12-5-22 Groton Board of Education Meeting

001So I would like to call the grten board of ed committee of the whole meeting to order. It is December 5th and it's 6:04 um on my on the school calendar or the yeah calendar. Let's try clock. Um and our first um our first uh agenda item is the review of the November 21st meeting minutes. And I would accept a motion for acceptance. I have Andrea. I have a second. >> Second. >> I have Liz for a second. Is there any discussion on the uh meeting minutes? >> Hearing none. All those in favor of the approval of the November 21st meeting minutes, please say I. >> I. Opposed. >> Abstain. That motion has carried. We are now on agenda number three which is the discussion with the field committee and I was rude enough to

002put a cop in my mouth and folks I don't have the talent to be able to talk with a cop truck. Should we maybe go around the room and just introduce >> I was if you let me if you give me a chance. Okay. Thank you. Um so I'm gonna start with Dean and let's just introduce ourselves. Dina Ted Keller, principal at Fish High School. >> Rich Costa, coach and teacher at Fish High School and a member of the committee. >> Rarowski, chairman of the athletic fields task force. >> Sam Kilpatrick, facilities director for the district. >> Morgan, >> he's just a talent. talented as me with talking with the knuckle. My name is Kim Shepard and I'm the chair. >> I'm Andrea Atman. I'm astounded that I didn't recognize you. We got to talk.

003>> Yes. >> Phil Piaza, assistant superintendent. >> Susan Austin superintendent. >> Yeah. >> Um Mark Romano, we know you. >> Yeah. >> And happy to know you. Um Matthew, >> board member. Matthew is behind that thing. >> Hold on. >> And if I >> I can hear you. >> I know, but we can't see you. There you are. Okay. >> Good evening everyone. >> Thank you. And Beverly, >> thank you all for coming. >> Oh, thank you, Beverly. All right. So, um, let let me just put us all in the same field. Huh? >> Okay, that was bad. >> So, a couple months ago, um, we were um kind of just talking about um the the facilities. We had given we had put as part of our budget um in our CIP was to have

004a uh review and recommendations from an architect to like take a look at the concession stand and to take a look at our fieldhouse. And we do know that some of this stuff was kind of wrapped into the field um the athletic field committee and we were talking about like well do they know the status of what that is and what does that mean? Um and I we sort of as a board figured why not just have a like a conversation about what is your plans? Um I think that there is some nervousness on the board in terms of not on the field committee on just about um how do we get to the um improvements around um the field uh both the football field, the concession stand, the field the fieldhouse and I believe

005that the bleachers are um a little scary. Um, and I know that you guys know that and I and I and I think I think for me, if I can just speak for me for just a second, is is that where first of all, how how can we partner with the field committee because you guys can't do it all by yourself and this is a long process. Um, and there's probably lots of things that need to be done, but where is the where's the fish um stuff in your in your recommendations? Um because I think that we're gonna need to do some planning around that. I don't know what that means when I say those words, but I think I think Mark, when I talked to you, does that am I changing the storyline at

006all? >> No, you're right. You're right on with it. >> Okay. Thank you. So that's why we wanted you guys to come in. Not because we wanted to like what what are you guys doing, but more how can we partner? Um I think that the board is very clear that we don't work in silos. um that we really want to be a collaborative um part of the team. So with that, that's where we are. And now they look at each other. >> I want to know who's gonna Frank is the chairman. So >> I am >> I'll let him start and I can start and Mark will fill in. >> Um where do we stand today? It's let's start from we've been we started in March of 2020 right before we got together. Um, we've

007been here before with the with the board of ed presented the our task was to um let the the the town of the town council know and understand what field shortages we had um within the town that's includes the high school everything within the town of Grton. So, we got together, we through a year of talking to uh the baseball coaches, the lacrosse teams, the soccer organizations, um little league, softball, football. We talked to everybody and came up with all these great metrics and how short we are and everything that we need. Um it took us a bit to get there. We got there, we presented that information to to the board of ed. We've been to the RTM obviously to the town council first um and presented what we had. Um we kind of

008got stagnated with um at some point when the whole help me a little bit the mystic oral school issue. Right. >> So town council kind of backed down and we want to wait until we everything goes through though it wasn't connected. It was still connected because our major goal within our group was to take the high school three three-part series if you could remember back when which if you don't it's okay there's the high school portion of it there's the Sutton Park portion of it and there's the Cloudchester part of it. So in our mind, those are the three biggest areas that we could work with. And one of the things that we learned through coach Costa and um and Mark Romano um sorry I still call him coach. I apologize. Um, and I I

009know it when my children went there because they were in the same boat is trying to keep these student athletes on campus as much as we can because part of the problem is the the next player on whatever team we have. I think in our presentation here today, we pulled out some slides, there's like 13 teams that leave the campus of of of the high school to go practice or to go play games. JV teams and baseball teams, uh, a number of them. So, it's trying to keep them on campus so that when they have practice at at three o'clock and but they need extra help and they can't get to the practice field or go to the extra help, they have to do one thing or the other, right? They there's no transportation provided

010past maybe the first bus. After that, you're done. So, what do you do as the 13-year-old or the 15-y old kid? You got to make this decision, right? And we hope they always make the right one. But if they know that they can go to that extra help and then run down the hill and go to practice, you know, they yeah, they're going to be late. Coach won't mind if you're late because you had an issue with that with something academic. So, by using those three things, we were trying to and we wanted to put them together as a as an entity, not we we I think we've all learned through the years that the the high school that the projects, we'll call them, tend to be you know, um, decreased in value as as

011the year goes on, right? Yes, we have an idea. We're going to take $200,000, we're going to do this for a field, but then, um, a bridge breaks or something and we need that money somewhere else and it kind of gets pushed down. And the fact that as we went through the whole with with Chad Frost in company, it I'm not sure what happened. They I'll go next door and see if I can find them. >> Okay. Thanks, Mark. >> Good evening, Rita. Good evening, Beverly. >> Good evening, Matthew. How are you doing? >> Uh, I'm doing I'm not twisting in the breeze yet. >> All right. Good, good, good, good, good. And how's your lovely wife? >> My lovely wife is busy at the community meals tonight. >> Oh, yeah. That's right. Tonight's Monday

012night. >> That's right. And I spent about four hours with JP over in Mystic, so that was good. >> Uhhuh. Oh, good. Good. I'm about to travel to um Mississippi again because my father's in the hospital. >> I'm sorry you're gonna feel it. Sorry. He's not doing well. >> Where where in Mississippi are you going? >> He's 102. Rita. >> Oh my god. That's because he was the same age as my mom. Yeah. >> Yeah. >> That's amazing though. >> Yeah. He just turned 102 the beginning of November. Wow. >> Rachel, we're waiting for a technical glitch to be resolved so we can join the group. Just bear with us. >> Who's Rachel? >> Okay. Thank you. >> Rachel Franco. >> Hey, Rachel. Hey. I heard on BBC that Miss Franco planted some bulbs this

013weekend. >> You heard that? Where? >> Oh, BBC had a special one. >> I can't hear very well. Is it me? I've got I have them backing out and then they're going to try and re-enter the meeting from next door. >> Thanks, Mark. >> And here they are. Let's see. We can see you. >> All right. Never mind. So, um I just we were we had to leave the meeting um because um we became not online. I'm not quite sure the word is. >> So I we are disconnected. So we are back but um we have not had any further conversation um about uh about our topic. And once again to our to our guests, I apologize for um this um technology and my inability to use it. >> So um so we like I

014said, we got caught up in the um uh oral school stuff, then we got caught up in Claude Chester stuff. What has happened recently is about six weeks ago um we a top there was the topic of discussion was the Clawchester and what they want to do um they've come through all of their um citizens meetings and um sessions with we had open discussions we had um what what was the what do we call that >> a visioning >> visioning meeting put stickers They came up with and the the the parks and recck department came up with all the list of all the things that uh their folks wanted and prioritized them based on all the feedback. And they actually at the last meeting that we went to about six weeks ago, the um the

