001Hey, good good evening everybody. We're going to call um this meeting of the Greenwich Board of Education to order. Uh please rise for the pledge of >> allegiance. So, good evening. It's uh good to see uh good to see you all you all here in person and and watching online. Um this is our final uh business meeting of the year. Um it's June. Um we've got um a lot of a lot of exciting things on the agenda. Um it's kind of a packed agenda. the um we're going to be talking about cell phones at the high school. We're going to be talking about the proposed uh pool/tennis project at the high school. The superintendent's contract is on the agenda. The um and architect for Riverside all all all on the agenda tonight. So, there's a
002so there's a lot going on. Um but first um we want can I get a motion to approve the consent agenda? >> I'll make a motion. >> So moved. We're going to say Bob call. I give you six. Thank you. All right. All in favor. All right. That passes uh unanimously. Um now, uh Dr. Jones, superintendent report. I'm actually just going to mention two quick things tonight. U first of all, graduation is next Thursday. I know that's on everybody's list. We're very, very excited. And just a reminder for the board, we hope that you all get to come. It's definitely uh the way to end the year. Um, and then I'll just mention that on Wednesday, um, I was able to be in Hartford with our new Lebanon administrators. Uh, Mr. Deikica was there as
003well. Uh, the governor spoke, but just to celebrate their, um, blue ribbon and just so very, very proud of the entire staff um, at New Lebanon and the wonderful work that they're doing. And again, just as a reminder, it's the first time ever for Greenwich that we have had a title one school recognized as a blue ribbon school. So just wonderful work going on there. >> Oh. Oh, sorry. What's up? >> The um I forgot we have um because I didn't I forgot my glasses is why. Um sorry I didn't see it. We do have and I want to make sure make clear um we have a uh I'm very excited uh um to a uh bring up here an an eighth grade student who's going to present his his capstone uh her cap excuse
004me her capstone um um this evening um Mrs. Miss Ms. Schwarzstein um is is she here? There she is. Hi. >> Hi. >> I'm Morgan Schwarzstein. I'm an eighth grader at CMS. Um, thank you for the opportunity to share some of my capstone research with you in the community tonight. This year, I've done a deep dive into giftedness and gifted education, and I appreciate the opportunity to re raise awareness in our community about these important topics. Next slide, please. To start off, what is giftedness? There are many overlapping definitions, but one I like that sums up my research is from the Columbus group. Giftedness is asynchronous development in which advanced cognitive abilities and heightened intensity combined to create inner experiences and awareness that are qualitatively different from the norm. This asynchrony increase increases with higher
005intellectual capacity. The uniqueness of the gifted renders them particularly ver vulnerable and requires modifications in parenting, teaching and counseling in order for them to develop optimally. Next slide, please. Contrary to popular belief, giftedness is not about IQ or brain size. It is about neurological differences in the way gifted brains are wired. Next slide, please. One of these differences is a larger regional volume in areas such as the lyic system, which is the emotional center. The larger lyic system can overwhelm the prefrontal cortex, the reasoning part of the brain, which is still developing until somewhere between ages 25 and 29. This means that many gifted children have high emotional intensity and can struggle to calm down. Gifted students also have white matter tracks that link parts of the brain more efficiently. On one hand, gifted children
006may be able to complete intellectual tasks such as a math problem more quickly. But on the other, it means that their emotional reactions come more quickly before they have time to reason with the situation. In addition to this, gifted students have a highly reactive amygdala, which is the fight-or-flight mechanism. This also results in heightened emotional and sensory intensity. Next slide, please. Highly gifted children have been found to start with a smaller cortical thickness that thickens later in their childhood and then thins through a process called pruning more quickly than their peers. Cortical thickness is often related to brain plasticity. And the later peak in cortical thickness for gifted students means they often remain in a spong sponge-like learning state for longer than their peers and are therefore able to absorb more information in fewer repetitions.
007Next slide, please. Gifted people represent about the same percentage of the population as intellectually disabled people do. Intellectually disabled students benefit from the federal mandates for identification and service. They also benefit from federal and state funding. However, there is no federal federal mandate or federal funding for identification or services for gifted students. Connecticut is one of only nine states that only require schools to identify gifted students and only require schools to identify gifted students. They are not required to serve these students. Next slide, please. Gifted students have actually been found to share common traits with students with both autism and ADHD. Sometimes gifted students are diagnosed with other conditions such as ADHD when the real issue is that these challenges are these students are acting out or getting distracted because they're not being sufficiently challenged.
008Next slide, please. Asynchronous development is one of the key neurological differences. This is when different areas of the gifted brain develop at different rates. For example, you might have a 10-year-old child with the academic skills of a 12, 13, or 14year-old, but with the social emotional skills of a six, seven, or 8-year-old. This is why having specialists that understand the challenges gifted students face and how to help them improve their emotional maturity is so important. Next slide, please. Many people know the talents and strengths gifted students have, but some people don't know that because of their neurological differences, gifted students face challenges that many of their peers don't and can't relate to. Next slide, please. Some of gifted students strengths are an early passion for communication, being introspective and insightful, showing persist persistence in mastering
009tasks, a high capacity for concentration, and being very creative and imaginative imaginative. But they also have challenges and struggles which include high emotional intensity, separation anxiety, asynchronous development, avoidance of written written communication, sometimes preser preferring perceived faster and more efficient verbal communication, perfectionism, and trouble socializing and connecting with others their age. Next slide, please. There is a wide range of data, but as many as 18% of high school dropouts are gifted. When you compare this to the fact that 2% of the population is gifted, this shows that a disproportionate percentage of uh high school dropouts are gifted. This indicates that there's a flaw in the way American school America schools are teaching gifted students and fostering a love of learning from a young age. Next slide, please. Most curriculum is created for the average or
010median student. This means that gifted students often get bored or become disengaged because the worksheet or educational game has 10 to 20 repetitions of a skill that they m mastered in fewer than five repetitions. This also teaches gifted students that school and learning is about completing the task as quickly as possible. This encourages them to rush through assignments or just memorize the algorithm or formula without understanding why it works or why they're using it. Gifted students don't require more work, they require different work. Specifically, we need to provide gifted students with enriched curricular material that require grappling with higher level thinking. Next slide, please. Um, when gifted students receive no differentiation or simply acceleration, they often experience boredom, behavioral issues, disengagement, underachievement, loss of resilience, and higher dropout rates among gifted students. As I mentioned
011earlier, long term, these impacts are even greater because the gifted students don't learn new and abstract topics, how to struggle with new concepts, how to fail safely with the support of teachers and peers, executive functioning, study skills, and the emotional resilience to handle challenges. This means that when they face a real challenge in high school or college, they don't know what to do and sometimes give up. Next slide, please. Ability grouped classrooms can increase the amount of material gifted and high achieving students can learn by up to two months and has no negative effect on onle or below grade level students. Next slide, please. I am proposing additional professional development to help teachers understand these neurological differences to better serve each student. Next slide, please. It is our responsibility to give teachers the tools via
012resources and training to help them differentiate the curriculum to meet the needs of each student. Next slide, please. My first suggestion would be that GPS provide gifted professional development for all teachers, including non-academic teachers, such as electives or specials, because issues often appear when a gifted student can't be patient in art in the art room or work out a conflict in gym class. This would enable more teachers to coach gifted students to improve their social emotional skills. My second suggestion is focused on developing differentiated materials for both typical and advanced classrooms. This would give teachers the tools to create enriched materials corresponding to each lesson. There are several reasons this is important. The first is because this makes gifted students feel more included because they're still learning what their peers are learning. Another reason is
013because rather than simply being accelerated, gifted students really need to go deeper into a topic which the teacher can do by asking deeper questions such as is this always true or what are some exceptions to this? Next slide please. I would like to leave you with a quote from my capstone paper. Some argue that gifted education is unfair because it it's not equal for every student, but this misses the point. Equity means giving all students what they need to thrive, not giving everyone the same thing. Next slide, please. Thank you for your consideration. If anyone has any questions, I can answer them now or you can email me at the email on the board. Thank you. Morgan, Morgan, Morgan, thank you for that. We really, we really appreciate it. You know, a number of us
014in the board have gotten to um interact with with with various eighth graders on their capstone project. But we really appreciate you sharing um this with us. you know, I just speaking for myself, you know, I've been in education for 28 years and I learned some things from from this. Um um this was this was fantastically and well done and and really gave us all something to think about. And so, thank you. >> All righty. Um so now now we will go on to our um our um public hearing. So we want to welcome um our GE our um student student government reps, right? >> Reports or >> like all over the place tonight. >> I you know I didn't find my glasses and so I keep guessing here. Sorry gentlemen. I'm so anxious to
015bring you up but first we have reports. >> Are you just flipping a coin or >> Yeah. >> spinning a wheel? If anybody has any reading glasses out there they'd like to let me borrow and really help me out here. Uh so reports from committees board reports. >> Yes. >> I mean it's makes sense that I'm going first because I'm talking about the high school's uh executive committee. They had their held their final meeting for this year. Um and all the members sort of went over the pros and cons and things that they'd like to work you know the highs and the lows of the year. Um and then we had a rousing discussion about cell phones which I assume the gentlemen that are coming up before and I see some other faces from Exactcom
016here have signed up to speak and we'll share that with you. So I will not give you an overview but it was a very deep uh and interesting conversation that we had I would say and you know it's important that we turn to these kids more often. So >> reports >> uh just for Central Middle School, the reason I didn't want to give this report uh at the end of May is because they were having a water pressure test to see if it would meet the level necessary and unfortunately it did not. So therefore, a temporary fry pump is being installed until the permanent one is installed. Uh things are progressing well with the temporary fire pump which should lead to a temporary certificate certificate of occupancy by mid August and the school should open
017on time. you know, is um not only we it's worth noting um not only is this our last business meeting of the year, it is our last board meeting in this current CMS auditory. But oh, it's exciting stuff. Anybody else? Okay. Okay, gentlemen. Now, uh student government, uh good to see you. Uh, good to see you. Uh, good evening, distinguished members of the board of education and Dr. Jones. I hope all has been well since the last board of ed meeting. My name is Colin Reynolds and I am the outgoing student body vice president. Standing here tonight as my for my final meeting as vice president, I can't help but reflect on what this experience has been like. To be honest, coming into this role, I didn't entirely know what to expect. Standing here at
018all these monthly meetings was definitely a little daunting at first, but this is but this experience has been absolutely incredible. It's been an honor to work with all of you and with Gabe as leans for GHS. My only regret in student government is not having done more and not having done it sooner. Many other seniors can't help but reflect on their own experiences in high school navigating a mixture of emotions. On one hand, we're quite optimistic about college and what the future holds. But on the other hand, it is definitely emotional to reflect on the great memories, friendships, and exceptional teachers we are leaving behind. Our class was incredibly successful this year thanks to our class officers, uh, Nick, who is here, as well as Joelle, Angela, and Alexandra. Our adviserss, Miss Ball and Miss
019Meyers, and all the volunteers who helped out. They organized massive fundraisers like the Harlem Wizards game, raising thousands of dollars, which is almost unprecedented, or tens of thousands of dollars, which is almost unprecedented. They were also dedicated to keeping up school spirit and working with the administration to ensure a positive environment and successful events like senior spoons. Finally, I want to say thank you to everyone who made this year so successful. Thank you to Mr. Mayo, Miss Touada, and Dr. Jones for your consistent collaboration and efforts. Thank you to our adviser, Mr. Silkman, uh, for your consistent dedication and for being the driving force behind our success. Thank you to Miss Foster for working with us on our events so to ensure they run smoothly. And thank you to the members of the board of
020education for your devotion to the interest of students. Navigating through the budget this year was no easy task, especially as a new board, and you have my utmost respect for the incredible job you have done to support our schools. I wish Ben and Maddie Jones, the new student body president and vice president, the best of luck next year. They're both class officers for the class of 27, and I am certain they have all the qualifications necessary for this role, and they will do an exceptional job. And now I'd like to pass it to Gabe. >> Very well said. [clears throat] But with that, uh, good evening members of the BOE, Dr. Jones students and community members. I'm Gabriel Lesi, the student body president at Granch High School, and I'm happy to both see and speak
021before you this evening. It's hard to believe that this is the last time Colin and I will stand before you. For the better part of a year, we've come to these meetings to share what student government has been up to, to bring you the student perspective on the projects you're weighing, and to advocate for the students of GHS. What were late nights for us became real changes in the day-to-day lives of GHS students. and to be taken seriously as two high schoolers is something I won't forget. So before anything else, I would like to thank you. Thank you for working alongside GHS student government in creating an extraordinary learning environment. I'm incredibly grateful for what I've been able to experience in high school. And I owe these efforts to those around me, to those like
022Mr. Silkman, uh who has empowered myself and many others to be better than what we thought we could be. To Mr. Mayo and Miss Tulada who have been incredibly receptive and helpful in facilitating the changes that we wanted to see at GHS and to the many of teachers uh who often dedicate more time than is required from them so that my peers can have the vast learning opportunities that we enjoy. These privileges are the pillars on which exceptional performance is held and I I felt the weight of that on Monday watching award after award go to our senior class. It hit me just how much we've been given here. So before I pass the torch, I would like to give you one last bit of input regarding the proposal to ban phones from the first
023bell to the last. When I look back on GHS, I can't name a single Tik Tok I watched my freshman year. What I do remember and what I think we all remember from our time in high school are the moments that we spent together. So tonight you'll hear the academic case. Better focus, fewer distractions, higher scores. And that case is true. Um, and also if you do push this band forth all the way, I do also recommend that you go all the way, which means homework submissions should come off the screens as well. Um, you can't really take away the device and still has to turn in our work through it. But none of that is what moves me. If you walk into our cafeteria and look at the tables, I can almost guarantee you'll
024find a full table of students sitting together, but also completely alone on their phones. Um, we are the most connected generation in history and somehow the loneliest. A phone in school just isn't worth that to me. And yes, I know plenty of my classmates will never forgive me for saying it, but I do support the Belltobell phone ban. Force us to talk to the person across the table because that to me is worth far more than anything else. So at a time in our national story when so much of our civic life feels lost, our institutions, our shed sense of purpose, even the way we treat one another across political aisles, every so often I catch a glint of what we should be. And I saw it this election cycle and the energy that these
025candidates uh brought to our GHS student government race this spring. And those glints are standing right here. So with that, I would like to introduce our student body president-elect, Mr. Ben Vargis, a dedicated four-year member of student government who ran what I would like to say is one of my favorite campaigns in GHS history. He delivered his stump speech nine times in one day. And no, the fire drill did not stop him. And our student body vice president-elect, Mrs. Maddie Jones, who recorded uh or sorry, whose record leading her class, fundraisers, sports drives, advocacy for the girls of GHS, honestly makes me think she might be overqualified for the job. Colin and I are proud of what we built this year, but the torch is now theirs. So, with that, I look forward to the
026continued success of our school system and wish the best of luck to our new leaders. And I would like to thank you for your time and for your service to Greenwich. It's been a pleasure. >> So, hold on. Don't go don't go anywhere yet. >> So, before you two go and before our new, you know, incoming XCOM members are up, I do have a little something for both of you. And so I just wanted to say just to start with good evening to you guys both and all members of XCOM and their and Dr. Daniel Silman. Um since our student body president is a fan of using quotes much like I am. I have two that I'm going to share with you tonight. People of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them.
