001Did you Good evening. As chairperson of the Harford Board of Education, I hereby call to order the June 16, 2026 regular meeting. I wish to extend a warm welcome to everyone present and to our television viewers. The board superintendent and I are pleased that you have joined us as we celebrate achievement, review information, and make policy decisions related to the effective operation of Harford Public Schools. This is a regular meeting and all items that will be discussed or voted on this evening have been posted as required by state law. As the Harford Board of Education, we are here to set goals, listen to reports of the superintendent, approve budgets, contracts, and personnel appointments, and make policy for the district. We are not here to make management decisions or solve the problem of individuals. Management is
002the responsibility of the superintendent. The monthly meetings of the board are open to the public. They are a time when the board conducts its business of governing the school system in a public arena. The regular meetings are not meetings with the public. Therefore, comments from the audience will be confined to the time designated for public for the public to address the board. The quorum and courtesy are important elements in effective public meetings. Please silence your cell phones or communication devices and refrain for from talking while others are speaking. Since it is legally mandated that proceedings be accurately recorded, I may have to ask for order periodically should noise begin to interfere with our recording capabilities. I am pleased that you have taken the time this evening to join us. We are very proud of this
003school system and thank you for your interest in Hartford Public Schools. Now, this will be read in Spanish. Hello. Can you hear me? Okay. Harartford. Harford. Superintendencia. Harford. Tonight we have a very special treat. Students from Global Communications Academy will be singing for us. Superintendent Townsel. Thank you, Chairwoman Brody. Good evening, everyone. >> They [laughter] get it. Let me try it again. Good evening. >> At Global Communications Academy, language is a superpower that begins in kindergarten. Tonight, our K through five students will showcase their talents in a brief performance. There is a profound reason language learning is paired with music. Decades of literacy science proves that song is one of the most neurologically effective ways to build fluency, stimulating the brain to rapidly develop phmic awareness and lifelong literacy skills. While primarily mastering Spanish, our
004students will also celebrate their school's vibrant diversity with songs in American Sign Language, Portuguese, and Haitian Creole. Global Communications Academy proudly holds the longest continuously running Spanish foreign language in elementary school program in Hartford's history. 18 years of excellence since 2008. A unique achievement for a Connecticut urban neighborhood school and a true point of pride for our community and the state. Demonstrating their language learning superpowers through song. Please join me in welcoming to the stage global singers. [applause] Thank you. Now, can you sing it with me? Let's sing it together. Ready? [music] Me famili [singing] [music] [singing] [music] [singing] is your [music and applause] [music] [singing] love. [music] Adon [singing] [music] [singing] [music] Amen. [singing] [music and singing] [singing and music] Give us [singing] a city. [music] He gave us [applause and cheering] pizza. [music]
005>> [music] [singing] [music] >> So pizza [music] [singing] [music] and show us and show Singon [music] pizza. [screaming] [music] >> [singing] >> picture. [music] More [music and singing] [music] pizza. [music] Pizza. [singing and music] >> [music] >> Farewell [music] for an enemy. >> [music and singing] [music and singing] [applause] >> I am happy. for [music] my mech. [music] >> [music] >> Gi [music] mech. >> [music] >> Gi [music] mech. I'm just >> I am Captain [music] [singing] Oh yes, when it look [music] >> [music and singing] >> Oh yes. Oh, [music] [music] say [music] it. Yeah. [music and singing] [music] [music and singing] Thank you for [music] making it. >> [music] [singing] >> I am not. [applause] [cheering] [music] [singing] >> [music] [singing] [music] >> I am my language. [music] I am my language. [music]
006Good morning. [music and singing] [singing] [music] >> [singing] >> I am my language. [music] I am my language. [music] >> [music] >> Kelly [singing] say [music and singing] [music] I am my language. [music] I am my language. >> [applause] [cheering] [applause] >> Wow. [applause] All right. [applause] Happy [applause] You're so welcome. Everybody look at Christina. Good job. [applause] Thank you again to Global Communications Academy students. [applause] >> [applause] >> We will now transition to public comment. Mr. Mills, >> I know I don't want to have to follow that. Such is my life. >> We as a board in collaboration with the superintendent and district leadership are committed to cultivating a culture of excellence at all levels of HBS. We thank you for taking the time to attend tonight's board meeting. We appreciate you coming out
007to learn more about Hartford Public Schools and for sharing your thoughts and concerns. We have established a protocol to track and response to concerns raised. We want you to know that we take your concerns seriously and to that end, staff will follow up within 48 hours if followup is required via the preferred method of contact the speaker has indicated on the sign-in sheet. As a reminder, you have three minutes to speak at the two-minute mark. The bell will ring, letting you know that you have one minute left. At the second bell, please wrap up your comments. Now, this will be read in Spanish. Excellency. person. Investig Thank you. I will be calling speakers up two at a time so you know you're next. Michael Alexander is the first speaker followed by Bill Catz. Good afternoon.
008Good job. I like that. Uh the budget for for the next school years is $284 million. And what I saw in the in the budget thing tuition $100 million or that's that's right. And transportation $36 million for the year. There's no way we could cut that back a little bit. Are you planning to rehire the teachers and support staff back this year? No. Yes. Maybe. Guess not. Huh? What What kind of class size do you have in this for next uh school year? The average class size? 25 20? Guess not. Huh? No. No. No. more answers. Okay, this is my statement. Bill Catz, followed by Frank Gianini. There we go. Um I'm going to wing it. I I started uh writing a few things down. Uh but um I wanted to bring up three basic
009simple issues. Um the first one is the cell devices that you haven't yet banned in the school systems. I don't know. We're already two generations into I mean if you c consider a generation to be approximately 10 years. We're we're 20 years into this and we know the damage that these things cause. Yes, of course it opens up doors to being able to uh you know uh find information at the flick of a finger. But it's also very antisocial and it and it really disrupts uh the child's learning dis uh ability. We already know the data is already out there. Why haven't you uh restricted these? It's re it's I I can't I'm I'm I'm dist over it. It's unfortunate. Uh I hope that in in in your present that you will reconsider you know
010restricting the banning maybe is a tough word to use but restrict severely restricting them. I'm going to show you two very basic things. Now uh in now on these warm days I like to have a cup of coffee in front of my house and next to my pollinator plants at 6:30 in the morning. I I watch a couple of kids waiting for the bus in front of my house every morning. You think they interact with each other? This is them until that bus comes. Nothing more. They're they're they have their noses stuck in these phones. They're not even socially interacting with each other. That's a deader. That is not uh social engagement which breeds intelligence and and everything that goes with it. So, I would like for you to reconsider that uh uh the the
011limited use of these devices. The data is out there. You just need to read about it. um civic courses. I know I'm I'm not up on on uh the educational process, what is taking place, but from what I've read, a lot of civic courses have been uh relinquished and are not being so kids need to understand how government works. It's a it's it's a it's fundamental in the educational process. And I don't know why uh if in fact civics is no longer being uh um offered, it should be returned. It was when I was going to school and um and it apparently is not now. Um the last I'll I'll ask um I'll I'll mention is that several years ago I approached somebody in the the school system in the administration and I proposed or
012asked if they ever had any special guests come in at least into the high schools and give a talk about the uh uh the value in in in uh developing a business rather than educating being educated and and going into the workforce and working for a company or or corporation, but actually to um develop your own idea and uh I I got nowhere. I said I would be willing to go into my I I I went to Harford High. I I'd love to go back there and and and give a talk and of of how it's it's very useful to develop, you know, something that you enjoy doing and eventually turning it into a business, which is what I did. I I uh uh went into the art business. I traveled uh Europe as as
013a youngster. And >> please summarize. >> Okay. Uh so that's it. I mean, you know, bring the civics lessons back, kind of restrict these things because it's not doing the kids any favors and um and it would be nice that you might uh want to bring in guest appearances to discuss and bring up uh why self-employment and developing that is is a worthy option. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Good evenings me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me members of the board, Dr. Council and everybody else here gathered uh this uh evening. My name is Frank Jianini. I am a uh teacher at Hartford Public High School. I've been there for almost 40 years and
014I'm also a proud graduate of Hartford Public School Systems. The I'm going to be very brief. Uh the reason I'm here today, I'm in full support of naming the field at Buckley High School for Graham Martin. I know that there was a lot said at the last board meeting and I wanted to add a few more words on my behalf. I was very fortunate to have Graham Martin in my life. uh he was my coach in high school and uh later I was his assistant coach. We've known each other for a very long time. He was very influential in my life. The reason I'm here talking to you as a proud Hartford educator is because of his influence on me and uh please consider naming the field after him. Thank you and have a wonderful
015evening. [applause] >> Emma Sheree followed by Nick Lebron. Good afternoon everyone. Um my name is Emma. I'm a mom to two wonderful girls. Um they attend GCA Global Communications Academy and we're here to support Mr. Domain. He's the Spanish teacher. And um I just want to say that's GCA is a really good school. And I also think that they shouldn't budget cut um Spanish because uh the children need to learn another language. It helps challenge their minds. And I don't remember Spanish I learned in high school, but I always remember Spanish I learned in my youth. So I just wanted to say that I think it's a great program. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Good evening. Excuse me. [clears throat] Good evening, members of the board and superintendent. My name is Nick Lebron and I
016am here to speak on behalf of our school community and most importantly the families we serve every day. I want to express deep concern regarding the current funding proposal for Catholic Charities, which reflects a $120,000 reduction from last year. This reduction does not just impact numbers on a budget sheet. It directly translates into fewer services, fewer supports, and most critically, the likely closure of our school-based food pantries. Since launching our food pantry during the CO 19 pandemic, what began as a response to a crisis has become an essential ongoing support system. Over the past year alone, we have served nearly 200 families and that number continues to grow. This is not a shrinking need. It is increasing. It is visible and it is urgent. What is especially important to understand is that the impact of
017food insecurity extends beyond students and families. It now affects the very staff who support our schools. We are seeing the lunch aids, the custodial staff and pair of professionals relying on these resources. These are individuals who show up every day for our scholars to care for our students and keep our schools running. When they are struggling, our entire school community feels it. Our food pantry is more than just a resource. It is a point of dignity, connection, and stability. It helps ensure that children come to school ready to learn and that families feel supported rather than isolated. Closing these pantries would not eliminate the need. It would only push the situation into a further crisis. We cannot afford to move backward on something that has proven to be so impactful and so necessary. I urge
018you to reconsider this funding reduction and prioritize sustaining these critical supports. Investing in our food pantries is an investment in student success, staff well-being, and the overall health of our Harford Public Schools community. Thank you for your time and consideration. >> Michael Susy, followed by Richard Deay. Good evening. Um, I can't believe it's almost the end of the school year, but I decide to still be here speaking. Um, and even though it's the end of the school year, I'm still thinking of the next one. Um, and I'm worried about specifically the equity within the schools. So obviously I come from Hartford High, but and as a sophomore teacher, I care about well I care about a lot of things, but the thing that really gets me thinking is our enrollment with freshman and then incoming
019freshman because that dictates as to what the budget is going to be that we're going to be allotted for next year and then the following year. And despite being 5 years in, I'm still with the budget cut this year, I'm still the lowest one in the totem pole, which means if we cut more into the bone, I'm gone. Um, and it's miraculous actually that all the teachers, all the social studies teachers in my school, uh, are tenured, which is probably unheard of within Hartford. But I asked where, like, how many students were getting from people higher up for me. um most of the kids were getting from Mcdana and then really nowhere else. Which leads me to the question about where are the kids going? So from these middle schools, are they going to crack?