015town gave um the okay for Chad Cross's and company to um do a kind of a rendition of what what we they feel with taking all that input what they feel Cloudchester should be looking like um with the types of things that um the community has um put out there. So, we're right now we're just waiting. We're we're in limbo while they they're doing that part of the study. Um, so our idea in the beginning was to take all three of those locations, Sutton Park, and the high school, and make it one big happy package, put a bow on it, and figure out, tell everybody, "This is what we want, and here you go. Have a nice day." Um but um as you know it's a lot bigger than that right so um that's where

016we are today and I know that when um we were with you guys the last or I think I saw the meeting that you guys had discussed it and Mark and Richard have talked about it in our meetings about the things that you guys have been doing or they've been doing and all of you at the high school. Um, and I think we're to the point where we need to like you, we we we want to try to keep the can going down the road and keep going forward >> because my my sense is and I don't mean to I can't change it to gallery and I'm not going to touch the computer because last time I had us leave the meeting um is is that this is this is a large even if you

017just took one of those three things and and look rightfully so. So, because there's a lot of needs out there, so it's not I feel like you guys were like digging way underneath the dirt to find these things. I get it. So, these are I would assume you feel like they would have to go to a referendum to get any one of these pass. >> Yeah, we Exactly. >> Okay. >> They the committee wants to present this the whole package, >> right? That's why Claude Chester kind of held us up and I think we're moving to that point um to get it approved well to bring it to the town council to get it approved and they are now discussing on how to pay for for these things. >> But this is kind of in

018order this thing here they the high school has always been the first priority. um everybody recognizes that the needs of the high school um are there uh they need to be addressed and so um even if the project was to be chunked out um and again this is the decision of the c the town council on how they're going to um if they're going to bond it or whatever that um the first place where the needs would need to be met would be at the high school. um they would rather it be done, you know, all three at the same time, but you know, we're we're talking about a um pretty large uh expenditure of uh taxpayers money. So, um that that's coming that that's going to the town council and finding out how they're

019going to approach this. There there's a lot of support on the town council for what we presented. Um we presented to early in the session we had representatives from the state. So we had um Senator Summers and um Representative Connelly and at the time Dela Cruz, but um Andre was going to be the other representative is well informed about this whole situation. So, you know, they they lended support and and basically they said that once we had a plan, once the town moved forward the plan, then they would work to with the town to try to get some state funding um for what what we came up with. So, >> would it be useful for us to see if Sam, do you have any information about um the study that was done on the fieldhouse?

020Yes. Um but it's it's not complete but um there were well >> there were two different versions. >> Mark Mark would have the version but um and the pricing probably. So um two different versions either knocking down the fieldhouse and building new which I think Rich you were in on that meeting too right? >> Yes I was. >> So um I think that was the preferred >> to do that. >> Yeah. uh which would include uh male and female locker space. >> Yeah. >> Changing room, meeting rooms, etc. And I believe the it would also include the uh concession stand within that new building, too. >> Concession stands. And then not only restroom facilities for the teams and locker room facilities, but also for the public. um that was in the plan where there was

021one one building and not the renovation of the two buildings >> and the bleaches are a big concern. >> Right. So if if number one on that whole thing, the pitch thing is is and this is what um the committee and Mark and um people at the high school to to simply renovate that stadium um the track um with a synthetic turf field uh that would be available to um all the teams. Right now it's a football field um and it's it's narrow um so that other sports can't really uh the soccer team and the um lacrosse teams and the field hockey teams uh cannot adequately play on those that that field. It was designed for football and it can't be expanded because the track obviously is around it and the bleachers are right there

022also. So that whole area would have to be renovated. Um so that the field was made wider. Um the track would then be designed a little bit differently around it and then the bleachers would be would be pushed out. Um and then as you see all the other amenities that would be needed. Um the restrooms, the locker rooms, the scoreboard, parking, uh the field event areas for for the track storage and and ADA compliance to all those things. And then there was also a need we found for multi- youth. This this was done, this is our presentation to the town council in 2020. Um so this was done before the middle school field was completed. Um so there's a need for two additional uh multi-use fields. um a softball field on campus, uh a varsity

023size softball field. The softball field that's there that was built as part of the middle school project is um is a smaller field. It's not really a varsity size field. It was built for the middle school and uh it'd be adequate for a JV team, but not for bar I'll go back and check again. >> Thanks, Mark. This could be a movie plot. Room 11 disappears. Sorry guys, this has never happened. >> Time to get to the the town hall annex. They I've heard they fixed up the place. >> Great. >> Um, can I just try mention something? I don't know. I don't have a raise my hand button. >> I don't know if you can see me either. >> So, Rachel, Rachel, we can see you, but I would have to have someone from

024the board recognize you um for their turn. So, um to ask >> I'll recognize Rachel Kim. >> Beverly, thank you so much. Rachel, go ahead. >> The reason Well, I'm also speaking because I'm on the athletic fields task force as well. So, >> Oh, I am so sorry, Rachel. I apologize. I did not know that. So that's okay. You turn back. >> It's okay. I just wanted to also add in that money was given to parks and wreck um for the athletic fields task force to do um after they figure out some locations I guess to bring in architecture architects and and planners and designers and to figure out where all these fields should go and how it and so there is money set aside for that whole you know the planning of all this

025as well. So, I just wanted to throw that out there. Um, because like it's been mentioned, we're trying to get it at the high school, Claudchester, Sen Park area, but there there's ways to figure out where where can it fit and how can it fit and things of that. So, I just wanted to throw that out there because I I didn't hear it mentioned. >> Yeah, park parks have been holding off on spend. They have money in a CIP as as Rachel said they were holding off to see where the Clawchester property divisioning of the citizens so they haven't allocated that money yet but there is money for planning um to see >> we had two CIPs for planning one was for the culinary arts and one was for the fields at the fieldhouse and

026because they weren't moving at all in the CIP we determined that we were going to go on and do it ourselves the board determined to do it themselves. So, we've got the planning completed just for those buildings. Um, and then for our culinary art at Fitch. >> So, what would happen if the plans don't intercede together properly then? >> Well, I I think that's why we're here, Rachel, is to kind of find out what to do. Um and obviously we're not going to come up with the um answer tonight, but um at least the field committee would know that we are supporting their efforts and knowing that their priority is the Fitch um and that um I think that the board of ed can then realize that the field committee is also supporting um the

027area around Fitch as its um priority. I'm going to recognize uh William. >> So what's the ideal scenario of how quickly this could be done? So I mean looking at your 2020 presentation it looks like >> so I mean if you go to the very last page >> next steps >> I think uh maybe maybe it's not there. >> Uh yeah this so this was our original timeline >> when we presented this on 2020. Um so you know this would need to be updated. Like I said, we were put on hold because of the first, as Frank said, the the Mr. Carl School project and then later the Claude Chester project. So, this got this got put on hold for the committee. So we would have to come up with a new timeline um once

028the um planning once the um parks and recck department decides to go ahead with the planning and then we could >> so that timeline for that is >> forever >> for the Yeah. So that's I mean >> imagine we had to do this with our havoc or with any other things we were doing at the school. >> Right. So I mean I think >> right no I I I hear you. I I um I think that that's why the board really wanted to have this conversation is is is that um we have See I I mean Wow, calm down. Su Susan was correct when she said that we have we had two studies one for the culinary and one for uh fieldhouse just to see what needed to be happen but we also have a

029CIP of the crowning of the football field and um so there's we're we're asking the town to support um the field not even to keep it status quo I mean um and so um to Williams point. Um, how much how much longer can Fitch be kicking down the road with a concession stand, the field the fieldhouse and the football field before before we are at critical mass because I'm almost afraid that we're at critical mass now. >> That's those double dots at the bottom of the page. If you do nothing >> for the existing field to be usable, >> there's a problem. So it could be on. >> So Rachel, I have a question for you as a person of the town council. At what point does the do you have to um put on

