001All right, we're live. Great. Thanks. Uh uh good afternoon everyone. It's June 25th, 2025. It's 2:33 in the afternoon. This is a Western Connecticut Board of Education special meeting. Uh the meeting is to appoint uh a new superintendent for the Western schools. We have a quorum. Uh the first item on the agenda is a pledge of allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Uh the third item on the agenda is uh the appointment of the Western Public Schools Superintendent of Schools. Um I can either call for a motion or uh we can have discussion. This is a obviously this is the most important thing that we do as a board
002um is to appoint uh and oversee the superintendent of schools. So I'll go in any direction that people would like. I think we've had a lot of from my perspective I'm good with the discussion that's already occurred. Okay. Anyone else? Okay. I'm good too. Okay. So, seeing none may So, so Steve, so I'll just say that um I don't know that I'm good on the discussion. I'll make a comment, but I'm good on the discussion. Okay. Are you going to make a comment before or after your vote? Um after the vote. Okay. Um, so may I have a motion to appoint Erica Forte uh as the uh Weston Public Schools public schools superintendent of schools? I move that the Western Board of Education appoint Erica Forte as superintendent of schools. Uh, effective and we don't
003have a date. Correct. Okay. Subject to the finalization of contract terms regarding that appointment and subject to the approval of those contract terms by the board. Great. Is there a second? I'll second. Okay. All those in favor? I I opposed. Michael, did you vote? Uh are are we voting to vote or are we voting to approve her? We're voting to approve her. Okay. So, um so I'll I'll make a quick comment then. Um because I I'm voting no. Um but I want I I just want to keep it short. I want to give some context. Look, I think I think as everyone knows here, I think I've struggled um from the beginning with the superintendent search process. Um I've also struggled a little bit with the fit given the profound differences in the school districts.
004Um but I do want to say with that being said, look, Erica is going to be the next superintendent. Um, so you know, for the community, the children, of course, the administrators, the teachers. Um, I will be rooting for her. I I want you all I want to state that explicitly. Um, I'll be rooting for her to elevate the district and supportive of of all of her efforts to do so, and I will support her in in that endeavor. Um, but I am voting no on this. Okay, that's fine. So, the vote is five in favor uh and one against uh and one absent. Is that correct, Jody? Great. Um uh okay, there we go. Next item. Uh well, I'm sorry. This there's another motion that goes along with this. You just voted to appoint
005her. Now you have to do the motion that talks about her contract. Yeah. So, um the the next item is to approve uh Erica Forte's contract as the uh next superintendent of Western Public Schools. I broke it uh into two as I said wrote to you guys earlier today. One to appoint and then two to discuss the contract. Uh everyone has a copy of the contract. I highlighted the uh points of it earlier in some earlier emails. I know David, you wanted me to go back and ask her if she would reconsider uh the structure of it. The answer to that was no. Um uh David asked that we uh change the salary from 280 to uh with a uh with a potential bonus of $20,000. a delta between 260 and 280. Um, but that
006would be done on a subjective basis. Um, and she would rather not do that. So, we're voting on the contract um, uh, as presented to everyone uh, you know, earlier this week. Are there any questions or comments on that? Yeah, I'll just make a couple of quick comments. Um so heading into this my concern has been we are paying we have this board has a history of giving salary increases that I have always showed concern are unsustainable for the district and in many cases um are not always something that we have thought out beyond the immediiacy of this person's skill that they are they should be elevated to the salary. I had a big concern with um the way we did the last round of increases. This was not done by the board which we've
007done in the past. The board would discuss each of the individuals and we would discuss the salary that the individual um might be worth having a uh increase to. In this case, the we were asked to blanket vote on simply a salary increase on a per person basis. There was no discussion with the board as to the uh actual salary that we were handing out to people. And so my concern with Erica particularly is that her contract was entirely negotiated by the board chair and an unelected member of the board, Jessica the attorney. There are many things in the contract that I take exception to, but the salary in my mind um for somebody who doesn't have Durgy experience, doesn't have 40 years in the district and is unproven. I simply said, let's backload the
008contract a little bit by asking her to meet some criteria. And at the end of the year, the criteria has been met, that bonus would be paid. Any other comments from anyone on the board? Sure. Can I make a quick comment, Steve? Yeah, sure, please. Sure. Um so on this one here as well um I think just generally speaking I think in the last six months um we've had in my mind at least we've had two key opportunities to um to sort of promote more long-term fiscal sustainability. I'll still steal that steal that phrase from David. Um and I do think that we've missed on both. I think the first was related to the budget process and even though you know the the increase came in um at a pretty decent rate actually um so