027They went out and happened to things. That was said by Leonardo da Vinci. Um, so on behalf of the board of education, I would really like to extend our sincere sincere gratitude to the entire GHS student government executive committee members for their outstanding service this year and more specifically to Gabriel Elazai, our student body president, and Colin Reynolds, our student body vice president. Thank you both for dedicating your time, energy, and talents to supporting your fellow students, serving as their voice before the board of education and throughout the community, and for helping to stren strengthen the student body's sense of connection and belonging to Greenwich High School. Your leadership has helped create an amazing connection amongst the members of XCOM, both with one another and with administration, as many of you noted at the end
028of your at the end of your year meeting, which in turn has sort of fostered a stronger and more vibrant school community. As author and educator John C. Maxwell said, "A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way." This year, each of you has exemplified that kind of leadership through your commitment and to service and your willingness to make a difference for others. So, congratulations on your upcoming graduation. We are all proud of you um and all that you have accomplished and are grateful for the legacy that you will leave behind. And while I am sure this is not the last time we will see you both, we do wish you continued success, happiness, and fulfillment in your future endeavors. So, thank you and best of luck. And I'm
029just going to bring a little something to you that hopefully will help remind you of your days uh on XCOM and give you something to strive for for future boards. That's right. You You each got a gavvel [laughter] names for positions so they have a good memory. But should you choose to use them again or whatever points at home? there for you guys to use. But I just wanted to say thank you for everybody. >> So, uh, Ben, Maddie, uh, welcome. the um we we look forward to we look forward to working with you both next year. Um before your first speech you just to just so you know you have you do have big shoes to fill because um well literally but also um Gabe Gabe and Colin both were not afraid to um
030share their real opinions and we hope you are very much do the same um and tell us whenever you think we're wrong. um they were not afraid to do that and we hope you do the same and we really appreciated their counsel over the course of the year and we wish you both good luck. >> Thank you. Those speeches are going to be a little hard to follow up. Uh good evening Dr. Jones and members of the board of education. I'm Ben Vargis and I'm honored to be the GHS student body president next year. My colleague Maddie and I have a lot of great ideas to support and improve our school and I'm excited to work with her and the other members of our XCOM to make Greenwich High School an even more welcoming and
031fun environment as Gabe and Colin have done this year. Thank you. >> Um yeah, as Ben said, I'm Maddie. I'm the incoming student body vice president. I've been involved in student government all of high school. I was vice president freshman year and president my sophomore and junior year. Um I try to be a very energetic exe executive and I'm very happy to be involved in the policy changes at a higher level for the high school and overall the town of Greenwich. So I can't wait to spend the year with you guys. Thank you. >> And having worked worked with both of them, I can tell you neither are afraid to uh to speak their minds. So we look forward to that. All right, the entire uh Greenwich community should be happy to know that I
032increased the zoom on my agenda here, but we should be okay. I want to welcome Margaret Jackkins with GA comments. Good evening all. My name is Margaret Jackens and I am the president of the Greenwich Education Association. About a month ago, GA shared with the board of education the results of a survey we conducted regarding teacher morale in Greenwich public schools. Yesterday, that information was made public. More than 600 educators participated in this survey, making it one of the most comprehensive snapshots of educator experience in our district. The results show that 90.8% 8% of respondents reported a decline in morale during their time in Greenwich public schools with district level leadership identified as the primary contributing factor. Educators also reported significant concerns regarding trust, professional respect, workload, and their ability to have meaningful input into
033decisions that affect teaching and learning. These findings cannot simply be acknowledged and set aside. The board cannot responsibly evaluate leadership effectiveness without first examining the experiences of the employees who carry out the district's mission every day. Our teachers live in fear of retaliation if they express an opposing opinion. They fear for their safety having been assaulted by students in the classroom, taunted on their private telephone numbers, or had racist comments made in the classroom. Imagine what it's like to have your attendance challenged when you lost both parents in one school year. Where is the compassion? Where is the empathy? Leadership is not measured solely by test scores and budgets. It's also measured by the ability to build trust, foster collaboration, and retain the talented professionals upon whom student success depends. And speaking of retention, approximately
034300 of our respondents, that's nearly 50%, said they would not recommend Greenwich Public Schools as a great place to work. I find that horrifying, and I hope you do, too. Later tonight, I believe you're going to hear in public comments a statement regarding another survey. This one specifically directed to and by our SCESS staff. I encourage you to listen carefully. When we engaged in contract negotiations with the board of education last summer, both parties expressed a commitment to meeting and working together to help resolve concerns around teacher morale. We're still waiting for this to happen. To date, the full board of education has not met with the full executive board of GA to discuss any issues. We appreciate those of you who have willingly engaged in personal conversation with our members. But we also know
035that there are those of you who are ambivalent about having contact with us. And we know that are some of you who would be happy to never hear from us at all. Well, I have news for you. GA is not going away. We will keep making our voices heard until everyone listens. Thank you, Margaret. Um, now from PTA, we want to welcome President Lisa Sylvester. Good evening everyone. On the agenda, sorry, I'm Lisa Sylvester, Greenwich PTA Council President. On the agenda tonight is a cell phone ban at the high school. The GHS PTA presidents are unable to be here tonight, but wanted me to share their thoughts. This comes from both Monica Wong and John Fischer. The GHS PTA co-presidents want the BOE to be aware that there is no consensus in the community and
036there is not broad support for a bell-to-bell ban on cell phones at GHS. We want to highlight that there was a cell phone policy study committee that met several times in the 2024 2025 school year just last school year to consider this very question. That committee was made up of administrators, teachers, parents, and students. That committee made some recommendations that have been implemented and concluded that the current approach to cell phone use at GHS, which is to have phones off and away in the classrooms, was working. We believe the current cell phone policy is still working today. A more considered and nuanced approach to cell phone policy and digital devices more broadly may be appropriate, but a b-to-bell ban on cell phones at GHS without first re-engaging with a broad group of administrator, educator, parent,
037and student stakeholders is not appropriate at this time. I would like to add to those comments that even on the PTAC board, there is no consensus on a bell-to-bell cell phone ban at Greenwich High School. Moving on to the Greenwich Education Association who as you know recently conducted their survey and the results show among other things that morale has declined. That is very disappointing to hear uh for those of us on the PTA council board. We have a dedicated, talented, committed educators here in Greenwich and they should not be unhappy with their job. We strongly encourage you to we strongly encourage you to talk to the GA leadership. Listen to them. truly truly listen to them. Don't just hear what they're saying or read what they're saying in the paper before you make decisions that
038affect them. Have those conversations with them, even if they're difficult. Let's all work to find ways to boost their morale and make sure that they all feel seen and valued. Last, but not least, this is a week early, but we do send a huge congratulations to the Greenwich High School class of 2026. Thank you. Enjoy your summer and let's go Knicks. Oh, and congratulations on your recent uh good news that Lisa's daughter got married. >> Okay. So, we are now on to public comment. I believe we have 20 uh speakers um tonight. Uh for public comment, we'll call um your names. Each speaker will have three minutes or so. If you um hear because there's so many speakers um we do ask that if um your points have substantially been made ahead of time. Uh
039we certainly would appreciate if you could condense your your point um so that we can get as many speakers in timely as possible. Okay, great. So we've got an hour now and if we need more than an hour it will be at the very end of the session. So we have 20 people at 3 minutes each. If everybody sticks to their time limit, nobody's here till 11 o'clock at night to uh make their comments. We'll start with Diane Fox, uh Ham School Principal, followed by Terry Lowe, GHS teacher and coach. >> Good evening, Superintendent Jones, Chairman Mcante Anthony, and members of the board of education. I'm proud to stand before you tonight as the principal of Hamilton Avenue School. I'm here to publicly celebrate a milestone that has filled our entire school school building with
040immense pride. Hamilton Avenue's own Miss Amelia Ferrano has been named the Greenwich Public Schools Pared Educator of the Year and she will be representing our district as our nominee for the 2027 Ann Marie Murphy Pared Educator of the Year Award. For two decades, Amelia has defined what it means to be an educator in Greenwich. in the classroom. She's an invaluable partner to our teachers, helping to assess learners needs, track student progress, and implement vital behavioral strategies alongside our district specialists. But what truly sets Amelia apart is her heart. Her intuitive, kind nature allows her to connect with students on an individual level, providing them with the exact scaffolding they need to grow into independent learners. To truly appreciate Amelia's dedication to Greenwich Public Schools, one must understand the depth of her resilience. Several years ago,
041after experiencing an unimaginable personal tragedy, she took a leave of absence for the remainder of the school year. When she courageously chose to return the following September, she pulled into the parking lot only to find that the sole open parking space was the exact one she had driven out of on that devastating day. To many, that coincidence would have been too heavy a burden to bear. But to Amelia, it was a profound symbol of her journey back to a place she truly considers home. We are thankful that Emil that Hamilton Avenue could offer her soloulless and support. It is Amelia who has transformed her experience into a profound gift for our community. This journey has shaped her into an educator of rare authentic empathy who champions the potential in everyone. She's the first one to
042celebrate our students achievements, the first to honor the deep dedication of our families, and she uplifts our entire school community with a level of grace that cannot be taught. From maintaining our shared space to stepping up for colleagues in need, Amelia ensures our school runs smoothly every single day. She does not just meet the standards of a phenomenal paraprofessional. She embodies the very spirit of resilience, dedication, and grace that Ann Marie Murphy award represents. Thank you board members for allowing me to publicly recognize and thank Miss Amelia Ferrano for 20 years of stellar service to Hamilton Avenue and Greenwich Public Schools. We could not ask for a better ambassador to represent our district. While Miss Ferrano could not be here with us tonight because of a prior engagement, I know she'll be listening to this
043later and beaming with pride. Thank you all for your time. >> Thank Thank you, Principal Fox. We don't we don't usually um interrupt public comment, but um we got the notice of Miss Ferrano's uh um award yesterday, and we couldn't be more happy for her. Um, it sounds like a tremendously well-deserving um, honor and we appreciate you taking the time to >> Thank you. We're incredibly proud. Thanks so much. >> Okay, next up we have Terry Lowe, GHS teacher and coach, followed by Riona McCery, GHS student. >> Dr. Jones, members of the board, I'm here to talk about the impending pool destruction and construction. After months of considering options for the apparent necessity of for the construction of a new pool for Greenwich High School, it has become clear that the only fiscally responsible and
044log logistically sensible option is option A, the demolition of the current facility and reconstruction at its current site. But as I have said at previous town government meetings, the continuity of the incredibly successful GHS aquatics program is of tanamount importance to their continued success. The loss of that continuity is the one major concession in the list of priorities of the pool committee that investigated the conceivable options. Thus, it is essential that we do everything possible to maintain the high level of these programs during the interim period. First off, the demolition and construction schedule should be as expeditious as possible and that includes keeping the current pool in operation until the wrecking ball is ready to strike. And then minimizing the length of the break in our program's continuity is essential. Secondly, during the break, the
045school system needs to do everything possible to create a manageable practice schedule for the athletes as well as for making it possible for the schedules of any potential coaches. There have apparently been some conversations in indicating the cooperation of other town organizations in assisting in the creation of a reasonable faximile of the current program. We know that those good intentions will be very difficult to implement when trying to create a championship level training program at these already heavily scheduled facilities. In order to maintain a full schedule that is also healthy for highly motivated academic athletes, we most almost certainly will have to reach out to other facilities such as Chelsea Pierce, Connecticut to secure suitable practice times. I've been assured that the board of education will do everything possible to help maintain the standards of
046the program during the construction process. There's no doubt that option A is the best option. In the long run, it will provide the facility that will meet all of the current safety and competitive standards and best meet the needs of all of the GHS aquatic programs. So, let's approve option A and get the building process started. As I have said in a BT BET meeting as the process began, when I came to Greenwich to teach mathematics and coach swimming, knowing that the yettobe built new high school would have a pool, I never expected to outlive that facility. Now I look forward to being around to witness the first water polo game and the first swimming and diving meet in a beautiful new GHS Nitorium. Let's move on. Riona McCaryie followed by Charles Gulenner. Good evening,
047Chair Dr. Mccanti Anthony, board of education members, Dr. Jones, and members of the community. My name is Rihanna McCursy, and I'm a senior at Greenwich High School. First and foremost, as a graduating senior, I'd like to give a shout out to the teachers that I've had over the last 13 years. If I appeared on your roster at some point, thank you. If you answered my endless emails, thank you. If you had me in your class and mid year realized that yes, I would be coming to every office hour that you offered. Thank you. Secondly, I'd like to speak briefly about the proposed bell-to-bell cell phone policy. Simply put, it's not feasible or realistic for the board to ban the use of cell phones of 2500 plus students at GHS. If administrators and teachers are monitoring
048cell phone use, then attention is diverted from other more pressing areas of need at GHS. Speaking from experience, students have to be able to access their devices during lunch and opens to make calls, respond to emails, finish homework or classwork, and coordinate after school commitments, among other things. As you know, high school students are very busy with constantly changing schedules. And very often, these schedule changes occur during the school day and have to be taken care of then as opposed to before or after school. Additionally, with over 200 students at GHS, it is inevitable that family emergencies will occur. If cell phones are not allowed during the school day, that leaves either the option of parents emailing their children, which is not a timely method of communication, or the school taking parent calls and passing
049along the messages to the child. This past year, we used cell phone pockets at GHS. This worked very well as students were able to quickly put their phones away and were physically distanced from their phones. Having seen both the bo pocket and the backpack methods, I can say with confidence that the pocket method was less distracting and easier for teachers and students as there was less policing. With this, I strongly urge the board to reconsider a cell phone ban during the school day at GHS, especially during the lunch block. It is not feasible nor realistic for GHS administrators and teachers to monitor the cell phone use of over 200 students during the school day. Thank you. All right, Charles Glenner followed by Caitlyn Quinn. Good evening, members of the board of education. My name is
050Charles Gullaner and I'm I and I'm a vice president at Greenwich High School. I'm here today to um to talk about the proposal of banning cell phones in Greenwich High School from Bell to Bell, which would be done from what Dr. Jones has told us using yonder pouches, which really is not a great idea. And okay, first off, the issue of of effectiveness. The entire premise of the Yonder pouch is that they physically prevent students from accessing their phones during the school day. However, students across multiple districts have reported that these pouches are not a foolproof solution. In fact, there are widespread claims online that they can be bypassed with relatively e with relative ease using common everyday items such as pencils or um or even a magnet which you can buy on Amazon for
051$9.99. Yeah. But whether or not every student chooses to do uh to try and access their phones in these pouches is not the point. The point is that they're go u if students are still trying to get around something that you guys are trying to implement, maybe it's time to step back and think a little bit more into why students are doing this in the first place, which is that we don't support the policy. Second, the financial cost is really, really, really hard to justify. From my estimates, and from what Dr. Jones has told us, it's going to be about around 25 to30ish dollars per pouch. when with 2500 students in the school, that's going to come out to around $80,000 of uh however, when we add in the extra money that these that these
052things always end up costing, it's probably going to cost $100,000, which is just insane in a in a especially in a district which is notorious for having budget issues with the money that we've had. Just don't do it. It's a real it's a bad investment. And then third, the question of practicality and and enforcement. I'm just going to use the student center as an example. And in the student center in our school, there's uh during the lunch waves, at any given time, there's around 700 to 800 students in the student center during each lunch wave. However, there's usually only four to six, maybe eight teachers to watch over everyone during lunchtime. If let's say that there's six people, six teachers in the student center during lunchtime and there's 700 students, the practicality of trying to
053enforce that just it's just not going to happen. There's because even if teachers are walking around the student center during the entirety of lunchtime, which they probably aren't, students when they're when the teachers are walking towards them, they're just going to hide their phones away and put them in their pockets so the teachers can't see them. Then as soon as they walk away, they're just going to take them back out and start using them again. But over though, overall, it's just a really bad investment to try uh to it's a really bad idea to try and use these de um to get students to use these yonder pouches cuz what's going to end up happening is students are just going to say, "Oh, I don't I didn't bring my phone today. Oh, sorry. I don't
054have a phone. Oh, my mom took my phone from me." And they're just going to say they're just not going to put it in their yonder pouches cuz what are what are what is the school going to do? go through each student's bag who claims that they don't have a phone. >> I'm sorry you're at time. >> U Thank you. Uh thank you for your time. And to end off, please don't waste our money on stuff we don't need. And most important, don't waste money we don't. >> We have a lot of people who signed up and you're way over time. I'm sorry. >> Uh thanks for your time. >> Okay, you can certainly email the rest of your comments if you'd like. Uh, we have Caitlyn Quinn followed by Diana Davidson. Good evening, members
055of the board. I'm Caitlyn Quinn, a rising senior at GHS. My stance on the phone ban matches the large majority of my peers. Phones aren't solely addictive, time-consuming screens, but an essential tool for productivity, organization, and communication. First, while the goal of encouraging interaction is well-intentioned, forcing it through a total ban is counterproductive. We use our phones during free time to share music, show each other videos, plan after school sports or clubs, and coordinate group projects. For introverted students or those with social anxiety, a phone provides a necessary comfort zone during chaotic times like lunch. True connection happens when students feel comfortable. And as someone who already finds it difficult to locate friends across the four different lunch waves, losing the ability to send a quick text means spending our short break just trying to
056find where our friends are sitting. Secondly, this rule may appear straightforward, but it success will largely depend on teachers who already manage heavy workloads. One of my teachers said today, "Those who designed the policy aren't the ones who must carry it out." Finally, seniors are already legal adults are about to turn 18 and trusted with significant responsibilities, including the privilege to leave campus during open periods. It's contradictory to trust a student to drive a car off off campus for lunch, yet deem them too irresponsible to manage their own smartphone during that same break. In college and the workspace, success depends on personal accountability, not phones. At the very least, seniors should be exempt. So, please try to look at this from our perspective and consider alternatives instead of rushing into a total ban that further
057divides students and administrators. Thank you for your time today. >> Uh Diana Davidson followed by Maline Jones. Good evening, members of the board. My name is Diana Davidson and I'm a rising jun rising senior at Greenwich High School. This year during one of my midterms, my teacher had a severe and sudden medical emergency. It was a student's access to a phone that quickly allowed us to call 911 and get help that may have se save saved my teacher's life. Student access to phones isn't just about academic philosophy. It's a question of safety. That being said, it's fundamentally counterproductive to student skill building to ban phones entirely from the school day. The goal of education is to build students skills and academics, but even further to create competent people outside of the school building. That's why
058we added personal finance as a requirement in the curriculum to build competent adults. Like it or not, technology and the distractions that come with it are a part of our world. Students need to learn how to manage the temptations of technology within reason. Phone pockets this year allowed us to ensure that respect is paid to teachers. However, in unstructured time, students need to learn how to manage themselves. As Caitlyn said, next year I will be able to vote, enlist in the US military, and sign legally binding contracts contracts. If I am entrusted with increased responsibilities as an adult, I should be responsible for managing my cell phone usage in unstructured time at school. Furthermore, a lot of students are managing jobs outside of school where they may need to keep track of their work schedules
059or contact bosses as well as parents and family responsibilities. It's for these reasons that we should not have a bell-to-bell cell phone ban. Thank you. >> All right, Maline Jones, followed by Leia Demarco. Okay. So, I'm also against the complete phone ban as I kind of mentioned before at our XCOM meeting. Um, I think that the more rules and strict rules we have, the more people who are likely to break them. I know people who are okay with the phone pockets, but when the mention of a complete ban was brought in, they said that they'd be willing to bring in like a a fake phone, a 3D printed phone, kind of a different extent. And I agree with what Diana said of like we're adults at this point in high school or all the seniors
060are and you're becoming an adult if you're in any of the other grades. And I think it's important to learn how to control your actions rather than be forced to like have the decision out of your hand. Um, and there's this view that people are like addicted to their phones. And I think in a way they are, but students don't need their phones, but they need their parents. And a lot of students have anxiety or as she said jobs or any kind of issue they have. And it's important to be able to have access to someone like maybe a therapist even but or your parents at school not have to wait the entire time. Like if you have an issue at home just being clueless while you're at school would cause severe anxiety. And a
061lot of students have anxiety and they have panic attacks and all those things and they don't feel the support to go to a teacher. they don't really know to call their parents, but they have their own phone to be able to do that. Um, and as Gabe talked about, I do think the um the our school lunch is an issue of people not talking to each other. I think it'd be great if we had no phones at lunch, but I think we could just do a ban at school lunch. Maybe not the whole day, but if you want kids to speak to each other more, then the ban could be just during that hour and a half of the day. We already have the phone pockets. When you leave your class for lunch, you could
062just keep your phone in the phone pocket. And also, the chances of students keeping their phones in their backpack or however it's decided to have the phones be banned all day. I think the phone pockets would work better because you can already see all the phones up on the wall versus when it's in their bag, it's going to be taken out. I think even now with the phone pockets where you can go up and check a lot easier who has their phone out. You can't really check everyone's bag and be like, "Oh, all your phones are put away and it's much simpler with a phone pocket." So, the chances of that being effective if it's decided to be put in bags or somewhere you can't really see. It's not. We have kids who are sneaky
063and I think the stricter the rules, as I said, the more kids who are going to break them. So, I think the most effective way for this is just the phone pockets. And if you think that people need to be more social and gain that skill out of force, I think that a ban at lunch could be helpful helpful to gain social skills, but a complete ban is not. Thank you. >> Okay, Leah DeMarco followed by Abraham Rosenshine who's joining virtually. Hello board of education members. I'm Leah DeMarco here on behalf of the Greenwich High School Student Policy Initiative Club. Thank you so much for this opportunity to speak. I'm here today to urge you to not adopt the proposed cell phone ban at Greenwich High School. This proposal may sound simple, but simple doesn't
064necessarily mean effective or realistic. First, the proposal ignores the most important distinction in this entire debate, that phones are most harmful during instructional time, not during lunch, passing periods, or open blocks. The real problem is distractions during class, where phones interfere with learning, attention, and academic performance. But the board's proposal goes beyond that. It bans phones during lunch, passing times, and open blocks, times when no instruction is happening. A student just checking a message from their parents at lunch or from their friends letting them know that they're outside for lunch isn't harming anyone's learning. We have a really, really big campus and it's hard to reach people who may be eating lunch by the tennis courts. So, a student texting just their parents or their friends isn't disrupting a classroom. That brings me to my
065next point, which that which is that the proposal isn't enforceable. The official rule says no cell phones from bell to bell, but thousands of students still use their phones during the hallways and open blocks, which they will they will try to do it even if you say that they can't because we're teenagers. Um, the rule just becomes symbolic and takes away the school's authority and credibility. Also, the proposal creates unnecessary barriers to daily functioning at GHS because they're not just here for entertainment. They're for coordinating transportation, checking schedules, and communicating with people. Many say that, "Oh, well, we grew up without phones. You'll be fine." But we've had phones our entire childhoods, and now when we're about to go into college, isn't the time to take them away completely. I know that I'm going to
066be um captain of the golf team next year and our coaches tell us verbally text your friends to wear this color shirt for a match tomorrow. Text your friends that our bus is late. So, it's just not practical and we rely on it for effective transportation and stuff like that. Um also research being cited um in the proposal doesn't actually support a full day ban. Um, the national studies show that the bands don't automatically improve test scores, attendance, or well-being. So, reducing access isn't the same as improving outcomes. So, if the goal is better learning, then the policy should focus on the moments where phones actually interfere with learning, which is class time. Thank you so much for this opportunity to speak. Okay. Do we have Abraham online? >> Um, yeah, if you can hear
067me, if everything's working. >> Okay. He's our final student, followed by Katherine McCerce, a GPS parent. >> Wonderful. Well, good evening members of the board of education. My name is Abraham Roses and Shine, a current junior at GHS, and I appreciate the opportunity to share a student perspective on the revisions um alongside regulation 6141326R. And like all of you, my peers and I deeply value having classrooms where we can focus and learn. We support and appreciate the board's dedication to our academic success and mental health. However, looking at the proposed ban, there are several contradictions um that I that I seriously believe will create difficult challenges for students and their family. For instance, the regulation contains what I believe to be a fundamental error regarding its core mission. The regulation notes that technology will be
068instrumental in the lives of young people and aims to promote self-regulation. Yet, it states that the district encourages families to support their students to learn to do so outside of school hours. I respectfully believe that school is the most supportive environment for us to practice that self-regulation. A policy that relies on total prohibition during the day while outsourcing training to parents goes against the goal of preparing us for the real world as in much of the purpose of school as well. There's a second clear operational contradiction regarding our schedules that I wanted to highlight too. The draft notes that GHS students are very busy and activities after school often mean students are on campus or returning from activities after dark, which is entirely true. Yet, in explicitly recognizing that our afternoons are often packed with
069sports and clubs, the proposition contradicts its own logic to limit our own study flexibility during the day. By restricting laptop use during lunch to a few select spaces, the draft forces heavy workloads onto many students late into the night. This late night cramming impacts our well-being, which would be detrimental to the very mental health the regulation wishes to protect. Furthermore, and what I believe to be most important, the document introduces highly unclear, logistically unworkable clauses regarding campus space and monitoring that are not viable. It mandates that no GHS laptop should be out at lunch unless the students working on an assignment in approved instructional space. But in reality, it's no secret to anyone walking through our school that our media centers already operating at at capacity and our learning centers are sparse and simply are