030for a referendum like for it to go into the November? Are you aware of the the timeline? >> I don't know the timeline. I do know that we won't have the ability to bond for probably a couple years because we're pretty maxed out with the bonding because of all the schools and I know in the in a from when the actuary came to us um it looked like it was going to be a few years out before we could do bonding because then we have to wait till um some previous bonds are paid off. >> Okay. So if so, Rachel, if I could um read between the lines is is that if we were to do anything around the fields, we would it would have to be something different than bonding. Is that correct? No,

031that's that's not what I'm saying. I'm saying it might take might take a couple years to have room to bond is what I'm trying to say. So let's just say we could probably bond in 2024. We could, you know, everything could get ready and prepare for bonding. We could probably even try and go to referendum in 23, but we wouldn't be able to bond, let's just say, till 24. I don't know the exact year, but I knew back when I first investigated this, it looked like we were pretty close to our debt threshold. Um, because there's a formula of what we can, you know, can put in for debt that's part of our budget. >> Okay. And so it looked like it was going to be like 24 maybe 25 that before we could bond

032for a large project of you know so we might it might be 23 so or 24 so but the referendum has to be pulled together and the process has to be started and I'm not exactly sure how long that takes to be able to go to referendum for a piece like that. I I think Parks and Wreck is is ready and I believe and I I wish Mark was here, Mark Barry, um to move ahead with using the CIP money that they have to begin an architectural study for this plan. I I believe that was their intention. Um but again, I can't I can't speak for Mark, but from everything we've gotten from him when we've had meetings, um I think that was our impression. Am I right, Frank? Absolutely. >> So they they want

033to move ahead with that which would be the first step in getting then together a referendum which would then lead to bonding and then also looking for state money. >> I don't know. I I let me I'm sorry to jump in, but I think the money it's it's a substantial amount of money for all this. It's $200,000 if I was correct in my memory. >> Y >> for the planning of this. But the problem being is like are is Claude Chester going to be used as soccer fields or or rectangle fields or is that something we're going to put up at the high school? So that's why we're waiting on Claude Chester because if you're going to put rectangle fields up at the high school, that's you're it's a whole another component of what needs

034to be designed up there. >> Thank you, Rachel. I'm going to recognize Dean. The alternative to bonding of course is just paying for something right out of your operating budget this year. But that means that everybody in town this year pays for instead of spreading it over 20 years. You catch catch more of the community who actually enjoys that. It's the same thing projects or anything else. You can always pay for it this year if you want to sign people. My original question before this one came up was this. I can recall and I don't know whether this was tied to the knowing school field or it just came up. I remember people talking uh some years ago about the postity of fields in their part of town. They were talking at the time about

035the northwestern corner of town which is an interesting corner because it's got the Navy base etc. But it got me to thinking that's a good question. If I had kids, how far do my kids have to go to bounce a ball or kick a ball someplace? And do you run into the problem when you put together a here's what Grotton's going to do with fields, including school fields, with people saying, "Oh, so now you want me to vote in a referendum to approve the expenditure of this money for fields, but my corner of town isn't getting anything out of this. That's great for people who live over there." So, I don't know whether you gentlemen have encountered anything like that. And I wouldn't want a school project to be if there is a an albatross.

036Maybe that's that's an exaggeration. It's something hanging around the neck of the more comprehensive plan. I wouldn't want a the school project to ride along with that. Um well we we did encounter that and and this is why um one of the reasons why it was deemed that what where the other improvements would go would be to Sutton Park which is right in the center of town and then at Claude Chester instead of moving out to say a cop property or somewhere in another part of town. Um the feeling was of the committee that if we centralized it where there are already facilities um that we would be in the in the center of town and and it would be accessible to u to all the just like we put the middle school in that

037part of town to be accessible to everybody in town. You know at least it has to go somewhere. So obviously uh some of the people are closer but that that's kind of equidistant to all sections of town >> and and I think that part of what we'll do with the um the the parks and rec department also had another we did the 10-year parks and rest master plan. So a completely different group of people came in to kind of observe everything for a week and I was actually part of a focus group. There were they were half a dozen focus groups. >> Yeah. And that was one of the concerns from um people on that focus group was geez the northwest corner or actually even out this area there wasn't a lot to go play

038basketball. There wasn't things like that and they were taking all that into consideration when they provide their results I think in January um on what they found from their expertise and what they're doing as well. Um, but we we've talked about all the properties all over town. Like at the time, Pleasant Valley, like I said, you know, I run by Pleasant Valley twice a week and at the time it was I think we were trying to it was up for sale. I forget what happened, but I was like, you could put stuff there. I mean, it's usable. I know we want to use it for business. We want to use it for other things as well, but I but it again it's off it's not it's in an area of town where there's not a

039lot of other things that's we were trying to consolidate it as a whole but depending on what the what we have with Cester which is only the lynch pin in the fact that that there's a lot of there was a lot of um people who had a lot of great ideas for things that they wanted a pool. So, do you want to take twothirds of of Clchester and put a pool there? I mean, not my recommendation, but I'm not saying we don't need a pool, but you know, we that that type of thing, a pool, okay, we want the pool. We think it's a great thing, but we'll put it another place, whatever that may be. >> So, I think that this is what the board is struggling with. And um board members, if if

040you feel like I'm misspeaking for us, is that we have these high school items that are that are top of your list. I think we agree with you. My concern is is that it's it's getting stuck in this decision around Cloudchester and we have property that's deteriorating. And not that I'm like trying to be like a scare person, but we're also at risk of getting someone really hurt and we're not paying attention. And not that you're not paying attention to it because I'm not I'm not here to point fingers. That's not that's not my point. My point is is I think that the what the board is struggling with is this is what needs to be done is much bigger than any CIP project. Um and so and it and and the school field stuff

041is is is caught in your field study. And so what happens with the Fitch project? Because it's not like we can start just doing CIP projects because we are I mean we've we've paid for one and we're asking for we're um we're asking for the crowning of the field. I think that's what our urgency is is is that you know we go and and we have our flagship school and we have these fieldhouse and concession stands and I know you guys know what that looks like and I I know you're you're trying to hold both. You're trying to hold the needs of the town. I get it. You're trying to hold the needs of the town um and answer to the mission that the town council has given to you but really concerned about what

042this means for Fitch. Rachel, I see that your hand is up. Thank you. So, what it means for Fitch to me, um, we gave, well, from what I remember, we did vote and gave you the money to crown the field last year and I had an issue with it because there was this task force that what if we went and we spent all this money to crown the field, although it did pass and then we come and scrape the whole thing and do a whole new field in a couple of years because we go to referendum. So, here's the balancing act. Do we go to referendum and we ask for a lot of money and say here we could pay for this over 30 years but we can do all these great things for our

043community or do we cip it for 30 years and it might take 30 years or 25 years for somebody to get you know a softball field somewhere or a baseball field somewhere. I mean that's the problem because it has been suggested that maybe we do CIPs and that's how I think it has been done in the past and it really hasn't gotten the town anywhere as a whole and from what I have understood some of the people that were on the town council who did a plane said it was the best thing they've ever done. It was their proudest and the thing they took the pride in the achievement that they've done. So also having Claudechester, Sutton Park and up at Fitch, it's also going to make it so that the kids may not have

044to get bust anywhere that they can actually go to these places and they can maybe have access down um a path that we can go down to Sutton Park. So there's busing as well that's included here. And if we chose to do something out at Claude Chester, the school that Kent Frost has done renderings for us about the school so we could visually see some potentials there and he's found places to put soccer fields up there. And I don't know if it's okay to put them there, but I mean he's he's done these renderings on how things could fit there. not knowing exactly what's under the ground for sure, but I mean he's done all that research and data, but he's come up with some really good renderings to show how things could go at