020Are they going to outside the district? Are they going to kids within our zone? If that's even a thing, are they go where are they going? Because that's going to impact our enrollment, our funding, our teachers. how many teachers we're going to have. And I've openly said about we need to invest for the schools that we want to attract students to because I know that you're making a big push to try to get students back. And I really appreciate that on trying to figure out how do we get the kids out and I know that last meeting I had said you have to invest. I've worked in these other school systems. I've worked in Weathersville. I've worked in Berlin. I've worked in East Windsor. What are you going to do to convince those people to
021convince those parents to bring the parent the kids back? And I'm just worried that if we don't have a plan in place, if there's not transparency as to where the kids are going and where the resources are going, how can we as comprehensive schools be able to bring something that brings the kids back? I know you go and you mention Hartford Promise which is fantastic and I love the article. There was a couple news articles one of which was about Harford High about those Harford Promise scholars and the one from Harford High was actually a former student of mine and which I love very dearly but I need to see transparency as to where the students are going when they leave middle school. Which of the schools are they going to the comprehensives? Are they
022going to the magnets? Are they going to Buckley Weaver? Hartford High so that we can plan for the school that we can so that we can plan to figure out what are we going to do, what do we have to offer. And it really stinks that it's almost like we're in this competitive basis instead of being able to work with our other neighborhood schools. We almost have to compete with each other because we don't know what these zones are. We don't know where the kids are going to go. and we just want answers as a school so that we can bring this community so that we can have the community trust in us and send their kids to us. So I ask you to just be transparent. Thank you. Good evening school board members and
023[clears throat] the superintendent. Um, first I have to say thank you for giving access to celebrating our Hartford students and those students who are that young. We don't often see what is possible in K through five. And this evening, we've had an opportunity to see talent rising, to see superpower from kindergarten through fifth grade. And I'm in gratitude for that opportunity. A friend from a long time ago said to me just recently, "It's easier to get bees with honey than with vinegar." So, here I go. I've always loved working with Hartford children, whether they're at the middle school level, high school level, or elementary school level. Because from the time I started working in Hartford, I discovered as a linguist, as a multilingual person, I discovered that Hartford children had all the right ingredients to
024be multilingual. They just needed the opportunity. They just needed someone to believe that though historically they've been marginalized, historically they've not been believed as language learners that they can they are language learners. They have a birthright of multilingualism. Just like I had the opportunity in my country to be raised with multiple languages simultaneously, these kids, hard kids have that opportunity. It's a tragedy that we cut language programs in Hartford, particularly in Hartford at the elementary level or at the middle school level. If we look at the science, if we look at research, learning a language in addition to one's native language is a powerful foundation for phmic awareness and cognitive flexibility. And my wish and hope is that we all actually take the time to look, to see, and to hear what is out there.
025This evening, we had the opportunity to see and hear. And I hope that we heard children singing in four different languages. Thank you. [applause] >> Diane Callis, followed by Shante Chambers. Good evening, Superintendent Council and members of the Board of Education. My name is Diane Callas. This year I will be completing my 42nd year serving Harford students all at Buckley High School with the last 25 years being their proud athletic director. First I want to say how beautiful our new school is and the athletic spaces are amazing. the gym, the um pool, the fields are really impressive and our students are enjoying every moment of it, especially our athletes. However, despite being in the building for only five months, there's already been two applications to name the athletic fields in their honor. While I understand
026that there is an established process for naming facilities, I respectfully ask the board to slow down that process to ensure decisions about naming our field or track or scoreboard or athletic spaces are made thoughtfully and fairly. Many people, myself included, believe these opportunities should not be awarded on a first come, first serve basis. I understand within the process candidates are afforded the opportunity to submit letters of support as well as attending a board meeting. We also should be taking the time to seek out additional colleagues and players during their time at Buckley to make sure we are looking beyond the scope of what is being presented. During my time at Buckley, I witnessed the naming of both the James and Broofphie Natiatorum and the Lewis J. Bazano basketball court. It would be difficult to find
027two more deserving individuals. Both dedicated their careers to teaching, coaching, and mentoring thousands of Buckley students, achieving success, not only in the sport they coached, but also in the lives they influenced. Today, Buckley has an outstanding swim coach. Yet, he would be the first to say that no name belongs on our pool more than Jim Brophies. Through the years of winning conference championships, having many state qualifiers and finalists, Jim put Buckley swimming and diving on the map. More importantly, he mentored young people who went on to become teachers, coaches, tradespeople, business owners, and many of them Harpford firefighters. These are the kind of qualifications and lasting impacts we should carefully consider when deciding how to name our athletic spaces. Harford Public High School recently named its track after Lindy Remenino whose legend on the track
028is undeniable and its football field after Harry Belaluchcci who built a legacy of football that continues today. I believe we should apply the same level of thoughtfulness consideration when evaluating the current applicants for naming rights at Buckley. The board should carefully examine each individual's impact on the sport they coached or played. The facility of that coaching the student actually they coached with that area being named. Factors should include years of service contributions to the program, competitive success, the number of athletes coached and mentored, and the lasting influence they had both on and off the field. Most importantly, consideration should extend beyond retirement, recognizing those whose dedication to their athletes, school, and community created a legacy that endured for years and still does today. I know the superintendent and the board of education understands the significance
029of these decisions. The names chosen will endure long after our time and should reflect the true true bulldog spirit of Buckley High School. As the longest serving athletic director at Buckley High School, I would welcome the opportunity to meet with any of you to discuss this matter further with possible options and to answer any questions you may have. Thank you for your time. >> [snorts] >> Good evening, members of the board. My name is Shante Chambers. I am a parent, a community leader, and a dedicated advocate for our Harford youth. I am here today because my daughter, who is an active member of her school's black student union, is currently facing an unjust suspension for her for defending herself. The situation, my daughter was not the aggressor. She was forced to defend herself after experiencing
030targeted harassment that I had previously reported to the school's administration. The school failed to implement a safety plan or intervene and when the incident occurred, they punished her for reacting to violence rather than addressing the root cause. Furthermore, a student who courageously stepped in to deescalate the situation was also suspended. A decision that discourages students from looking out for one another. The failure to communicate. I have reached out through every proper channel, the principal, the director of school climate and safety, and finally the superintendent. While I did receive a response from the superintendent's office, it provided no actual resolution. To date, I have no timeline regarding when my daughter can return to school, and my request for a formal meeting has been ignored. That silence is deeply concerning and leaves a family in the dark.
031My formal request. I am here to respectfully but firmly request an immediate review and removal of the suspension from my daughter's record as well as the student who intervened. A formal administrative review of how our prior of how our prior reports of harassment were handled. a written explanation detailing why self-defense protocols were disregarded in this disciplinary process. A clear corrective action plan to ensure our schools are safe and that students are treated with fairness. In closing, I am not here to attack. I am here because I believe in accountability and the safety of all our children. My daughter is a good student who deserves to be treated with dignity. I am asking asking the board to do what the administration has not listen to a parent and correct a decision that has caused unnecessary harm.
