a lot of learning. I was able to hear from different superintendents from across the country just like when they came to my presentation and we learned new things. And the reason the new learning is important, just like when we have professional development for our staff, that professional development for me is important. And I immediately came back and shared it with the cabinet and shared it when we had one of the admin meetings already. And I'll continue to share and I was so happy to share back with the board. So I just wanted to share that as promised in March. I made Torington proud and I'm honored and hopefully they will reach out again. Um, we've been in contact here and there uh for a couple of future
050conferences and potential speaking engagements, but nothing has been inked in. So, there'll be more to come on that, but I wanted to share that it was a real real humbling experience and I couldn't be prouder to have the opportunity to do it and I thank the board for supporting me in doing that and I look forward to future events. So, thank you. Thank you. Congratulations again on being able to represent Torington and yourself at this conference so well. That's anyone have any questions or remarks for the superintendent? Okay. Uh then we'll hear the human resources report. Thank you very much. So you have my report. Um you can see that we do have two new certified vacancies. Um because of the time of year, we do have long-term subs already in both of those positions
051through the end of the year. So um we won't be looking to fill them now, just while we kind of get through the end of the year. But we have qualified long-term subs in both of those positions. Um we have had some turnover uh in our classified staff. So you can see that we've had some separations. Um we are continuing to put substitutes in those positions as well through the end of the year. So um we're just navigating through the uh hiring somebody at this time of the year is not necessarily the best thing to do because we're navigating through the budget season, but we are making sure that we have qualified sums in those positions. Uh our March fill rates were trending right around where they have been all year. You can see they're
052just you know in the 60s and the 40s for the paras. Uh our absences continue to go down a little bit from where they were when you know flu season was happening. So um if you'll remember the last couple months we were probably more in the 10 and the 15% and um we're still we're going back down again. So that's great to see. Um, as far as recruitment goes, we're actually wrapping up job fair season. I shouldn't say it's wrapped up. We have one more job fair this weekend uh with the CA in Newington. So, that was a very well attended event last year. So, we're excited to be able to represent that coington at that event again. And we do have two resident teachers that have been uh accepted to the TRP program for
0532526. And we've got they're both in the special ed category. So, that's super exciting because it's in the high shortage area and thanks to Laura and her team, uh, we've got two very highly qualified mentors already set up for them. So, we're very excited to continue that work. And ESS is actually holding a dedicated recruitment event at the library on May 14th um, for Torington. So, they're, you know, we've advertised it, we put the flyer out, so we put it on social media. So hopefully we'll be able to continue to try to grow our substitute pool. With respect to retention, we finished our office hours for April and Dina and I have been out and about in the schools. Um I was also uh very excited to attend the band concert at the beginning of
054the month in the new auditorium. So that was very cool. And we have completed our we're completing our exit interviews and our first year teacher surveys that we do every year just to kind of get that data. And then as the students mentioned, I was so excited to hear them mention that um we're working on parapro exam prep and administration which we've done consistently for the last few years for our internal talent for our current paras. But with the help of Dr. Torres and Mr. DeMarco at the high school, we're excited that we're going to be able to do that at the school for the high school students that are graduating that are interested in following that pathway. So, uh during their advisory that, um the teachers are uh helping to prep them for the
055exam and then we're going to go out uh and do the administration at the high school for the students to be able to do that. So, if they want to choose to be a parah next year, they'll already have the exam done and completed. So, um we're excited to partner with the high school on that. So, and then our annual walking challenge started this week and uh if you saw the email, the prizes are amazing. And so, um, if you remember our prizes in the previous year, um, they had the, uh, medical our our benefit providers logo on them, but we're excited with our new benefit provider that we get to put our logo on our prizes. So, we have some very cool prizes. There's like a sevenin-one game system with the Torington logo on
056it. There's a speaker. There's earbuds that all have the Torington logo on. My favorite is the little picnic basket with the little travel shakuderie thing. Like that's awesome. So, we have a really great weekly prizes. Um, and even the welcome gifts all have the Torington logo on it. So, it's really cool with the new platform and the new gifts that we're able to roll that out. So, uh, everybody's enjoyed walking. So, uh, second page you have all the regular data. You can see that, you know, our long-term absences are continuing to go up a little bit. um our daily absences are are fluctuating. Um and then you have our turnover results and you can see kind of at the end where we are as far as year-end turnover versus midyear. And I am happy to
057entertain any questions. Any questions for Kim? Thank you. Thank you. Uh special ed is next, right? Special education is next. Thank you. Uh so we are um wrapping up hopefully with our initial referrals. We may still receive some from parents, but it tends to really slow down now. So that's great. We currently have 41 open specialed referrals. Some of those students will be going to evaluation for eligibility, but not all of them. So it doesn't mean like I'm suddenly going to pick up 41 more kids. Um, but it requires if a referral comes in, you have to have a PPT, you have to discuss the possibility of testing a child. So, um, we have 41 open ones. Hopefully, that's going to we're going to get those done and it's going to end very nicely. So
058far this school year, we have had 35 students who have been exited from special ed and are once again gened students. So, that's always a celebration. Um we are kind of um struggling a little bit right now um as far as the shortages with the parah educators. We really um are hoping that we'll get some more people applying. I am bringing in a couple of paras through a contractor and that's great but some of them are wonderful and I would like to keep them. yet if I want to keep them, there is over a $22,000 finance fee per so I can't do that. Um, so unfortunately some of these people that we have in place now, we will not be able to bring on as um employees um because I'm kind of prohibited from doing
059that for a year or more. But right now, that's what we need to do because we don't have enough applicants for cars. So, I'm excited about the high school kids um because hopefully they will be applying for positions. Um the other thing speaking about the hiring, we are right now hiring for our extended school year services. We've been really lucky with our certified and we're in good shape. So, I'm excited about that because usually we're begging teachers to please teach this summer and some of them just want a break. Um but we are set with our certified. However, we need paras still. So, I just sent an email out to all of our paras saying please consider if you know anyone who might be interested in uh working for us this summer at all. It's