045the high school. So, I understand completely what do we do with deteriorating buildings and I mean versus do we referend and and try and get this all, you know, and get it, you know, a lot of funding and try and do everything all at once. So, it's a hard thing to decide right now, but I don't think historically doing CIPs is the way to go. Historically, it hasn't really worked. That's the way I'm looking at it. >> So, Rachel, guess who was um guess who was offline the whole time you were talking? Hi, my hi, my name is Kim and I'm sitting here with some really incredible people and we have been offline and so how frustrating and we don't understand what I think what I heard you say is that there has been some

046rendering of some really good plans about how to do it and also the Fitch project is not something that we can uh we can do CIPs for because you would have to choose whether to do them over 30 years basically or you could do referendum them and have them all done at once. And like I was saying, I voted I I was not in favor of recringing the football field because my thoughts are in two years if we go to referendum and we put a synthetic field out there, it was just sort of like money we spent for two years. You know, we could spend hundreds of thousands of dollars for just two years worth of recrowning. You know what I mean? It's like what do you do? And I historically haven't seen because that's

047what they've tried to do in the past is let's do it over CIPs. And historically, it really hasn't worked. We haven't gotten anywhere. >> We we certainly agree with you on that. >> And that answer, >> Rachel, can I ask a question? >> Sorry. Go ahead. >> Go ahead. >> No, I just have a question for you. So, the money that the committee has right now, um, it's for the parks and rec to to to go get we they we have some ideas on what we wanted to do. Do we have to I just don't know the behind how it works. Do we have to go back to you and say, "Okay, we're we want to go start doing our thing on those other two sites." So, I'm thinking, why can't we go do the

048other two sites? >> Which site? >> And at the same time, they're working on the Cloudchester and then at least we're and they almost need to be mel melded together if we're going to continue as one. >> Which are the other two sites? You mean Fitch and Sutton Park, >> right? >> And yeah, it I don't think there would be a problem in the rear of Fitch, but I think the front part where he was talking about the soccer fields that that goes into play with Claude Chester, >> the front >> of the She means the area by the front entrance. >> Yeah, I think it was near the >> south side of the front entrance. >> It was near the sign out there to the right hand side, right? to the right hand side

049of the driveway >> down in the down in that big gully he was ch that's where he he had laid out soccer fields I don't even know if anything go there but that he laid out soccer fields in there so >> I tried I don't I don't think it worked real well yeah >> I just don't know what kind of land it is down there I don't know if it's protected I don't know any of that so >> but the point is parks and wreck can go spend that money now if they feel like I don't know I I feel like if we did it in parallel We we've got to be saving time, right? If we have the money to do it. >> If they started at Sutton Park in the rear of Fitch,

050I think they could start it. I don't see why they couldn't start the rear of Fitch and down at Sutton Park. >> Well, we did the fieldhouse part, so we've got an idea of that. And like you say, if it's early on, you can see how those two would then sit side by side or wherever they needed to sit, >> right? Because I think they were talking about adding on to the tennis courts as well. and >> two extra courts >> because there's not enough tennis courts. Putting a a softball field back there updating I think even the baseball field and then there was also the this multi-use down at the football and so >> I'm going to recognize Rita. >> Thank you Rita Vman. I'm off online. Um my feeling is that we need

051to separate out the bleachers at the high school. we could rebuild them, set them back from where they are now so that if anything is done to the field for track and football and soccer that it wouldn't interfere, but those are a safety hazard and I think we should redo them as soon as possible and not wait for bonding and a referendum and delay it any longer, but knock them down like they did at Ledger and rebuild. That's that's my two cents. Thank you. >> Thank you. Can Liz, >> um I know that this the Fitch property has got different things that they want to develop, but is there a way that we can break off like just the football field and the bleachers and and the um fieldhouse and the concession stands? What if

052we peacemeal it? Is that or would that not work? And we could do it. I mean, how much of this would be part of our budget, our operating budget? I'm just I you know, that feels the same field I marched on in 1975. You know, I mean, come on. It's that and and those bleachers haven't changed. Um I think my uncle Tony was there when that was happening and that was a long time ago. So you know the thing is the point is is that my concern as well as I know the whole board's concern is one is safety you know not only for our students but for people who are coming to visit I mean I was at the band competition it's scary going up those st those things so but how much of

053this can we take on or do we have to I mean can we split it between the town and our budget. I mean, is it even a a possibility? And I don't know if that's even in the realm of thought, but we've got to start to move on this. I think I think and I and I know that that's where you guys are coming from Liz. I I I appreciate you saying that. Um I'm wondering if actually we don't have the right people like in in the conversation yet in terms of like what, you know, what are our next steps? you we're part of a a three-step referendum, but what does that but what does that mean? And and how do we and because it's going to take a I think Rachel, you spoke to

054that. It's going to take a while to get a referendum um p you know through and developed and a plan of a plan of attack so that we can get people to to um understand the value of it and be willing to do it. So, um I >> I I think that the board of ed could communicate with the parks and recck department and and just say what you just said and try to get the the parks and recck department to uh move because they do have the money to do a study um and to to do the study at the high school, to do the study at at Sutton Park, and to do a study at Claude Chester with fields and without I mean um and and that would allow some movement forward and

055then and then once you have a comprehensive idea of what you can do then then it can go to how how is this going to get done and paid for but they they have funding to do that right now. >> Thank you >> Matthew. >> Thank you. Um I guess I want to associate myself with what Rita said and add one more dimension. Unfortunately I don't have a solution but I think that the idea of risk mitigation and risk management is kind of the elephant in the room for many of us and uh I hope that the various parties can work together to accelerate this to as a manner of mitigating and managing the risks that are involved at present. Thank you. So, what's our next step? >> Contact the parks and wreck. Is that

056what you >> That's what I think we're you know. >> Okay. >> Would be a step >> and then see what happens as a result of that. you're gonna have to speak with >> you or you and >> I mean I think I think it comes from the board and I'd be more than happy to um kind of throw an email together to say that we have met with the field committee and you know we uh we along with the field committee are wondering if we could move towards having the study of the is it the rear of Fitch and Sutton Park area is that the um uh so that we could you guys we can have the information so that when we move forward plus also I would like to understand about where are

057we in the process of asking the town council to at least begin the start the process of remediation uh of excuse me >> of what is the word when we vote on something >> referendum wow not a good sign >> you haven't had enough coffee >> um uh to also to find out who starts that process um and and when and when does that go because I think that that's also part of that because then I think that um that once again I think that the board is saying we're really concerned about and Matthew I think you said the right words um risk remediation and risk um mitigation is that we we've got some pretty scary areas. >> We do and and um >> and and there's also the equity issue too. the equity with

058with the um >> the gender equity issue that >> that is apparent every day. >> Rita, >> that's exactly what I was going to bring up. The gender equity and also it is not handicap accessible. My dad was in a wheelchair and to get down to that field to watch a graduation or to watch um any type of sports is very very difficult. So I I mean I think the town we need to do something ASAP and not wait for all these studies and just get something done with those bleachers and the bathrooms and the fieldhouse. Thanks. Thank you. So I I understand my marching orders. I will throw together an email guys and you guys can look at it um for um approval but um to send it off. Um, I will make sure

059that you guys are CCD. Um, the field committee can at least I'll CC you and you can throw that um to the rest of the the thing. That would be great. >> Ask a question. >> Yeah, same thing. I'm not sure whether this is really the appropriate place or not, but this has been bothering me for a long time and that is the idea of putting in um artificial turf and I know that the research is very damning in terms of artificial but my real concern is not whether or not we do it. what my concern is that something that has to do only with the schools is being decided by an outside entity and that's I don't know whether to say that here or whether to say it when we um meet with the

060other people but then I don't know if you thought of that but that's the >> it was brought up in the very beginning um we have not recommended to anyone what type of deal. We have our own ideas, but as part of the project when they put it into price it out, that was the idea also, right? We also want to do um turf versus grass. You know, I'll tell you up front if it was up to me, I'd turf the whole town, but that's just me. I mean, because it's usage. I I'm concerned about usage. You have lights in the turf field. You can play from 8 a.m. till 10 p.m. at night. But that's neither that's not the answer necessarily. Um, but we did talk about it and what what we're going to