032Thank you for your time and your service to our students. I am prepared to provide documentation and answer any questions you may have. Have a nice day. Alyssa Peterson, followed by Michael DS. >> Good evening, board. Alyssa Peterson. Um, I don't have any prepared comments like I normally do, so I'm just going to speak off the top of my head. Um, I had come here thinking that I would see on the agenda uh the MARB, Municipal Advisory Review Board. um acceptance or some kind of report on it as it's coming up as far as the requirement uh for state funding. Um I really if you do have that in the future I'd like to see some you know some extensive reporting on that. It's not a bad thing. I was here I'm old I don't
033know how many other people were here but I was here when the state took over in 1995. It wasn't a bad experience then. The funding, you know, was corrected then or, you know, different parts of the uh uh uh formula were corrected then. It can be corrected now. And I really truly applaud all of you. I thank all of you and especially our superintendent. I love how you came into town and you know from day one basically exposed the un the ugly truth here in Hartford and the state of Connecticut. Chef versus O'Neal is an unfunded mandate and it's chef versus O'Neal is also a state agreement. It's not the city agreement. The city attorneys never participated in any of the negotiation. So, if this is a state agreement, let the state fund it. And
034again, sir, I I thank you for for pushing. You've you've pushed so many buttons and pissed so many people off. I I love it. Um and and truly um uh well, you you're shaking your head. You did piss a lot of people off, but in doing so, um uh I think you got a lot of attention, the attention that we need. And if you don't going forward, if you don't feel that the municipal advisory review board um is not acting appropriately or it's not addressing concerns, get your own attorney. Enough already. We don't need to sit here and listen to more uh court cases or more um of the old court case. We possibly need a new court case or we possibly need to reopen the existing agreement. And again, why is that? Because Hartford
035attorneys were not at the table. Hartford attorneys were not at the table. And therefore, our kids are leaving our city. Um, our schools are closing or possibly closing. This is our chance to look at the formula again. And one last point, um, I'd like I've made it several times when I've been here in the past is two schools. I'd like you to look at the pathways across the river and the one at Manchester Community College. There is no reason that and I know uh Chair Browy that you've talked about the audit and I appreciate that. There is no reason that we can't have those schools closed, those teachers come back. Uh we have it uh a new program down at Capitol Community College possibly and but also seats guaranteed at uh uh Goodwin if they
036take over Pathways. So there is positive in all this. I' I'd like to see some re-examination of everything once you get that audit back in. But uh uh those are two critical things is let's watch what MARB does. If you don't like it, get your own attorney and let's also talk about closing these two schools that are outside of Hartford. Um it's it's inconceivable to me that we would possibly consider schools closing schools inside Hartford without looking at those two. I thank you very much for listening. >> Michael DS followed by Carol Gale and they have both asked for double time. Evening board members. My name is Michael DS. I'm live at 74 Rosemont Street in Hartford. And um I'm deeply involved in the uh political and social activities of Hartford. And um I was
037uh interested at the last uh council meeting. The issue came up uh not during the meeting, but in between uh during a time between the public portion and the uh actual meeting concerning the uh control of the Hartford Public Schools by uh an outside entity such as the U Municipal Accountability Review Board. My answer to something like that would be an emphatic no. And the reason is there's just not enough money there. There's been I've heard uh different figures like 34 million, 10 million, 20 million. That's not enough money. 300 million we need to bring this system back to where it was 25 years ago. And uh it costs that much money to replace things such as um vocational technical education, family consumer science, and music and art activities in three high schools. and in
038uh four middle schools. It cost money to uh support three bands in each high school. We had that. We had we were proud to have our bands in all the parades in the in the area in Hartford and in in other parades in the area. And uh um and we don't have it anymore. It's gone. And was stripped out by the state takeover. Um, so we need at least $300 million. And uh uh people say, "Well, that's outrageous." Well, I don't think it's outrageous. That's what this stuff costs. See what it costs today. I mean, from what I understand, we sold all of our vocational technical education equipment to the town of Greenwich. Why does Greenwich want it? But they want it for the same reason that uh um Hartford should have it to to
039uh uh to offer some uh uh courses and some education to students that maybe want to go on to a a trade or uh uh construction. something I read in the heart for Kurt this this Sunday uh concerning u a uh program that was uh sponsored by the uh building trade co uh unions uh that have a program in the Waterberry school system and in Stonington and it's uh it it's connected to the Stonington uh carpentry program that they have in their high school and That might be something we could look into now, something that would be inexpensive, but it's still going to cost us money and the MARB is not going to give us that money and it's it's so it's ridiculous to even think of it. Um, and uh I just the the
040money is is needed for the basic expanding of activities that we lost. Um, I think one of the the most cruel things that happened was the layoff of special education teachers and and um paraprofessional teachers back around 20 years ago. And now people have wondered where where how come we have to hire these companies to bring in pair of professional teachers? Can't we hire our own? Well, when you lay them all off, uh, they say, "Well, they didn't have quite enough education." Well, West Hartford had the same problem. But West Hartford grandfathered all of their, uh, theirh par professionals in and allowed them to become qualified through time. We didn't allow ours enough time at all to become qualified. And we just tossed them by the wayside, kicked them under the bus. It's going to
041cost money to uh and and it's hard to to bring in librarians, uh music teachers, art teachers, physical education teachers, and bring back our athletic systems. They're gone. They they they were absolutely I I couldn't believe how quickly they dissipated by by by 2016 17 or 18. Everything was gone. And I blamed the mayors at that time, but uh um I blamed the governor early on back in uh 1998, 999, 2000, all the way up to 2010. And uh u but these these uh it doesn't matter who who's to blame, they're gone. And we have to it's going to cost us that much money to bring it back. Now, if the if the mun municipality review board says, "Well, yeah, we we'll we'll give you that much money. people give you 300 300 million 400
042million 150 million this year 150 million next year 150 million the year after yeah okay that's fine that's fine we'll go under it maybe tier tier two tier three but uh they're not going to do that there's no money around like that and these uh these people downtown that have this u uh have this committee that wants to u uh renovate the downtown as I mentioned before, they're not going to give any money to the car public schools. And if we try to raise their taxes for the school system, they're going to shake their heads and they're going to threaten to move out and threaten this and threaten that and not going to go anywhere. But they they're going to threaten this and the mayor's going to get scared. He's going to he's going to
043want to uh say that uh well uh we we we have to we have to uh coddle these people. Well, we don't have to. We tell them you want to get out, get out. raise your buildings, clean up your toxic mess, and leave. They won't. Um, and it's uh so it's it's just that the the um the fact that the uh that they wrongly implemented the the state wrongly implemented the Chef V. O'Neal and the um Hart V. Meascll uh uh lawsuits. Um, it's not our fault. I mean, those are good cases. Those are necessary cases. People try to say, "Well, we got to have a new suit and a new lawsuit." Uh, I think Hartford has been uh uh abregated uh by a in a in a civil rights sort of way. Maybe we
044need to hire a lawyer. Yeah, I agree with the the last speaker. Maybe we hire a lawyer. hire a good civil rights lawyer to uh uh to lead us in in uh in another civil rights case, saying that we've been wronged by the state and by the suburbs around us uh and uh that that our money's been taken away from us and our school system has been stripped to the bone. Thank you. >> Our last speaker is Carol Gail. Good evening, members of the board, superintendent of schools. My name is Carol Gail. I am a Hartford resident and president of the Hartford Federation of Teachers. Tonight's agenda includes a contract continuation for community schools and AIG. HFT is a huge supporter of community schools as they truly address the needs of the whole child and
045family. So we certainly support encourage the support of community schools. Also, HFT really appreciates the board support of I AG, which serves as the J1 exchange visa sponsor for nine international HFT members currently employed at Hartford Public Schools. Also on tonight's agenda is a motion to approve the budget for the next fiscal year. HFT applauds the board and superintendent for adopting a budget that reflects more of an actual cost of educating students, does not make additional cuts to our schools, and recognizes future needs to make adjustments. Thank you for that. At last month's meeting, I shared that HFT and the board made a substantive agreement about handling this year's reduction in force. The agreement was only for this year, subject to review. I'd like to share HFT's review with you. Generally speaking, where theou was
046implemented accordingly, it worked very well. There were three areas that have remained unresolved. One, per the HFT contract, staff working under emergency certification or what's called a DSAP do not acrue seniority until they become certified. Thus, their positions should be the first to be eliminated. HFT raised this to the district and the district did revise the reduction in force list. 10 previous layoff notices were rescended and 10 new layoffs were created and all of those were DESAP positions. However, HFT is aware that there remain 14 instances where certified staff have been laid off while DESAP employees maintain their position. This must be remedied. Secondly, the union maintains that according to the agreement, layoff notices go out after all displaced staff are placed, but the district preemptively lays off employees to create vacancies for displaced employees.
047On April 30th, 28 HFT members were laid off. As of today, already 11 of those layoffs have been rescended. Why did the district cause such unnecessary stress and anxiety? The argument presented to the union was that by law, layoff notices had to go out by April 30th. A union lawyer actually emailed the HPS staff attorney to clarify that the law does not make such a requirement and that layoff notices can go out at any time. In fact, on May 27th, 10 new layoff notices were issued proving this point. HFT therefore urges the board to cease this policy if preemptively laying off employees. And third, the timelines originally laid out by the district for implementing the agreement were not met. While HFT understands there were unforeseen circumstances impacting these timelines, there is one firm time frame
048that was to be met. By contract, all HFT members must know their next year's assignment by June 15th. By the end of the day yesterday, which was June 15th, there remained eight HFT team members without a formal notice of their assignment for next year. So that's unacceptable as it violates our contract. There were on the other hand several clear positives to this process. With the exception of the DSAP issue, staff seniority was addressed and resulted in significantly less complaints to the union compared to previous years. In fact, no complaints occurred around seniority with the exception of the DSAP situations. Also, there were no disputes over which displaced staff received a change of assignment versus an involuntary transfer with the right to return because that was clarified in our agreement. And third, there were no issues
049with involuntary transfers to Capitol Prep because now that school is transitioning to the district calendar. So, all of those were really positive. Overall, theou worked very well where it was implemented accordingly and HFT recommends that the process be utilized for future reductions in force. Tonight is the last time that I will stand before you as president of HFT as I am retiring on June 30th. So, I wanted to also take the opportunity to say that it has been an absolute honor to serve the children and families of Hartford as a teacher in this district for 30 years and an additional honor to serve the educational profession as president of the Hartford Federation of Teachers for the past six years. Over the course of my career, I served under many superintendents and boards of ed. There