060a great opportunity if they're considering applying for a position in Torington because then we get to see how they're able to do with our kids and figure out what might be a good placement for them. So, uh, the programming, it's going to be running Monday through Thursday only. We don't do Fridays from 8:25 to 12:40 from July 7th till July 31st. So, encourage anyone. Last time I asked for help here. I was looking for speech and I now have my speech pathologists are all set. So, whatever you did last time, don't care. I never did. Um, and for my next meeting, um, I would like to put together for you kind of like a little bit of a culmination of Laura's time in Torington. Um, and just kind of give you a a synopsis of
061where we were, um, and what we've been able to to pull together for you before I leave. So, um, I would like to do that at the end. Okay. Thank you. Yeah. Do you do you think the pair of salaries that we have impact in ability to get pair of educators? Yeah. Yeah. Where are we in the in in our as far as competitiveness with the salaries? Yeah. I was going to say you can jump in. But so the issue is that many contracts for paras in our surrounding area don't have steps. We have five steps in ours. Right. So, our low end is not competitive, which is what we hire new people at, which is not new. But in a 5year period, our high-end is very competitive. It's more than what they would be
062making at their maximum in in another district. So, the challenge is to step. How is it? So, the new the new pairs that we're bringing in, are we seeing their experience and any certifications? So salary is driven by that language that we got in the contract now um allows us to hire somebody new on step two if they have some experience. Step two is the highest we can bring a new person in it. Okay. So the other problem is other than the dur um is the people that we bring in through the contractors sometimes the contractors pay a pretty high hourly rate. So, we've had some really great people that live right in Torington and I've said, you know, why don't you apply to Torington? Why are you working for the agency? Because you can't
063meet the salary. So, yeah, it's a bit of a challenge, but once they come, they really, really love us and they don't want to leave. So, you know, the people that have left, there's been reasons. Like you just said, somebody moved to Georgia, you know, so um when they come, come because you'll like it, you know, but um it's been a little challenge, especially right now because there's a shortage. Yeah. Okay. Thank you. Um you show here that 35 students exited special education. Wonderful. Do you track how they're doing in regular ed? You know, it's funny that um that you say that because not specific to regular ed, but I had just said to um to Steve Barton, I would really like to see if we can get some information on our students that have
064left Torington public schools, have graduated on and what what they're doing and whatnot. So, we're kind of in the works of taking care of that. We absolutely keep track of our su students that are in um the district because occasionally someone may come back around for a referral but it really does not happen very often. So we are very careful before we exit and usually um that will involve obviously testing seeing where they are but also weaning the service. It's not like okay you had five hours of resource a week and now you get nothing you know. So, we kind of baby step it a little bit and then even have like a check-in before we completely eliminate. Um, but yeah, I mean, we we have one student who um not only was in special
065ed but was exited from special ed and is in our gifted program. So, you know, it's Yeah, we've had some success stories special. Thank you. Okay, just one quick one, Lauren. I apologize. I should have gone back and looked this up earlier. Yeah. But um what impact has the new 5-year-old kindergarten start date had on our special ed numbers for prek and kindergarten? I didn't go back to look at the first few months, but I wasn't sure if we saw a shift or if you see a trend that's different because somebody may be in prek longer. Yeah. Have we seen anything? So we Yeah, because we've had kids, it used to be two years really. You know, that was everybody was two years and and then they were done if they came at three. Um,
066now we've got kids that have stayed here for three years, some of them. Um, so yes, we're up a little bit from where we were like a few years ago. However, this steady increase all year. This is prek. You know, the child turns three. We have to provide services. That's how it is. Which is why it's always hard to staff. It's beginning of a year. I don't need as many in prek, but then as the year goes on, we do. Um, what I think is nice though is somebody asked last night about um if we wanted the prek to be at Forbes um if we had like a universal prek and so I know that's not where we are and I'm just talking about sped but I really think that we have really been able
067to kind of offer some positive things now as a result of the bur baby um year because for example all of our four-year-old special ed kids, with the exception of a few that are in um some of our programs or a few that are not um emotionally able to handle a full day. All of our four-year-olds are going to be participating in a full day, including our non-disabled peers, and I have five classrooms of that. So, and there we only take the um fouryear-olds in for um to be a non-disabled peer. we don't take three-year-olds in. So, I think that it's giving these kids and they're also now going to be at the uh K3s. I think that's great because as the year goes on and the principles are on board with this, they're going
068to spend more and more time doing things within the school, going into the big kid cafeteria, you know, participating in the school activities. So, that transition to kindergarten is going to be so much easier. I think for the four-year-olds. So, I'm really excited that they're there. I wish it could have done it at Southwest. Yeah. But it's a start. So, once I come back and check in, you guys are going to tell me it's at Southwest. Um, so that's it. Thank you. Yeah. Anyone else? Thank you. I have next uh we have the liaison reports which are in the packet. I think I saw everyone's in there. Um, but as usual, if any uh building administrators want to tell us anything else about your facilities that is not in the packet already, now would be
069the moment. Okay. Uh, same goes for you, John. If anything interesting's going on at advance that you didn't write down, uh, now would be the time. Uh, but otherwise, let's do I didn't even really look at them. I knew I wasn't going to say anything. Uh, let's do the monthly financials real quick. Good evening everybody. Um we all received the uh March monthly financials in the packet and they were presented to the budget committee. We are in good standing uh as of March. We're 3/4ers of the way through the year and we're at 79% spent uh with the incumbrances with the money that was put aside. Um so we're in good shape. I know if anyone had any questions regarding the March monthly financials. Uh, I do really briefly. Um, I may be wrong. I