061ask for in our in our price out is the differences, right? So the town the parks and recck department knows how much money it cost them to maintain the fields and things like that and then you get the cost of how much it takes to put the if you just take the let's take the big field at the high school, right? and you're going to do that. What are those cost comparisons and that's part of the whole thing and then you can I mean I think eventually that's maybe a town council decision money decision but yeah we we've and we have not said one way or the other if you do turf fields you need less fields that's just a fact because you can use it more often. Um, but there's obviously >> injuries to

062kids. >> Yes, there's both sides, right? We can >> for every pro there's a con and it's a it's a forever going argument, but yes, we we have talked about >> and I see that that's down the road. But that was a very good point. I see that that's a discussion down the road. >> Regardless of the the field, what it's made out of, the field still needs to be made wider. >> Yes. And that and that, you know, whether it's grass or turf or that is really the uh the crux of the problem as far as getting the other teams >> um down there to be able to utilize that field >> which also determines where you're going to sit bleach because you can't >> expand. Right. Exactly. >> My question is is do

063we have the space? I mean, I we do have the space because it seems like we're right on the precipice there of going down the hill, you know, and it's like there's one hill coming down from the from the >> What you do is >> you basically you shorten the straightaways of the track >> and widen the corners so that the oval is is bigger that way. Okay? So that then you can fit a a field right in there. and and those bleachers are not right up against the hill on either side there. There there's room. It's not a it's it's not a lot of room, but it's you know that those just those few feet make make a big difference. So, so it's not a big All you have to do is look over

064the hill at Fitch behind the fieldhouse and you can see how Graasso has put their facility in that in that facility. >> I just think that we're far enough away from thinking about that. >> There's Yeah. So I think I think that the purpose was exactly what we needed to have, which is what are what are the next steps that the board can do to support this. And so I I will um make sure that this gets out. Um I just wanted to say um Rachel once again I apologize for not recognizing you as part of the field committee. Um and so I apologize greatly for that and I'm glad to see you and happy to see you. Um thanks. Um and to the two of you, thank you so much for showing um up

065and um partnering with us about our concern. And it's good to know that you guys know that or just as concerned if not more since you live it. Um uh so I appreciate that. And Mark, I hope you feel better, dude. >> Thank you. >> I am going to move us on to the next agenda item, which is elementary, middle, and high school enrollment enrollment class sizes. Susan, would you like to orient the board? >> Be happy to. >> Thank you. >> So, one of the things that we do first and foremost as we start designing a budget is we look at our enrollment and our class size and we do the deep dive with that. Um, you can see on the elementary enrollment and I know Seth Danner is here um just to listen

066in, but I wanted you to look at what is the enrollment currently as of um November 18th, 2022. And then all the way to the right of the chart is the official October one numbers. So, um we have our each of the schools um by alphabet and then we have um the grade levels and the total. Um and this should include really all of the students to date. So remember though last year um when I talked about enrollment throughout the year because we are such a transient military and other um district that we had about 350 students who moved out and about 351 who moved back in. So it was like a net difference of one student. So we do have students coming and going all the time. So just keep that in mind as

067well. But one of the things that I noticed um when I did my quick view um and I do it kind of on a weekly basis is that the numbers are really within what the board recommends and within what the teacher contract says. So we tend to have more around the 20 number for our K's and ones and then 22 for the you know next group and then by fourth and fifth it can range anywhere between typically 18 and 24. So, um, and in most of these situations, you'll see that Katherryn Kolnowski, um, and Northeast Academy have what we call four tier, um, K's and ones, and then they move to three tiers. So, we have to be really cautious that we don't overfill them as magnet schools because what happened to us at Northeast

068Academy a few years back was that there was a first grade class that got overfilled like in the area of 80. So we couldn't divide it by three the next year. So we had to carry that FTE down which meant that we had to take out an FTE from kindergarten. So we had to really adjust ourselves with the four tier three tier model so that the class size would keep to what the board has recommended. Um so we're just cautious about that. um at Mystic River and Thames River, they can both be four tier schools, but we found when we really studied the enrollment, Mystic River, for instance, three grades three and four, we were able to um you know, have two less teachers because of the numbers. Um that looks like it's going to

069continue on the following year. And at the River, we have the um three tiers at the fourth and fifth grade level. So, fifth grade will move on to the middle school and we probably will see, you know, mostly four tiers for things. But, um, I can answer any questions that you might have about elementary enrollment. Um, you know, we we were really cautious about kindergarten. At one point, we thought we had about a 400 kindergarten students. Um, we do also have TK in there. So, we have the additional transition K in that mix, which is really very good. And I think that we did have some parents that opted to keep their kids out an extra year. We have a lot of other younger students. So, we might have seen some kids who decided to

070be um either homeschooled or kept another year home when they're only four. >> Rita, I see that your hand is up. >> Yes. Um, Susan, I had a question about Fames River the preschool number of 24. Are they split into half days or are there 24 students in the pres preschool classes with three FTEEs? >> Um, I would say that that is between the three preschool programs. I believe they all three are half days. We had had one program that was um more of a full day program, but I believe that those are all half-day programs. >> So that how many then are really in a class? >> Are there 12? >> 12 and each. Yeah. >> And then what about the prek? PreK. >> Can I just >> Can I also tell you, Rita,

071that what we do is throughout the year we take on the birth to three students. So we have to leave room for special education students who are coming in over the year. So those will really probably fill up to about 18 each. >> Well, would you bring them all into the river because the other schools already have enough students like the Mystic River pre preschool has 19.8. I mean I I'm just not exactly sure of these numbers for the pre preschool. So that would be 19.8 is cut in half. >> Yep. So we should say that somehow because it doesn't it's it's not on the chart. >> It is trickier with it is trickier with preschool. >> And what about preschool though? PreK rather. It's 21. They're all day, right? Pre >> and they are

072half day programs. >> A prek is a half day, >> right? So, >> and they also and they also um have room to fill up as well in each session. >> Well, 11 would be really a lot of room and 12. Yeah, that'd be an awful lot of room. And then the there's only one transition K with 15. I thought we had two classes at one time. We only have one. >> I think we've talked about it, Rita. And um there again, they've left room. There have been cases where we've had students who've been in kindergarten who are young and they aren't making progress in kindergarten and so the transition K is a more appropriate setting for them. It gives them more of those, you know, pre kindergarten skills and readiness for kindergarten. So, >>

073well, if you could just explain, you know, maybe send out another chart with it. >> Yes. Better pre and let us know which which are the half day programs. We'll do okay TK for >> TK is a full day. >> Any question? Any more questions on the elementary? >> All right, let's move on to the middle school. So really we tried to um stick to I think one of the first documents we sent out had some of the resource rooms. I see this one the first two are um adaptive PE. So those tend to be smaller in nature because they have our special needs students in PE. Um, but the rest of them are really either core or elective classes and they're by alphabet. And you can see um that whether they're a semester course

074or whether they're a fullyear course just designated semester 1, semester 2, S1, S2, or if it's listed 22, 23, then those are fullyear courses. and our core courses including music um and you know some of the other um art, music, band can be full year but then the other elective like project lead the way courses um are by semester and we do have some quarter courses like approaches to learning which um really are some of the my skill skill and um study skills. um courses. >> So um there are a couple courses that I I see right away like advanced debate with nine and then advanced debate 22. So I you know in the beginning when we first scheduled for the Graten Middle School those class sizes were really right around 24 25. So, one

075of the things I have done um with Clint's support is to schedule an expert powers school um course scheduler and we've already met with them. They're a group that you had used when um we didn't have Joe Rizzo here, Twin >> Twin Lakes Consulting. and we actually have hired a woman to work on as a consultant and she's already gotten all the data and she's looking at schedules for both the middle school and high school trying to line them up better um you know and really to provide several different ways we can look at it so that we fill the classes. So this has been something we've needed to do for a long time. Um it also comes with bringing in the um administration, the counselors um so that they get training. So, when we