050were years of upheaval, infighting, dysfunction, estate takeover, crises, and concern over the leadership of Hartford Public Schools. By far, you all have been the best board for our city schools. You are professional, dedicated, transparent, independent thinkers, thoughtful deliberators, good listeners, and diligent stewards. And while the board and the union do not always agree, such disagreement functions to move us all towards continuous improvement. As I embark on my next chapter, I am confident that with you as our board, Superintendent Townsel at the helm, and my successor Corey Moses set to lead HFT, that I'm leaving HPS in very good hands. Thank you and good night. >> [applause] >> And that concludes public comment. >> Sorry, I I wanted to get a chance to speak, but I didn't see the sign up list, so I just wanted
051chance if it's okay. >> Go right ahead. >> Thank you. Uh, my name is Stefan Bob. I live on 55 Ellington Street in Hartford, Connecticut. Um, I'm actually in the process of developing a community garden on my neighborhood that b borders the breakthrough magnet school. I've been doing research with the planning zoning of the city of Harford and the property which is now 83 Ellington Street is possibly the property of the board of ed. So, I just want to want to clarify if we could uh if the board could look into that property to make sure if they're the owner of said property. So then uh we could make a formal proposal to the board of ed if you are the owners of said property. Uh right now the property is being kind of maintained
052by the city but it's not being maintained. So it's uh coming to be an isore. We have trash. We have uh grass is overgrown and so forth to that nature. There's a hole huge hole in the fence that goes right to the breakthrough magnet school. So um we have animals and other things coming here. So, uh I'm not sure if it's brought to your attention, you know, if you are the said owners their property, but we need to make sure someone's maintaining that property so it doesn't uh cause um any damages to the surrounding community or people in the neighborhood. So, um I'm hopefully that we can do that. Uh I did speak to one of the members of planning zoning and there was at the time uh before Breakthrough Magnet was constructed it was
053actually uh Rights Heights um housing project and because it was the Rice Heights housing project that actually land was the opening street that entered into that housing project. And because of that there was a sign of kind of negotiation between uh the entities who may have or not have owned the properties the adjacent property which is 75 Ellington Street and 87. So I've know as of today uh there's been notices sent out by the city um which we need to get a return from the said adjacent property owners that um are you interested or you are not interested in that said property uh by adjacent to it and if it's if you're isn't then it will go back to the said owners which would be probably the board of ed. So, just trying to give
054you a little uh background into that property. And um last thing is um my son got laid off from teaching. He needs a job. [laughter] He's a Harvard student that graduated from here. You know, he's uh graduate sum kumloud. Uh he was a DAP layoff from another district. So, I second with uh Miss Gail where we need to to help these guys get jobs, especially he's an African-American male. We need more African-American males in our district, but it has 60% people of color. So, if you have 60% of color, you need more people to represent of that. So, let's try to help those guys get a job. And hey, give my job son a job. And uh go Knicks. [laughter] And that concludes public comment. >> Thank you. We will now move on to the
055report of the superintendent. >> Thank you, Chairwoman Brody. Summer learning. Ladies and gentlemen, please look for communication about Hartford Public Schools's summer 2026 at home learning website. A free resource packed with grade level activities and tool for every K through2 student. Families, please explore our resources by gradeband to keep learning going all summer. Please go to hartfordschool.org. org/summer-2026. Dibbles. You may hear the assessment dibbles. Dibbles assessment. Dibbles testing. That's our uh testing that we take as a school district. Dibbles, ladies and gentlemen, stands for dynamic indicators of basic early literacy skills. That is an assessment that we take. I want to share some uh preliminary end of the year literacy data with us. U we often talk about the budget and and and but really what we do every single day is educate our young
056people. And I want to share with you if I'm not mistaken it was Jay-Z who said men lie, women lie, numbers don't. Someone said it. [laughter] Hartford Public Schools preliminary dibbles end of the year data reflects meaningful gains in early literacy. Districtwide, the percentage of K5 students performing at or above benchmark increase from 41% at the end of last year to 49% at the end of this year. An 8 percentage point gain. Please clap that up. That's that's huge. [applause] Over the same period, the percentage of students identified as well below benchmark decreased from 44% to 38%. I I hope y'all know what these numbers means, ladies. That means we're moving in the right direction. Uh gains were seen across every grade level with notable growth in the earliest grades. Kindergarten students at or above
057benchmark climbed from 52 percentage points to 62%. Grade one from 45% to 56% and grade four from 28% to 39%. These gains are particularly notable when viewed against national dibbles data which remained essentially flat year overyear. The Department of Elementary Teaching and Learning continue to analyze these results to inform summer programming, fall intervention planning in year two of the Connecticut Literacy Model Partnership. Ladies and gentlemen, that is a big deal uh for our young people. We often talk about literacy and how the more you read, the smarter you become. Our young people are showing that in real time and applying uh the teaching and learning practices of our educators. Some reading plus end of the year data. Hartford Public Schools preliminary reading plus end of the year data demonstrates positive gains in student reading proficiency
058in the middle grades. Districtwide, the percentage of grades 6 through 8 students reading at or above grade level increased from 17% in the fall to 30% at the end of the year. Making sure you're listening. [applause] Um, that's a 13 percentage point gain. Additionally, percentage of students reading below five or more grade levels decreased, ladies and gentlemen, from 48% to 35%. Gains were seen across every single grade level. Grade six, the percentage of students at or above proficiency increased from 14% to 24%. Grade seven, the percentage of students at or above a proficiency increased from 14% to 32%. In grade 8, the percentage of students at or above proficiency in reading increased from 23% to 37%. Please clap that up for our young people. [applause] I pray that you understand what that means. That means
059we learning is happening. Please do not be confused when we talk about teaching and learning and the outcomes of our young people. We are moving in the right direction. We are so happy uh for the educators, the administrators, and most importantly our families who support our young people. I would like to celebrate our multilingual educators. As you know, we graduated 200 we're graduating 224 students who've earned the Connecticut Seal of Biiteracy. And on June 5th, we proudly celebrated our outstanding educators who champion and support our multilingual learners every single day. The dedication of our TE-sol emergent bilingual teachers and bilingual resource teachers helping students embrace their languages, cultures, and their own limitless potential. Our multilingual learners make up 25% of our student population. That's over 3,800 students who rely upon the skills of our multilingual
060educators to help them. Ladies and gentlemen, please make some noise for our multilingual educators who support our kids every single day. [applause] June is hiring season especially for highlevel positions. I want to share right now we have a search going on for principal selection. The principal selection processes for two of our schools, Batansa STEM Magnet School and University High School of Science and Engineering maintain active. Both searches are being conducted with the care and the rigor that these leadership decisions deserve and we are committed to bringing forth the strongest possible can candidates for board consideration. Finalist recommendations will presented to the board of education for approval as each process reaches each conclusion. Also for leadership, teacher and support staff. In addition to our principal searches, the office of talent management has been actively supporting the
061selection process across a range of PR positions throughout the district, including leadership roles, classroom teacher positions, and support staff vacancies. All are critical to ensuring that every school is fully and thoughtfully staffed for the year ahead. Our team is working closely with school leaders and district administrators to move the processes forward both with urgency and care. This ensures that the right talent is in front of our students for the 2026 academic year. Summer resources 2026. Ladies and gentlemen, summer meals, summer reading challenge, and summer learning. Although summer's around the corner, we have to ensure that families and students visit our summer resources page to find out information on meal locations and times for people 18 years or younger. The summer reading challenge, Hartford Public Summer Learning Resources from our teaching and learning team and Sundays
062at the stadium soccer. Let me say our our summer reading challenge, ladies and gentlemen, is very simple. Um, the goal is to earn 1,000 points to get a summer reading certification uh certificate. And what we share is that you get 100 point for every chapter book and you get 50 points for every picture book. And the goal is to read at minimum 20 minutes per day, Monday through Friday throughout the summer. And we're trying to get um a large number of our young people to earn that uh certification. And very last, ladies and gentlemen, Hartford Public School athletics. I would like to congratulate all Hartford Public School high school student athletes who placed and earned points for their teams at their respective CIA class meets. Hartford has 22 student athletes who have qualified for the
063CIA state open from Capitol Prep, Classical, HMTCA, Hartford Public High School, University High School, and Weaver. Add uh specifically a Johnny Walker is running for outdoor track 100 meters. Tiana Turner outdoor track 100 and 200 meters. Harmony Holmes outdoor track and shotput. and Hermik Alik boys volleyball class S. Additional accolades, our HMTCA girls outdoor tracking track team um are conference champions for GHAC tournament. Boys baseball SMA and HMTCA both shared the conference championship. Alik is the CVL player of the year, volleyball player of the year. Baseball all conference is um for the greater Hartford conference is Yanelix Aoyo Talon Bernier Tristan excuse me Tristan Lewis Antoine Harper and Justin Quinn. Our softball are all allconerence athletes is John Elise Aoyo, Elizabeth Di Augustino, Sophia Montterosa and Amoret Paul. Girls Outdoor Track All Conference. Yasmine Browy
064Beckford, Tariah Walker, Shari Griffith Mccalip, Natana Danggar, Ayana Anaki, Olivia Reyes, Harmony Holmes, Janandi Nova, Avery Dumas, Tracari Griffith Mallip, Tria Walker, Rashia Grundy, Yasming Browy, Beckford, Stephanie Apia Hagen, and Danellia Rig. big and uh I know I said a couple of students names before that's because they competed in multiple competitions like the 400, the 100 also and the 200. So major shout out to our girl all conference athletes and I'll do the same for our boys. We have a Johnny Walker, Taan Howell, David and Dumabandi, Isaac Samot Vasquez, Jaylen Pittz, who's also a state championship basketball winner, Dylan Wilmont, Chaz Cummings, Ajani Walker, Yomar Vasquez, Miguel Aada, Jaden Perry, and Taan Howell. Please clap it up for those student athletes in track and field. [applause] And the very last thing with our student athletes,
065we still have volleyball occurring. We have SMSA Buckley boys volleyball team. They are on the road to a state championship. Our boys play in the state semifinal champion or either Monday or Tuesday of next week. If you'd like to follow our sports, please visit our website for spring sport accolades and our uh young athletes that are competing in a state championship tournament for volleyball. And with that, President Brody, I will park my bus on my report, but I do have I would like to recognize our student representatives of the board of education. How y'all doing? Y'all good? [laughter] Um, recognizing our student representatives for our board tonight. It is with great pride that I lead us in the recognition of our student representatives to the Hartford Board of Education for the 202526 school year. Miss