070didn't go back to look, but I don't think that this building use revenue number has changed in a long while. Um, are folks not paying to use our buildings? Is it too expensive? Are they just not interested? What's uh No, you're you're correct. Um, there's going to be an updated for the April one and it will be updated. I think it moved about maybe $1,000 upward. So, we'll have that updated. Okay, that's all for me. Anyone else? Is that because it's mostly organizations that support Toronto Public Schools, which is a great thing. I'm glad that that's happening because that's where we didn't see the influx of I would have to say, but that's that's great. That's very good. I do think it it's also um um there was a soccer group that we had come
071in and built soccer group um that we earned quite a bit of money over the winter. Yes. Okay. And they relocated to the armory because of the activity that was going on. We we we're happy to Yeah, that's a Yeah, that's a good thing. Yeah. So slight reduction but not related to the cost. Well, there's a big number. Yeah. No meaning cost that we like. Yeah. Yeah. There's a reduction in the use, but it's not because of the cost we got. Anyone else? Thank you. Uh I will hear a motion to approve the monthly financials if there is one. So move. Uh okay. We'll give give it to Well, you're writing it down, Ellen. You pick between you and Bill. Who's going to make it? Who's going to second it? Um I'll give it to
072Bill. Any discussion? Hearing none. All those in favor, please say I. I. Opposed. Okay, those are clear and away. We'll do the committee reports. School improvement is up first. School improvement is first always. Uh we had Rome in the community in the uh agenda for our community partner report and we had Tim Gaffne come and explain the things that that he does for for us and with our with our kids especially and that went very well. I'm going to defer to Kristen maybe to talk about the middle school report because you did the middle school tour if you want. I did. Yes. Um Oh jeez, I have to remember now. Um yeah, I did do the um the middle school. I met with um Miss Raldi. Um, we did a quick tour. Um, I continue
073to be impressed by the I still call them electives. I apologize. They're not electives. Uh, what's the term we're using now? Encore. Thank you. Encore. Um, there is a class by that is uh the teacher is Mr. Douglas and um it's a um uh 3D printing. 3D printing. Thank you. I was want to say printing, but anyway, the kids were really engaged. Um they were showing me their projects. Um it was it was quite interesting. Uh we went to a drama classroom. Uh saw some um ESL classes. Our ELLL. Um yeah, it was it was a great visit. Um continue to be impressed with Torington Middle School. Um and uh great staff and the students were well behaved. But our big news, I'm going to turn it over to Mrs. Ferguson. Sure. That's actually on
074the agenda somewhere else though. It's on the agenda later. You I can do it now. Okay, let's do it. Um John always lets me do this. I feel almost guilty. So the the school improvement committee, as you all know, is the sponsor, if you will, of the distinguished alumnist every year. And this year's um uh successful candidate the ch the selected candidate is Joanne Ryan who is the executive director of the Northwest Chamber of Commerce and spoke last year didn't she or this year it went this in the fall maybe was she don't think so I don't remember her coming this year she was very honored very humbled um when I made contact with her, you know, she said, "Oh, Susan, I I'm I I don't think I they don't want me, but they do."
075So, she's uh she's looking forward to that. Um we're going to do it a little differently this year just because things are a little bit um unsettled with the building and so forth. Uh we typically we honor this person as part of the scholarship night events the first Thursday in June, but this year we're going to back it up a week to the awards night of the high school which is May 27th. So um Joanne will be there to receive her award and to address the students who are present. Thank you. And as always, we had a huge number of really qualified people And I thank the staff for putting together the process making. And coming up this month, we have our high school report and we will be having the first meeting that this
076board has had at the at the new high school. And we also have a presentation of the new math curriculum which we discussed last night uh briefly and we'll hear more about that this uh this next week this this next meeting and also we will hear uh about the plans for the summer program this year. We started last year with with u some words about the success of the summer program that we ran last year and we'll be hearing what's going to happen going into this summer. So plan on being there. It's always a good meeting. Always enjoy that meeting. But I'm done. Unless there are questions. Anyone have anything for John? Well, thank you for the work as well that goes into this the distinguished alumni uh selection. I it can't be an easy
077choice to make. Uh but the committee has made a good one. Um policy committee. Uh Gary's not here. Can you speak to policy your policy meeting because I know that you guys had a dress code and it's here for us to to talk if you want to just briefly interesting meeting an update on where you guys landed. I I would say that um we all worked very hard and respectful of each other's views to come up with a dress code that we were comfortable with. Um the administration was comfortable enforcing but also allowed our students to um have their own identity and express themselves. Um, so, uh, I I'm pleased that we were able to come up with a compromise and what I think is a very wellthoughtout and enforceable policy. It wasn't part of
078the conversation, but reading it, I I would agree. Does anyone else have any thoughts that she told She told Gary he couldn't come tonight. Yeah. Oh, is that that's what you desire? No, I would just uh I would just repeat what Kristen said that the process worked very well. It could have been contentious. It could have been something to argue about. It wasn't. People continued to to work through to find something that would work and I think we did. Yeah, it it looks it was a lotion. Is there a lot cut out? It seems very straightforward and easy to follow. It is straightforward. It is easy to follow. Our admins were amazing with their feedback. Um, and what we wanted to be able to give them was, like I said, an enforcable and um, a
079policy would not a lot of interpret room for interpretation. It's very clearly outlined what we expect from our students while they, like I said, can still express themselves and keep up with their times. Thank you everyone that participated. I'm full transparency. I avoided it like the plague. I I wanted no part of it. You guys did a great job and thank you so much. Thank you to our admins as well for Thank you to our admins to everybody that participated because we've had those conversations before and it was difficult. Yeah. But you guys really did did a great job. So, thank you. It's better than the last dress code policy that came up anyway. I'll give you that. Um, so next is facilities and technology. Facilities and technology. Um, well, our meetings are usually fairly
080brief due to the lack of funding in capital this year, which was zero. Uh, so I always, as usual, I like to commend Rachel and Dean and their teams for keeping the district running with band-aids and what they can do. Um, social media update. I think we the websites were moving along. We had a couple schools left to be cut over to the new websites. You can elaborate on that if you'd like. Yeah. So, um, Vogle and Forbes both became live. Um, and they will all be live hopefully by our next tech meeting in a few weeks. All right. Excellent. Um, computers Rachel's working on. Um, we're going to have some device updates that are going to be due this year. And as far as facilities goes, Dean's working on the bid for the roof.