076get ready to fill fill the seats and they're going to be boots on the ground getting training in powers school and how to schedule and um they're going to be able to look at a couple different models that might work better. And with the objective to really, you know, to have more even balanced classes instead of having nine in one debate class and 22 in another, I'd like to see 20 in each of those school classes if you know the great debate um is going to happen. and um and have numbers that are closer aligned um to our numbers of you know 20 to 22 let's say or 18 to 22 in a range instead of some of these really smaller classes. >> Do you have a sense about when we would get some of

077that preliminary data? >> We're touching base end of this week. >> We're going to be meeting with her weekly to see how much progress she's making. >> We're hoping to at least get a preliminary report of birth. And um how much of that will be usable by the board in terms of looking at class sizes? And >> well, I I think with the goal of adjusting these numbers so that they more likely turn out 18 to 22 instead of 9 and 22. That's what we're looking for. That's our goal. >> Well, at the same time, >> we won't have numbers. >> You have to have the kids put in them. >> Yeah. lower class. We want to find that right sweet spot, but we also want to honor as many requests of the students request

078as possible. >> We're also Look, she's doing a historical um rendition of both the high school and the middle school the last three years before COVID. was it three years before COVID to see what the kids were picking and what they weren't picking to give us a better idea of what's happened in the past similar to what the board has been able to look at you know and we did see that um and we'll get to that at the high school that we did um increase the number of AP um classes and IB we're not where we need to be yet and I think between having this consultant on board working with our administration team and working with our counselors. And you know, at the same time, we're going to be ready with these different

079models that she's going to share with us um for when the students are ready to um submit their requests end of January um to really look at this through the lens with administrators and counselors to see how this looks and make decisions then. and I certainly will be sharing with the board, you know, what it looks like and um you know, what we're seeing. So, um I I really feel very hopeful that this is going to be um a way that we can get to better class sizes and um you know, and still, you know, look at those courses that kids still want to take. You know, we even talked about a survey for kids. Like what we did in the middle school when we first designed the schedule, we sent out a survey to

080families and students and they were able to through the survey let us know what looked interesting to them. And I had put that out as a suggestion that that could also be another tool to help um kids have a little preliminary look at what classes are going to be available and also to give us insight to which ones they're most interested in before we even run a schedule. So that could be an additional piece. >> I sorry Susan, we were just talking about the middle school. >> We just wait. >> Thank you. I appreciate that. Sorry. >> Yes. My question is um course 1999 case manager. Could you explain to me what that is? >> Where are you? >> Middle of the first page 1999 course number case manager. >> I was just curious >>

081underneath calm the chaos. >> That's a special education. >> Yeah. So that would be your special educators >> because it just seems odd for that one quarter semester. It looks like one section with 31 students and then 31 where the ones above it. I'm just curious. I mean does one case manager have 31 students or >> I can't imagine but I'll get you I'll get back the answer. Typically our case managers across the district have you know around 13 to 15 students. So, I'm not sure what that 31 is. And I I'm surprised it didn't jump out at me because that is kind of confusing. >> Okay, >> I'll get back to you on that, Rita. >> Nice find, Rita. Beverly, >> Susan, how long is a quarter? So the quarter um lasts until >>

082nine weeks October and then the next quarter you know ends at about the semester time >> January and then we go out till April >> I think and then the end of the year. So it's the year is quartered up >> end of March. >> I know. >> Haven't done that in a while. Bev, do you have more questions? >> No, I don't. Thank you. >> Hey, thank you, Liz. Um, in terms of I I had a similar question to Rita about the um current events isn't identified by um you know it's just a number is that a social studies and that goes along with um stock market as well as video production. So um I'm just kind of wondering where they fit in the scheme of things. Is this something that the curriculum committee

083needs to look at? >> You are on stock market. >> Stock market is on the last page, page three. >> And video production, they're all identified by number and not by, you know, by department. >> That's how they they do it in power school. >> Oh, >> it's all by number. >> Even like American Sign Language in the >> Absolutely. because we then have to report to the state the kids who are in the different classes. So, it goes by the the state um identifier. >> Okay. >> But did you have a question about stock market? because I think that's a pretty popular course that >> I know I'm just like >> I'm just wondering why there are in band for example concert band for middle school there are three sections with 102 students 34

084kids each section do they ever play together I mean because if you have a concert band don't you need to come together to play. Yeah, they do. They they not probably during the school day. They probably do it right before and I think they're at different levels. I think there's a >> sixth grade band and then there's a seventh and eighth that plays together, but they've got an 84 minute block every other day. So it really is like an acting core and they do like a workshop model where they have you know different band instruments playing together and um you know so they have some small group practice play and then they bring them all together within that group. >> Yeah. I mean that's pretty common. That's what we had when I was in the

085middle school level. They did practice mostly separately and then as the performances got closer, they had the rehearsals like a >> so a good for instance was my being at Lua this morning with the New London Ledger and middle and grunt middle school bands being conducted by this Kirk Edwards who's um from the Coast Guard Academy and vaa voom you should have heard this sound you guys all have to go on Friday but so they they had practiced in separately and then he brought them all together to play together. >> I just I just was kind of wondering >> how that would all work. So >> very good center. What time? Send that out for us, please. >> What's that? >> Any other questions? >> I just had a question about this English or language

086or language 506 and I misread it like I was wrong. I was wrong. >> Okay. There's a six, seven, and eight. And those numbers all look larger. I think the other language arts is probably um an intervention class because it's small. >> Yeah. But most of the language arts cores are like 18, 19, 20, 21. So they're all within that sweet spot. That's that group. Any other questions on the Groten Middle School enrollment? All right, hearing none, let's move on to Fitch High School. So there again, um we looked at the resource rooms and the the oneoffs, the you know the um some of the classes that had special needs students and case loads. And then we looked at these are really your core classes, your elective classes. Um and you can see that you

087know while we have um the core areas still can have some room for growth. So the algebbras are between um 1415 and 1718 in number. So that's just one of the different mathematics groups. Um American Sign Language one and two we're growing the program. So, um, but that that has been pretty consistently very popular, wouldn't you say, Ted? >> Very. Yes. >> Um, you do see some of the electives like the at the top accounting one, adaptive foods, and adolescent literature. We can't consistently run these classes if we're not filling them up. So this um this work that this um you know consultant is doing looking back historically um the work that we can do maybe in a survey prior to kids signing up for classes we can really look at what is going to

088fill up. What are those courses that kids are going to want? And I think by having a scheduler who can make sure that we prioritize correctly and make sure that if you're in the IB diploma program um that you you still could be part of the band so that you don't you don't want things to conflict with each other either. So that's what a good scheduling person can do. Um and use the power school tool to do it with. I think also we're taking a look at some of our elective classes to see uh in some cases that elected classes that are running full year whether or not they could run for just a semester to give students a better opportunity to take a course without blocking out a complete part of their schedule. Um

089so we're looking at those possibilities as well. Um and uh you know I think that uh you know I know that this has been kind of a struggle for the last couple years but I think we are making progress on this. Uh so I um and I think that uh you'll see that there are a few of these classes that are combined. Both classes run in a similar clock. For example, guitar one and guitar two uh run together. Um so the the guitar 2 is only got three students in it, but it runs in conjunction with guitar one. Uh so we try to do that as well combining classes when we can as well. So if you have any questions about those. >> Yes. >> All right. So Ted, what I hear you saying is

090like you're taking a class that has run full year. Are you talking about taking it and um making it okay? So, let's I'm just going to I'm just going to pull something out of my head like here art like an art class. It's an full year class. Um let's make it art 1A and art 1B. Are you going to Is that what your thought is? is to still have the same course, but kids can choose either to do one the first part or and then do the second part maybe the following year or they or then they or they can decide to do it simultaneously. >> We're actually looking at possibilities of of doing that where we could split up a course to have a semester one, semester two that a student could just take