066McCandre Wright is a senior at Buckley High School and Mr. Shanlay Claude is a junior at Sport and Medical Science Academy. I'm so proud of these young people for what they've done to enrich our communities. I appreciate the staff who mentored them and helped them develop their talents and ability to share their voice. And I'm deeply grateful to the families who have shared their children with us and trusted us to get the very best out of them. Mccandre Wright will graduate from Buckley High School on Monday and next year will be majoring in chemical engineering at the University of Connecticut. >> [applause] >> She also serves as the president of the Superintendent Student Advisory Council and is a 2026 Fox Scholar. So, clap it up for her one more time. Congratulations. [applause and cheering] >>
067Shawn Lei is a junior at Sport and Medical Science Academy. I've experienced firsthand his bravery and intelligence to speaking truth to power and sharing his voice and leadership about what matters to his peers in Hartford public schools. It is with it is my prayer that both of our students continue to be passionate learners and leaders in our global society. I pray that you keep raising the bar in your personal achievement. Shalay, you're going to get a bunch of scholarship next year, so don't even worry about it. And whatever we can do to support you, we got your back. Congratulations to both of you. Ladies and gentlemen, please. [applause] And I have uh two certifications that I will read. I will say both of your name just so you can see what's on here. And my
068ask is that we can get up take a picture together with our board of education. Sounds good. All right. So, certification of recognition presented to both Shalay Claude and Muandre Wright. It is in appreciation of your outstanding contribution as a student board of education representative. Your leadership, insight, and advocacy have strengthened the connection between students and the board, inspiring positive change within our schools. Is dated for June 16th, 2026, signed by myself, the superintendent, and our board chair, Shante Brody. So, clap it up for them, ladies and gentlemen. [applause] Eyes open. Crystal. [laughter] Very [applause] good job. Where are you? As a reminder, you can find the superintendent report, full committee reports, student reports, all attachments and videos in the communities, excuse me, in the meetings agenda on community. All committee and workshop meetings are
069livereamed as well as viewable after the meeting. The YouTube links are saved in each meeting's agenda in community. Um, I highly encourage the community to view the meetings and read the reports when possible. If you have any questions or feedback, please contact Christina Santiago, our board liaison at cantiagoschools.org. And we're now going to move into the um consent agenda. And items on the consent agenda are 4.2 community school contracts. Harford public schools has been operating as community a community schools model and the district will continue um to work with the Boys and Girls Club, Catholic Charities, the Village for Families and Children, Center for Latino Progress, and the Urban League of Greater Hartford. 4.3 Acceptance of Funds and Contract Approval. NIA grant Renzulli has again sought a grant to contract with an enrichment consultant for
070the students 4.4 contract amendment approval powers school in Naviance the district will continue to work with Naviance part of powers school to ensure con continue of college and career readiness. supports and 4.5 approval of the May 19th, 2026 minutes. Any comments or questions on the consent agenda? Do I have a motion to vote on the consent agenda? So move. >> Second. >> All those in favor signify by saying I. >> I. I. >> Any nays? Any abstensions? The eyes have it. business agenda. We now move on to the business agenda. Um item 5.1, administrative appointment. It is the appointment for executive director of student support services. The motion is that the Harford Board of Education approved the superintendent's recommendation to appoint Dr. Stephanie Lockheart to the position of executive director of student support services. Do
071I have a motion? >> So move. >> Second. >> Mr. Superintendent. >> Thank you, Chairwoman Broaddy. Ladies and gentlemen, Board of Education, I am honored to present my recommendation for Executive Director of Student Support Services, Dr. Stephanie Lockheart. Before I tell you about Dr. Lockheart's impressive credentials and accomplishments, I want to share what I believe speak volumes and more powerfully than a resume. Dr. Lockheart is a Hartford Public Schools graduate. She sat in our classrooms. She was supported by our educators in this very district and tonight she is asking to come home not to receive but to give back. That kind of came that kind of full circle commitment is rare and it is exactly the spirit this role calls for. At a glance, Dr. Stephanie Lockheart's current role as principal of Avon High School
072whereas she served from 2022 to present day. Her experience includes 15 plus years in educational leadership, student support systems, equity centered discipline, and multi-tered system of support imple imple excuse me implementation. She holds a doctorate in educational leadership from Central Connecticut State University. She holds superintendent of school Connecticut 093 certification, intermediate administrator and supervision Connecticut 092 certification, history and social studies grade 4 through 12 Connecticut 026 certification. She served a superintendent internship at New Britain public schools. Had cabinet level experience in student services, policy, compliance, and budget. For the past three years, in her role as principal of Avon High School, leading a comprehensive school of 900 press students, she built and strengthened a full multi-tiered system of support, restorative practices that improve school climate, reduce discipline disparities, and most compellingly reduce chronic absenteeism from
07315% to 8% through targeted interventions, attendance monitoring, and genuine family engagement. That is hundreds of students who are now showing up more engaged, more connected to their school community. Board members, I want you to hear this. Dr. Lockheart is not coming to Hartford to build her career. She's coming to Hartford because Hartford shaped her. I'm proud to present Dr. Stephanie Lockheart as my recommendation for executive director of student support services and I respectfully ask for your support. Thank you. Dr. Lockart, can you come up to the microphone? I am sure there are questions. Miss Daryl Stell Ledger, Thank you so much. Can you hear me? Oh, okay. Thank you so much. Um, good evening, Dr. Lockheart. How are you today? Good evening. Good evening everyone on the board. Thank you for having me. I am
074very excited and I'm doing very well today. I hope you are too. >> Awesome. So, I always ask this question um and I'm a firm believer of not being able to be what you can't see. And what is it that you can bring to Hartford Public Schools to the students who look like us? >> Well, thank you for that question. Um just as Dr. Townzel said, "I am excited to be here because this is home." So, I'm bringing that passion, that commitment to be to the students what others were to me when I was a member um when I was a student here. Um Mr. Janning, I think he left. I didn't have him as a teacher, but my sister did. Um and I saw him around the school all the time being so involved.
075And so, I just bring that passion and that commitment to really serve the students of Hartford as others did for me and others encouraged me. and education started for me at Hartford Public Schools. That's where I wanted to become a teacher to be just like the people who served me. So, so excited to come back and give that passion and that commitment to the students in Hartford. >> Thank you so much. [laughter] >> Mrs. Strata Perez. >> First and for first and foremost, it's really exciting to have there's so many of us who returned back to Hartford, who never left Hartford or who are excited to give back to the uh communities and the schools that gave so much to us and allowed us to be here in space. What are one of the things
076that you're most excited about implementing? Um, and also what were some of your how were you able to get some of those successes in terms of getting students engaged in the works to reduce some of that uh repeat absenteeism that you saw before in other places? I'm very excited to actually get started um with that work. As I was hearing Dr. Townsel talk about um the test scores and how they were improving and how they were um just continuing to rise and trend in the right direction. I know that climate, culture, attendance, getting students feeling safe, feeling committed, feeling like they're valued, feeling like they're supported. That is the foundation that will continue to increase those test scores. So, I'm excited to be a part of that work and continue to just be a partner
077to the schools, to the principles, to the folks that are on the ground level doing that work. Um, I'm interested in really spending some time getting to hear what's already working um because obviously things are working and working well just to hear um such big increases. So, um there are a lot of things that we could do together. not ready to just jump in and say like yes let's start this and let's start that because I really want to spend some time listening learning hearing what's happening but I think it's so crucial to really engage the people that are closest to the work so starting with the students and spending some time talking to the amazing students congratulations by the way chemical engineering is huge and I had the pleasure of meeting the young man
078right before the meeting started so want to spend some more time just talking to the students surveying them get a sense of what they love about being in school, what are some things that we can help them improve? Talking to the teachers who are very committed, teachers who have been in this district 30, 40 plus years. You don't get that in a lot of places. So, these are people who are really excited about doing this work and who are passionate and committed. So, I want to spend time talking to them and then of course engaging the families because they're the experts on their kids. They're the ones that know what the barriers are that's stopping them from coming and fully engaging in the school. So just really excited to get started and jump in and
079already continue what's going so well here. >> Mr. Walker. >> Um thank you. So um welcome back. I am um short my age. Um uh welcome back. Carter was a popular shower when I was a kid. So uh nevertheless it is something there is something special impactful about coming back to the the town and the city that formed and shaped you and so there's great excitement in that. Um my question is kind of open to you. Um, one is you're coming to a new position and so you have a tremendous opportunity to shape what this position will become. And so I'd like you to talk about the values that you think you're going to bring to shape this position and what this position should be and how it should function within the district. Um and
080I would in saying that um want to know if areas of of behavior around student behavior and conduct is something that also would fit within your portfolio. I I don't know, but you can share in that as you're talking about your new position. >> Well, I am so excited that this is a new space um that we can do so much. Um, the work that I've done all throughout my career really centers around equity and really just creating a space for all students to have equal access and equal opportunity. Um, I will share that I was not born in this country. I was born in the island of Jamaica. Um, but I came to this country right into Hartford schools and um, fortunately for me, my mom was an educator. Um, so she really believed
081in schools and what schools could do for students and she really believed in the power of education. Um, but along those same same lines, she really had to fight to get me into a lot of higher level classes. She had to fight to get me in a lot of spaces that you would think it would be so easy for all students to be a part of. And so that's something that has just driven me in my work to really make sure that all students have that same access to high level courses. Um have that same access to teachers who are really um going to challenge them and teachers who are really committed but also knowledgeable and are teaching at a high level. So that's something that I will continuously fight for just ensuring that all
082of the teachers in all of the schools have the support that they need, have the training that they need, have the resources that they need and have the barriers being removed for them to be able to do that work for students because students are not they're not going to get smarter, they're not going to get better unless the adults that are working with them have the opportunity to do that. Um I believe in having high expectations not just for the staff but for the students as well. And so that's something that really drives the work that I do. I believe that we can't just hold students accountable. We have to hold ourselves accountable too. And that starts with really having a clear vision and having a set idea of where we all want to go.