009where we ended up was okay just generally speaking but I do think we missed an opportunity there with respect to making tougher decisions around around just right sizing administration and that cost. I think the second Steve and board members um is the contract today where from my perspective I think we're setting a high I'll come at this a little bit different from David but some of it's repetitive I guess um I I do think we're setting a high bar with respect to total comp. Um and I do think we're granting more beneficial terms than we had for Lisa who was here for 40 years. I know, you know, extending benefit terms, you know, additional years and extending the contract term as well. Um, so look, from my point of view, I think that I just
010try to think to the future. I think this could have negative compounding effects when you're assessing increases from this higher base as well as comparing to other peers in the district as well as just, you know, any successor years down the road. Um, and I do believe personally, and sort of piggybacking off my comments off the first vote, I do believe that being a Durge superintendent holds a tremendous amount of value in itself. And I would have liked to see, I think David maybe flesh this out a little bit more, but I would have liked to see at the very least some sort of performance clause that would have resulted in a more sustainable uh baseline. Um, so that's sort of my commentary on where we ended up here. I I know we're we're probably
011going to approve it, but I I do wish we would have been a little bit more thoughtful just about how we structured the contract. Um, so those are my comments. Okay. Anyone else's comments? Uh, so may I have a motion to approve uh the contract for Lisa Forte as the Weston uh superintendent of schools? I move that the Oh, go ahead, Lisa. No. Okay. Move that the Western Board of Education approve the proposed contract with Erica Forte as superintendent of schools effective today. Do I put today's date? upon upon um knowledge of of the date um and move further that the board chair be authorized to execute the contract on behalf of the board. Okay. Uh well, let's do a verbal roll call. Um I'll second. You'll second. Sharon, thank you. Sharon, Sharon, you since
012you got to stand, do you approve? Lisa, yes. Yes. Peter, yes. I approve. David, no. And Michael, no. Okay. So, uh in this case, uh Fortitude. Uh the next is to appoint uh an acting superintendent of schools. Um as I said to you earlier, uh once uh Erica formally resigned, she's not resigned. she will resign once uh she executes the contract. Um we'll then have a much better idea of when she can start. Um hopefully that will be within 30 to 60 days at most. Uh Debbie is uh quote unquote retiring the second time from being a superintendent of schools uh as of July 1. Um and we would like to appoint Tina as the acting superintendent. Tina Hankle, I'm sorry. Excuse me. Um until Erica Forte uh can begin. Uh there any questions or
013comments on that? If not, uh may I have a motion to appoint Tina Henle as the acting superintendent of the Western Public Schools? Um, I move that the Western Board of Education appoint Tina Henle as the acting superintendent of schools on a short-term basis effective July 1st, 2025 and continuing until the earlier of October 1st, 2025 or such time as a new superintendent of schools commences employment subject to the approval of the Commissioner of Education in accordance with section 10-157 of the Connecticut General Statutes and move further that the board chair be authorized to final to finalize and execute a contract of employment for Dr. Henle's service as acting superintendent. Uh may I have a second? I'll second. Let's uh let's take a verbal vote. Just real quick, we have a quick discuss. I one
014topic of clarification I'd like to find out. So I am I am 100% supportive of the Tina acting superintendent. Um but I for the same reason with my concern with Erica's contract. Uh will we as a board have an opportunity to review the contract before it's ratified in her acting capacity? Tina. Yeah, of course. Okay. Sharon. Yes. Lisa, yes. Uh, Peter, yes. Uh, David, yes. Michael, yes. And Ammy, yes. So, that's uh that's unanimous. Um, and do we do we need to vote to terminate the search process or is that just peruncter? The last Jod's shaking her head. Yes. Yes. It's part of the process. Yes. You're terminating that committee. So, we need a motion to terminate the search process with superintendent and dismissal of the superintendent search committee. Okay. I move that the Weston
015Board of Education terminate the search process for superintendent of schools and disi and dismisses the superintendent search committee. Is there a second? A second. All those in favor? I I Okay. Thanks everybody. Appreciate it. Have a good flight. Sharon, may I have a motion to adjurnn? I move to adjourn. Okay. Thanks. Go ahead, Peter. Okay. Well, I Debbie, thank you. Thank you. And Debbie, thanks so much. Yes. Thank you. We appreciate it