070scarce and simply too small to hold every student who needs to work. The proposal suggests hundreds of students can realistically fit into these pre-approved rooms. Yet, this just isn't possible. Additionally, teachers are already losing patience, especially with increasing class sizes. And I believe they won't just take on the new role of monitoring cell phone use, which would probably require hiring new proctors or people to walk around the school, assuming there would be an inbag ban. [clears throat] Finally, requiring phones to be powered down presents real safety and communication hurdles for students who are on campus after dark. Being able to quickly coordinate safe rides home is incredibly important. Additionally, while we know the ban is meant to keep us safe in cases of emergencies, it focuses heavily on events like lockdowns rather than potential scenarios
071where students are alone and may need to use their phone for a safety purpose. And all in all, I sincerely believe that my peers and I want to be responsible digital citizens. We hope the board will consider working with the student body to fix these contradictions. I simply can't stress enough that while it might be upsetting to see a decline in socialization, we can't let simple emotion or wisfulness dictate a policy that impacts so many in the modern age. Just because phones weren't necessary in the past doesn't mean we shouldn't use them today or find responsible ways to do so. We can embrace technology while still ensuring that classrooms remain focused as I believe the current >> Abraham, you're at time. >> Thank you so much for your time. >> You can email the rest
072of your remarks to us though. >> Oh, no. I'm well finished. Thank you. >> Okay. on to the so next we have Katherryn McCerie followed by Bianca Couo GPS parent good evening chair Mccante Anthony board of education members Dr. Jones and members of the community. My name is Kathern McCersie. I'm the parent of a GHS senior and a CMS sixth grader. This evening, I will address two issues. But first, to all of the many educators, guidance counselors, staff, administrators, and superintendents that our graduating senior had during her GPS tenure, thank you. Although thank you is certainly not enough to express how much I appreciate the immense support and encouragement you constantly shared with our student and her peers. I also want to give a particular thank you to the CMS teachers for your incredible work,
073[clears throat] excuse me, during COVID. Our daughter was a remote student and the teachers provided many extra hours of support and encouragement throughout so that she came out academically ahead by the end. Finally, an extra thank you for all the time spent answering my many emails and questions. I think I learned almost as much as our senior. Speaking of teachers, I urge GPS administration and the board of ed to immediately engage with the GA concerning their survey results. These results warrant concern and conversation. And speaking of cell phones, I think it is time for the board and GHS parents to hear directly from the stakeholders at the high school prior to implementing a new cell phone policy. Some of you do not currently have students at GHS and may not be aware of the intricacies
074and unintended consequences involved with implementing policies of this kind as well. The Cell phone regulation committee completed its work just over a year ago and GHS has been successfully following through with that work. Have you thought through who exactly will be policing a new policy during the lunchroom, the hallways, and other areas? Will you hire more staff or pulse teachers and staff away from the classroom? What do GHS administration and teachers have to say? Time to form a new cell phone regulation committee and let common sense prevail. Listen to the experienced educators and administrators on site. And lest you think I am a pro-device parent, let me assure you that my children did not and will not have phones before high school. My 12-year-old can tell you all about it. Thank you and have a
075great summer. >> Bianca Curio followed by James Waters. Good evening members of the board of education and Dr. Jones. I'm Bianca Curillo and I'm a parent in GPS and I'm here to urge you to pass the belltobell cell phone ban at all our public schools in Greenwich. All around us, there is increasingly strong evidence that smartphones are a distraction to students. These devices are addictive by design. One tech executive was quoted as describing the thought process of building his company as quote, "How do we consume as much of your time and conscious attention as possible?" Tech companies implement mechanisms to maximize time spent on these platforms and devices using metrics such as session duration, retention, and churn rates, and stickiness ratios with the sole purpose of increasing their profits. They're designed to steal attention. I
076don't have to tell you that the learning that is necessary in high school is tough work. The knowledge and critical skills our high schoolers will need as they go off into the world as adults is so important for them to achieve in these crucial four years. I'm asking you to think about your own high school days. Be reminded of that class that taught you topics that require deep focus and were so mind-numbing yet so important for you to master as you submitted your transcript to that college you're hoping to attend. Our generation was given the gift of sitting in a classroom with 55 minutes of precious time to focus on our teacher and were in uninterrupted by the glowing screen of a notification of a smartphone in the room. All the students sitting around the
077phone owner become distracted. It's inevitable. This is the same impact as secondhand smoking. Greenwich High School students deserve to be in a school without these devices that steal attention. Thank you. James Waters, followed by James Walsh, both GPS parents. [sighs and gasps] >> Good evening, uh, Dr. Jones and members of the board of education. Um, I'm James Waters, and I, uh, want to highlight a few points about the, uh, education specifications before you for the GHS Natitorium driveway and tennis project. Um, as you know, the EDS specs before you are a result of 15 months of detailed deliberations. They do incorporate a number of lessons learned from all recent major school projects. As a feasibility committee member, an RTM member, the current budget overview committee me uh chair and the chair of the Oakrange school
078building committee, I thought this was important that we incorporate those lessons and uh as well as the input from a variety of constituencies. Tonight, I do want to highlight four things. First, the EDS specs set a road map for the building committee, but are not the final design. The board of ed has multiple approvals ahead to include when the building committee recommends an architect, when a schematic design is proposed to the board of ed, and when construction funding is requested. Having spent over a year in these EDS specs, I know they codify the main aspects of the project and that a building committee will recommend detailed tweaks to room sizes, spaces, etc. once a project team looks at every detail. In this case, we're dealing with a fixed space. So, the building committee is going
079to have to figure out how to best fit that space to deliver on your programs and to figure out where there might be savings. I would cite the old Greenwich ED specs approved by this board in October 2021. They were modified in June 2023 when the schematic design came to the board of ed and again in March 2024 when the design had been fleshed out. We saved the town millions verse the scope in the original edspec while improving on the concept design. This is the standard process. Second, the facilities envisioned are reasonable, cost-effective and protect the six stellar state championship programs affected. As you know, we considered at least five more expensive alternatives before reaching this compromise. The facility follows a standard template used in multiple other public schools in the country. We can't revise
080it dramatically without directly and negatively impacting GHS's most successful student athletes. Third, let's be mindful of the direct impact this project's going to have on the aquatics programs who will be displaced for up to two years. We didn't come to this solution easily until all options were exhausted. If the project isn't done right, it could destroy those programs perhaps irreparably. We need to avoid that. This involves choosing the right time to start construction likely in mid-March and exploring all alternatives to uh minimize the impact during construction. Finally, there's much work to be done on an expedited basis given that we have a facility on the brink of failure. I do plan to offer to serve on this building committee to ensure some continuity and to make sure this is done right. Thank you and um
081good luck tonight. uh James Walsh followed by three virtual participants and I'll read their names so that you can cue them up. Jessica Punch followed by Jennifer Frim followed by Melissa Damato. >> Hey, good evening all. Um the first item I'd like to talk about is extremely important to the well-being of our students and educators is a cell phone prek to 12 use that you'll be voting on tonight. The current proposal in front of you seems rushed, poorly phrased. And a policy of this type needs to have clear, unambiguous language, and be crafted with significant input from parents, teachers, and administrators and students before being approved by the BOE. The language in the new regulation is likely to create more of a headache for educators than our current policy and is far more restrictive than
082just the bell-to-bell cell phone plan. It claims to be bell-to-bell in this proposal is and I quote defined as when the student enters the building in the morning to when they leave the building in the afternoon. This not only creates a de facto ban on cell phone usage at all times uh by students in Greenwich High School building, but also removes the ability for students to use cell phones during before after school clubs, during sports and activities. And it also removes the ability of teachers to allow students to use phones on occasion for instructional purposes. This is also far more restrictive than state bans issued across the country, including New York, where they define bell-to-bell as no unsanctioned use of smartphones or other internet enabled personal devices during the school day from the start of
083instruction until dismissal. This allows room for educators to approve classroom cell phone use when educationally appropriate. Furthermore, the proposal to ban laptops during lunch at GHS unless a student is directly working on an assignment in an approved instructional space such as learning center or media center should also be removed. If passed and enforced as written, this would place an additional burden on ghs faculty and staff to police usage and make students choose between eating lunch and completing assignments. I am sure every adult in this room has encountered an instance where they would crack open a textbook or notebook and finish work during lunch uh when they were in high school. Why would we remove this option from our children and force them into a media center or other areas where staff has been cut over
084the past few years and choose between eating lunch and completing assignments. An electronic device policy should focus on taking distractions out of the classroom, fostering personal connections between students free of devices. However, the current proposal has a strong potential to add to classroom distractions as students push to the completion of assignments from the lunchroom to the classroom. The cell phone policy before you is not ready for a vote this evening. You heard it from parents and you heard it from some very eloquent students who seem to be doing very well given the current ban that is already in place. The cell phone uh it needs considerably more work. The language needs to be ironed out and the impact needs to be fully understood. If passed as proposed, it may result in the unintended consequence of
085placing more burden on our teachers, more stress on our students, and fail to prepare students for real life beyond the walls of GHS. It is our teachers, our support staff, and our administrators who make Greenwich Public Schools the wonderful educational community we enjoy today. But I fear this also might change if the current path we're on is not altered. I I was not going to mention this, but I was dismayed, not surprised by the result of the survey that was published in the Greenwich Free Press yesterday and uh and mentioned earlier this evening. You know, when I speak to educators, when I speak to teachers at our school, it does seem that morale is low. Um there seems to be overly ownorous policies and regulations that impact the ability of teachers to take time off
086especially personal days. You know this I think might be another overly ownorous uh restriction uh for teachers to just be more of a policing force in our schools. Additionally, um, you know, you guys should really probably look into the restrictions, you know, across the board on our teachers, personal days, opaque hiring practices, and it, you know, the added stress that this places on educators and, um, you know, that has just been exacerbated over the past few years due to the reduction in FTEEs, um, you know, through the last few budget cycles. So, it's time I I feel like we need to start thinking differently uh about how we carry out our policies, about how we shape our policies, including the cell phone and uh really sorry, James, >> greater media policy, >> um and properly
087staff, fund our schools, and treat our educators like the highly qualified and wellrespected professionals they are. Thank you. >> Okay, are we ready with our online participants? We're going to start with Jessica Punshots followed by Jennifer Firmware. >> Good evening, chairman, board members, Dr. Jones, and members of the community. My name is Jessica Punchettz, and I'm vice president of membership for GA. Tonight, I ask the board to pause and reflect before moving forward with the superintendent's evaluation and renewal. This is not a question about an individual. It is a question about leadership, governance, and whether the board has fulfilled its responsibility to understand the conditions of its largest workforce before making a decision that will impact the future of this district. During negotiations, teacher morale was identified as a significant concern. Commitments were made that
088there would be opportunities for dialogue between the board of ed and GA regarding morale and trust. Those meetings never occurred. Since then, more than 600 ed educators participated in a teacher morale survey. The results should concern every member of this board. Over 90% of respondents reported that morale has declined during their time in Greenwich Public Schools. 76% reported that their input is not sought before decisions are made and trust in district leadership and the board was overwhelmingly rated at the lowest levels. These are not isolated complaints. They are systematic concerns, systemic concerns expressed by hundreds of educators across the district. Some may point to attendance as evidence that morale concerns are overstated. However, Dr. Bud's own reports have repeatedly shown that Greenwich teachers absent rates remain below national averages and that there is no evidence
089of widespread abuse of leave time. Teachers get sick. Teachers experience family emergencies, yet they continue to show up for students at rates that exceed national norms. The issue is not attendance. The issue is trust. The issue is whether educators are viewed as partners in improving schools or simply as people expected to implement decisions made elsewhere. At the same time that morale has declined, turnover has increased, recruitment pools have become smaller, and exit surveys increasingly tell the story that educators leaving for environments where they feel more respected and supported. These are warning signs. The board cannot acknowledge concerns about morale declined to meet with educators, receive survey data confirming these concerns, and then move forward with renewal as though none of this exists. That is not due diligence. That is avoidance. So tonight I ask a
090simple question. Who sitting at this table is prepared to do the work of rebuilding trust? Who is willing to engage directly with the educators to make this district successful every day? Because the future of Greenwich Public School depends on that answer. Thank you. >> Jennifer Kmer followed by Melissa Damato. Hi everyone, this is Jen Fmer. I have children at both Western Middle School and the high school. Thank you for your time today. My request is related to bus parking. I know I know a team has been working all year since September on an al alternate solution for where the buses are currently parked, which is Western Middle School. But at this point, I think we need to have a transparent plan if we're in the same unfortunate position in August. My request is that Dr.
091Jones and the BOE provide an update addressing the following concern by the end of the school year. My concern is if we do need to house the buses once again at one of our schools, what is the plan? And will Western Middle School need to carry the burden once again, which includes air pollution, noise pollution, impacted recess, and overly complicated pickup and drop off logistics. I request please send an update by the end of this year on where the buses will be stored this summer and starting in August if we do not have a plan. So I know we may not have a plan um but we should have a plan in place if we do not have a new location for the buses. Thank you Melissa Damato followed by Jennifer Montasano. Good evening, Dr.
092Jones and members of the board of education. My name is Melissa Damato and I'm the GA Elementary Vice President. Tonight, I am reading a statement on behalf of the special education support services staff of Greenwich Public Schools. The statement is informed by the results of our second annual SCSS survey conducted to better understand the experiences of the professionals responsible for serving some of our district's most vulnerable students. The results reveal not only persistent concerns but worsening trends in several critical areas. I ask you tonight to imagine the experience of one of our students. Imagine being a middle school student who reads three or four grade levels below your peers. Imagine struggling with foundational reading and math skills yet spending much of your day in grade level English ma English and math classes because many of
093the skills classes that once provided specialized instruction have been eliminated. Now, imagine being that student's special education teacher. You are co-eing multiple classes while managing IEPs, evaluations, compliance requirements, meetings, and family communication. You know what your students need, yet you are constantly being asked to do more with less. Meanwhile, those same students are often expected to navigate science and social studies classes without the targeted support they once received. General education teachers are feeling the impact as well as they work to support students with significant academic gaps while teaching increasingly rigorous content. This is the reality in many of our students and educators face every day. The SCSS survey confirms what staff are experiencing firsthand. Staff reported growing case loads, increasing referrals, additional evaluations, and workloads that routinely extend beyond contractual hours. A significant majority reported
094experiencing stress and burnout. Many reported feeling unheard when raising concerns about students or their professional responsibilities. Most alarming, more than 3/4 of respondents reported that they do not feel safe from retaliation in the workplace. More than 50 written comments were submitted on that issue alone. Staff also reported concerns about administrative turnover, involuntary transfers, reassignments, and pressure to make decisions based on staffing realities rather than student needs. But perhaps the most troubling finding was this. When asked whether their students are getting what they truly need, the predominant response was disagreement. Think about that. The professionals closest to our students, the people responsible for implementing services, monitoring progress, supporting families, and ensuring compliance are telling you that too many students are not consistently receiving what they need. This is not simply a staffing issue. It is not
095simply a morale issue. It is a student outcomes issue. When vacancies remain unfilled, workloads become unsustainable, and staff fear speaking openly, students inevitably feel the impact. As you make decisions about the future leadership and direction of this district, I urge you to consider not just the data, but the message behind it. The people entrusted with serving our most vulnerable students are telling you they are overwhelmed. They are telling you they do not feel heard. They are telling you they fear retaliation. And they are telling you that too many students are not getting what they truly need. The question before us is not whether our staff are willing to go above and beyond for students they already do every day. The question is whether this board is willing to listen before more educators leave, more families
096lose trust, and more children fall through the cracks. Thank you. >> Okay, we're back to in person. We have Jennifer Montasano followed by Charles Jurgens. Hello all, my name is Jennifer Montasano. I come here today to discuss my son Griffin Jurgens. He is a kind, outgoing, competitive boy who is who has loved and been loved by the Greenwich community. Griffin has Down syndrome and will graduate in seven days from Greenwich High School. Unfortunately, I believe the board of education and Greenwich education system is failing my son moving into the next phase of his life. We have been told that community connections is where he belongs from 18 to 22. This is an isolated small three room building not connected to typical peers or other buildings at 200 East Elm Street. is predetermined by an individual
097that I have never met who who has not been to a team meeting PPT ever in Griffin's lifetime saying that community connections is where he belongs. Community connections is the most restrictive environment that Griffin Griffin can be placed in. No neurotypical peers or integration. Griffin has been able to navigate Greenwich High School and integrate with close to 3,000 students and adults. The jobs offered at Community Connection include folding pizza boxes in Stamford before customers arrive, putting dog food in baggies, replacing divots on a golf course or f or filing papers. Once again, no peer interaction or integration. There is there are no educational opportunities or meaningful engagement or connections being offered. Charlie, my husband, and I would like the board of ed to review this system and truly change their beliefs and current systems being
098delivered to the most vulnerable community in Greenwich. We as a group should and can do better. Other schools are realizing that all students thrive in the integrated world world including where I have worked as an occupational therapist for over 20 years in Ry. Unified sports is a true example of unity, kindness and love and learning at Greenwich. Please realize it is 2026 and we cannot isolate, detach or separate our special needs students anymore. Thank you. Uh, next up, Charles Jurgens, followed by Christian Corroso. >> Uh, good evening, uh, Dr. Jones and board members. My name is Charles Jurgens. I'm the husband of Jennifer Monosano. And, uh, so, as you've been told, my son Griffin, who is 18, will be graduating from Greenidge High School this month, uh, is in a state of limbo at the
099moment. Uh my wife and I were told by someone at the BOE in April that the transition team had all agreed that our son would be best suited to attend community connections. This was news to us since one we are part of the PPT team. Um, so, uh, it was a little surprising when we, uh, my wife and I, well, my wife, when she had mentioned that you cannot predetermine where our son was going before our next PPT, um, at the at our next PPT on May 6th, we asked each member of the team individually if they had agreed weeks earlier if community connections was agreed on. We were told by the team, no, it hadn't. So at our 56 PPT where we were given the green light to look at other programs outside of
100community connections and outside of Connecticut. Just a few short days later we received an email stating we would be headed to due process. This has now become the standard operating procedure for the BOE to make parents sue um and to get their children uh the rightly deserved and meaningful education in the least restrictive environment. I feel I feel it's a puditive uh tactic that Grenage has been employing for some time now and I really believe it needs to stop. Uh you know this is our community. We've been here for 25 years. we have two other kids in the public school system. Um so uh you know we also feel that uh the funds that are allocated to each student at community connections uh we need to find out what that money is how it's being
101allocated to the students and it I also believe these funds should be made available to each student in or out of the district to help ensure the best outcomes for all the children of special needs. Thank you. Okay, our last two, Christian Croso and Alina Dumitz. >> Is Christian here? Okay. Well, let's elite. Let's go to Alina then. Uh, Deitrax, thank you. Members of the board, Dr. Jones, thank you so much for the time tonight. My name is Alina, parent to three GPS elementary school students. At an earlier meeting of this board, I expressed concern regarding the use of screens and onetoone devices in elementary classrooms. Since that meeting, which was a couple of months ago, my concerns have only grown. The more parents, myself included, have had a chance to learn about the use
102of devices in elementary classrooms, the more concerned we have become. At the last two meetings of the ad hoc subcommittee on screens, thank you Paul Capielli and everyone involved. Uh we heard from the GPS curriculum team, the GPS chief psychologist and the IT team. Parents learned that our children's data safety is not guaranteed. Their keystrokes, their information is recorded and can be accessed by third parties. We also learned that the district cannot fully control or monitor what content ch children can access online. For example, elementary school children have found ways to access YouTube, video games, and a variety of other inappropriate content, especially at this age group, which a minimum is entirely distracted distracting to themselves and others, but can also become harmful and dangerous. When parents express concerns with this, the GPS IT department
103noted that the children need to be responsible users of the internet. This is not a reasonable expectation for elementary schools. Six and seven year olds cannot be entrusted with their own online safety. The more we peel back the layers, the more we learn about screen time and GPS, especially in elementary schools, the more it becomes apparent that perhaps edtech was introduced in elementary schools without a methodical costbenefit analysis without fully appreciating the implications to children's mental health, to their safety and lifelong success. I'm confident that we can course correct here. More and more districts are already enacting change. If we cannot guarantee the children's safety online and if we cannot fully block harmful content, I ask you to please please immediately stop the use of onetoone screens in elementary schools. Safety both online and physical
104are imperative and equally critical to the safety of our children should never be compromised or deprioritized in the name of academic achievement or any other metric. I remain concerned that we will enter a new school year without having made meaningful progress to protect the online safety and the mental health of GPS elementary children despite the mounting body of evidence and the concerns expressed by our GPS district psychologist. Please don't let that happen. We have a true opportunity here to lead the state and nationally and we should capitalize on that. Thank you very much. All right. All right. Do we give one last call for Christian Corroso? >> We we we appreciate all those uh public comments. Um um earlier this year, we added this agenda item. Um uh chance for the board to ask any
105questions or discussion on anything we heard. I don't know if anybody has anything um they want to touch base on. Um I can say uh before that a couple of of clarifications. a number obviously a number of issues raised tonight. We very much appreciate um all the all the comments are on the agenda. Um I think there is one thing to clarify um the cell phone uh vote that is um on the agenda um is not the draft regul draft regulation that might people might have read. Um the board doesn't vote on regulations. um the board just votes on um policy. Um so what we would be doing what we the the question that's later on the agenda is whether or not to direct the the superintendent to draft regulation that regulation that's that we
106saw is a potential regulation, but that certainly could be changed regardless of of of the vote. So I think that's a that's a that's an important distinction distinction there. That's clear. Yeah, please go. Just to clarify um a couple things around um those comments tonight. Um first of all, the regulation that is correct. We would go back to the high school just like we did when we created the first one if the board decides to go bell-to-bell. So because we we would have to figure the management aspect out of that. Um I also just want to the pouch pouch discussion actually happened at student government. So, we didn't I I certainly did not want a student to think that we were buying pouches. Um it's when we look at Wilton like Darienne um I'm trying
107to think what the other district with New Kanan what they they have pouches in middle school. They don't in high school but Wilton and Darienne or New Kanan, excuse me, are both exploring them for high school. Um they are expensive. You know, students do figure out how to work around. One of the things about the pouches is that it does cut the signal where when a phone is in your backpack and it's just sitting in there, it does not. So, but again, there's I I have not heard from this board that you wanted to go buy pouches. So, um laptop use was just put in there. Again, it came up actually during that discussion and I that's why it's in a different color even on this regulation. I think it's a whole another discussion. Um,
108and the students actually brought it up, you know, could there be zones where students are that want to work on the homework, but in general when they're at lunch being techfree so that they were engaging more with one another, but again, that's a whole another um conversation. Um, and then I'll just say the the last thing would be on YouTube, it is turned off K5. That doesn't mean that we don't have some sharp kiddos that figure out how to get around things. Um, but we are doing lots of behind-the-scenes discussion. And again, I know that's going to be a future um discussion after talking to several of you about just usage in general. >> Obviously, cell phones is on the agenda later, but does anybody else want to have any questions or points around public
109comment? >> Yeah, >> I just have a question. I don't recall ever voting to give Dr. Jones the authority to write a regulation. Am I wrong with this? >> No. So, that's what the vote is tonight. Yeah, that's that the the >> I don't recall us ever doing that. We like as you said, we we make policy and Dr. Jones makes the regulations. So I don't recall us ever having She can just write the regulation, can't she? Why do we have to vote on it? >> We don't. >> Yeah. >> So then what are we voting on tonight? >> So >> is it a sense of the meeting? Really? >> No, no, no. It's a motion. It's a motion. The motion before us based on the conversation last week, the motion that's on the agenda
110is whether to direct the superintendent um to um revise the current regulation um to include a um to include a b a belly bell ban at the high school. I think one of the things we need to define is what belt means, but that's for the agenda item. >> Well, I didn't see anything attached to read like I don't see the language of what we're even what the what the regulation states. So, I I don't see how we could possibly vote on something that we don't have a draft for. >> Right. So, we'll so we'll we'll we'll get there when we get when we get to the agenda. Um the other thing to mention, I think it's important while everybody's here, um is obviously there were a number of comments around um the staff survey
111um that was published. Um there's no question we take um staff satisfaction um seriously. Um it is in our it is in our strategic plan. Um it is also um if you noticed in last month's draft because we did see it as the GA is correct. We did see the results last week um last month and last month when we drafted our new board goals uh for the year um the staff satisfaction features prominently and addressing and looking at features prominently in our work moving forward the year. So that was in draft and then we go we do vote on that later the later later tonight as well as far as board goals for the current year um and looking significantly and where we can um um address some of these concerns. Mhm. Anything else?