081I think that has gone out or is going out soon. Will be going out soon. Okay. So, our TMS roof bid is going to be hitting the streets pretty soon. We re reviewed some contracts to um be looked at again due to the the new school and and so forth. And as far as a projects update, there aren't a lot of projects that are really big going on right now because so with that said, that's our facility. Excellent. Anybody have any questions? Great. Thank you. Excellent. Um, budget committee, what's been going on? Your work doesn't really get exciting from now, but it's going to get exciting. Yes. going forward. Um just moving on as it should be. Um only is um going forward and after last night's meeting, we don't know what's coming. Um so
082just diligently working together. Um I I wasn't at last night's meeting, but I sincerely hope that the members of the board of finance and the council have learned to read the budget and understand that uh incumbrances are not expenditures. That's been a running theme with them. We didn't we didn't get into that. No. So I assume that they have not yet learned financial literacy, but one day. Um so with that uh we'll hear from the building committee. Can I add to the budget summary? Just wanted to add to the budget summary. Uh thanks to all those who came out last night for those budget meetings and the health insurance meetings. It was a long night for everybody. We appreciate it. Um but there's a lot there's a difference in the way the accounting is done
083between our health insurance accounting. It is net net cost and net budgeting and the city does gross budgeting. Just for the general public to understand, there was some discussion about whether or not the board of education was spending more money and wasting taxpayer dollars at this meeting. Uh because it showed on paper that our insurance costs more this year. Just so you go gross budgeting says if I go buy a car for $26,000 and there's a cash back, a $5,000 cash back, it would show a $26,000 car and a revenue of say $7,000 in rebate and they would be kept totally separate. So in gross budgeting, they would say the board of ed spent $26,000 on the car. In net budgeting, like most of us operate out in the world as individuals, when you buy
084$26,000 car and there's a $7,500 rebate on it, that car cost you $18,500. So last night in the budget press in the health insurance back and forth it was shown that the board of education had spent $465,000 more than we would have otherwise had spent if we had kept the city but it did not take into account the $500,000 premium credit which is like a rebate. So just to be clear uh the board of education provided similar or better coverage for all of its staff members and we are always looking out for the taxpayers too. So that was a savings to the taxpayers. And as Superintendent Wilson pointed out, we know what our rate is at least through the 21-month period. Not everybody can say that because ours is already negotiated. We hope that everybody
085gets a great rate. That's always the goal. But how this all turns out is up to the future, right? We don't know what our rate will be 3 years from now anymore than the city does. So um just everybody has to be patient and know that everybody makes the best decisions they can with the information they have at that particular moment. If we could predict the future five years from now, we would all be rich. So, but thank you all for the effort. Just wanted to clarify that for everybody and kind of give a a generic explanation of how it works. So, thank you all for your time and for showing up last night. It was much appreciated to those of us sitting at the table. Thanks, Jeff. Thank you, Jeff. If only if only
086certain people who needed to understand what you just said could actually concept it. Uh because we have explained this to them time and again. And I really do appreciate that you and everyone else here understand it and is willing to explain it because I'm tired of explaining it to the same people. So me too. Thank you. We'll get there and everybody will eventually all work together and we'll get there. Uh boy can dream. Uh let's hear from the building committee now. Good evening. Uh just a couple of notes. Uh progress payment number 18 has been approved by the state. We should receive that within 15 days. Right now it takes 45 days. I put it in on the first of the month. They review it for 30 days and then they approve it. Then we
087get the check in the 15 after that. Check 18 of how many Ed? How many more do you get? We're nearing the end. So I'm just interested. Uh we put in I put in for uh two payments at a time. So uh you know we're going to end this in September October. Oh wow. Yeah. Oh, because of the fields and so forth. Yeah, it's coming. Just let you know, we've already received uh $108 million from the state. Uh the state keeps about 8% which is about $10 million. Uh they keep that until after the project's approved. 6 months after that, it's audited and then you get the payment. So what happens in the end of the project? We have to uh go out for bans for all that money because it has to be paid
088to people contractors. I'll just let you know at the end of last month we are uh paid $143 million out to contractors. Uh and you get you get the monthly report of the contractors what they're uh uh what they've been paid and you also get the line item is what their contracts is. So, we have that uh and we're moving along. That's it. Okay. Regarding the actual construction, if you guys uh have been by, we have half a bill be B building left and a shop point. That's all that's left. Um also, if you look at it, it's wide open. It's hard. It must be so strange. Oh my gosh. It is weird. There's a lot more room there than it looks like. Yeah. Um so, uh they anticipate another couple weeks to take those
089buildings down and another couple weeks to rip up the foundations. The middle school is almost done. Um there's fine cleaning, as they call it, being done right now on the second floor. That'll be done on Saturday. Same thing will happen next week uh for the third floor. The first floor is getting prepped for flooring next week. The uh HBAC balancing is also starting next week. furniture starts arriving on the 17th for the library and then on the 22nd for the balance of the school. I took uh uh Mrs. Raldi on a visit the other day through the school. I gave her a hard hat and she went through it uh and she really loved the building and she had questions about which kid is going to go here and so forth. So, yep. Area H,
090which is our gym basically uh in the auto shop which is connected to the gym. Um the roof deck is complete. Um over the gym, the roof deck will be complete next week. Over the locker room section, pair of pip walls will start next week. Uh with just a little wall on top of the roof to tie the roof into it. Masonry block will start next week. The underground work uh plumbing and drainage has coming down that hallway that's going to be outside the gym into the auto shop. That is done. And the slab will be poured next week and steel erection is due to start on the 14th. Um, as far as the fields go, if you've been by, there's top soil everywhere. Mounds and mountains and mountains of top soil. Um, the city
091is taking top soil for one day only tomorrow. Um, they're not quite sure how much they could afford to give away, so they're just going to give a small bite out of it. They're going to truck it all day to uh ne uh tomorrow. They're they're both loading it and trucking it, which is good. Um the underground piping and uh the uh pipelining is scheduled for next week. Uh I should have said the uh lining of the uh u the water pipes uh whitest stone is coming um in to check for unsuitable soils next week. So far so good. No rocks or anything like that. They've hit uh the final field documents 100% are supposed to be in next week and there'll be a coordination meeting with Liberty who's doing the bulk of the work