083And I'm again I keep saying it's so excited to be here because I really believe in the superintendent's vision and all the work that um you all have been doing as a board to really push this district forward. So I want to continue carrying those high expectations that accountability but also really engaging all the stakeholders being a collaborator because there are so many things that are going well but there's so many things that can be improved um just in education period not just in Hartford schools and so I think when we see student discipline looking in a way that we don't want it to and we see attendance going in a way there are things that are causing that and it really just takes some time to to get into the spaces to talk with
084the students, to talk with the teachers, to talk with the families to figure out what are the barriers that are stopping them from doing the work because all the answers are right here in Hartford. All the answers are already within the teachers, within the principles, within within the administrators. So, a lot of the work that I want to do is really removing barriers and partnering with them to continue doing the work that they're doing. So, okay. I don't see any other um lights on for questions, but I'm excited about what Dr. Townsel is lining up. I'm excited about it. >> I'm excited as well. So, the motion on the floor is that the Harford Board of Education approve the superintendent's recommendation to appoint Dr. Stephanie Lockart to the position of executive executive director of student
085support services. All those in favor signify by saying I. >> I. >> Any nays? Any abstensions? The eyes have it. Congratulations. [applause] >> Thank you all so much. >> And if you wanted to offer you you said a lot, if you wanted to offer any um words after the vote, you're welcome to do so. >> Well, the only thing that I will say is that I'm just so excited to really work with all of you and to get to know all of you and all that you want to continue to do with Hart within Hartford. Um, I heard the president U, Miss Gale, say that this is the best board that she's ever worked with. So, again, just looking forward to being a part of all the good things that are happening. Um, when I
086met Dr. Townsel a few months ago, I was just like, got to get in here. I got to get on this team because [laughter] they're doing such great stuff and didn't know that that would, you know, carry me here. But God always has a plan and I'm just grateful that it's working out in the way that it is. And I am getting ready to do all of the things that we hope that we can do together. And hopefully a year from now, we'll all be celebrating all the great work that Dr. Townsel has put into this team and all the things that we're going to do together. So, thank you again. >> Thank you. [applause] >> Thank you, Chairwoman Brody. [clears throat] I have one more um appointment. Um, tonight I'm pleased to present my
087recommendation for Executive Director of Special Education, Dr. Ky Claire Anderson. I want to begin with something I do not take lightly. I know Dr. Anderson personally when I served as superintendent of Calvert County Public Schools in Calvert County, Maryland. She was the director of special education and I had the opportunity to work along alongside her and to see her leadership up close. As I watched how she approached the work with rigor, with care, and with a focus on doing what's right by students and families, I saw how she built relationships with her team and how she navigated complexity with both precision and grace. So when I tell you tonight she is the right person for this role, I want you to know that this recommendation I'm making that I am making from a is not
088from a distance. It comes from firthand experience and I mean every word of it. Dr. Anderson brings to this role something that is rare. She has led at every level of public education. She has been a classroom teacher, an instructional support specialist, a director of pupil services, an assistant superintendent, a superintendent twice, and most recently a director of special education. Over the c course of more than 30 years, she had worked in urban, suburban, and rural communities in two different states across all grade levels. That breath of experience experience is not incidental. It is foundational of a leader who understands how systems work from the inside out and who brings a perspective of a practitioner alongside the judgment of an executive. I'd like to speak directly about what her role requires. The executive director of
089special education is responsible for ensuring that every student with a disability in Hartford public schools receive the services, supports, and opportunities they are legally entitled to and that they deserve. This work demands technical expertise in special education law and compliance, the ability to lead and develop a large multidisciplinary team, a commitment to equity and inclusion, and the skill to partner with families who are often navigating some of the most complex and emotionally charged moments of their lives. It requires both both precision and compassion and the ability to hold these two together every single day. Dr. Anderson has been doing exactly that. In her current role as director of special education in Calary County Public Schools, she leads the district's full special education program, overseeing compliance, service delivery, team development, and student outcomes. Dr. Anderson holds
090a doctor of education and educational administration from Immaculata University along with superintendent in administrative certifications in both Maryland and Pennsylvania. She brings a track record that spans three decades. Board members, I am proud to recommend Dr. Ky Claire Anderson as our next executive director of special education. I ask for your support of this appointment. >> Thank you. So, this item is 5.2 2. And the motion is that the Harford Board of Education approve the superintendent's recommendation to appoint Dr. Kendy Anderson to the position of executive director of special education. Do I have a motion? >> So moved. >> Second. >> We got to get the motion first. Sorry. >> It was It was a motion. >> Yeah. >> Second. It was moved and seconded. >> Um, now questions. Miss Daryl St Ledger. >> Thank you
091so much and welcome to Hartford. >> Thank you. >> So my question is, what do you see yourself bringing to with all that you your accolades um and qualifications? What do you see yourself bringing to Hartford? So my passion really centers around students and access points and opportunities for every identified student to feel a sense of belonging and become part of their classroom environments. And so um over the more than 30 years I've been able to work with families and students so that they feel welcomed um and they believe that they're a part of the classroom community and that bigger culture within our schools. And that's really where my passion lies uh in the work. Thank you. >> Misfortune. >> Thank you. Doc, can you hear me? >> Yes. >> Okay. Thank you. Uh Dr.
092Anderson, um welcome to Hartford. Um, during my two-year tenure now on this board, I would say that the most heartbreaking stories that I hear are testimonies from parents of students with special needs with respect to how their children are not receiving the services that they need. How they really struggle to advocate for their students for their children and get them the services that they need. And sometimes when they do get the right placement, just the ongoing advocacy that is required so they can continue to be serviced properly. I can tell you of friends with children in the district who've moved out of town because they simply could not get the services they needed for their children. And it's just been really really difficult to hear those stories and to hear how despite our efforts, we
093truly there are students we have failed in meaning in meaningful ways. I I don't know that you'll have all the answers right now, but it's something I do want to call to your attention because I think that this your role has been a critical role that I think we've needed to strengthen. And with all of the experience that you're bringing, I really do hope that you can help us fill a lot of those gaps and help ensure that our most vulnerable students are receiving the education that they lawfully are required to have and frankly that they deserve as children. I can think of a no less than half a dozen parents, just my neighbors who have children with special needs who are struggling with their students here at HPS who I would love to connect
094you with so you can speak with them and hear firsthand how they've navigated the system and how they've struggled and how their children have struggled. Um, and with all of that said, I I would love to hear your thoughts just on how do you approach ensuring that we are building the capacity to start servicing students within the district, but also outside of the district if we cannot meet their needs. >> So, my first attempt is always to keep our kids right here with us whenever that's possible. And so, um, how we build those programs and how do we work through that? Um, I'm going to be a huge advocate for resources and opportunities, but I see it as kind of three prongs. The first one is reaching out to families and communities. Um, both school
095communities and the bigger Hartford community. Uh, I've had a lot of success using some virtual meetings. uh we lovingly in Calvert Coffee with Kendy on Saturday mornings and I just talk about the state kinds of things with regard to special ed, what's coming, what we can anticipate. Um parents freely come in, it's about an hour, hour and a half depending on the topic. We don't talk about individual students at that time. We talk about programs. We talk about changes. We talk about the legal things on the horizon, the challenges we're facing um and what that looks like. But what that does for us as um an internal community is it takes away all those barriers so that when there is some kind of conflict or concern, we already have that relationship. We feel very comfortable
096um just talking about our work together. Um the second prong is advocacy within. How do we make sure that there's the right training, the right guidance, um, and that our people, uh, teachers, support staff, administrators on the ground know how to answer those questions seamlessly so that people don't feel like they're being pingponged around um, when the answers um, pretty consistent. I I never want to say this work is simple, but there are some tenants and con some consistencies that that we can find if we communicate that well. Um and then the third piece is how do we uh talk openly to that extended uh our external stakeholders, our extended community so that we can bring in additional resources and partnerships um around our work and and the needs of our kids. Um, and when
097you do those three things, and I think the band that holds it all together is I like to talk about special education and compliance is our minimum standard and it's very important, but it is just it is the foundational piece and the real work is the relationship with with kids and families and um how we put our our best foot forward with regard to our identified students. Um, two followups. I know there has been times when parents have come here to us. They are at the wits end. They've tried everything and then they come to us as their last resort. And I know that at times those parents have not been contacted by our district after they've come here to express their frustration and struggles. Will you commit to ensuring that if a parent comes
098here and they tell us about their child with special needs and they are struggling, can your department commit to making sure that that parent receives a phone call, not an email, not a text message, but a human being within your department who can follow up with them and hold their hands and help them navigate the process if needed. >> Yes, somebody will reach out to them. I do want to just a little caveat to that and I don't want to diminish the personal touch because I'm really that's important to me. There are sometimes reasons we put things in emails so that it's consistent and we're working from the same thing. But I do believe in the human in the human side of it as well. But I wanted to be upfront about that. >> No,
099thank you. I I I support supplementing the human interaction with an email so that it's documented and memorialized. Um, and finally, um, for me, I I've also heard parents come and talk about their children who are receiving services for their special needs, but they're virtual services, and it's not in person, and those are students with they really should be receiving in-person services. Would do you plan to be involved in ensuring that through our recruitment or whatever other um administration or organizations within HPS, we are recruiting the people we need to serve our students here inhouse instead of relying on contractors and sometimes remote specialists working with our students. uh we've um we've found a lot of success in my current team um in recruiting in person and um but but I also just need to
100say the state of affairs um particularly with speech and language pathologists right now even with all those efforts I'm having a really hard time so I want to be a realist as well absolutely in person in front of kids is the best thing but we have a couple uh categories ies that it's just really hard nationally to find anybody. And I want to be a realist and say um it's only in those areas where uh I can't see another option that I would resort to that. But um we have some great partnerships that I've been able to help facilitate with universities and grow our own programs and those kinds of things. And I'm starting to see in the recruiting even the speech and language pathologists loosening up like there's more of them available than there
101were even three years ago. But the reality is where the market is in those certifications. So uh when unless all else fails a person is the best option. Um but there's a category or two where I honestly have turned over every stone I could and I can't really find anybody right now either. So I want to be, you know, very transparent with that. >> Thank you, >> Mrs. Strata Perez. Thank you, Chairwoman. Um, uh, my question is about you, I think you alluded a little bit to this. Uh we know that special education, we know that folks who are disabled and people who have disabilities have had to fight in this country to the nail to get these protections both for our students but also for adults who are doing right for adults who experience