112Okay. All that said, let us uh move on now to this seak presentation um before some discussion items. So, we want to welcome Andy Cosby um head of SEAK with her annual report. >> Thank you. [laughter] Um so, good evening. On behalf of the Special Education Advisory Council, thank you for the opportunity to present our year-end report. CX role is to serve as a bridge between families, educators, administrators, and the board by listening to stakeholder experiences, identifying reoccurring themes, and offering recommendations that support students with disabilities across the district. Throughout this school year, we met regularly with families, faculty, admin, and administrators. Uh while many stakeholders expressed appreciation for the dedication and professionalism of our special education staff and district leadership, there were four consistent themes that emerged that we believe warrant continued attention. The
113first and most common concern we heard from both families and staff involved paraprofessional support. Families shared concern about whether students with significant needs are consistently receiving the support outlined in their IEPs. staff similarly described the challenges created by vacancies, absences, turnover, and increasingly complex student needs. This issue affects both student outcomes and staff capacity. When support positions remain unfulfilled or stretched too thin, it places additional pressure on teachers and service providers while impacting students who rely on that assistance. There was a review of the parable professional support this school year, which we appreciated. Our recommendation is continued closely monitoring staffing needs of paraprofessionals relative to student needs to maintain flexibility when unique student circumstances require additional support and continued efforts to strengthen recruitment, attendance, and retention. The second theme involved planning and placement team meetings
114or PPTs as we often refer to them. PPTs are mandatory yearly for students with IEPs and can be called at any time during the school year by either staff or parents. Under Connecticut state law, schools have 10 days to respond to a parents written request for a PPT meeting, and the actual meeting must be held a minimum of five school days after providing the written meeting notice with the time, purpose, and location of the meeting. Parents can mutually agree to wave the 5-day advanced notice to hold the meeting sooner. Our families reported frustration with scheduling delays, lack of timely access to educational records and data necessary to meaningfully participate, and limited teacher team members availability. Staff described the challenge of balancing legally required meetings with their responsibility to provide direct services to students. When service
115providers are repeatedly pulled from instructional responsibilities, it creates a difficult tension between compliance requirements and service delivery. We encourage the district to continue exploring dedicated meeting coverage and encouraging administrators to work with families to determine if the reason for the meeting could be resolved in with a smaller team meeting rather than a formal legally binding PPT. Um that legally requires attendees to reduce disruptions. Sorry. uh with all legally required attendees to reduce disruptions while ensuring families receive timely access to the PPT process when it is appropriate. The third theme centered on staffing models and whether they fully reflect the complexity of student needs, particularly at the middle and high school levels. We want to acknowledge a significant work that has already been done in this area. The weighted workload model represented meaningful progress and we
116appreciate the recent board presentation from Dr. Hiligenthaler outlining the district staffing approach. At the same time, faculty and families continue to express concerns that service demands are increasing and that staff allocations may not always keep pace with those demands. Our recommendation is to continue evaluating staffing allocations throughout the lens of student needs and service delivery requirements, working to implement the needs-based assessment that is showing to be working well for our elementary age students up through to the high school and to put a strong focus on recruiting and retaining highly qualified special education professionals. The fourth theme involved the consistent consistent implementation of IEP accommodations in general education classrooms. stakeholders emphasized that accommodations are not optional supports, they are essential components of a student's educational program. While many general education teachers do an excellent job supporting
117students with disabilities, families and staff reported that accommodations are not always implemented consistently across settings. We believe this presents the an opportunity to strengthen professional development about the significance of accommodations, collaboration between special and general education staff and systems that support consistent implementation and monitoring across classrooms. I want to emphasize that the report highlights several important strengths that families consistently are consistently recognized the dedication of teachers, related service providers, pair professionals and the administrators. We observed a genuine commitment from the district leadership to engage with families, address concerns, and continue improving programming for students with disabilities. There is a shared understanding throughout the district that meaningful improvement takes time, and stakeholders appreciate the willingness of administrators to continue moving that work forward. In closing, the concerns outlined in this report are not unique to our
118district. They reflect challenges being experienced in special education programs across the state and nation. However, they also represent opportunities. By continuing to focus on staffing, service delivery, professional development, and collaboration, we can strengthen our ability to provide every student with the support they need to succeed academically, socially, and emotionally. The report is not a criticism of our staff or administration. In fact, stakeholders repeatedly praise their dedication. Rather, it identifies several systemic pressures, particularly staffing, service delivery, and imple implementation consistency that if addressed properly will further strengthen outcomes for students with disabilities. The CK appreciates the partnership of the board of education, district administration, educators, and families. And we look forward to continuing the work together on behalf of our students. Thank you, and I'd be happy to answer any questions. >> Thanks, Andy. We we
119we appreciate um we always appreciate the the [snorts] report that SEAK puts together which is always comprehensive. Um before I open up the questions I want to I want to highlight two things because um I appreciate um the four suggestions and the one around par professionals is interesting in training because that matches a lot of what we were just talking about in the executive session. The last one, the one about consistency around PPT meetings. I was disappointed to see that because um that has been a SEAK recommendation in the past. That's not new to this report and it's getting it is um disappointing that we we still see that. Um I think the uh for a lot of years the the narrative here has been that um special ed um is greatly improved than the
120the dark ages of 10 years ago. We all agree that nobody wants to go back to many of the um um the challenges of the last decade. >> But that doesn't mean to say that we can't rest on those laurels. Um, and I think you see I continuing to highlight some of the same things year after year. I appreciate because um that that gives us stuff we have to talk about. >> Yeah. >> Mhm. >> Thank you. >> Mhm. [clears throat] >> Um I just want to thank Andy and Sak for the report and also I would like to acknowledge Andy's unbelievable contribution to the special education advisory committee. She's going to be moving into another role on PTAC and she has been a champion of this program for a very long time. We've been
121lucky to have you. Uh she has created an excellent executive board uh for next year and hopefully if uh the chair will allow I can continue to be the liaison. But Andy, thank you. >> Thank you. And we assume that you're remaining the liaison. >> You're stuck with her. >> Yeah. >> Any other questions? Good. All right. Thank you. Appreciate it. >> Okay. So, um up next, our first discussion item, the Yep. the education specs for the pool drive and tennis projects. Dr. Jones, is this you? >> I'm actually going to kick it over to uh Mr. Brandon and Lisa Yates, uh our architect, who worked on this. Uh, good evening everyone. I'm going to quickly turn it over to Lisa Yates, but before I do, I don't want to take some of her thunder
122away, but uh, I think it's important to note that over seven professional firms have been involved in in this uh, document. Uh, and I can't stress the engagement from the uh, all of the stakeholders that we engage on the committee, but more importantly, if you remember in November, December of last year, we did a hard stop on the project. uh we had to engage the tennis community. They were outstanding participants and I think we really uh got the project right and we're excited to uh present it to you. But I just wanted to highlight the uh the work of all the volunteers. Also, we have with us our athletic director uh uh Pete with us as well just in case you have questions on that. But I'm going to turn over to Lisa and we
123look forward to having a conversation with you. Floor is yours, Lisa. >> Thank you, Ben. Um you can all see my screen, I hope. Um, hello board of education, Greenwich community. Uh, I understand that this tonight is technically your first read of the educational specs for the Greenwich High School Natorum tennis courts and access driveway, but I know you've been following it over the last year plus as it has evolved from a pool project to to pull in the tennis court upgrades and the cardinal access driveway. I will try to be brief. This is a summary of the journey and also highlights of the educational specs. So at the beginning of last year, this this was all sort of triggered when you know issues were noticed at the pool and TLBA um architect and pool
124specialist and now for this study also our consultant uh performed an assessment and picked up some major items uh but potentially repairable. Uh the pump and the filtration system are at their end of life and they need to be replaced. They are also right next to the electrical distribution pl panels for half of the high school. Also, three out of four of the drains are blocked and they it's not an easy repair because they're set below a 5-ft thick pool slab. There are also issues with the sumps for those drains. But but more importantly, we we found this fundamental non-compliance uh with the dive clearance. The the divers are no longer um practicing in the pool. Uh and the fix is not easy. We have to raise the roof. Um similarly the there's inadequate clear
125space around the pool and you can kind of see. So this is the diving board and then clear space around the pool. It's less than 5t in some areas and um you know because of the bulkhead you can see the steps. So this really triggered us to look at uh a bigger facility. And then for the site uh and the tennis court and the access driveway, their background, you know, when we were looking at the pool, especially pools, the pool building elsewhere on site besides where it is now, um we kept facing um you have a big site, but you have a building, you have parking, you have 42 varsity teams. You can't move one thing without moving another. And then plus in this area you've got uh regulated soils which if any of you
126are familiar with um you've been working with AECOM who also helped us with this study and it's anytime you have to do work in this area that's shaded it's difficult and costly. Um, we know that you all know that there's a lot of traffic and it's primarily I mean it's because the high school's busy, but also because you're relying on Hillside Road to take all of your vehicular traffic and you've been working to get an access driveway sort of in this area um to cross the brook and provide direct access to Route One. The first drawing I found of this was by KG&D. It's on the left here from 2017. So, it's been a long journey for for the neighbors to try to get this in there. U the tennis courts, as we discovered during
127our process, um it's very important to the tennis community to keep varsity tennis on campus just like all of their peers. And so, that's and and the tennis courts also are in need of a serious repair or replacement. Um, and then just to contrast with our area fill, north of the brook, we've got ledge south of the brook, which is oddly not as not as tough to work in as as contaminated soil. I want to take a minute to uh, you know, give props to the committee. As James Waters was saying, this has been a very detailed study, a lot of commitment from the committee. Um, over a full year of development, multiple meetings. We looked at 11 separate approaches for the pool. Um, we we analyzed them through 18 different types of analysis which
128um are included in the edspec, not not the exact analysis, but what those goals are. um we came up with two front runners and then then as we got community feedback that's when the mission expanded to include tennis and the driveway. So this is just an example of options that we looked at. We started with looking at doing as little as possible which was not acceptable for a variety of reasons. And we we got as big as looking at an Olympic size swimming pool. Sorry, I went forward. Trying to be fancy here with my cursor. Um, an Olympic size swimming pool, but we found the sweet spot to be um a short course stretch pool, which I have the dimensions when I get into our preferred option. I'll talk about that a little bit more,
129but um options four, which is not quite the same as what we're selecting, and five both feature that type of pool. And then these are these are the 18 factors that we analyzed each option um using this framework. We had a scoring analysis. So we were really trying to be very data driven. And then when we boiled it down to our frontr runner options, um option A, which used to be known as option 4.1, if you ever see that in the EDS specs, um reconstructs the pool in place, replaces the tennis courts also in place and includes an access driveway and it unfortunately, as we were talking about before, has to take the pool offline in order to replace the pool. Option B, relocated the pool. We looked at all different places on the site
130to relocate the the the niatorum building and the vicinity of the tennis courts really seemed to work the best and we were able to fit six tennis courts which was adequate for the tennis community on onto into this plan. Um this is much larger. The building's much larger in part because of that ledge. um forced us to raise the pool deck which introduced bonus space below the deck which is potentially helpful and also uh leaving the old natiatorum wing offered 11,646 square ft to be used as a future ox gym. As you can see the price difference is significant. $14 million is a significant price difference. And you're also always so well informed. Coach Low um really summarized this slide for me already in the comments comments. So option A has many benefits. Um it
131might go through zoning faster. Um it's nice to have the building be connected to the high school. uh lower cost, but it has one major challenge. Um, and that it takes the pool offline. And and Ben, I don't know if you and Pete want to address that now or if you want to wait until the end. >> Uh, why don't you finish up and then we can just But just before we turn it back to the board, we'll have Pete speak to the work he's done on that. >> Okay. Yeah. Just just so you know, we're not just glossing over it. We're saving it. Um, this is a more detailed uh site analysis by AECOM and we're keeping the tennis courts where they are, but we're replacing them with new post-tension concrete tennis courts. We're
132adding uh three sets of bleachers here, here, and here. Uh the parking the the the ex the the um parking that was recently constructed with the with the Cardinal Stadium is reconfigured to allow the access driveway to bend around the existing tennis courts. And then here is the the footprint of the option A pool where ex has a larger footprint than the existing has a larger pool. Um we're extending it the whole way to the corridor that's right behind the entrance to the high school. And this makes the lunch courtyard enclosed, which is nice, and a little smaller, which we understand is okay. We're minimizing, we have a little bit of expansion into the west parking lot, but we're keeping it to a minimum again because of the soils. Uh we're losing 30 parking spots
133primarily because of the way that the Cardinal Access Drive has to land. Um 71 trees sounds like a fair number of trees. it was a lot less than option B. So this is the the deck level for option A. And this is again that that short course stretch pool. So it's 35 m long and 25 ft wide. And that's the lap length. And this piece here is a movable bulkhead. So this will allow for um you know reconfiguration for more different types of sports and it's set up also you know it fully accommodates all of the programmatic requirements of all of the athletic sports and also by having a shallow end it accommodates the educational requirements for lifeguarding and swim classes. We have on this first level we've got three areas of bleacher seating for
134the athletes. So it gets wet. far enough away from the pool, but they can host a big match here. We're using the existing locker rooms. We have direct connection to the existing locker rooms. We have a separate lobby entrance, ticket booth, and public restrooms. And then we we have some space for additional um PE offices with showers because they're for the swim area and um and required storage. We have an upper level with seating. This was really important to a lot of um our our our feasibility to meet committee members. Um it's dangerous to have big events with the public down on the pool deck. It gets wet, it gets slippery. Um and this this is what we're seeing elsewhere. So we have seating for approximately 350 to 400. We're actually showing a little bit
135more here now, but um as James Waters was saying, you know, this is this is a road map. this is going to get um you know analyzed and we're going to make sure that we we it gets boiled down to the most effective solution. So you can see this this whole area here is open to the pool deck. So we have bleacher seating on three sides and then we have an alumni room tucked off to the front with with more ADA toilet rooms here. uh an elevator and this elevator we're able to connect it to uh this portion of the high school second floor. So the high school second floors are sort of divided up like islands um and this one does not have elevator access. So that's that's also a benefit. So here are
136some building sections just to give you an idea. The long ones are a little bit easier to look at. You can see the shallow end descending down to this area is 2 m deep. um providing an area for water polo which by the way also needs this high ceiling that diving requires. The diving well is down at this end and then the mechanical room below is immediately adjacent to the pool. You can see our our spectator areas up here and athletes seating below. This is a cut looking looking east looking toward the school. um cutting through the deep end. And then these are both just looking the other way. So you can see a little bit little bit more of the the upper tier seating. Again, same thing with the pool. And then here we're
137cutting through the shallow end and we're looking back toward the parking lot looking west. So project cost, we showed you the summary before. Um, of of these costs, around 13 million come for the tennis courts, access, driveway, and the site work, and just under 47 million are for the niatorum itself. And the EDS specs include a much more a more detailed cost breakdown, especially of the niatorum. This is a conceptual schedule. So, we're we're saying here that we're going to get approval tonight, but that's not actually necessary as long as we're able to form a building committee on the 28th of September, which I understand is the earliest time that that could be ratified. Um and that puts the start of construction by the time you get through um selection of the designer and uh
138working through zoning and producing the drawings and getting a zoning variance which is something that I did not spend a lot of time on but is an important part of this. Um we believe that construction could start around the beginning of the year in 2028. We have that highlighted here. start of construction and you know that that continues for 18 months roughly and I'm going to go through this last part quickly. This is the um the space pro program itself which is included in the adspec. So we're going through and we're looking at the the number and sizes of each space and comparing it to the existing. So, we start with the niatorum and we go through the public space, which I actually think it's interesting to note how little public space you currently have
139available. Um, the locker room suite where we're we're relying on the existing locker rooms and then our building and core area. We are providing for separation of that pump room from your existing electrical room which will remain. We have some um below deck pump and mechanical areas and and you know toilet rooms, restrooms, circulation. So when we add this all up together, the area the net area which in this case is the area inside the inside the exterior walls is just over 35,000 square ft with program areas are a little bit less than that at 26,000. But then you need your building services, you need toilet rooms, and you need circulation corridors. So, and that is larger than what you have now. Right now, you have 10,200 ft. So, that takes me to the end
140of this presentation, and I'm happy to jump back and forth depending on where the questions take us. Uh Pete, do you mind speaking to the work you did on uh we recognize option A would not work if you were going to have 18 months of complete closure of the programming. And so I think in order so we could even present this, we had to make sure we could find community partners to allow us to mitigate the that operational downtime for the programming. So Pete's done a lot of work with uh coaches and our local nonprofits. So Pete, take it away. >> Sure. Good evening, Board of Ed members and Dr. Jones. Uh, thank you for having me here today. As Ben mentioned earlier, um, I've been working with Matt over at the YMCA and with
141Christina over at the Boys and Girls Club and have their uh, support and helping us as much as possible with this. Uh, more recently, uh, this past week, I've met with the coaches, Coach Low, Coach Raali, Coach Liv, and we discussed um, possible practice times and scenarios. And coach Low has been a really big help. He's also reached out to um Chelsea Piers and we have tenative schedules already set up. Obviously, we are waiting uh for this to pass to be able to supply with them some hard uh data facts on time that we need and we have their assurance that um they'll be more than willing to help us out and try to accommodate us as best as possible um again around their programs as well. And I've also reached out to my counterpart
142over at West Hill at in uh Stanford and we've always talked about there uh using that pool uh as well. So um uh we're in a good spot. We're just looking hopefully like like coach Lo said to move forward in a direction, get a timeline, solidify timelines, and get our partners to uh to commit to the times they can offer us. So open to any questions you guys may have. Okay. Um, so before we turn it over to um different board members, Sophie as the as the uh board representative here, you probably have some some things you probably want to share here. >> Sure. I mean, I think everyone has done such a nice job actually um doing, you know, this whole overview. I it was interesting to see that Lisa was saying, you know,
143we met 11 times. There's been an incredible amount of community feedback. Um, I really appreciated, you know, last year at one of the board meetings, I think we had something like 20 or 30 um, students show up and speak. Um, so people feel really passionately about this program and um, Coach Law is very humble and I I think he's gone home hopefully to go to bed. But um you know he's probably the winningest coach in Connecticut um history in terms of the number of state championships and also the water polo team is the best water polo you know public high school water polo team on the east coast. So these are amazing programs um and we have hundreds of kids participating every year three seasons of the year. So, you know, it's a really high
144priority. Um, and I think that so far the the feasibility committee worked really really hard and we really exhaustively looked through all of those other options. So, a lot of work um went into arriving at this option A. >> Okay. So I am I am cognizant that we do have a robust agenda and um usually in the past with a first read um we often we've often found it helpful to create a question document where we all have time to really absorb and look over um this in detail and develop questions and um send that in so that uh Ben and the powers that be and the the architects can can answer all the questions. That said, I don't know if anybody has any um high level or burning questions they want to they want
145to throw out there. Okay. Okay. That said, the other thing just to mention is um time and timeline, which I think is um you heard referenced there everything from scheduling practice time at Chelsea Piers to construction and everything else. Um and the fact that the pool could go at any minute um gives a sense of a little bit of a sense of urgency here. So, we can talk about this um offline, but um there is um the the best case scenario in having conversations with different people this week is for us to um reconvene um before the summer um to um see if we can have a second read on this so that the town can um identify if we're a place where we can find consensus on the on the edspecs. Then it goes