092out there uh and Eagle Fencing as well. And that is about that. Okay. You have anything? I do. Fire tomorrow or Friday? What I say about what you moving the show on top tomorrow? Oh, I'm sorry. Friday. We meet on Thursday. Yeah, I thought I was building nervous. Mario, how are we doing on the hazardous materials, the asbestous and things? We one of the prior meetings we had talked about how they found a little bit, but we're hanging in pretty good with the budget. Right now, it's just a little bit and no extra money. Awesome. Awesome. It's great. That's a big relief right there. Especially in the 60s. Yes. Right. Yeah. And no dead bodies. We didn't find any down. Are we done dating? Wait till they tear up the foundation. Right. No, we're not
093done yet. I understand has a very nice seat at the at at the the field with with the giants. Right. That's what they say. Glenn. Yeah. And thanks for that information. Um I know you send out that packet monthly. Um I had asked several months ago for a project budget summary which I eventually received. Um, that would include the total project cost. We did get the one pager and contrary to Mario's sarcastic email, I do open my ears and I do open my eyes. I went back eight months and that report is nowhere in any of your packets. So, moving forward, could you please include the total project summary for the project that adds up to the 185 $186 million? No problem. As long as everybody reads it, that's all I care about. We read
094budget. I'm just saying come up to me who are whether it's what it is and I just they say the question is I says that's why I send it out to everybody. I don't think I don't think the two additional pages out of the 100page packet that you take the time to put together. No problem. No problem. And anytime you have a question, I'm here. This my phone is open. I take calls. I have your phone number. Don't give it to him. Don't give it to you long. You gone this long. It was probably a good idea. There might be a reason for that. I know. Actually, I got one additional question. Um, I do read your packets. You mentioned that the city is loading the the dirt. I thought I read a um potential
095change order of there was one change order when we had it loaded the city and I was going to load. Yeah. The first pile if you remember that big pile that was out near a softball dining house that was for the equipment and time for the guy to Right. We loaded we loaded into their trucks this time. We told them if you want it you got to load it. Okay. Cuz we it cost us $15,000 to load it. We could use the Exactly. Yeah. Yep. They were okay with that. That's good. I think on a positive note too, guys, what getting rid of the soil at all is saving us money. Correct. I mean, yeah. Big dollars. Just so everybody knows, like that's a it's a help. However, we're getting rid of it. Tens of
096thousands. Yeah. Anyone else for the building committee? Okay. Thank you, gentlemen. Thank you guys so much. Thanks, guys. Uh, let's do the minutes real quick. So, uh, barring any objection, um, I would do the board of education full meeting minutes as a bundle. So, that would be a motion to approve the regular meeting minutes from March uh, 26th and the special meeting minutes from February 19th, April 11th. Uh, and that's two separate meetings on April 11th and uh, April 16th. So again, these are regular and special board of education full meeting minutes is their motion. Question about the minutes. Yeah. The heading on the meeting of March 26 as Toring for elementary school cafeteria. Oh, weren't we in the cafeter? We moved to the middle school. It may or may not make a difference, but
097it should show up some sprinklers. Yeah. Um, okay. So, I will hear a motion uh to approve them with that amendment. So, move. Is there a second? Second. Okay. Uh, any additional discussion? Uh, hearing none. All those in favor, please say I. I post. So that's Bill and Kristen. Mhm. Thank you. Um, okay. So now we'll do the subcommittee meeting minutes. Again, barring any objection, we'll do them as a group. So that's facilities and technology on March the 12th, budget on February 26th, March 12th, and March 26th, school improvement on March 5th, policy on February 5th, and building committee on April 10th. Uh, is there a motion amended or not? So there second. Okay. Uh any further discussion? Hearing none. All those in favor please say I. I. Any opposed? Sue. Yep. Those meeting minutes
098are received. Uh I will hear a motion to receive the consent agenda. It is in the packet. If there is such a motion question. Uh let's hear the motion first and then we'll do discussion. So moved first. Yeah. Is there a second? Second. Okay. Um any discussion? I had a quick question. Um the consent agenda shows the uh spring production for the middle school as a point um on this particular April, but the show's old like so the when would we normally see wouldn't we normally see these prior? Yeah. So we get the recommendations from the school and sometimes the forms that come in just interact with mail and things. So So yes, but they get paid the stipen after the production's over. Right. I was just thinking that not that anybody has an objection
099to anything, but if anybody had a question in this case, this this effectively approves the issuing of the st. Oh, I see what you're So see what can happen if we didn't approve it paid right because that that's all the consent agenda does is it sort of runs very quickly through all retirements, resignations, appointments, etc. for anybody to get anything that pays. It was the check that was it happens with athletic coaching too sometimes because the reality is you know the coaches often times start in the summer but we don't actually get them on the consent agenda until you know August when we when we meet. So sometimes the timing is not necessarily you know in line with that but again this is really Thank you very much. Absolutely. Any further discussion hearing? None. All
100those in favor please say I. Any opposed? Okay that's done. Uh we have next uh the field trip for Sturbridge Sturbridge Village on May 30th. Right. For school. Mr. Klein, do you want to give us a quick I'd be happy to. So, last year we had the privilege of taking our kids for fifth grade up to Sturbridge. It was beautiful Sunday similar to tonight. Kids had a great time with a lot of hands-on experiences, being able to see what the colonial lifestyle looked like, the housing structures and whatnot. And the kids came back and they absolutely loved it. They were over the moon. And many of them who had never seen that before or experienced it absolutely were enthralled with it. And um we advocate potentially good again. So thank you. Uh anyone have any
101questions for Mr. Klein? Okay. Thank you. Uh so with that I would hear a motion to approve the field trip for four schools village on May 30th. So moved. Is there a second? Second. All those Any discussion hearing? None. All those in favor please say I. IO and Jeff. Yep. The field trip is approved. Uh we have next revised policy 5024. That's the dress code that was briefly spoken to earlier. Um is there a motion? Is there a second? Second. Okay. Uh any discussion on that? Um, I just have something briefly and I don't want to I'm not trying to derail the policy or anything. Um, so I'm interested mostly in the disciplinary consequences. It lays out first, second, third offense. Uh, third offense, they get ISS and then it doesn't really say anything after