102um this and we know that there's so there's so much roll back and so much hesitation around structurally funding this work in the way that it needs to to be done and funded right properly. And this is historically true in the United States. It's historically true in Connecticut. It's just the way that has been. Um, can you speak a little bit which to me and I appreciate you saying that is the bare minimum that we should be able to do because one of the things that I've always said is and other folks have said is that we have to recognize that that is the bare minimum that we actually should be doing more and when we lift our young people who have those needs, we actually then lift others as well because we learn through
103those processes too. What is your what has been some of the structural challenges that you've experienced in the in the work realistically speaking and how do you envision that you know those might impact right but also some of the bright lines that you are seeing through some of the work that you have been doing sort of navigating the reality to your point of the structure. Well, I think postcoid we saw this huge um uh kind of gap in highly qualified trained special educators coming into the field. Um it is it is the hardest work in in many many ways. Um and so we were seeing people with uh dual certifications going back over to the general ed side and and those kinds of things. Um, so very deliberately I have been attending some of the
104big recruiting fairs because if you interview in the moment and you offer those contingent contracts, you have people locked in and we've we've had a lot of success with that. Um, also understanding where you're recruiting from. So I initially came from Pennsylvania and I still have a lot of contacts there. um they changed things and they started paying student teachers to student teach and then it like uh the funnel of great candidates I was getting from universities I was familiar with started to dry up. So then you had to look at your own system and can we reimburse partially for that? Is there a is there a caveat for somebody to get out of that? because in Maryland we have blueprint. Our salaries went way up because of blueprint and so we were we can
105pay way more on the so how do you leverage those pieces and I'm a outside of the box thinker and so uh that's all that's why I like this work and that's why I like those approaches. The other piece I alluded to before is we have a partnership with Buoie State where instructional assistants with bachelor's degrees or um non-traditional teachers can come in and in about 18 months and we prepay. So, as long as they get the grades they need, they don't have to put much cash out at all. In 18 months, they get a master's degree in special education. and and I also get to then I teach in the program so I get to see the lay of the land and I can place people in those um opportunities because even within the
106field our regionalized program teachers are very different than a general special educator and so teaching in that program I'm able to really look at and and uh make sure that we put um the best candidates in the best spots and I get to see their work and we structure some of the teaching and the the work that they do for us around their their daytime job. And so I can really see um those key points like are they a really good data collector? Do are they great at assessments? Where do I need that skill? And so that's been really helpful as well. >> Thank you so much for that specificity as well, >> Mr. Walker. >> Thank you, Madam Chair. Um again. Um, welcome. I'm very excited uh with your responses. I am u thrilled
107that you are um creative in the recruitment evaluation process. I I will then inform you that we we do have um dually certified folks in the district. I think we have some untapped resources that with the right cultivation >> could be accessed to you. Uh I do have uh a comment a question and so um from sp practitioners I've heard this issue over over the years and um school-based sped practitioners often get a little demoralized because they're working with supervision that they feel like don't have the capacity or quite the the background certification to to really give them the the guidance they need. And so, um, I I'm going to put that on the table for your consideration. And two, uh, there are times when, uh, practitioners are engaged in the IEP process and they
108become so jaded to always getting a no to any recommendation. And again, um, just wanting you to evaluate how how you would would evaluate the effectiveness of the IV IEP process that we're doing in the district and also to to uh evaluate and build the capacity of the supervisory team that you'd be leading within the district. >> Well, I'm coming in brand new. I'm going to talk to people, see see uh what their thoughts are. um work with the supervisors as elbow partners. I like to do um both supervisory meetings, but I like to be out in schools and see the work and watch and watch them work in those place in those spaces. Um and I the doors always open for me for communication and and email talking. Um I also see principles as
109a gateway to this work. um a really great principal who understands um special ed services um and helps us leverage that along with their they don't they don't need to be experts in special ed but understands how important it is as a cornerstone of their school community uh will go a long way and how I can foster that along the way and get get that buy in and support uh because they're they're there every day um and that is the biggest impact um that we can have. So, it's it's those pieces and really getting in and listening and in those early days and learning and then I'm a data person. So, pretty quickly, I hope within the first 60 or 90 days, we have a target that I'm really shooting at for uh the first
110year and then how we build upon that. Um I started with uh earlier that I think that uh compliance is the minimum standard and I'm uh I'm very proud to report that uh at the end of my four years that we just went through cyclical monitoring which is our compliance piece and we only had two pieces of corrective action in part one in part B and one in part C for the entire district. And that's nearly unheard of but it wasn't because compliance was in the forefront. It was because kids and learning and achievement and a sense of belonging was in the forefront. And um a very wise person once told me the score will settle itself. Is that the right quote? Did I say that right? Um [laughter] >> The scoreboard takes care of
111itself. So you put forward what you value and then you um the rest of it will fall into place from a compliant because we did not approach it from we need to be compliant. We approached it from we need to take care of kids and families and and love our kids and wrap those services around them and the rest of it falls into place. >> Yeah. Thank you very much. >> Sure. >> Miss Fortune, >> just a final comment. I I truly am just so excited to have you. If you're looking to talk to parents with children with special needs, um I would love to introduce you to the parents I know who've come to us who I know personally and have struggled. Um happy to host a brunch like whatever it like please reach
112out because I I think our district really will benefit from your expertise and our students will greatly benefit from what you're bringing. So just >> have that happen. >> I also invite parents to our PD days for certain portions. Um, and sometimes they're the panel and share with us much the way you're describing and sometimes they're elbow partners with us when we're learning something new. So, I'm excited about all those opportunities as well. >> Miss Darl Ladger. [snorts] >> Thank you so much, Madam Chair. On a brighter note, um there are while there are a significant number of parents who who are struggling are struggling with their children with regards to special education services, there are some who are very happy with the services that their children are receiving. And I would be more than
113happy to introduce them to you so that you can see what's working and perhaps take what's working and kind of expand it um throughout the district. In my defense, when we're on Zoom, you know who had their hand up first. So, I had a moment like, we're not on Zoom. Who had their hands up first? I'm so sorry, Mr. Walker. >> Thank you, Madam Chair. I just want the permission to say woohoo. [laughter] >> Thanks. I'm excited to get started. So, the motion on the floor is that the Harford Board of Education approve the superintendent's recommendation to appoint Dr. Kendy Anderson to the position of executive director of special education. All those in favor signify by saying I. >> I. >> Any nays? Any abstensions? The eyes have it. The motion moves. Do you >>
114[applause] >> Now we're moving on. Um before we move on to item 5.3, did you have anything you wanted to revisit, Mr. Superintendent? >> Okay. I Oh, yeah. I'll introduce you then. So item 5.3 resolution adoption [snorts] of the 2026 itemized list of expenditures. the motion that the Harford Board of Education adopt the 2026 2027 itemized estimate of expenditures in the amount of $494,286,123 effective July 1, 2026 with the understanding that the state legislature meets in January 2027 and has the ability to make budget adjustments for the 2026 2027 fiscal year to support municipalities. Do I have a motion? >> So moved. >> Second. >> And at this time, we're going to um ask our CFO, Miss Caitlyn Richard, um to provide some back. Well, before we do that, we're going to have our superintendent
115speak to it, and you're going to go right after him. Doc, >> thank you so much, Chairwoman Broaddy. Since October, ladies and gentlemen, we have been messaging a structural deficit. Test Tess. Y good. Okay, thank you. It's okay. I'll start over. Since [clears throat] October, we have been messaging a structural deficit for Hartford public schools. This deficit has been ongoing for the past decade and will continue until the structure of how we fund it changes. We engaged in councilor's board discussions, staff meetings, community gatherings, city council sessions, and legislative hearings sharing the same message. Hartford Public School is now at the bone and we cannot cut the bone. As a result of this advocacy, Hartford Public Schools is getting a historic increase from the state legislature and from the city. While we are making reductions
116based on enrollment decline and the availability of grant fund, we are not proposing any other reductions to the services to students. This reverses the trend of cuts for the past decade and puts us in a position to do what we do best, increase student outcomes, and provide amazing experiences for our young people. While our budget gap will be covered for the next fiscal year, there is still work to do. Change the structure of how we are funded to ensure fiscal sustainability. This will take all of us working together with our state and city leaders to influence the next state legislative session starting in January and fix the structure once and for all. Collectively, we can ensure that Hartford Public Schools's brighter days are ahead of us. And with that, I will pass it to our
117chief financial officer, Caitlyn Richard. >> Good evening, members of the board and superintendent. Um, just going to build on what the superintendent said and give give a few more details about the budget. I actually want to respond to one of the public comments that was asking some questions. Um, because a lot of it was correct. So, the total budget is $494 million. Tuition is almost $130 million and transportation is about $40 million. Of that, transportation, 60% of it is for students who don't attend Hartford public schools. When you add that up, it's about $155 million is for students who do not attend our schools. That's 30% of our budget. So that public comment was exactly right. That is the problem that we've been talking about. As the superintendent said, we've been messaging this since October
118and we've been highlighting the structural challenges. We've also been highlighting the structural solutions. So, we've talked about what needs to change in terms of education cost sharing funding from the state, in terms of funding special education grants, in terms of setting rates for special education tuition, and in terms of aligning responsibility for uh special education for open choice districts with the cost of those services. So, we've been highlighting the structural issues, the structural solutions, and we've been doing our part on strong budget management. So, as the superintendent messaged, we are making cuts based on enrollment. So that does affect some teacher positions as you see outlined in the book. We also are making cuts when we have grant funds that are expiring. So we had a decrease of about 1,300 students from last year to
119this year. So that impacts enrollment which impacts some of our funding sources. But beyond those changes, we are not making any additional cuts to the budget. So as we engaged in this advocacy process, uh for those of you who are along for the ride, we did experience some push back. If you recall, the governor's budget at the beginning of this year had zero dollars more for education in it. We also had questions from the state department of education of if we even had a deficit. Um, but we pushed forward. We stayed true to the message that we had since the beginning of the year. Um, and we had a bunch of districts from across Connecticut join us by the end of the legislative session. And the result of that is historic funding increases for Hartford
120Public Schools. Um, both from the state and from the city. And even bigger than that is people are listening to the fact that this is a structural challenge. It is not a result of financial mismanagement. So we started this process with a $60 million deficit for next year. Based on the additional funding, and you'll see this reflected in the budget, there's about 15 million more from the state and 10 million more from the city. The city is reflected as 2 million more in revenue and 8 million less in expenses because they'll be covering part of our expenses. So, this leaves about a $35 million gap. Our state legislators have communicated to us that they meet in January of next year and have the ability to make changes to the state level budget to support municipalities.