146to the first selectman to develop to um identify to to interview and and the board of selectmen to interview members for the building committee so that we can uh they can be in place hopefully for the f and uh those nominations can be in place for the first RTM meeting in September. Um that's kind of the best place best pace um best case scenario so far far as timing goes. Um, Ben, can you remind us of of the fiscal allocations that have that have already been put out in in this year's budget and how this might play in? >> Yeah, we we have uh 4 million has been budgeted. Some of that's been uh conditioned by the BET until you receive MI or municipal improvement. Uh so we we can't spend that money for architectural
147design or anything until the building committee is funded, but is approved. But once the building committee is approved, they'll have the fiscal resources to do what they need to do to to keep the project moving. So I think the critical path is is how quickly can we get the Q&A uh addressed for the board you're comfortable to uh adopt the EDS specs and then getting the building committee moving and they but they'll have the money necessary to move into designing and stay really close to this pro this schedule. I had one final question um comment since you we're talking about this it is the best case scenario right that the pool lasts and until the spring of 2028 so we all should be really hoping for that but um the diving program has already been
148displaced from the pool so that is really a shame um and it was you know it's been I think it's a real frustration for those athletes that they have to practice and compete away from the rest of their team so that is another, you know, added level of urgency, I think, you know, to want them to be re reunited with the rest of the team. >> I would agree with that. >> Karen, you get the for last word. >> Oh, it was just a 10-second disc comment. It's frustrating as it might be for all of these for our aquatics uh programs and teams. You know, they are not the first, nor will they probably be the last of our um teams to have to be displaced for changes. baseball and I use baseball as an
149example. You know, we worked with the town, they retrofitted and and worked on an entirely new field for them for two years and a lot of the other, you know, all the fields that were redone, a lot of those programs were having to share and move off site. So, anyway, um I know it's frustrating, but just as a comment to those teams, you know, we we will work to make sure that those disruptions do not, you know, detract from the program. Okay. All right. So, moving on. And now we have a uh action item. Um on to another project, the approval of the uh Riverside architect. Um and I think we have the the Riverside members of Riverside Building Committee here. Hi. Um do we have the presentation? Uh, Michael Joseph, before we do the
150presentation, you just need to get the um motion on the table. And >> I That's right. This is an action item. I um Veronica, you want to make a motion? >> I would like to make a motion to approve the Riverside School Building Committee's recommendation uh to adopt Q&A as the architects for the project. That was seconded by Paul. >> Do we have the proceed presentation again? Pull up. Michael. >> Okay, perfect. Uh, good evening. U, my name is Luigi Gillard. vice chair of the Riverside School Building Committee, Chair Stefan Pestic and his regrets. He asked me to present on the committee's behalf. I'm joined by Veronica Keoli as well as Dog Fenton. They're members of the board and the Q&A Q&A team are also here this evening. Uh before discussing uh a recommendation, I
151would like to briefly explain the process. The committee issue an RFP for architectural and engineering services for Riverside School. The response was strong. More than a dozen firms participated in the site walkthrough process and five firms submitted formal proposals. After reviewing the submissions against the criteria established in the RFP, the committee shortlisted three firms for interviews. We conducted those interviews, narrow the field to two finalist, and completed approximately a dozen reference checks. Following the process, the committee recommends QA and M architecture. Um, let me walk you through the recommendation briefly. Um, slide one, please. Uh, QA&M is a Connecticut based architectural firm with extensive experience in public school projects throughout the state. They distinguish themselves throughout the evaluation process and emerged as the committee's recommended firm. Uh, slide two, please. Um, this slide shows Q&M
152Q&M projects team and public school experience. QAM name Q&M specializes in Connecticut public schools. Their team includes experienced uh principals, project managers, architects, engineers, and consultants. And the portfolio includes numerous Connecticut elementary school projects including renovation, renovation as new and new construction. Um the committee also plays importance on the fact that the senior team involved in the interview process will remain involved in the project. Slide three, please. Um, one of the factors uh that impressed the committee was Q&A depth of experience in Connecticut's state reimbursement process. Over the past 25 years, their team has completed more than 40 state funded public school projects. Based on the preliminary evaluation, Q&M believes Riverside may be eligible for additional reimbursement opportunities associated with early childhood and special education programming. Of course, reimbursement determinations are ultimately made by the
153state of Connecticut, but Q&A Q&A experience in this area was was viewed by the committee as a significant benefit for Greenwich taxpayers. Slide four, please. Um, some examples of their work. The Eli Terry Elementary School is an example of the scale and complexity of projects UNM routinely delivers. It is a 69,000 square foot elementary school completed in 2020 with a listed project cost of $42 million. It reflects the type of educational facilities they have successfully delivered across Connecticut. Slide five, please. Uh CC Museum Academy is another strong example of their work. It is a 76,000t educational project completed in 2019 with a listed project cost of 50 million. It demonstrates Q&M experience designing modern educational environments while what while managing complex public uh sector school projects. Slide six. Um this project was particularly relevant to
154our committee. The Bristol Arts and Innovation Magnus School demonstrates Q&M Q&M ability to modernize a historic educational building while preserving its architectural character and identity. Riverside School is an important part of this community and we wanted an architect who understands how to balance modernization with preservation. Uh Q&A has demonstrated that cap that capability. Slide seven please. Um this slide was one of the most important parts of the committee's evaluation. Uh before selecting before being selected Q&A Q&M presented four preliminary Riverside specific conceptual approaches addressing site constraints, educational requirements, construction facing and reimbursement opportunities. The concepts range from minimal intervention to renovation as new and new construction. The concepts also showed differences uh differences in pacing, construction duration, whether educational specification would be met and potential reimbursement levels. What stood out to the committee was not
155that any final decision design decision had been made. It has not. What stood out was the level of prepar preparation and a project specific thinking Q& A uh brought uh to the interview process. That preparation gave the committee confidence of how Q&A uh would approach Riverside school challenges and potential uh solutions. Um next slide please. Based on experience, references, reimbursement expertise, and project specific preparation, the committee recommends QA Q&M architecture. We believe that they're well positioned to help Greenwich deliver a project that serves students, staff, and the broader community while maximizing value for taxpayers. Thank you. I'm happy to answer any questions. Um, thank you. Uh, Luigi, our architects are here and I don't know if you guys want to get up and and say anything or introduce yourselves to the board. We'd uh love
156to to hear from you for a minute as well. Well, we're obviously very delighted to be here and are looking forward to working with you on this project. We're really excited by the opportunities that it presents. I'm Julia McFaden. I'm one of the principles at QAM Architecture, co-leading our K12 division with >> I'm Rusty Malik. I bring about 35 years of educational experience in Connecticut. I happen to have been the principal on the design of the the performing arts center at the high school when I was at Perkins and Will. So hopefully it's still a good reference. You never can tell. Um but certainly we are very pleased to be part of your team. We have had a lot of experience in Fairfield County on school and other projects and um you know look forward
157to working with the committee and developing a solution that's really going to to respond to the community the the Riverside community because that's really where the focus needs to be. >> And as Luigi mentioned the the concepts we came up with are certainly just the beginning. Um, we mentioned in the interview that there could be kind of multiple hybrids between the things that we discussed with you. Um, as we learn more about your uh, specific needs and desires, um, we can kind of hone in on the concepts that are going to meet um, programmatic needs um, as well as kind of hit your budgetary needs as well. Thank I just want to thank you so much for for coming down uh and traveling down to to meet us all this evening. >> Absolutely. >> Thank
158you. >> Well, thank you. Good to see you again. Welcome back. Um they um I just know if you could just talk for a minute maybe about um I know you're you're you're entering a project new but I guess based on your read so far what you see as some of some of the major challenges or or or opportunities here when it comes to the project. >> I mean that you know one of the things that you always have to consider very deeply is how do you renovate a school that is fully occupied? Uh and so that is going to be one of our challenges and it's something we've done many times before. Um and each community is different and when we're dealing with an elementary school that's going to be even more challenging. So
159as you saw we presented four options. uh one of which so the easiest approach certainly is build a new school uh on a site and and and you know we've all done that many times even though that's still disruptive uh in in ways that are the construction process itself is disruptive. Uh the bigger challenge is how do we preserve a building that's actually quite wonderful. It looks you know it's well it's an example would be just you look look at the floors the the terzo floors in that building. you won't be able to afford to do that in any other building. And that's those types of qualities of material are are worth preserving. And I know that from a conservation perspective, sustainability is all about keeping what you have and and not, you know, that's
160that's that's another strong aspect of maintaining it. At the same time, that's going to be, you know, a a challenge from the from the other side is how do we keep the kids safe and how do we make sure that uh the appropriate education is delivered in a building that's under construction and don't have any, you know, it's going to be difficult. It's not an easy task when you do that. Uh because so many things go wrong in construction. Um and so those are the types of things with uh issues that we will really evaluate in detail not just by ourselves but with the the building committee with the teachers with the parents because it's a team that has to put that that plan together. >> Um I had the good fortune of being a
161parent in that building for 13 years. I finally graduated last year. Um, but I agree it it's a beautiful historic structure and um I'm glad that the plan is to renovate it and expand it in some ways. Um, I also had the good fortune of serving on the feasibility committee. So, I just wanted to encourage you to really go over that document because we spent so much time um talking about and thinking about the way that the building is used and I know that Riverside is unique and some of the programs that it has and unusual um and we and you know obviously um you're amazing architects and you'll be very creative in the solutions that you come up with, but just I hope I hope that you will um look at look at that
162document and study it. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Yeah. And just before we call the question, while you're you're thinking of things, the um the board knows I'm not sore about it, but I I did I'm a little sore about it. I lost a vote last month. the um so all around prek at Riverside the um so I just um which is now back in the edspecs and that's fine but um um please be sure you um consider and I know the building committee will um playground space and traffic flow and um both in and out of the building uh particularly with adding a whole new uh population of students um to the building um the ed specs have um some language in it that is weird around the library being the center of
163the building which it isn't because it's a library and an elementary school and the um um we don't have a K to we don't have a prek to five vision here. Um but adding a whole new population to our largest um our largest elementary school in the district um presents its own set of challenges to the to the whole to that whole campus. So I know that that that creates a big design challenge for you. >> We're we're in the process of constructing uh a similar elementary school where we've introduced the prek program and it's it's actually 700 students in the in the entire school. So, it's a fairly large prek5 school and we went through a lot of the same discussions in terms of how do you integrate it? How do you where do
164you drop off the students the specialized playgrounds? So, we're wellversed in it. We're also just in the design of a new prek academy which is all prek program. Uh so, we have a lot of background in in prek education as well. The other opportunity that we saw in this um uh the the renovate is new option if that's the uh an option that can be entertained you know given a lot of other factors yet to be determined but you really have an opportunity to make the school really function for the modern needs of the educational environment. right sizing uh classroom spaces, grouping them in more appropriate ways and adjacencies um just to create a better school community. So um that's always something that's delightful to try to do when you're working in a in a
165building that already exists while also then still maintaining those wonderful historic features such as the Terzo floor. So it's this balance of what is preserved and what can be changed to enhance the programming. All right, let's call the question. Um, all those in favor of the motion on the table. >> All right, motion passes unanimously. Auto board. >> Okay, moving right along. Monthly uh financial reports. Um, and Mr. Brandon, is this you this week? A month? >> Uh, it's still Patrick. I'm not Patrick Hamus one. >> Yep. Um I I'm here online uh joining remote tonight. So good evening >> Patrick last month. So Ben, I think you're slacking. >> So um good evening everyone. Um so in front of you is the monthly financial report. Um I mentioned about this report two weeks ago
166in the last month meeting and this month uh that is reporting for the period ending uh May 31st. The spending is still kind of like as expected and in line with what what is kind of like spent for the same time last year. The highlight this month I would kind of like focusing on the forecast to finish the years on the different areas on the operating budget. We are still expecting the budget balance in the range of 1.5 to the 2 million but uh as we kind of like get closer um um we are looking at kind of like closer to the high end of the range which is closer to the 2 million as the budget balance for the years on the special education. We continue to um expect um that there will be
167a budget service as well to finish the year on the out of district tuition and the settlements. And then on the school lunch program, we expect the full year forecast to be better than budget both on the revenue and also on the expense. And um uh the uh at the end the um the fullear operate operation uh expense of the uh school lunch funds will be more in line with the last year result instead of the budget. And then on the revenue um not all the revenue has been reflected into the report given the early timing of the uh May of the meeting this month in June. But uh when we look at each of the revenue items, we are expecting the full year forecast to be uh in line with the budget that we
168have set for each of the um each of the items on the revenue as well. Any questions? Okay, I'm seeing none. Um um AP data is next. That's you back. That's you, Dr. Cons. >> Um just Um I'll be fairly quick because it is it's pretty simplistic reading. Um but you had asked for the data that goes back to 2016 um through the most recent which was 2025 um data and then on the very back you can actually see the breakdown of the tables by ones, twos, threes, fours and fives. Basically over this um decade period what we have seen what we're seeing right now is we are having a a lower enrollment at the high school. We are having more students take AP exams and we have actually moved to more students earning fours
169and fives and fewer ones and twos which is exactly what we would love to see. Um so I was very very pleased when I was putting this together. Um I will say it was interesting as student government you know I asked a question about um you know if we saw more we had more exams this year again it's and it's quite a bit and it so it was interesting to me because I was trying to figure out why but the previous board had made a decision last summer um that if you actually take the AP exam that you do not have to take your final. So that was actually something where that we used to make them. Some teachers, not all, they would make them if they took the AP, they would turn around and
170also have to take the final. And I mean know overwhelmingly the students in the room had said uh they found it very helpful this year and that it was a huge stress relief. So you know, good job to the board for um making that decision. Um but I'll stop there. I mean the data is again it's an easy read. Um I pulled it at your request. Yeah. >> Uh, well, first of all, I just wanted to say thank you very much. I really appreciate I think it's great to get this kind of granular data out in the public for folks to see. Um, I was curious. I had heard this was the first year students who took the AP classes were required to take the exam. Is that accurate? Do we have a a number
171of students who will sign up for the class and then not actually take the exam? >> It in previously it was more teacher byteer. There are some teachers if you're going to take their AP, they expect you to take the exam this year. The only change that I I'm aware of, the big change was what the board decided, >> which was some teachers would have them take their final and also take the AP exam or if they didn't take the AP exam, they had to take the final, but that was still in place this year. Karen, >> I actually had the opposite question as to what Karen was asking. So, you know, two Karen, two ends of the spectrum. Um, do we happen to have any data? [laughter] Probably less true than you think, but
172um I I was going to ask quickly, do we have any data because I know there are some students that often will sign up to take an AP exam for courses that they aren't actually enrolled in. Um, do we have any data on any students that may have been doing that? I don't get the actual new AP results until July, second week in July. >> Okay. So, if if if you find that at some point, >> we usually have a few. We don't have a lot, but we do have a few. >> Yeah. No, I I just I just think it's kind of interesting to to see and to see what they're taking uh AP's, you know, tests were. So, >> okay, seeing no other questions. Um, speaking of um, data requested um, by the
173by by the board, Dr. Bud is up with uh, two reports. So, um, Dr. Bud, are you online? We're ahead of schedule, so we might not have got home yet. >> Unfortunately, he's the next two items. So, We can't just jump an item. I >> I'd like to make a motion that we adjust the order of these topics so that we can buy Dr. Bud a little bit of time. [laughter] >> Do you want to do something low risk like the agenda plan >> or would you rather move on to some agenda items, some action items rather? I think I think to to to clarify your your motion, I think we would move move to action items. >> Okay. I'd like Yeah, I'll rephrase. I'd like to make a motion that we move to action
174items and move up the and start with the authorized summer transfers. >> Okay, I will second. All in favor? >> Okay, thank you. A motion passes. Okay, so then we will come back to Dr. Bud. >> Michael, yes. I just wanted to make a I would love to maybe for 10B and 10D have a roll call vote just so it it's not as confusing for the online people so they know. >> Noted. Noted. Thank you. >> Um so 10A the uh I think uh uh Ben or Patrick can probably explain this. This is something we do every summer, but um since it's the first time for for some of us um we thought it best to give a executive summary of what this authorized summer transfers means. >> So, let me make a motion. Hold
175on. I have to make a motion. So, I would like to make a motion to authorize summer transfers for the uh 2026 and seconded by Karen Hirs. Just so you're so I'm not slacking too much, I'll do I'll do this one. The uh summer transfers is as the chair said is very routine based. In order to close the fiscal year, we may have to do uh what we call MOC or major object code transfers. Uh and in this order to maintain the town's the town's schedule for closing the fiscal year out, it's occurs over the summer when there is no regular scheduled board meeting. So here you're just given the uh executive committee authorization to do the action items that you've done throughout the year for some budget transfers if we need to transfer between
176MOC's and we any action that we do take over the summer will report out to the first business meeting uh next school year. >> Any questions on this? Okay, seeing none, I will call the question. Um, all those in favor. Okay. Motion passes unanimously. the cell phone. >> Oops. >> Okay. Okay. So, the um on to cell phones. So, I to get this on the um agenda, I would like a motion to direct the superintendent to update the regulation to require GHS to have a uh to have cell phones off and away all day uh bell to bell beginning with the 2627 school year. And um I would just like to make a statement. >> Do we have a second yet? >> Thank you. Go. >> Oh, sorry. Second. >> Okay. >> Second. >> Now,
177now we have a second. All right. We have a second by Paul. Go ahead, Wendy. >> I want to begin by saying that I agree that students should not be using their their phones during instructional time. That is already our policy and I fully support it. I'm a no tonight because we're missing a critical opportunity to teach personal responsibility to emerging adults. Our current regulation explicitly states that high school students must learn to self-regulate their cell phone use before graduating. A bell-to-bell ban removes every opportunity to practice that skill. We also do not have an operational plan. Every major system at Greenwich High School relies on students using their phones, digital ID to enter the building, lunch purchases, checking out books in the library, and verifying schedules in the li and verifying schedules in the
178library. The proposal does not explain how any of these systems will be replaced. We don't know whether we need new card readers for entry or lunch. We don't know how students will verify schedules. We don't know the cost of replacing these systems. and we are being asked to vote on a directive without seeing the regulation it would produce. We do not have a draft. We do not have the the language and we do not know what we are actually directing. From a governance standpoint, our board policy allows phone use during non-instructional time while the superintendence regul regulation requires phones for digital ID schedules lunch media center checkout and a bell-to-bell ban contradicts both. Changing policy would require a first read and a second read and that process has not even started. We do not have
179enough information and the community only heard about this at our at our last meeting two weeks ago and again yesterday around noon in the GHS PTA newsletter. This feels rushed and we should not be voting without a clear operational plan, a draft regulation, a cost analysis and a trans and a transparent process. We owe our students a policy that is developmentally sound, operationally feasible, and transparently developed and we're not there yet. >> Thank you, Wendy. Um, so discussion. Um, Dr. Jones, um, I know you put you put together some some some material and things. I don't know if you wanted to talk through some of some some of that here to to get us started. >> So, the first couple of pages um were actually put together by our safety team. And that was a