102that other than an accumulation of disciplinary for infractions uh will require mandatory meeting and will lead to discipline up to and including possible expulsion. Um, so I'm just interested at what point uh does the administration uh decide that wearing a tank top is an expelable offense? Like where's the line? Cuz the policy does leave that vague. It doesn't leave what the kids can wear vague, which I appreciate, but uh you know how many times. So what I can tell you is that what we said this was all approved by our attorney and what we said to the attorney had um what exactly what you are looking for and they came back to us and said strike that and intentionally leave it open like that. Oh yes and and legally that makes perfect sense and if
103I was our lawyer I would have said the same thing. But what I'm asking, I guess, is is what is the interpretation? What what is the administration considering, right? Because it's not the board of education that refers students for expulsion. It's it's the principal and the superintendent. Um, so you know, what is the consideration there? Like I like I guess I mean I asked it kind of abruptly but what are the factors that will drive the administration the current administration public schools to refer a student for expulsion for dress code violations? I think the first sentence the first sentence says an accumulation of disclaimer just so for how much time well I think legal intentionally left it out right for that reason probably doesn't want us talking about it to this extent I can try
104to answer it I I mean I I understand the question and I understand the concern I think you know when we we do have a mandate by law that there's a certain number of ISS that would actually automat autoatically put and OSS I should say that would automatically fasttrack the process from their expulsion when we're talking about uh infractions with the dress code right the whole premise is to kind of show try to show progressive discipline with the dress code so if a student is inappropriately dressed and spoken to once twice three four times it's hard to say in terms of a number u Mr. Pory only because if that student were to basically come in on a Monday and then a Tuesday and then Wednesday and the you know the continual component of it
105that would be a higher level concern. The student comes in on a a Monday in September and is in inappropriate dress and has been spoken to and following the policy set forth by the board of education is spoken to in discipline and we don't have to speak to that student again until maybe February or March when the weather gets nicer or whatever the case may be that wouldn't be a student that we would obviously recommend for exposure. However, if that same student, you know, every single Monday in September and every single Tuesday in October and every single Wednesday in November um and blatant disrespect to the policy and violates the policy, our administrators would contact central office. We would have a conversation and we would say, "Have you spoken to the student?" "Yes." "Have you
106spoken to the parent?" "Yes." "Have you had a meeting?" "Yes." "And the student is still doing X, Y, or Z. The student is not learning. They're not taking responsibility for their actions. Therefore, that would spring forward the conversation to the next level of discipline. Great. And that actually is sort of the answer I was looking for. It wasn't about you question. I was looking for a legitimate answer. Uh well, because it would be it would be bind us to a specific number. No, I just think it would be patently absurd to say a student has 10 dress code violations over their four-year high school career and now we're going to expel you in your senior year. I mean, the policy reads that that's that's a plausible thing uh within the framework. So I just don't
107I don't want that situation. I think we have to expect that sometimes our students are going to misbehave either on purpose or by mistake and you know an expulsion is very serious. Uh it can really derail a student's career and I don't really like doing that. Yeah. I think it's the blatant disrespect. [Music] Great. Thank you. Um anyone else have anything? I there was no one before me but okay. So with that uh we'll go to a vote on this. So all those in favor of the revised policy please say I. Any opposed? Okay. So that policy is adopted. We have done the distinguished alumnist recipient and announcement. Uh congratulations again to Joanne Ryan Chamber of Commerce uh who is just a stellar communitarian real leader in this community. Um lastly for our new business
108items we have a a calendar change. Um, last page of the packet, Brent. Yes, I can speak to that. Yeah. So, the the recommendation uh and the request of the board of education this evening is to make June 13th uh an early dismissal day for our all of our students. That would be the final day for school for prek to 8 because if you recall in January, we had to give a give the board elected to give the high school students a day off, but the staff had to come in. So June 16th would be kind of that flip-flop if you will and the 16th for high schoolers is makeup exams if I'm not mistaken u Mr. Scott but that would be a day of school for students at the high school. However, no schools
109will pre-K to eight students on June 16th, but a full day for staff. And that was a request by the teachers union and other unions because there's a lot of movement the redistricting and people need to pack up and move. And even those who are staying and are just moving classrooms, they wanted that time to box up, which would also help Dean and Rachel out a tremendous amount. Um, and those other staff members that do come in, just like other staff members volunteered to help at the high school, same deal. We look up some of our high school friends to volunteer if they don't have any makeup exams or they're bound up to go help our prek friends. So that's the request from the board of education this evening to approve that calendar change. Now
110was the 16th going to be a staff work day anyway or no? It was supposed with the number of days that we had from snow and other incidents. It would have been that would have been the last day. So that's why we thought it would be a nice transition not to have everyone come back on that Monday and put staff come back to get that day that they needed to make up the dates on the right. Oh yeah, as long as there's no PDMs that have to get paid for it. Does the June 13th half day for students? Is it for staff as well? So the early dismissal days, you can speak to that. Okay. Union has some different language about how half days are treated. So what which union? I'm sorry. All the different
111unions have language on on that. So, so like the parah educators for example, it says if the last day of school is a half day for students, then they can leave when the students are fully dismissed without any you know harm to their so but each union has different language about so some would leave early some would not. What is it for teachers and admins? The 16th. The 16th. Okay. 16th would be a full day for everyone. No, the 13th. 13th is just the early dismissal and like as Kim said depended upon the the teachers stay the teachers in their contract. I don't remember. We could get into that. I have to know if I just don't remember them all. It just to me I asked the question I wrote and myself and staff but
112it's a little vague. Maybe it's not to the staff but yes they all have very clear language in their contract. So, right, if it's a half day for the students, you would just follow what whatever their union contacts. Yeah, that's what I'm saying. I just don't know them all the top of my head. I know the somebody asked me recently. I just I don't remember all of them off the top of my head. I usually have to look them up. I have, you know, over the course of my 15 years, I've got like 18 different meetings rattling around in my head. So, you know, sometimes I don't even know what I'm remembering. So, I just have to read it sometimes to double check it. So, I just don't know off the top of my head.