121There is also new legislation that enables districts to end uh enter into fiscal oversight with the state um to secure this funding and the board will uh vote on that in a future meeting once that legislation goes into effect in the new fiscal year. We will continue to partner with our community, with the city, and the state to achieve fiscal sustainability for our school district. These funding increases are historic, but they do not change the structure of how we are funded. Currently, there's the governor's blue ribbon commission, which is studying education funding, including special education. There's the state departments of education study on chef versus O'Neal school choice program, which also is looking at the finances of it. And this is a huge opportunity for all of us to inform that because that's going to
122inform the next legislative session. So, we're going to continue to educate the public and our state and city leaders to get input from the community and to organize to influence the next legislative session. Um, collectively, we can ensure we build on the momentum we've had this year uh and build a sustainable future for our school district. Thank you. Yeah. So, any questions um or discussions? >> Okay, the motion on the floor. Um I didn't see Miss Daryl Stoedger. Thank you so much. Um the question can you hear me? Okay. Um the question I have is is there is the dental Oh, now that's better. The dental program is that in the budget book because I don't see it. >> Yeah, I can clarify. So the dental program is partially funded by Medicaid reimbursements. They had
123some access to carryover funding for the current fiscal year. So money that carried over from last fiscal year to this year that was for this year only. So there are some reductions to that program. What is happening is it's shifting to focusing just on proactive care. So there will be the dental hygienist serving students. Those are staying in the program. The dentists are not included. That's a restorative practice. And what will now be happening is the hygienist will refer students to dentists who accept Medicare to get those services. But the key there was that was a form of funding that was just one time. it carried over for one fiscal year and we don't have access to it anymore. Um, so that's what happened with the dental programs, but there still are dental programs. It's
124focusing on the proactive care with the dental hygienists. So followup. So if a child comes in or if the child is seen by a dental a hygienist in the school and they perhaps have a cavity, um, they just get a referral to somewhere else if they >> Yep. to a dentist that would accept meta Medicaid. Yep. >> Okay. Okay. And what if they don't have Medicare? Medicaid or >> their form of insurance. Yeah. >> Okay. All right. >> So, it just be an outside referral. >> Okay. Thank you. So the motion on the floor is that the Harford Board of Education adopt the 2026 2027 itemized estimate of expenditures in the amount of $494,286,123 effective July 1, 2026 with the understanding that the state legislature meets in January 2027 and has the ability to make
125budget adjustments for the 2026 2027 fiscal year to support municipalities. All those in favor signify by saying I. >> I. >> Any nays? Any abstensions? The eyes have it and the motion moves. 5.4 Four, contract approval for Public Consulting Group. The motion that the Harford Board of Education authorized the superintendent to execute a contract with Public Consulting Group for the term outlined in the contract ending June 30th, 2027 at an amount not to exceed 169,800. Do I have a motion? >> So move second. Miss Davis Scooj going to provide us some information. >> Good evening board members and superintendent Talo. First let me thank everyone who joined us at the June 8 finance meeting uh to take a deep dive into this contract. I will start with some background. A comprehensive evaluation of the HBS
126portfolio schools is necessitated by declining enrollment and fiscal challenges, but it is guided above all by HPS's commitment to student experience and academic outcomes. Is that right, Superintendent Tel? Yes. By evaluating current enrollment trends, facility utilization, and resource allocation across all sites, HPS can make informed decisions that expand access to high quality academic and extracurricular programming, creating an environment where every student can thrive. Tonight, here with me today is Lynworth Williamson from Public Consulting Group. um they are the partner who through a rigorous RFP part process uh we uh selected as the vendor to support us through this most important initiative. They were chosen because they had a vision for us that built a unified K12 continuum across zoned and magnet schools. It was lock step in all the things that um superintendent council and
127the district at large has said is needed. their alignment on key operational factors including facilities utilization and capacity, cost benefit tradeoffs, student outcomes and opportunity gaps and enrollment trends and feeder alignment were major contributors to the decision to support them as the organization to support us through this initiative. Um, I have here with me tonight, um, Lynworth Williamson from public consulting group who can address any of your questions. And I just want to set um, a little background. Um, we've been trying to do this like for real for real for like a year now. So this is so many months that um, we're to this point. um so so so needed and a lot of us already got the opportunity to ask some some deep questions. Um so we might be looking serious but we
128are excited about this piece of work right here like this other other great things happened in this meeting but this right here is so important to set us on a track of where we need to go. So, we um probably have some questions or maybe not. Mr. Tatum, >> thank you very much, Madam Chair, and thank you for joining us. Um I was able to watch the meeting from June. I wasn't able to attend, but was um glad to hear the information that you provided. Um I wonder if now um for our benefit as as um Miss Brody said I think we are really excited to get um some of this information that you can provide um because there's a lot of talk about you know what to do about the declining enrollment and what
129to do about all these buildings and and all these schools and I for one in my seat have felt like we're really missing some real information >> uh to make a decision about our district's structure that really keeps our student experience as the most important thing. Um, could you give us examples? They don't have to be very specific, but just what can we expect? we as a board and and as a community, what can we expect to see coming out of this process in terms of um what kinds of information you'll be able to provide? >> That's great. Uh good evening everybody. Len Williamson here. Um I'll reciprocate the excitement that our team has to partner with you and roll up our sleeves um to do this work with you and to provide the information
130that'll be helpful to make some strategic decisions moving forward. um some of the information that we'll be collecting, I mean, we'll first connect with the district team to align on the plan uh for what's going to happen. Um there's a lot of stakeholder engagement. So, hearing the voices of the members of the HPS community is really key. Um that includes students, teachers, school leaders, um district leader. Um we really want to make sure that the perspectives and priorities of the community are are front and center. And so collecting all of that data and information, doing analysis on it. Um we'll do plenty of review of current district uh data and documents um that's already in existence so that we can triangulate um and make sure that we're uh clear on what the current state is
131um to the you know objective of providing uh students ultimately with the access to whatever opportunities they want to pursue um academically, athletically, artistically um so that they all can thrive. Um that's really the uh approach that we take is uh keeping the students at the center and um you know work working with you to identify the best ways to do that. >> Mrs. Strata Perez, um not necessarily a question. Well, actually yes, a question. And you shared this already, but for the benefit of folks who haven't heard this or maybe didn't see that meeting, um can you explain a little bit about uh I'm going to make it comment and then the question will be about can you explain a comment what will be deliverable like what is the deliverable that we expect to
132see at the end of this journey and this conversation so folks can be prepared to sort of know what's coming and I think the context that I want to add to this is that when we are talking about making significant changes to a district like Hartford that has so many competing things happening at the same time. The only responsible way to do that is to do that through data that is uh that is good data that it has been reviewed that has been analyzed and assessed and that takes into consideration not just the minutiae of the district but also the context that the district operates within which is larger than just public school but it speaks to Connecticut as a whole. Um, so I'm excited to be able to do this because in order to
133make good informed decisions about what next steps need to happen, we have to have reliable data and we have to do it in a way that's thoughtful and processed and methodical, right? Um, and that is always has been the hope of this board to be able to make the decisions that are center around our students and their experience, right? Um, and also recognizing the parameters that affect our schools beyond what we actually have able to control. So, I I'm so excited to be able to get a better understanding of what we have, what the district, what we uh what we're working with, what decisions we can make together. But can you in that context let us know in terms of the deliverables what the community of Harford Public Schools will see in terms of the
134work that we end with you >> that we do with you? >> Absolutely. That that data piece is really important to us. that's really central to the work that we're doing is making sure that it's, you know, reliable um and and that we're digging in and and you know, pulling as much as we can as far as insights from the data. Um for deliverables, we do have a um stakeholder engagement plan and then analysis that we would report back on as a deliverable. There's also an interim report that we put together um that includes all the stakeholder engagement summary and uh insights drawn from there. We also have a final report that's sort of the culminating deliverable. Um there also will be a a tool that we'll share with district leadership as far as um
135outlining multiple options as far as the portfolio um and different directions that could be taken. Um and some recommendations around that. Um all based in the data that we've uh been able to collect and analyze um and then again summarizing everything in the final report. >> Thank you. Okay. So, the motion on the floor is that the Harford Board of Education authorized the superintendent to execute a contract with Public Consulting Group for the term outlined in the contract ending June 30th, 2027 at an amount not to exceed $169,800. All those in favor signify by saying I. >> I. >> Any nays? Any abstensions? The eyes have it. Congratulations. >> Thank you all. >> Item 5.5, contract continuation approval, International Alliance Group. motion that the Harford Board of Education authorize the superintendent to execute a contract
136with International Alliance Group for the term outlined in the contract ending June 30th, 2027 at an amount not to exceed $80,000. Do I have a motion? >> So moved. >> Second. >> Attorney Ed Wilson. Um, if there is any questions for him on this contract. I don't see any hands raised. So, the motion, Miss Darstelle Ledger, thank you so much. Um, thank you for being here. Um, can you just please Oh, can you just please tell us exactly like what are some obstacles that you have been facing with regards to the applications >> applications for the J1 visa? >> Yes, >> we haven't experienced any difficulties with those applications. I a is the sponsor uh for the J1 visa. And so this would be a contract for us to use them as the vendor that's
137approved by the state department to provide the J1 visas. And they're here teaching under a visiting international teacher permit provided by the state of Connecticut's Department of Education. >> Okay, let me let me rephrase my apologies. Have you encountered any um with all that's happening with regards to ICE for example um difficulties like that? Have you you haven't been exper? >> No, not that I'm aware of. No. No. And the teachers have not shared any of that with with us. Um and so not that I'm aware of. >> And how long are their um their visas? So their initial visa is good for three years and then with the option to renew it for an additional two years. So the first co cohort of teachers would be coming up on their fifth year. The second
138cohort would be coming up on their fourth year >> and once the cohort is that once their time is done what happens >> because they're under the visiting international teacher permit the idea is that this is a cultural exchange program. So they're they come here and then they take what they've learned here and bring it back to their home country. Some of our teachers have engaged with an im immigration attorney to start the process to um move off of the J1 visa to the H1B visa. Uh we actually have one of our nine teachers who are currently here under the J1 visa who uh will no longer require the J1 visa next year because he's pursued other opportun other options, but he'll be remaining to teach here in the district. >> Awesome. Thank you so
139much. >> You're welcome. misfortune. >> This is not a question more a comment. I have met some of our um international teachers and interacted with them at community events that they were not at all required to attend because of their you know due to their jobs but they are still there um going above and beyond the call of duty. So it's been a pleasure to interact with um quite a few of them. >> Yeah, we've had great uh reception from our principles and staff and the students. They're excited to hear that we are proposing that they are able to stay for another year. Um, one one principal said, "You have 400 students who are very happy to have their teacher back next year." So, um, just want to share that it's been a positive experience
140and they are very involved. They've been made themselves part of the community. Um, become homeowners, um, gotten married, brought their families, their spouses over as well. So, it's been a really good experience. >> Okay. And because there are no more questions, uh we are I will repeat the motion on the floor is that the Harford Board of Education authorized the superintendent to execute a contract with International Alliance Group for the term outlined in the contract ending June 30th, 2027 at at an amount not to exceed $80,000. All those in favor signify by saying I. I. >> I. >> Any nays. Any abstensions? The eyes have it. >> Thank you. >> In item 5.6, contract approval, Eddie Incorporated. The motion is that the Hartford Board of Education authorized the superintendent to execute a contract with Eddie
141Incorporated for the term outlined in the contract ending June 30th, 2027 at an amount not to exceed $132,000. Do I have a motion? >> So moved. >> Second. And I think if we have any questions or comment, our CFO Richard um will speak to your questions. Are there any questions? Misfortune. I recall a few months back we had some type of um financial error in some of the special education expenses if you recall and I think um Jen Hoffman at the time came to the board and we had to rectify some numbers. Um, I didn't dig deep, but it seemed to me that there was some oversight and some manual errors. Will this help address those types of things so that that does not happen again in the future? Yes. I don't act we can
142I'm not quite sure what you're referencing, but in general, yes. So, one of the things we're using it for is grant management and tracking all of our grant funds and everything we need to do to be compliant. Um, so that is a whole area of this is the grant management piece and then the other piece uh just is the automation of some of our processes that are manual right now. But yes, it is helping us to check things like that in some of our grants. >> Thank you. >> The motion is that Do you have a question, Mr. Wilson? >> [laughter] >> The motion on the floor is that the Harford Board of Education authorized the superintendent to execute a contract with Eddie Incorporated for the term outlined in the contract ending June 30 of
1432027 at an amount not to exceed $132,000. All those in favor signify by saying I. I. I. Any nays? Abstensions? The eyes have it. The motion moves. And I would like to thank you all for joining us this evening. The meeting is now ajourned.