180question you had uh when we talked about it before. Um you know they're they're trying to just give you some basic data about how many states already have restrictions um how it you know it has been shown to be helpful for students mental health. >> I put it up for >> um Mike do you want to go ahead and put it up there and just follow along with me? >> Thank you. Um so I'm on the third page. The impact on distraction is what I was just referencing and it has showed that um there has been like the studies are showing 61% down to 13% um when cell phones are banned. Um the psychological framework again they're just looking on the next page at uh what it does with the presence of phone and how
181it drains cognitive energy. they were just giving you some some backup data. Um the adjustment horizon and it shows that in year one there is a basically an implementation shock because you know everybody has to get used to it. Um we also know that just being able to manage it is something that has to we're going to have to spend a lot of time on over the summer uh if this were to go forward. Um year two there's still some of the negative friction but it starts to fade away. Um and again this is kind of what our colleagues in surrounding districts are saying is that they truly believe um and again this is you know anecdotal um that their students are happier and healthier um by getting rid of the phones and from what
182they see during the day and the level of student engagement. And again we're you know some districts have had had a full two-year ban already. They're ahead of us in discussing this. Um and then you know that the positive social dynamics do increase um and long-term um they do feel like there's less anxiety for students and we do have a lot of students who have uh who are anxious for a variety of reasons but it doesn't mean it's a fix for everything either. So I just say that from the data um you know it's it can be mixed. It doesn't necessarily mean it's going to help every single student uh not be anxious or or feel better. Um but there are some positives to it. Um then looking at just some of the strategic concerns,
183they're showing where academic performance gains um and whether or not the phone can be. But we've been off for the most part. We are off in the classroom as you heard the students talk about tonight with the pockets. They're basically they look like, you know, shoe pockets when you walk in the room. And there's some things that are challenging with those too. Um but that I think most of the teachers feel like that was an improvement over when they were first implementing and didn't have those in every single room. Um the enforcement there is a strain of course that we would have to figure out um on the whole enforcement burden and what that looks like you know and what the districts that have really you know have had success in implementing is when they
184see a cell phone it has to be confiscated. Their parents need to come pick them up. and the districts that really started out uh enforcing that from day one. Um it's you know it's been okay. The interesting thing is we are already cell phones off and away and have the span K8. So our students coming into the high school and especially now for the last couple of years they haven't had their phones out for lunch. They don't have it for passing. They're used to it coming into the high school. When we come to the high school right now we kind of throw all that away. Um, and we when you go in our middle schools, you don't see cell phones and they're in their bags or their locker depending on, you know, where where they've
185chosen to keep them. I do think it's one difference in Greenwich versus like um if I if I look at Wilton or even in New Kanan because they bought the pouches for middle school, now they're discussing uh do we need the pouches at high school? because it's almost like the candy store is free when they go to high school because they had the pouches before in middle school. So, they're having the opposite problem. Our students are used to it coming out of middle school. So, I actually think it's not going to be as difficult for us. And I think in meeting, you know, when we chat with the high school, I think it will be interesting. Um there have been discussions should it look different for a senior, you know, than it does for definitely
186freshman and sophomores. Um, and we're having a lot of discussions just in general about, you know, the off-campus behavior and things of that nature. How do you treat upper classmen a little bit differently um by where they are in their academic um, you know, placement? So, um, overall from a security standpoint, phones can be very disruptive if we're in an emergency. Um, and you know, if they actually all start hitting on the internet, they actually could bring it down in a true emergency. Um, and there is a calculation in here and it's the one that says emergency realities and it talks about, you know, with 2,700 students if they simultaneously all call um that it actually, you know, could halt the system um and it could make it more dangerous um for us to be
187able to communicate out and that's been a challenge, you know, for a long time. Um, they they also put some research in here for you. this Newsweek uh there was an article that ran in Newsweek just a couple of weeks ago and that has the map of the United States. So where you see the dark brownish color that's the statewide ban and right now as and I'm not sure that this map is as up to date as what I saw today it was 28 states have have a full ban. Um when you look at the orange it's the limited cell phone. I say orange I guess it's kind of reddish. Um and then requiring districts to establish a cell phone policy. That's how some of the legislature um has acted across the country. Um we
188actually thought we were going to have legislation this year that was going to ban the cells um cell phones for all of Connecticut and at the last minute it just I think their plates were so full with educational um legislation this year they they ended up not acting on it. We thought it was going to be done kind of to us um and we would be figuring out but that did not go through. I do believe it will be back again next year uh with the legislation. And then the back side is just giving you a sample again. It shows you what our current uh regulation is. And then what's in red is what could be put in new. And then the one piece that's on here is on the very back is the what's
189in blue. And that was just to draw your attention to it because this has come up. would you know should we also be having a laptop discussion which we've been having a lot of discussion at K8 we really have not discussed it at high school and I think one thing that really stood out from the ad hoc committee uh curriculum committee the other day is that you know when students do have their own laptops the level of control um that the district has is vastly different than when they are issued by the district and um from a safety security standpoint and I think that that resonated with people but um I would encourage everyone to you know watch that video as well. It's it's a good video. Um but again that doesn't mean that's part
190of this regulation. I put it here just to draw your attention that that's been coming up since we're having this discussion. >> Questions Veronica? >> Uh thank you so much. Um and Dr. Jones, this question is for you, but if anybody on the board has any uh information, I will take any answer. Um, in any of your research, is there any knowledge of a district going in the opposite direction, meaning that maybe they banned high school and there was push back or concern and um they lessened the regulation. I do not know of any school district and in just again this you know from my colleagues that I speak with and across the country I was at a conference this last week and of course it's a topic of conversation for all of us. Um
191overall people feel it's really making a big difference for young people and I and I think we're in a very different place this year than we were even two years ago because um I think people are starting to really there's been so much research and information put out there. Starting to pay attention to what cell phones are really doing from a brain standpoint to with our to our young people. >> Okay. for another. >> Okay, great. First of all, I wanted to thank everyone who came to speak tonight, everyone who emailed us. We read them all. U and I know many of you know that I have elementary school students, but I did want to point out I do have two young adult children uh who graduated from Greenwich High School. So, I do understand
192that life as a high school student today is indeed quite different from from what it was when I was in high school. Um, I I agree the policy needs some refining, but you know, as I've been going through and listing out the pros and the cons, I I think the pros are significant and the cons are quite manageable. And I wanted to walk through what I've been hearing from students and parents on both sides. One, students are saying, "I have a complex schedule. I need my phone to manage it. Uh, printouts are available. This is solvable." Two, I need to meet up with my friends. I need to find them at lunch. Two options. You can meet in the same place every day or you can plan ahead. Three, we need to coordinate on sports
193or jobs. You still have email available. Five, it's important that we learn to self-regulate with phones. Some quick math. Students are in at the school 7 hours a day, 5 days a week. That's 35 hours a week. There are 168 hours in a week, which leaves 133 hours a week plus all summer to practice self-regulating. Lastly, medical necessity. Students who need glucose monitors, IEPs, absolutely fair. We need to make exceptions. On the pro side, significant reduction in distraction will get the most out of our edge of time in the classroom. Two, reducing bullying, including kids being filmed against their will and having that posted on social media. It's absolutely critical that school is a safe environment for everyone. As a few parents have pointed out, some of the phones are effectively in both these cases
194secondhand smoke. You don't have to have a phone to be negatively impacted by it. Three, reducing wasted class time. I've heard from numerous teachers that they're spending precious minutes at the beginning and the end of every class dealing with phones. And most importantly, not having access to the phone teaches students to plan ahead, to be more organized, and to be more independent. These are major life skills, majorly important life skills which frankly have de declined since phones have become more prevalent. Arguably that's the biggest positive of all. >> It's no secret that I am much like Wendy uh against the you know bell-to-bell ban at the high school. I've not been silent about it and I think Wendy actually detailed a lot of the points very well. Um, so I won't necessarily go over the
195same ones. Um, but I too have done a bunch of researches research on this. Um, and I'm, you know, it's very clear unrestricted cell phone use is problematic. Um there's evidence supporting though that strict bell-to-bell band bans for high school students are more nuanced than you know just just the details and the things that we're talking about here. Um yeah they're a distraction to students and interfere with their intent intention and engagement in classrooms. That's you know no surprise. And yes teachers strongly support stronger restrictions. They also support, you know, structured and consistent enforceable polies policies rather than the unrestricted access or inconsistent, you know, classroom by classroom rules. I think I'm confused at how in two weeks we went from off and away to a full b-tobell ban and restrictions of computers at lunch.
196You know, our our statement at the high school's freedom with responsibility. We're aiming to prepare these students for the real world and no one's going to tell them that they can't use their cell phones appropriately when they're in college or or at a job. Um students are used to having them during class, you know, not are used to not having them during class and school hours uh both at the middle and elementary schools and we'll, you know, learn how to use them more appropriately. So starting next year when they come into the high school and the next year and the year after that, they'll already be trained to not have them out in classrooms. I know we have a, you know, an overlap of two or three years of school uh students at the school
197that didn't have that policy, but but they do now. Um you know we we're disregarding the recommendations from last year's uh high school you know cell phone committee and really haven't looked to get stakeholder input as mentioned by many of the speakers. Yes the students use the cell phones to monitor their class schedules coordinate study groups and fact check information from cla you know fact check information from classes among other things to submit in uh their work. Um, you know, they were students at the high school, uh, XCOM mentioned that they'd have to they do the work on the computers and they have to take the phones out to take a snapshot of the work to be able to submit it. It's a complex pain in the tush system apparently. But be that as it
198may, it's one of the points that was brought up uh, by many. You know, they use them obviously to access school, pay for lunch, and so much more. There's workarounds for some of these things as well, but we spent a lot of time and a lot of money investing in in ways for them to actually have less and to be able to do that on their phones. I just also feel that an unofficial ban like, you know, official ban will unfairly target students with special needs, medical or learning, who require their cell phone access to maintain their health or support their learning. I'm sure there's accommodations to be made for those students, but it really puts a spotlight on their needs, fully obliterating their right to privacy. Um, and a lot of the research that
199I've done has shown, you know, the common polic high school policy themes throughout Connecticut are that most districts are avoiding fully permissive policies, but they're also uh not they're still allowing un sorry, they are still allowing some restricted high school cell phone access during the day. Uh, they're looking for structured limitations, reduced classroom access, and greater administrative consistency. But high schools are obviously treated different than elementary schools. And the research I found said that you know some of the issues that crop up when they give these ban uh you know bell-to-bell bans at the high school you know things for student employment driving and transportation coordinated increased in student independence after school responsibilities amongst many many other things you know these are the reasons that they allowed limited high school access during lunchtime or transitions.
200I also think a lot of the students use those open times that are, you know, often the media centers full that they're in the student center to do group projects that they can't do at the end of the day or after school hours because they all on different teams and have different after school responsibilities. Um, ultimately I I truly think the high schoolers spoke very well as to why for the majority of them they did not support a full ban, you know, bell-to-bell [clears throat] ban. off and away is still a really good we've you know good option and we've only given them one year of putting them in the pouches to see how well that works. We all know you know when it comes to other things it usually takes you know two to
201three years to really get full you know movement in these ways and you know like I said I I'm supporting also the students and a lot of the parents who've said you know we haven't really done the due diligence to move this forward tonight. So, >> um I'm mindful it's getting late, so I'm not going to repeat everybody's comments, although I um I really agree with a lot of the comments that Karen Krauss made, honestly. Um but I I wanted to um talk about actually we got an email from a teacher today and it was interesting. She she was talking a little bit about the cell phone ban and one thing that she said really struck me was that she said all the time when you walk around in the media center in the student
202center kids are watching TV shows and movies and and it just broke my heart because it was like okay there it's this is not about doing school work. You're not interacting with your peers. You're coming to school and when you have a free period you're sitting down and putting your earbuds in and watching a movie. and and I don't know why that is something that we would be promoting. Um, and by the way, I hope it's a an appropriate movie that everyone all the other kids want to be watching because it's there on the screen in the student center and we don't know if it's an appropriate movie or not. We don't have any ability if it's somebody's laptop that they're bringing from home and they're streaming it using their cell phone. And that's something
203that came up last week in the ad hoc committee. Um you we were talking a lot about primarily we were focused on K through eight and um the Wi-Fi restrictions and the Chromebook restrictions but then the security you know the internet security team said we have no ability if someone is bringing in their laptop and connecting through their cell phone. They can watch anything that is on the internet is available to them and they can pull it up on their computer in the student center or the media center or the classroom and start watching it. And you know, someone earlier tonight talked about the secondhand smoke situation. Someone could be sitting in class and they have their computer open. They're watching a movie. I don't know what kind of movie it is. All the kids
204behind them who are trying to listen to the teacher are watching, I don't know, you know, some Adam Sandler holiday movie or something. I don't, you know, hopefully something wholesome, but I don't know what it is, you know, but it's very distracting. And honestly, this has been going on for a long time. And I remember when I was in law school, people used to do that and watch movies and it was so distracting because they're sitting in front of you and you're trying to listen to lecture. So, I really feel like um it's something that we need to address because it's so unfair to the students who are trying to do the work or or in downtime are trying to socialize and they walk into the student center and everyone has earbuds in and is
205and is watching a movie. So, there's no one to say, "Hey, how are you?" And so, I I really think I appreciate the regulation. The language needs to be really nuanced and we need to talk about it. And I'm sure Dr. Jones is going to work with her team and with the administrators and with the teachers, I have no doubt. But this really feels like a huge problem to me. And honestly, even the students who spoke against the ban, sort of the quality of the way they were talking about their willingness to break yonder pouches and build 3D cell phones because they want to be able to have access. Like that made me feel sad that it was like we're willing to break all of the rules and not follow the rules of the high
206school in order to have access to our phones. That that speaks to the addictive quality of cell phones that students would get up and talk about how much they need to access them. Can I just respond to that one point? That's not what the students were saying. They were also talking about an excom. They weren't saying that they individually were willing to do it. They said that there are students. I just want to make sure that that's really clear that those students were not saying they were the ones making, you know, bringing in burners to put in. So, I just want to make sure that that was very clear because that's not what they were saying at all. But, you know, >> um Dr. Jones, the um I know one of the things we said
207last month, we talked about was some of the um for lack of a better word, institutional barriers that you heard about library books and lunch and some of the other ways and um we heard tonight about um um club and sports communications and I and I don't nobody expects all these things to be fleshed out tonight, but you've you've undoubtedly had some had some thoughts and conversations about that. >> Yeah, I mean, as you know, we've only had the digital ID. I think we're in year number three maybe. Um I wish we had never implemented quite frankly. I didn't know when we did it. Um >> I I I share your >> Yeah. Um I do think having regular IDs is something we've done forever and so being able to have access to those. It
208just means we have to uh work with the company that actually takes the the school pictures. We dealt with this issue a year or so ago in middle school as well. again because we've been off and away in middle school for you know for ages. Um I also one of the things that's in the regulation because it's feedback again from board members over the last year and a bit on that back page it says the office direct phone numbers will be clearly published and phones should be promptly answered because apparently across the high school and most of our houses um that and again this is all anecdotal from board members that we don't answer the phones. We let it often go to voicemail so that if a student I mean has like you know grandma's
209sick and went to the hospital and they want to come pick their student up um then we want to make sure that we're answering the phones and kind of changing some procedures in the way that we've operated as well. So we know there are going to be things like that. I do want to mention too and I couldn't pull it up. I was trying to pull it up on my phone, but um at the last meeting, we did have the survey from GA where they surveyed our teachers because again, I you know, when this legislation was going through, I talked to our legislators on a weekly basis, if not several times a week, and I wanted to be sure what I was sharing them with them was accurate. Um and it was pretty high. It
210was 60 or 70 uh% of our teachers supported the state cell phone ban. So, I just share that as a as a data point. It's not like they haven't had a voice at all. >> Yeah. Go ahead, Bob. >> I just had one quick question. Um, I forgot his title, but what was the the school security specialist, Brent Reeves? What is what is his opinion? >> So, he's part of the the security team that helped put these first slides together. Um, he is supportive of it. Um, you know, I'm very careful not to put words in his mouth. He has a high school student. Um and so you know but but he's but he is looking from the person that is over all of security um and that really wanted to express that there are
211challenges that phones cause in and most of you have shared some of those tonight. Um, so yeah, for for what it's worth, the uh I remember when we talked about this two years ago, um, you know, um, it was witnessed this more the start of this national conversation that was really started um, in many ways by Jonathan Hates's books book, The Anxious Generation. um um if folks haven't looked at that and some of the data there even though it was 2 years ago uh 3 years ago a lot of that data now it's only been updated and it only continues to be more compelling um and it matches uh what we saw in our most recent Greenwich Together survey uh when we saw that last year you know half of our high schoolers self-report spending
2123 hours or more a day on their phones 11% spend 5 hours a day. Uh 46% point to reduce sleep. 71% feel more productive when they limit their smartphone use. And 75% of our teenagers say they have tried to reduce their cell phone use. Um this is as Jonathan Hay said, this is the rewiring of childhood. Um, I think the most compelling thing thing I heard tonight, mind you, I'm biased, the most compelling thing I heard tonight was Gabe um when doing student government comments when he lamented um his friends silently sitting around the table at the student center looking at the this box, right? Looking at their cell phone. Um, and you can think of all of the lost hours all of us had as teenagers um that this addictive device that has been
213designed by these tech companies to be addictive has stolen. It's time for us as a local community to say enough. No more Facebook. No more YouTube. The New York Times just had an article last week about how these companies put a study video and then right after the study video is a Adam Sandler thing. You know, they um so you can keep watching on the algorithm. Um it's not our kids' fault. Um they have been manipulated um by technology by by the technology industry and it's time for us as parents and as community to to do what we can. And the way we do that and the way we do take back um um our students time is by enacting and following um what 28 states have already done and and and and ban ban
214ban these cell phones um bell to bell in the high school. And with that I think we'll call the question. >> Yes. So I note Bob we will take a voice vote. So, Madam Secretary, I turn to you. >> Okay, we'll go down the We'll go down the row. Karen Hirs, >> no. >> Bob Cheney, >> yes. >> Karen Krauss, yes. >> Michael Marcanti Anthony, >> yes. >> Sorry. Sophie Coven. >> Yes. >> Veronica Cali. Yes. >> Paul Paul Capi. >> No. >> Wendy Walsh. >> Emphatic. No. >> We have five yes and three no. >> Yes. >> All right. Thanks everybody. Um, okay. So I have been told that uh Dr. Bud is now online. So we will go back um to um item C. We're discussing item staff evaluation executive summary. >> Good
215evening everyone. Can you hear me? >> Yes. Yes. Yes, we can sir. Welcome back. >> Very good. Thank you for your accommodation. And I speak very briefly about the first item tonight. Uh by statute, I'm required to present to you a brief summary, which is as brief as it can be to affirm to you that our staff have been evaluated this year. That evaluation finishes in the next couple of weeks. But concordant with the educator evaluation and support plan, all educators have been evaluated and individualized support plans have been implemented for uh staff members who need additional support uh than the typical goal setting methods. >> Any questions? >> All right, sir. Moving on. Okay. The second report is a um five-page report that seeks to answer some of the interesting questions you've asked. And