113I'm sorry. All right. Uh, so I would hear a motion to approve. Um, Bill, go ahead. What uh what what new date is is is being proposed for that meeting? So the changes are um June 13th would be a half day for students and a final day of school for them. Operate on a half day schedule. June 16th, no school for preK through 8 students. Exams, you said for high school, um makeup exams for high school. Um, and all employees would report to work. Okay. I just wanted to make sure I had it straight. Yep. Uh, so I would hear a motion to approve those calendar changes if there is one. So move a second. Second. Okay. Uh, any further discussion? Hearing none. All those in favor, please say I. I. Yep. Um, okay. We
114have items for the upcoming agenda. Um, it's possible, I suppose, by then, that we would be making any final budget decisions. We'll have to wait and see, I guess, based on what the city does and how quickly our budget folks turn things around. Um, okay. So, they'll probably do it June 3rd. So, uh, we'll reserve that. Um, we'll have all of the usual reports from our team. Um, anyone else have anything you want on the agenda? Okay. Um it's it's always a living document. Anyway, um comments for the good of the order. I'll start at my the left end of the table for my left. That's that's you, Bill. How much for the good of your Who? You. Oh, me. I'm um I have a new I have a new phone number. I have a
115I have a a phone that's 90% voice activated that allows me to receive and make calls and and I can um send um send and receive text messages. It also will um I'm I'm still I'm still learning on how to use it. It also will allow me to read read uh text both uh both uh I'm told both both typewritten and and handwritten. typewritten. I've I've I've worked with a little I haven't tried with with with uh with uh with handwritten yet, but the new number is 8607825144. I still have the the the number that that you folks have been using on the flip phone for a while, but that's going to as as I get more as I get um um more more more profit proficient with uh with with with the news. Um,
116we we're going to DC the flip phone probably sometime in the next month. Great. And Sue wrote down Bill's new phone number. So if anyone else in the group uh needs it cuz I didn't write it down, we will get it from Sue after the meeting. Um, thank you Mr. Knight. John, uh, very good meeting tonight. Yet another reason to get lunch at Jimmy's was the highlight. Uh, great meeting. Um, quick question about next month's meetings at the high school. Where at the high school? So, we'll be in the cafeteria. Okay. The high school cap. We're going to be basically the board will be situated along the auditorium side. Okay. Dean has mapped it out. Okay, perfect. Um, I kind of want to um I got I got a little upset last night. Um, I
117want to publicly apologize um that I got upset. Um, I'm very passionate about Torington Public Schools. Um, I I kind of let my head get the best of me. Um, but I'm I'm I stand by what I said. Um, the only thing that I I didn't say and I meant to is um how amazed I am every day with the high school. um their offerings, their community partnerships, um the camaraderie and just the school spirit that comes with being at the high school. Um I I I I'm just really impressed by it every day. Um I mean, my ninth grader talks about some photography class that she's just enamored with and even asked for a $1,000 camera that she now knows how to work. So, you know, you can thank that teacher for me. Um,
118but just, you know, not just the academic courses, but all of the additional things that accompany a high school career. Um, it's it's really astounding to see what you all have done there. And, um, I'm very proud to have my daughter at the high school. So, thank you for that. Um, I I did leave that out last night. Um, again, I apologize. like I'm a little passionate about my town and and my my schools that I've you know I've lived here for 45 years. Um I am very proud of Torington schools. We have come a long way. Um we've been through a lot as parents in this district. We've endured more than we should have had to. Um and I'll be the first to say it. The redistricting and sending my kids from touring board
119to Forbes was I was not happy about it. Um, but I I can say with with certainty that I'm I'm happy that with the direction that the Torington schools are going in. Um, I encourage anybody in the public to please come to our school improvement meetings, um, our regular board of ed meetings and hear about the amazing things that are happening in our schools because we have the most amazing staff. We have the most amazing team here. And I want to remind everyone that the 10 of us are volunteers. Um, and we give a lot of our time and all we are doing it for is for the kids in this town and and I really think people need to remember that and how much we care. Um, and really that's I'm sorry I'm long-winded.
120I wanted to add that. I wanted to kind of apologize for my passion last night. Um, that's just me. I'm Italian. I'm sorry. You don't have to Thanks again everybody who came out to the meeting last night and the support along the way. I'm sure uh there'll be more to come and hopefully we all find a way to work together and get somewhere good before the end of the year. Thank and thanks for all your help tonight guys. Thanks for everything that you said and then Rob so wonderful to the community not just Victorian public schools but the community itself is just phenomenal and he's It's It's wonderful. No. Good. Excellent. Two more to go. Who's counting? One is apparently a very good meeting. Um I did want to mention u again thank everybody for
121coming out. Just echoing what everyone else has said and I am proud to be part of this district and this this board and this team. Um, Michael, thank you for representing Torington at the uh, conference. That was that was important. Um, the music, the music, the welcome home song, and the fact that Torington is going to be featured every time somebody opens up that song and downloads it is amazing and that's something that everybody that's part of this district should be proud of. Um, so thank you everybody and that's it. Rachel, uh, great meeting. Thank you. I did want to say that uh the technicians on on the uh high school team have made it a point to go to Jimmy's once a week to try the new sandwiches that come out. Right. Yes. Um
122and Jesse over there puts it up on all the digital signage boards and everything. Um just like the featured sandwich. Um so just a really cool event that they did. Um but yeah, thank you. Uh good meeting. I'm sorry I wasn't invited to the food festival, but first we'll be there next. You guys can take the next. You'll be my guest. So, I just wanted to say that um after sitting through the meeting last night, um I was kind of like introspective about our board and I just wanted to say that it has been a very big honor to work with our board event because it's so clear to me that you are 100% for the kids and for us and that's just so huge. And as I'm watching you guys get battered, um, you
123know, it it just it just really made me think, like you said, you're not paid to do this and yet you're always there. You always have our backs. So, I just wanted to make sure I got that out and let you know that it really kind of hit me last night. So, thank you. That was a great meeting. Um, congratulations to Joanne Ryan. I had the um honor of uh speaking with her just last week uh at the job fair that we went to at city hall where we were trying to recruit Cara. It was really exciting to hear her being recognized because she's always been a partner at those things. So um but fantastic meeting and I really love the music thing too because you know I'm a band mom so like it was
124cool. I don't know anything about music so that was very very cool. So um but that's it and thank you to all of you. Great meeting and I'm going for the Mac attack. Um, but yeah, a bit of what said as well and and you said it well, Kristen, that you know, the board is here for the children and no need to apologize. That was very well stated. I just want to reiterate what I tried to convey last night. There are amazing things happening in each one of our schools every single day. And we're we're seeing the magic really happening at the the lower grades because of the change in the instructional delivery model that we've made. But what we're beginning to see now is how that's manifesting year after year because the kids are