091one piece of it if they wanted. Um, but also are there courses that maybe should just be running in a semester to allow students to take that one semester and something else the other semester. What the difficulty is with some of the electives that run full year is that the student needs to have that one period free the entire year in order to take that and they can't take anything else. Um, so a lot of times we're finding talking to students that they're kind of turned off by that because they're completely stuck taking that course instead of something else later in addition to that. Again, splitting up the course both uh in semester one and semester two allows students to maybe just take one part of it, take one part of it this period is

092another part of it a different period, second semester um or uh just take it second semester. So it gives a lot of it gives more freedom for the schedule as well. >> And you can see examples of that right in the schedule if you look down at the arts. Art one, art one is broken out to semester one and semester two. >> Yeah. Um and then you can see down um >> I just saw it. Um >> black literature. >> Yeah. Um children's literature down at the bottom, civics and civics. So civics is split up by semesters as well. And those are pretty full classes. So the semester classes have some real good appeal um for courses that you know would be enriching and courses that would be elective. If you're changing the credit evaluation

093like if you're taking class and you're not going to offer the full class, you're going from a full credit to a half a credit. Would you please that's an adjustment to the >> Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. We've already spoken to Bill about it. We would make sure that we were making you aware well aware of that. Thank you. >> We did anything. >> I I have concerns about French. Like I had concerns about Latin and where we go with that. You know, French is is, you know, it's not filling up and I have real concerns and I'm hoping that through this grant with global mindedness that we can, you know, get back our numbers. I'm going to recognize William, Beverly, and then Matthew. >> So, is there a special process that students can, you know, switch

094over in quarter, you know, in semester two different class, if they're in elective, that's the full year >> currently. No, they would be in that class for the full year if they signed up for it and did not drop that class during the ad drop period. So once you're once you've gone through the first quarter of the class, you would be in that class or if you decide to drop it at that point, uh you would have to withdraw on your transcript >> just like any other course. >> That's the problem. >> That's the process. >> Horrible. >> They love the class. Not if they love the class. >> Yeah. I mean, >> well, we we make sure the students know that there's a process they have to go through in order to drop courses

095>> and uh you know, that's pretty well communicated with the students. So, you know, by the time they're getting out of first quarter, they they know that, >> you know, to the point that they got it. I will show >> the middle school. Yeah, the middle school has more semester courses except for the core courses that run all year and they've even had quarter courses before. So um and it it builds a very cumbersome schedule for a middle schooler, but um I think the more semester courses for electives we can get in, the more opportunities kids will find their passions and and what they really like to do. I'm gonna recognize Beverly. >> Thank you, Kim. Susan, um, on the IB classes, so say for instance instance 7185, they have three students. Is that one

096teacher in that classroom with three students? >> Which one was it? >> Um, I'm looking B5. I'm sorry. >> IB business management too. Yeah, I be business. >> Is this one section? >> I'm gonna ask Principal Keller if you can answer that one. >> So, Beverly, uh this kind of goes back to the discussion that we were having last year. So, uh we knew that uh the IB um we were really struggling to get students into IB. Uh and that was last year's junior class. So that has continued this year's senior class uh where we do not have a lot of students uh in our IB diploma program this year. Uh however uh we are on the upswing with that. Um so that our IB junior class this year is four times larger than than

097this previous year. I like to say it that way because it sounds a lot better. It means that went from four to 16. Uh but uh as I told you when I first came to the board uh that this I believe is a three-year process to rebuild the IB program um and to make sure that we have these classes filled. And so my hope is that I will be coming to you and we've already started Kelly Donovan and also I'd like to mention and Keith Bodnick worked very very hard start getting students involved and getting students in both the IB diploma program and both CP program as well. Um so that we are at a junior class of 16. So you'll see the junior classes have more students in them next year. here. I'm hoping

098that if we're we're an even greater number with our our incoming junior class and that those numbers will be higher. So, yes, the senior classes, the IB classes number two are still low. Um, but that's just because the uh the senior class is is a a smaller class. Um, >> so we have one teacher in that classroom, say for Spanish 12 teaching two students. >> Unfortunately, yes, right now we do. Yep. >> That's crazy to me. But okay, the next thing is the the personal training. You have four students and and um honors personal training. Now, when you see you only have four students, you can't just say we're not going to run that class. >> Um >> it's kind of midway. 776 though. >> Hold on. I think I had a note on that

099one. >> Page three. Honors honors honors >> honors personal training. There's four kids. >> 776. >> I guess it's quite personalized training. >> Yeah. Look under honors, Ted. Yeah, it's like a third down the page on page. >> He's on. >> Okay. I'm sorry. I was on a different page. Um so the honors personal training is a course that uh number one sometimes we do have students that end up moving into that class second semester. It was also a course that was hired but some students had moved out of it before the at this point. So um we are hoping that a few more students will go into that class uh for second semester. >> So >> do you offer it the first semester? >> Uh we did not offer it first semester at this

100point. >> We only have that second semester. So when you see I guess my question is like when you see there's only four students you don't want to drop that class and and utilize that teacher in a better way and said that that teacher only having four students. I mean that's that's a gravy class. If I was a teacher I'd be happy to only have two students. >> Um normally yes we do. Again I believe when the scheduling was coming out there were more students in it at that point. Um I don't know that for sure. I could check with the actual enrollments from the uh from from the scheduling. Uh but again students move a little bit at times and that's unfortunately where the number is now. Uh but you do see some classes

101that are running second semester oftentimes are lower now but then end up with more students in them as students move classes at being a second semester. >> The other one that I noticed is above that is the honors personal finance and we certainly want kids involved in finance and you know and and have that understanding of personal finance. So you in the first two classes you got >> it must be better >> 34 35 kids and then you only have six and nine. >> Again we do have a lot of students that end up taking personal finance first semester end up moving into personal finance two the second semester right that's why those grow the second semester. So oftentimes those numbers do go up second semester once kids finish the personal finance one decide to

102go into personal finance. Do you ever ask the kids that are in like personal finance first semester why they don't enroll in it the second semester? >> Uh why oftentimes the kids that are enrolled in second semester are the ones that have taken personal finance in a previous year. Um so they took it last year and then they signed up for personal finance too but weren't given to the into their schedule until the second semester. Again, those classes tend to fill up with kids that took it first semester saying, "Oh, I really like this course. I want to continue with it if we're doing the second semester as well. >> No. Yeah. But I'm interested in the the numbers dropping from the first from finance um one to two. >> Yeah. Do you ask the

103students? Okay. How come you didn't sign up for finance two? You took maybe you don't need finance two. Maybe the interest isn't there. I mean we have to really be careful about these low class sizes. Like the nursing assistant has five students in it. I'm not saying it's on a good class, but it's only five kids there. >> Okay. Uh again, going back to that specific class, uh it's very similar to IB. Last year, we did not have a lot of students that enrolled in in uh the diversified health occupations, which is the prerequisite class taking the nursing assistance class. So, we did not have a high number of students that were able to go into it. This year, we're back to running three sections of the uh the diversified health occupations, which is great.