216if you'd like this on a more periodic basis in your next year, you just let me know. But I try to present things that could be of interest to you in the community both for this year we're in and as compared to other years. So on page one, so we have a fundamental basis, I present to you who are the staff of Greenwich Public Schools. We have just under 1,600 staff members who work for us. And uh the majority of them, approximately 900 are in the teaching staff. Thank you, Mike. And uh the others are represented in the numbers at the top and the pie chart, of course. So, we do have people who work in our schools who are town employees, uh, uh, administrative assistants, custodians, school nurses. They're among the biggest categories of
217those, but they're employed by the town. Uh, these are our employees through Greenwich Public Schools, and that's the basis here. And I should say this is a good time to say that all the data in this report from this year is through last Friday, June 5th. So, it's as current as we could make it and still analyze it for the report. If you go to the second page, you'll see a little synopsis of our hiring of staff this year. And I will not u insult your intelligence by reading a document to you that you can read, but let me highlight if I could a few things. Um, in terms of teaching staff, we remained more or less consistent with hiring approximately 70 uh regular permanent new teachers and then 33 long-term substitutes for individuals who
218are in the pool but on extended leave. And I think of interesting note is the second bullet that 39 of the 103 new teaching staff had worked for GPS prior. Uh meaning that they've worked for us. Uh they wanted to come back and continue to work for us. They went through the selection and interview process we have and were chosen again to be the best from a competitive pool. And I think that says something about our ability uh to be a strong employer for many staff members. Uh I actually want to pause and give you a nice anecdote from my work this morning. Uh I was fortunate enough to contract this morning a new physical education teacher for the district for next school year. We have a couple of resignations in that department. And this
219individual, William Malone, uh is a proud graduate of our school system. And uh went through the school system and when asked to reflect on a physical education teacher in our system who made quite a difference in him in in his life in retrospect, he mentioned Nancy James, who's recently retired uh from Central Middle School, but has come back as a long-term substitute this year. At any rate, um Will did another career for a short period of time. Wasn't feeling totally satisfied. Thought he might want to work with kids. And he came back and worked as a professional assistant, a para for us for three years. He confirmed he liked working with kids, and he got into a program to get a master's in education. He changed to work as a building sub for us so
220that he would have more time to do his studies. He did his student teaching last year with Dave Brun, one of our great fizzed teachers at he's at North Street and he was selected just earlier this week from a very competitive applicant pool as the best new physical education teacher we could hire and it's a nice example of somebody who's just um homegrown and outstanding and it's a tribute to his teachers um like Nancy Dave working with us as his cooperating teacher um and uh he'll have a great impact in the future. I spend a little more time in the next par uh section on this page talking about professional assistance. We had as a goal this year uh to really accelerate and expand uh our para educator professional assistant hiring. Uh the union for
221the professional assistance worked handinhand with us through contract negotiations for a strong contract with a differentiated salary structure for uh uh challenging assignments. They also agreed to a mid-year contract reopener that u uh tightened up the language on uh notice needed when Paris resigned so we weren't left with lastm minute resignations. Uh we uh really encouraged people who were good building substitutes and daily substitutes to try try it as a parah and uh we filled a remarkable 47 professional assistant seats this year which is 26% of the unit and uh that's a very very strong number and uh it left us uh with of course a few still vacancies because this is a pool of individuals who can resign at any time for other opportunities. But we also know the importance of having a rich
222substitute pool. This goes handinhand with absences because substitutes occur when there are absences. And this year we hired a new 57 substitutes for the district. 35 building subs. Those are the people who come every day to a certain school. And then daily substitutes are perdm. That is 29% of the total substitute pool was hired this year. And uh that will uh likely continue next year because this is a group of u varied employees some of whom want um partial or perdam or temporary work. So you see uh in the graph if you use 1600 as our axis because that's more or less the positions of staff we have. Our teacher hires stayed roughly stable. We had an increase in our non-certified hires. And I put a little bit of detail at the bottom where we
223are for this next school year. If I could go to the next page, you had asked for some information on what we'll call separations. And you know, some of our staff are perdeium like substitutes. They could separate, you know, kind of when they wish. It's a little bit less of a permanent job. But we look here at instructional staff. Those are the teachers, administrators, security personnel or pareducators who uh made a commitment with a contract to Greenwich Public Schools. And you know, when you make a commitment and uh it's the end of your journey, I just feel and I know the superintendent and you do that you deserve a little bit of credit at the board of education meeting for having devoted your time to the district. So, I wonder if you'd just let me
224because not everybody will see this presentation and I know these individuals are on uh watching the meeting. I want to pay a special tribute first starting with Sheamus Ali uh really faithful GHS security guard retiring after seven years. Bralio Santiago, Parkway ESL Spanish teacher after eight years of service. Deborah Binstein, one of our great professional assistants in North Street Preschool, retiring after 10 years. Lee Atinasio, library media specialist at Parkway, retiring after 13 years with us. Laura Boyd, 14 years at Greenwich High School as our assistant dean. Katherine D. Donado, a grade 2 teacher at North Miamiis, retiring this June after 16 years. Nancy Schwarz, the stalwart library media specialist at Costco, retiring after 18 years. Janet Souchi, grade 2 teacher at Old Greenwich, will retire after 19 years. Carolyn Kolinsky, ALP, teacher at Glennville,
22520 years of service. Lisa Boone retired earlier this year, 20 years of service as literacy specialist at Central. And the next are over two decades of service. Jennifer Simons, Costco ESL teacher, 23 years. Pearlanne Buddhising, professional assistant at North Street for 23 years. In the 25-year category, we have Jennifer Laauo, Greenwich Public Schools research manager, Kathy Malair, Greenwich High Special Education Evaluator, and Cindy Vartuli, Greenwich High chemistry teacher. at 26 years. Liberty Capiello, CMS mathematics interventionist, and Susan Zur, North Street ALP teacher. We have Lauren Aldworth, North Miami special education teacher, 27 years. Chris Levermy, GHS transition counselor, retired a few months ago after 28 years. In just a few weeks, Stephanie Nicoleti will leave after 29 years of teaching grade 1 at North Street. And then we have five of our dedicated teachers retiring
226after three decades or more of service. And I just feel strongly after three decades to the same district. You get a couple of sentences each. So first, Cindy Williams, ISD grade four teacher retiring after 30 years. Uh Cindy is known in the words of her principal Phil Hammock for quote building the kind of warm and welcoming environment that every student deserves. In particular, her ability to cultivate a love of reading is second to none. Julie Nixon will retire from Greenwich High as an art teacher after 31 years in Greenwich. Our arts coordinator, Leah Stilman, calls Julie a true collaborative team player, a leader among outstanding peers, including putting on a wonderful program, Spring into Art, where middle school students collaborate with high school students around art. Kenneth Alhorn will retire at Greenwich High next uh
227week after 36 years as a social studies teacher. And Lucia Reco, our Greenwich High social studies administrator, notes that Ken is marked by intellectual curiosity, passion for social studies, and desire to help all students succeed. In fact, Ken was the founder of the Greenwich High Ethics course. Unsurprising given Ken's philosophical nature and ability to understand diverse perspectives. 37 years of service to Greenwich will end for Lisa Lamato, Eastern Middle School special education teacher. And Lisa's principal, Mark Guino, presents her as the epitome of excellent special education teachers, working tirelessly to help each student achieve his or her goals. And unsurprisingly, Lisa's passion for our next generation of students has paid off in a personal way, as well as Lisa's daughter, Allison, continues the outstanding legacy as a recently hired special education teacher at Western Middle
228School. And finally, after 38 years of service, Francine Williams, New Lebanon literacy specialist, will retire this month. Fran is much more than the founder of New Lebanon's very well attended books and bagel tradition. As a dedicated interventionist, Fran has worked, in the words of her assistant principal, Lindseay Eisenstein, to turn students from reluctant and struggling to confident and capable. And perhaps there's no greater gift, but one of Fran's former students, Kim Paladino, is now our leader of literacy interventionists across Greenwich. And in this way, Fran's legacy, like the legacy of the other 24 colleagues I've presented this evening, will live on for generations. So, I'm hoping the people I've mentioned tonight are listening. That is 574 years of dedicated service to Greenwich Public Schools and we thank them and wish them well. I will just
229note a few other things in my presentation. Uh we have some additional information on page two about other separations that occur uh that have occurred over the past few years and tried to give you some context there. On page three, this this has been my standing little update at your request on daily absences. Uh the chart that we last I last showed two months ago continues in the middle and my conclusions at the end are you see data here about believe it or not 6,700 daily absences per year which our administrative staff and our human resources staff uh implement well and work to ensure contract compliance. But our average for teacher absences daily is four has been 4.8% and for non-certified 7.2% and I would say that reinforces the conclusions that uh we have educators
230who want to work in Greenwich and who use their time appropriately and in the rare cases that that doesn't happen uh we we attend to that collaboratively and well. And finally, on the last page, I have given you some data on long-term leave. And I do that because the prior data on daily absences excludes long-term leave. And long-term leave has expanded legislatively over the past year. So now we have 16% of eligible staff approved for long-term leave. So, for example, our building substitutes are now eligible for Connecticut FMLA. Our cafeteria monitors and these are groups of employees that legislatively were added to this scheme of connect Connecticut FMLA this year and that has increased a burden on the district. It may be an appropriate burden uh but we are working on that burden along with
231the daily absence burden. And finally, uh I've had a couple of questions on these topics. So, I threw them in. I was uh asked to comment on uh how many of our absences are filled daily. And looking back at the year, uh that ranges on a daily basis from highs in the 90 area, 90% of absences filled to the lows around 65. And there's three factors that relate to that. One is kind of the obvious one. The more absences we have, for example, certain days of the week, the harder it is to fill all of them. But categories B and C are true as well. Uh certain days, for example, when there's inclement weather, people can't get to work and those absences come in late, harder to fill those. And also time of year and
232time of the week. Uh the same reasons why we might have staff who need more personal time on Fridays or Mondays for weddings. uh that's when our substitutes might want to attend those events or need to attend those events as well. So the substitute pool availability more or less tracks when we have more personal days. And I did note at the bottom a detail on our compensation rates. our compensation rates, our base rate for substitutes working um uh one to three days per week needed to be raised on January 1st or it would have been below minimum wage. And so when Connecticut minimum wage went up, we raised that a little bit. We continue to evaluate whether that needs to go up a little bit higher to remain competitive. Uh the same is true of
233our cafeteria monitors. those tend to be harder positions to fill because the rate is just above minimum wage and we continue to evaluate that. At any rate, I could go on for hours. The most exciting thing I named tonight and I hope that as you see those people or as you talk to people in the community who know them, you will thank them for the years of service they've given to make a difference for children. happy to answer any questions you might have. >> Four questions. Um Jonathan, thank you for um noting um all our retirees um and and and and collecting that information. Um I know we I know I know we share you and wishing them all well and thanking them for all their dedicated years of service. There's some some amazing stories
234there and we really appreciate that. um questions. Karen, >> hopefully this one is uh short and sweet. Um for those who are leaving the district, our educators or administrators for whatever the reason might be, I was just wondering because I know we've talked about this in the past, do we do exit interviews or offer those? Um >> we offer them and I would say about half of the employees take us up on that. Some prefer to leave and then come back in a few months and give us that information because the last month the school is busy. But I would say statistically about half take us up on that offer. >> So I who does those >> I was going to say yeah I I would love to see some of the data there because
235I think especially when we're talking about maybe staff morale maybe there's some you know clues in in some of that data that we can use to help support our educators and and improve staff morale. um you know cuz I'm you know interested to see if they share some of those concerns if they're leaving to go to another district in Connecticut or New York or or what that might be. I you know obviously some people move because they're want to be closer to home or their home circumstances have changed or they get better offers elsewhere but I just think that might be um valuable data for us as we were looking to try to support our educators and staff morale there. I I agree and I could speak with the superintendent about the best format to
236present that. The state of Connecticut a couple of years ago as a very good idea required that human resources departments uh collect information on reasons why teachers or staff members are leaving. So um I think I heard the question of who does those? We offer them through human resources to gather the kind of collected information. And one more question. I know we I mean this is a big year. There are a lot of retirees. I mean a lot of those amazing individuals taught my children. So it's it's kind of bittersweet for me. Um I'll be reaching out with my congratulations on a job well done. Um and time off well deserved. Miss Kolinsky I know will be heading right to Disney. But my question for you is for those retirees, do we offer them opportunities
237to come back maybe for sub positions or other? >> We do. >> And do a lot of them take us up on that or do, you know, to stay in that pool? >> They do. We have between four to five long-term substitute teachers this year are retired teachers with us. Mrs. James in physical education, Ms. Miserach who was an ALP teacher at Parkway is a long-term sub in Alf at North Street. Uh we actually have a retired special education teacher who ca a few years ago who came right back and became a professional assistant and has done that for a few years and then we had a long-term sub vacancy in special education. So she left the PA job a few months ago and it took that job on. So she's kind of back and
238forth. There are pension rules about that. uh but we do offer those opportunities and I think it depends on the person's uh personal interests and whether they want to be quote tied down or a little bit more free, but we see a good amount of them. >> That's great. Just as long as they know that they're offered that opportunity to sort of continue on and and not in a full-time role if that's something like to do. >> Thank you, >> Jonathan. I just had one just help me make sure that um um I verify my thinking here. So on part one on the hiring new staff, right? So if I look, tell me if I'm right here. So because we hear anecdotally um around um increased um um um departures from the district uh for
239one reason or or the other. Um so if you're looking at this and you see um the last three years and you see a fairly consistent line of uh new hires which would suggest um that departures have been also fairly consistent. Is that is that is that a fair is that a fair extrapolation? >> It's both of those things actually. I think that uh hiring for certified staff has been very consistent but do remember that the um total number of teacher FTEES in the budget has decreased the past couple of years. So there's been some positions every year not filled. So if the number of hires are about the same, it's relative to slightly fewer teaching positions. Um, part two, the separations page shows the data a little bit better and uh, that's where you
240do have a little bit more of a spike in separations actually last year compared to this year. The data is difficult though because there there is a group of people who will naturally retire in the last couple of weeks of June. So doing my data on June 5th for this page doesn't totally reflect that. The board may want some kind of an update once the new school year starts. >> All right. Thank you. >> Anything else? >> All right. Thank you, sir. I appreciate it. >> Thank you very much. Have a good night. >> Okay. So, back to action items. Uh where we left off, we were on uh board goals. So, I would like a to I will make a motion um to approve um the 2026 2027 BOE goals as presented. >> I'll
241second. >> Okay. All right. So, I appreciate everyone's [snorts] um um comments here. So, before us tonight is a revised draft of um the board goals that we had um last month. I won't um talk through um each of the bullets um but it's there. So you'll see um it remains um in in red. So any changes from last month to this month are now in in in red. So there were some suggestions around making um certain uh so you can see that more data more granular. Um you'll see a number of bullets speaking to staff satisfaction um and some of the concerns that we've heard we've heard this week um around looking at both ways to uh continue that conversation um and and systemically approach ways as a board we might be able to
242um um look under the hood. Um um and then um um the other big issue I see Karen just give me one second. The um the other big um kind of change are two things. One um there was suggestion to um adjust the um screen time conversation that had kind of started this year um to look more specifically around K to 5. Um and then there most changes occurred on the second page when it deals with our own professional development um and and work as a board. Um we're kind of we're trying we're based on the conversation from last month. This is a commitment um for um us as a board to um have at least two visits um to every school. So that that does not mean that um yeah in total. So that
243means that doesn't mean we all um go to every school twice. Um that means if say for example Wendy and um Veronica visit I don't know uh North Street in October and then Karen uh Bob and Karen visit North Street again in March. That's his two visits for the year. So across the whole board we we get two visits. Um yeah and um I think those are those are those were most of the most of the changes. I'm happy to. And oh, and then the master calendar to Veronica's suggestion there um is in there as well. Any um questions? >> So, not so much a question, but just a comment of um I think it's great that we have these goals. I I want to make sure that we actually work on them. So, I
244Yeah. So I [laughter] so a suggestion that I have not that we're not going to do it in this meeting but is maybe if if all of us look at it and maybe want to take ownership of various different bullet points of saying okay this is something where I'll be the lead on this and I'll come to the board and suggest for for example if there's a professional development you um opportunities or something. So that's my recommendation is is that we coordinate and divide up and um and actually implement you know the work and do it. Doie I have I have warned you before you should be very concerned whenever you get an independent idea that is similar to the same independent idea I had the um um yes I agree. I think that makes
245a lot makes a lot of sense. Um, you know, I'm glad this document has has survived and I agree we actually have tackled quite a few of these even though we don't think that we have, but I support that. Um, so in light of the vote that happened this evening, the 5 to3 cell phone ban at the high school vote. Um, I think that uh I'd like to under where you were talking about where is it? I'm sorry. Student support, health and safety. Number two, we're committed to blah blah blah blah and it we will do this by evaluating the appropriateness of existing screen time norms across grade 5. I think we should also because below it says a community conversation around student cell phone use and other stressors. I I think we should also
246monitor how that cell phone ban is going and what you know >> uh unintended consequences it creates. >> So we can I wouldn't have suggested it except the past. So I think we really need to it's new and >> so so >> I'm happy to do that. And then but and the other thing is I hadn't seen this before under facilities where we it's you added evaluate alternative locations from Havier. I mean we've certainly done that but I think that that requires a board vote that we would even consider moving out of there. And I think that it also requires especially because we were some of us were on the habire committee. They need to come up with a a plan like I know they were supposed to be working with community to do listening
247sessions and other things which haven't hasn't happened and they haven't presented us with anything. So I think we're jumping the gun. It's not the board's responsibility to actually go out and look at locations. I know that the administration has been working hard on that. We've had discussions on that before and you know and the town as well can also give us a presentation if they have find something but it's not board members responsibility to be looking at >> speaking to real estate people. >> We did fund a study though two months ago. Remember we voted we voted to fund fund just that. >> Yeah. What what we might be looking for but I it's not our responsibility to be dealing with real estate agents. That's what I'm saying. I think we're jumping the gun by
248putting that as a board goal. think it requires a board vote and discussions. I just you can revise it instead of that and say, you know, once that study is done, focus on the review of and the needs of the central office, including the possibility of alternative locations, but it's it's not for us to talk to real estate agents. >> Okay. So the the bullet noted so the bullet under consideration there is um um um in red um under facilities um it's evaluate alternative locations um um other than the Havmeer building to permanently house central office and facilities. Um other thoughts about that? >> Yeah, just a procedural question. It sounds like we've added two things to this document. Is that correct? >> We've added >> Well, I mean, anything in red. So, anything >>
249No, no, but right now you're about to handright. >> So, procedurally, well, we've So, procedurally, what we would do, the the the the way to do this if we wanted to vote on this this evening is I would withdraw my motion. We talk about those amendments and then make a new motion to to prove it as amended. >> Okay. And is there a world in which we talk about the individual um or you know it sounds like two I think right now. Would we vote on those separately or do we have to package them package them? I I I'd say let's vote on them separately so that that gives us all the most you know freedom to kind of express ourselves. >> Vote on vote separately. So, you're going to make an amendment, right? And
250your your amendment is going to say, "We're going to vote on this document, uh, with the addition of blah blah blah and blah blah blah." And my point is going to be, uh, we're going to make an amendment to, um, vote on this document with the addition of the first one. And >> one was an addition, one was a just a revision. But I think that's the point now. We can have a discussion before we even make that motion. What's the revision where? >> Okay. >> We have central office. >> Yeah. I guess there are I guess what we need is I guess what I'm looking for is other opinions at the table around the Hmmer bullet. >> So that's what I wanted to separate like I I I think we've heard from our administrators.