125moving from grade to grade with the skills that they need to have to be successful the next time. I mean, I I could cry. I Michael and I were in a first grade classroom a couple weeks ago and what those six and seven year olds were doing is is I can't even describe it to you. It's just so wonderful. So I I promise you that this is eventually gonna land at seventh and eighth grade where we're going to see what should have been happening. You know this the whole language movement that started in the '9s. Shame on everybody in the country for for jumping for jumping on that bandwagon, right? I mean the generation so many Yes. instructional casualties, but you know, we can't turn back time. We're doing what we need to do and
126in literacy and our kids are literate and they're excited and behavior referrals are going down because they're happy in school and they see themselves as readers and writers and mathematicians and it's it's just it's it's beyond exciting. So, while You know, I'm not I'm not a toringtononian. Um I feel in my heart kind of like I am. I've been around adopt you. Yeah. Exactly. You know, and I just it's it's so funny because this is just a quick aside. When I first moved back to Connecticut, um when I was like 25 years old, I couldn't afford property here. I wanted to live in Torington and I couldn't buy a house in the 80s when the you know the real estate was so crazy high but um but I love Torington and it it just is
127so exciting for me to see what's happening. So I too am deeply bothered by those things. So thank you for all your passion. Yeah. So I I couldn't agree more. You know uh we are proud bunch as we should be. We care about our students. You care about our students. I said that last evening. We actually had an admin meeting as most of you saw walking in tonight. Talked about talked about that very thing to our athletes. We always keep students at our focus. Even when some others might not. That's our job. And while it does derail us sometimes and demoralize us at times, that's who we're here for. And that's really if we remember that. And as Sue said, you know, and everyone at the office will tell you when they see Sue and
128I get up out of our chairs and walk out, they all say, "You're going to your happy place." And that's where we're going. We come to the schools and we are always reminded when we go there of the hard work all of our staff members, all of our teachers, all of our administrators, everyone. And that does not go unnot. students when we walk in and you're happy to show whether it be an art project or read a book to Sue or I or to really just kind of sit and chat with us or and are in the cafeteria and just have a fun moment. You know, that's that's our happy place and that's what really just puts our laser focus back and we know we're doing great things. I mean, we we share it with
129the state. We've shared it with the board. We've shared it last evening. You know, we in the in the year and three quarters that I've been here, we're already showing tremendous growth at certain grade levels. You know, that is not to be taken lightly. That is a huge team effort. You know, if I were to tell you statistically, would that happen? No. It would probably take at least three years. So, we do it at a year and a three quarters. Everyone around this table, everyone in this audience should be darn proud of the work that they're doing for all of the students in Torington. So Kristen, your passion, I appreciated it and I appreciate, you know, everything that this board does for everyone. I I don't ever apologize for passion myself because I also get
130very passionate. But your your intent was that it is about our students and and that's where we all have to remember whenever times are tough. And I can tell you everyone on this central office cabinet, I know I said Sue when I go out, everyone was charged this year as well and everyone has been in the building. And I'll tell you right now, that's their happy place, too. And when they come back and they're smiling and say, "Oh, I met this great first. I met this great high school student." Yeah, exactly. Now, we come back and do the work that piled up on their desk, but that's okay. That's that's what it's there for. We have to be with our students. So, I just wanted to share that and share that we are making great
131gain. We will continue to make great gain. We have great great people who care about this community and care about the most important piece of our community which is our students. Thank you. I wasn't able to be there last night so I won't defecate for too terribly long. Uh but I will just say that while this is exhausting uh I certainly appreciate everything everyone is doing and I for one and I hope that you also will take this up. I don't ever apologize for anything I've ever said about any of the any of these people. And I don't think I'll ever apologize for anything I will say about any of these people. Uh I I I've never met a group of a dozen people who all know what the mayor's shoes taste like. Uh it's
132just it's shameful the way they behave. Uh they they're anti- worker. They're opposed to our administrator's contract for no reason at great expense to the taxpayer because they're petty. They're prideful and it's mean-spirited for against our 4,000 children that we're trying to educate with no money. Um things cost money. That's just sort of a fact of life, right? You want something, you have to pay for it. Uh that means that if you want a highly educated, qualified, experienced person to stand in front of your children for seven, eight, nine hours a day, you have to pay them. And that expertise is not cheap. If you if you want to make sure that we educate every student to the best of our ability, regardless of their need, uh that means that you have to pay special
133ed teachers. It means you have to pay per professionals and for programs. Uh if you want books for them to read, you have to pay for them. Uh it's not very hard when you think about it. Uh but somehow this group of people at city hall, most of them political pass off castoffs and losers who have ended up there because they couldn't win election anything else. uh just spend all their time assuming that we're burning money and not, you know, using it for the kids. Um our budget has been transparent from day one. It always is. Every month you can look at what we've spent and what we're going to spend. Uh we're not doing anything malfeasant with it. We're not hiding money in slush funds the way the city hall does. We're using it
134to educate children. Um I don't make any money for this. I don't think anyone else here has ever done anything shady enough to get paid doing this job. Uh so and certainly many of our employees don't make enough money for the work that they're doing. Uh so it's an insult to every single student, every child and every parent in the community uh to look at the board of education's budget, which has gone up less than 2 million by my reckoning in the 8 years I've been on the board, uh and say, "Well, you have enough and you don't have to you don't need any more money. uh we're gonna create lots of jobs uh in the cityside that we're not going to fill and we're going to use the money for whatever we want. But
135you no, the kids don't get any money. Uh it's an insult. It's pathetic. Uh and I say all this because I don't think that their minds are ever going to change. I don't think that if I'm nice to them tonight that we're going to get lots of money. Uh so I think people ought to know uh what's happening and and just how disgusting it all is. Um, and I won't take up any more of your time. Uh, for our future meetings, we have Wednesday, May 7th, school improvement and policy at ths. Wednesday, May 14th, 5:30 and 6:00 at Avenue. We have facilities, technology, and budget. And then the regular board of education meeting May 28th at 5:30 at ths. Is that right? You doing it there? We are doing it there. And with that, I
136will hear a motion to um be um be uh um before we adjourn, I just wanted to make one one final comment about my my new phone call. If you call me and I inadvertently hang it inadvertently gets gets dis disconnected. I'm it's still a learning curve for me. So it's not up on us if that happens. I would hang up on Bill. With that, I'll hear a motion to adjourn. So move. All those in favor? I we are adjourned