251they're in, you know, anything that this board can do, even by putting something in this document that that suggests our support, that suggests anything. We have uh administrators that are are are in a building with air conditioning that's questionable, heat, that's questionable, you know, uh >> rickety floors. Who knows whether it's there's asbestous, there's not. They've they've requested that we, you know, find an alternative. Um, I I absolutely hear what Karen's saying and I do agree with her. Um, but I would I would uh uh regardless of that agreement, I'd probably vote for this just so that we as a board would end up, you know, making a statement and trying to continue to keep, you know, pushing this rock up a hill. So, >> so I'm wondering uh I I feel like the language
252here is okay because it's not requiring us to go out and identify other locations. It says to evaluate. So I don't feel like it puts such a burden, right? I mean to your point Paul like the if the town comes to us and says evaluate this option, then we are just saying we'll evaluate it. It's so I I I understand what your concerns are. I think Aaron, but I feel like the language is not >> um >> maybe requiring us to do anything other than >> so then maybe it's evaluate like I said if we're doing this study I think it's evaluate recommendations from the study and alternative locations if presented. I just don't want it to make it look like we're going to be dealing with real estate agents. That that's my biggest concern.
253>> I don't think it's there either. But if >> I just want to make it clear that that's not what we're doing because that's not our purview. >> But if a real estate agent asked me a question, I'd answer it. I mean, as a citizen, as like whatever, any way to get these people out of these buildings. >> Okay. I lost track of the first suggested amendment. >> The first suggestion was just adding to, you know, review the cell phone ban. You know, the two point. So, how about we um why don't we make that a fourth bullet? Um um monitor um monitor the >> bell-to-bell cell phone uh ban at the high school. That sound good? >> If you want to make it a fourth bullet or roll it into the second, I don't
254really care. But I just since we just made this change and it's a pretty big one, I think it's important that we spend the year monitoring it because we didn't >> Yeah. Okay. really do. >> So, second bullet, right? Continue to >> uh continue a community conversation around students cell phone use um and other stressors while monitoring uh while monitoring the bell to bell ban at the high school. >> Okay. Okay. I am withdrawing my motion. Um and I am going to move to um I'm making a motion um to approve the 2026 27 board goals um as amended. Um the sounds like the the sole amendment is um changed from from what was presented was this additional clause in the second bullet. Um, so continue of of number two. Continue a community conversation around
255student cell phone use um and other stressors while monitoring the Belltobell cell phone ban at the high school. >> I'll second that. >> Thank you. All right. Um, you you have a Oh, sorry. I thought you had a comment. Okay. All right. All right. Uh, all those in favor? All right. Motion passes unanimously. Um, superintendent. Um, last action item this evening, superintendent contact for the, uh, 26 27 27 28 and 28 29 um, school year. >> I'll be happy to make a motion you'd like. >> I'd like to make a motion to extend Dr. Jones contract an addition uh by an additional year from June 28 20 excuse me June 2028 through June 2029. >> I'll second. >> All right. So, um there are obviously things that we can um talk about this and and
256things we can't. Um I um would like to suggest um um or or move if if if so if if people are applicable to it um tableabling this to the first meeting of the of the first business meeting in September. And I'll explain my I'll explain my reasoning why. And I want to be very clear here um that none of my reasoning has to do with um doc any concerns around Dr. Jones's performance. Um, my uh reason for tableabling is because over the past I don't know 3 4 months um we've been having conversations about developing a u more robust and um sustainable over the long term regardless of who the superintendent is um evaluation system for um the superintendent. Um, we know as part of that we discovered in the contract that there's actually
257only certain things per the superintendent contract uh we can do to adjust that evaluation system in the beginning of the school year uh in September and they're mutually agreed upon. Uh but those evaluations can't happen they couldn't happen during the evaluation process the spring. They can only happen in the fall. So, I um personally, just being for myself, I would be much more comfortable talking about this um um and I think it's premature um considering um Dr. Jones currently has two years on her contract. Um I'd prefer that we first complete that process in September and then revisit that um revisit this conversation in the business meeting in September. >> Can I respond? Besides the fact that her contract >> was that a motion though. >> You need a second. >> I didn't make this
258is under discussion. >> Yeah, Wendy second. >> I they um >> I mean not sorry not Wendy Sophie >> I didn't I didn't technically make a motion. I >> N I made a motion and then Sophie seconded it. I >> Right. This is the discussion. Yeah. >> Oh he made a motion to amend >> and that was second. >> I don't I didn't technically make a motion to amend. I'm suggesting I'm suggesting a motion to table. Uh but a amendment make a motion. I think >> I can't I don't think I can amend to table. I don't think I can do that. >> Okay. >> Make motion table that everything else goes aside. I don't know this. >> Where's our >> the guy on the side this guy? But I think everything else stops uh
259until the motion to table is resolved. I'm not 100% sure. Can we get out of here? >> He didn't make the motion to table. >> Mr. Capial, you have to push to talk. I can't really hear you. >> Mike, did you make a motion to table? >> I was suggesting a motion to the table. I didn't actually make a motion to table. I'm happy to make a mo because I didn't think I could. I'm happy to make a motion to table. >> Yeah, that's actually how that works. So, >> okay, >> that's [laughter] exactly what you can do. >> Well, I was going to also note that we're not follow If you want to bring up stuff in the contract, her contract stipulates once she makes that request, it needs to be discussed and in
260within 3 months. I can go back and find the specifics in the contract, but the detail the section. Okay. So, I think where we are here is I think I've made a motion to table. I don't believe I've heard a second though. >> Second. >> Okay. So, now there is a motion to table on the floor. So, there's discussion about that. again, we won't be following her contract if we do that. >> Should uh point of order, can I with my mic on now ask the um sergeant- of- arms, for lack of a better word? So, my question was I was curious whether or not once we we had a main motion. Uh we had a um motion made, we had a second, we went into discussion. The first person to discuss was actually um
261uh Dr. Anthony who his discussion ended up being a motion to table. At that point, does this discussion end and we vote on the motion to table or do we keep discussing? >> I it it is my belief that the mo the initial motion would have to be withdrawn in order to make a motion to table because you're not amending the motion. You're trying you're choosing to not act. So the motion on the table would need to be withdrawn before anything additional can happen. >> Thanks Michael. That's what I thought originally. Okay. Okay. So So we are currently under discussion of the original motion. What's my suggestion that we table um this for September for the reasons I stated? Other other other comments? Aaron? >> No, you go ahead. >> All right. Um, as I
262I I agree with Mike that it doesn't feel like the right >> recognizing there are only certain things we can talk about in public. >> Yes, I appreciate that. Um, I think I think I'm okay here. I I think one, you know, the existing contract already covers next school year and the year after that, which is a a significant amount of time. We did very recently receive the GA survey results and I only only tonight the uh SCES the SE I'm going to get the letters wrong uh results. Um I've personally received a significant number of calls. I know the board's received a significant number of emails that I think merit consideration which is just not something that I think should be rushed. And as Mike has pointed out, uh my opinion is that the
263current review and feedback process is uh is frankly deficient. And I faced some resistance uh so far from some of my colleagues in proposing improvements that I bring in from the corporate world. And I think we need some more time to discuss the relative merits of those. >> Oh, well, I was going to say it's a separate thing. I I'm the longest seated member on this board. have been here for seven years and I have sat through seven years of reviews on Dr. Jones. Each one of those has been topheavy with praise and support for the work that she has done. And in each review, board members have also shared areas of weakness or concerns. And each and every time she has taken those notes and worked to make improvements. She's achieved almost every single
264goal that she has that has been set every year. She's met every single goal set in the current strategic plan. She's worked to make muchneeded improvements in special education and ensuring that our curriculum uh is consistent horizontally and vertically. These are major changes and things that our district has asked for for years. Um you know, she's focused on visible and achievable actions. It's the first strategic plan we've had ever that has time-sensitive and data-driven goals and she has met every single one of those. You can't change a school's culture overnight. And I will say I am personally dedicating myself. I'll happily do it over the summer. I've already started doing a lot of research on it. Working on staff morale um work with Dr. Jones or whatever as I am allowed to do statutoily, but
265happy to do the work. I already looked into plenty of things. I know our staff is exceptionally important as is their happiness within our schools. Um, but you know, we've experienced the greatest academic gain since Connecticut implemented its current accountability system in the past few years. Our districts earned the highest number of schools of distinction in its history. All three title one elementary schools have re received district distinction recognition. And as we noted before earlier today, New Lebanon was named a 2026 National Blue Ribbon School. It's first time a title one school in Greenwich and first of a Westside school to receive this honor. We've also been recognized nationally in many different ways and you know noted in New York Times as well for outperforming pre- pandemic achievement levels where others were dropping. We you
266know remained consistent and we went up you know is is anyone perfect? No. >> Karen Karen we we have to be careful about we can't really even though you're giving positive evaluation. >> Uh this isn't an evaluation. This is factual data that we've already talked about at meetings, including this one. I'm not veering into other things. These are things that are all part of public discussion that we've had. >> My argument was not had anything to do with Dr. Jones's performance. So, >> I'm telling you why I made the motion to support the contract extension. And you know, yes, we have two years, but stat in in Greenwich, Connecticut, we don't do things differently than the rest of Connecticut. and it's always a three-year contract that and that's what most districts do is every year
267they add an extra year. We've done it many a time. So anyway, to me that is the person like the reason why I when you have something that's working, especially when you're meeting all the needs and the goals of your strategic plan, I'm hopefully working with Dr. Jones to start that process. to for next our next strategic goal next strategic plan to move forward and have that opportunity to reach even higher goals. I mean to me that it's a it's a no-brainer. Other comments? >> Other comments? >> I'm just going to say briefly that, you know, it is typical that the superintendent always gives us notice that she would like to have a contract extension and we always would vote on it and usually it's in May or June. So, this would be highly unusual
268to push something off into September. And frankly, it looks like a lack of leadership to me and and waffling to do something like that. I don't understand what message that would be sending to the community. So, um, you know, she's asked for the extension and I think that we should vote on it. >> Yeah. I don't think it's I don't think it's waffling. I think the um nor do nor do I think that um it's good governance in all honesty. The um what we have this system that we fall into that I think is a bad system. Um where that every year um um we add a year. Um I don't think that's appropriate. The um current last year we actually debated um adding two years or one year. Um we added two years um
269last year. Um that doesn't mean automatically we have to come back this year and have that debate again. I I did not want this on the agenda because I did not want this misinterpreted um around the superintendent's performance. Instead, I think what's appropriate is at the end of superintendent's contract. I understand what's the norm in Connecticut. I think what's the norm in Connecticut is wrong. Um what should happen is at the end of the superintendent's contract which is in year two um the board at that time should vote on a new contract. All right. This is not the end of the superintendent's contract. Um this is one year in four months into seating of four new board members with a incredibly deficient that's been deficient for seven years um evaluation system uh for the superintendent.
270Um we had a lot of conversations with our new board around restructuring that because of contractual obligations um and restrictions. We can't change that until September. And so I think it's entirely appropriate and should not be interpreted. I will reiterate a should not be interpreted uh by anyone in the community including the GA that this is a vote of misconfidence in in the superintendent because that's not it. Instead, this is a chance for us to complete our um and get our house in order finally um and structure a u put a clear system in place so that we can come back and have this conversation in September. But I've talked enough. >> I just I just want to clarify because the the way that the contract reads um you know Dr. Jones says establishes goals
271for the year in the beginning of the year. um we agree on what an evaluation process would look like and then that that evaluation process takes place and it ends at the end of the year. So if we're pushing off to September, I don't understand what we're pushing off to September. We're pushing off a vote on an extensive her contract, but in September we would be doing a new evaluation process in collaboration with Dr. Jones, which I'm perfectly happy to have that discussion and work on that over the summer. But why we it doesn't even make sense that we're pushing off a vote simultaneously. We would be asking her to establish new goals for next year and create a new evaluation process. Meanwhile, we've like every everything is going to be overlapping in a very
272awkward way. And that I don't understand. I feel like this is this is the year, you know, we're in this current year she's asked us to vote. We're we're going to vote. you know, we're obligated to vote to push the vote to be happening at the same time that she's establishing the goals for next year and we're creating a new process. I don't understand what that's solving for. I I recognize maybe people are dissatisfied with the valuation process the way that it's been before. Um, and I'm totally happy to improve it for next year, but I I don't really understand how this is addressing that issue. So that's all >> I think that's part of it. I think that um I want to make careful with my words here because I maintain respect for you.
273I don't that's not what I'm trying to get at, but I'm not sure. I think Karen said it earlier and probably said it more eloquently than me. I think she said we had some resistance as it related to developing those metrics. Um, and and I'm hearing you say that you're you're all for doing these things. Um, and we can do those things in September anyway. So I what I'm hearing between Karen's message and your message, it contradicts there's a contradiction. Whereas Karen feels that's a good way. I'm going to do it this way. I'm not saying it again. Karen feels Is that okay, Karen? Karen feels that that there was resistance um to that and you're suggesting there won't be resistance to that. And so I think that um what that leaves me questioning myself
274is is that that that's the question that I'm back and forth. Is there is there going to be resistance or is there not going to be resistance? and you know, is this a way to assure that, you know, that we're all on on point with developing a a better metrics so that when Dr. Jones, you know, retires in a very long time or whenever she wants to, um, we have a robust system, wake us up. [laughter] Look, I'm >> I uh you know, you can't these [clears throat] these school scores and everything that's going on and the the the um the budget that we passed this year and I mean, just things are are are really good. Um but I'm stuck on wanting to develop a process that's going to go on in perpetuity uh
275that's better than the one that we have right now. Oh, I was just going to say I don't know where you have felt the resistance, but I know we already gave Dr. Jones her review this year. So, even if we work on a new re review process, which I think I told Karen at when we did the reviews, I'm happy to sit down with you and work on it because I think it can definitely be improved. Um, we've already given her a review, so waiting till September to start looking at a new review process isn't going to change the review uh that we gave this year. So it's >> this is a new process, >> right? But that would then not take to that review would would happen at the end of next school year.
276So there's no difference between now and in May, next the start of next school year in September. And again, I think the contract states at the end of the first year of that contract, which it would be, you know, prior to the end of the first year, the board of education at the request of the superintendent may vote for a new agreement. That's it. Yeah. Well, she made the request. So, >> okay. Sounds like yep, we have. All right. So, we're going to call the question, Madam Secretary. >> Okay. We're going to call a voice vote. I'm going to go the opposite order this time to so that uh Wendy Walsh. >> Wait, what's the motion? Yeah, we'll >> the motion was to extend the the >> the original the original motion as presented. Yes.
277The uh an additional Yeah. extending Dr. Jones's contract. Technically, it is a one-year extension to the 2829 school year. >> Correct. >> Okay. No. Paul Capelli, >> not a reflection of Dr. Jones, but no. >> Uh Veronica Calberly confused. Uh yes. Sophie Coven. Yes. Mike Banty Anthony >> for the process reasons I noted. No. >> Karen Krauss. No. >> Bob Cheney. >> Yes. >> Karen Hirs. Yes. 44. All right. Uh we're going to move >> right. So we move on the um the last motion the last item on the agenda is the agenda plan discussion. Um I don't think we have much. >> Okay. Go ahead. >> Um so we need to add another meeting. This was the last one on the agenda plan for the EDS bags. >> Right. Um, the other thing I
278would recommend after listening to the discussion tonight is that we had another retreat for the board to give me direction about what you actually want us to continue with our work. Because, you know, when I was hired in my very first year um in Greenwich, I was the 14th superintendent in 20 years. Um, we had a strategic plan that nothing was done in five years, virtually nothing. Um but along with that I had very clear direction from the board and I have for several years about work that needed to be done. Um and I am a little unclear because I will tell you like even from and I have said this to the board. I really watch the health of a building and our building surveys at the end of the year. That means a
279lot to me because are they happy coming to work? But what I need to know, it's things like you talk about personal days and somebody I think at the public comment talked about that we either implement it as the contract is written or we just say we're going to approve them all. And I can tell you that's something that upsets people. But I think the board needs to have a conversation about some of the changes that we've made to actually tighten up. Um, the first two years I was here, some of you, Karen, I know you probably were here. Bob, you were involved in PTA and probably saw we'd have a hundred parents sitting out here for special ed. Our teachers were fine. It now has switched where some of our teachers are frustrated, but
280again, what you heard last at the last board meeting about staffing and the ratio that Stacy presented, if we are going to move away from that because we already have one of the lowest case loads in in this region. But I need to know that before I start building a budget. So I think we need a big retreat to really talk about a lot of the changes and if we're talking about the health of the district, we've either got to take our foot off the gas pedal which is going to have other implications. Um but I need that direction from the board. So I would add a second retreat. >> U second retreat >> to talk about this issue. >> Second retreat and um is suggesting in the summer? >> Yep. >> Okay. >> Yeah.
281because we're building a budget right now. I mean, I we the finance budget committee has already seen the first draft and the iteration. If we're going to start adding a lot more staff, we're going to address some of those things that that are frustrating to teachers. I know what some of them are. Our teachers would like to have a 4-day week and have one day off where they get to do all the paperwork. We don't do that anymore. um we really struggle to afford to do that and that's a bigger conversation and maybe the board's going to tell me go add 15 staff in the budget and then let's just tackle some of these issues in a different way but I really need direction because I I don't really know how some of these issues
282get fixed unless we make some big changes. Anything else on the agenda? >> Do we need to add that right now or? >> So, so I think we have to think about I think we So, I guess there's an open question of whether or not we can have one and I don't know I don't know what you're thinking if there I'm thinking out loud here if we can have one meeting in a retreat in um late June um that has that as well as uh the pool and maybe something around litigation um in an executive session. Um that covers all that. I think I think that's kind of the idea. >> I think the key for the pool is you just got to send me all the questions so that I can get them all
283answered so that by the time we show up for the meeting, we're really ready to vote. Then yes, we could have them on the same night. And ideally, I I would imagine the best time to do that would probably be um next week is graduation, but the week after that u before before summer really gets underway. >> Okay. All right. So, we'll So, we'll be so we'll be in touch soon. >> Yeah, we'll have it at her since they're going to knock this building down. >> And is there another motion on the table? I'd be happy to make a motion to adjurnn. >> I'll second it. >> All in favor? All right. Motion pass. >> Thank you everybody.