104So my hope is is that again as that's the feeder course for the nursing assistants that the nursing assistant class will be much higher next year uh based upon the the pool of students that we have taking the DHL class you Matthew >> you're muted Matthew you're muted unfortunately only gracious people would say unfortunately. Um I want to take take my prism and turn it slightly of three things. The last one is kind of cute but the first two are serious. Um we pride ourselves on our teachers being able to differentiate between students needs as well we should. And I wonder when we're having classes with two or three students whether it is pedagogically sound. I mean actually my wife went to a one room schoolhouse for their first six years of education. And you

105know that probably won't work in graten but where we have two consecutive classes with two or four students. Can we not have one teacher? Is it pedagogically possible to have one teacher teach two at one level and three at another level? >> It it's it's not something that I think we want to discuss tonight, but at least give some consideration to it and we can come back to it another time. >> Yeah, Matt, I think that uh I think you've got a good point. I think there are classes that we we do that with. For for example, uh our marketing classes uh we have a marketing one and marketing two. Um those classes are taught together. uh because we currently only have six students in marketing two. Uh it's honors marketing two, I believe. Um

106guitar is another example um that we do that with uh where we have students that are combined in those courses. Um and there's a few others here. I didn't mark them all down, but the uh that we do combine courses when that's that's possible within the curriculum. I I share Beverly's concern with uh staff utilization uh and I recognize the need to give this variety of classes. Maybe it's something we could take another look at uh as we move forward. It's not meant as criticism. I'm just wondering if we might have some opportunity to deliver the same quality of education a little bit differently. >> Let me go to the >> We're really We're looking at that, Matthew. We we understand I have the same concerns as the board does and I've shared that with

107principal Keller and he's really looking at it and trying to identify where the problem areas are and so we might not have as much choice but I want to do it in a real logical mathematical problem solving way in that I want to look at history and what history has told us and and maybe surveys about current students and what they're looking for. Um I also think we need to communicate better to our students. you heard our career um pathways um coordinators and really the need to tell kids what you know what courses are available to them with the careers with the IB with the AP and to start sooner than later with our middle schoolers who are going to be ninth graders next year um they should be learning about that now and our

108other students as well so that when they go to sign up for classes they'll be well educated about it Well, I'm delighted to hear that. I thank you very much, Susan. My second piece uh was on, again, this has to do with being data driven. Um I like the idea of students being surveyed. I don't want to say evaluating the teacher, but being surveyed for their their how they felt about how a given class responded to their needs. not necessarily how the teacher but how the given class responded to their needs, how it responded to their expectations. Uh there will be a few people who will use that as an opportunity to express themselves. But I think by and large our kids in the upper grades of high school are mature enough to understand what

109our purposes are. Again, that's something I offer for our future discussion and consideration if you think it's worthwhile. Finally, my last thing. I noticed with great disappointment that there was no football, volleyball, uh, tittywinks, but we have two classes in basketball. And I'm I'm just fascinated with what that means. If you would indulge me, I don't think this is a serious issue, but indulge me and tell me why we have basketball and no other sports. Uh well, I mean, it's a course that's run since I've been there. Uh it's something where I think that really came down to again student interest. Uh and also, um you know, when you're running a course through the entire first semester, um you know, a football course u might not be able to use the outdoors uh the entire

110semester. Um and you know, playing a full football game in the gymnasium could present some issues. Um I think that >> is it is it an academic is it an academic course or is it a >> P it's a PE class. It's a PE. Okay. Okay. And so students are taking the course uh and uh you know learning the fundamentals of basketball and uh uh you know playing basketball and work talking about teamwork and so on and so forth. So um it's a but it really does come it's a student interest course something that they can do take as PE credit. >> Okay. And thank you. There's weight training too and personal training, >> right? >> So, >> did I miss weight training? >> You did have weight training. >> What about unified sports? Don't

111we have a unified section in PE? Unified PE >> unified PE. We have unified uh culinary arts and unified business. >> So, that is students um in usually self-contained special education classes who then buddy up and have a peer. and those every time I've gone into those classes, it really warms my heart that you know how the peers are working so closely with each other and um you know forming team collaboration and then of course there's the afterchool programs with unified sports too. So um that's a really neat course courses neat courses. >> So Matthew, did we answer your questions? Yeah, my my understanding is that consideration is being given to utilization of faculty in merging small enrollment classes that are related for differential attention and my understanding no actually we didn't go any further

112that I raised the question of whether surveying students at the end of a class would be a useful tool for administration. >> Okay. I don't know where you want to go with that. That's up to you. >> We We do it in college all the time. >> So, I'm I'm going to recognize Dean and then Rita and Beverly. >> The comment on the basketball courses reminds me I ran for vice president my eighth grade class. >> So, let's keep this story short. My opponent was one Jeff champion who promised more basketball. I suggested to the class think about going to Washington DC. They turned that into you promised us we're going to Washington DC. We hung that around my neck. We eventually did go to DC but not through my own efforts. Just an eighth

113grader. But I remember Jeff Champion promising more basketball but that's how I beat him in any event. So, I I've got, you know, obviously similar concerns that everybody would naturally have with super duper small class sizes. But what you don't see here, what's opaque, um, is how this number of students, number of classes, average sizes maps onto faculty. So for example, I would not have a problem with really teeny courses if in fact they were part of a larger mosaic where we had the optimally optimum optimal sized faculty. So that you know one one teacher may be just a French teacher and that's all they do and that's probably all they do but I you know I don't presume anything and they handle French and that's it. It's a full-time position, but another teacher may

114do may teach five very different things, which in fact I see I think we do have happen. So the fact that one class has, you know, seems pretty specialized and has six students doesn't mean that that's an FTE. I presume that that's correct. So that if you were to say we're not going to offer that class anymore, you still have the teacher. Now you may even have to have may even have to find something for that teacher to do for what was that class. and it could be another small class. So, I think there's a larger picture uh of just how all this maps onto our our secondary school teachers. I say secondary because um I I presume that there's still a differential certification that's a K through eight. >> Not anymore. >> But whatever

115it is, the teachers that are capable of teaching whatever course, >> right? So that we may wind up with specialty little courses with four, six or five people or whatever. But that's okay because that is in fact how we're optimally using. I just can't tell from this, right, >> whether that's the case and I know that it's an ongoing thing that changes every year. Well, that's why I think it's it's important to do this deep dive and we can we can look at it in different ways with the board, but doing it now early on in the operating budget process because if you remember last year, we had four FTEES that were, you know, cost avoidance or saved um with retirements because we took the deep dive and we looked at the information and we

116made some decisions around that. So that's why we, you know, we do this to see um I certainly want to make sure that I we're offering the courses that kids want to take, right? >> So that those are being filled, you know, and then and then to take a look if there's any savings around that. >> Rita and Beverly, I'm gonna um recognize Liz in that she has not talked in this round and so just to >> Oh, okay. Well, I'm just >> I haven't either, but that's okay, Kim. Oh >> yeah, she hasn't. >> Oh, sorry. >> Rita, go ahead. >> No, thank you. Um, I had a question about to Ted. Are you have you started doing honors history social studies? Is Ted still there? He's out of the picture for me. Um,

117honors, honors, history starting in ninth grade. That has been a concern for many years that we don't start um our history classes with honors. you do in math and and you do in English but not so much in the social studies and sciences. >> Yeah, I think that's something um like for example right now we are offering the honors world history uh honors uh US history just kind of going through >> No, I meant starting in ninth grade. >> No, I I don't believe so. No, >> no, honors world history is ninth grade. >> The the uh we have the >> definitely ninth grade. So we have the seven stu seven sections of 124 and then um we have the uh regular world history of nine sections of 129. That's our that's our ninth grade

118uh work. >> We also have talked about multi-grading some of these to give kids opportunities. So there might be opportunities either in the core or electives to have multi-age multi-grades like a geometry. You could take it after algebra 1. You could take it after algebra 1 and algebra 2 could come and then geometry. So, it really shouldn't be um we shouldn't prevent a grade level student to take some of these courses and some don't have to go in order. Algebra 1 has to come before algebra 2, but geometry can come anywhere. So, >> right. I agree, totally agree with you. And I had um I just wanted to point out that there are twice as many IB programs as AP courses. And the AP courses are much more enrolled than the IB courses. And some

119of the ones that there used to be at Fitch, AP Chemistry, AP Economics, AP World History, I don't they're they're gone. um >> know that we had all the >> they're not gone. Um but we I think that you know again there's some courses that that did not run because of low enrollments. Um that >> but when you say that Ted No, you're running the IB programs with very very low enrollments. When my children all three of them were at Fitch, you couldn't have a course run if there weren't 10 students in a class. That was the bottom line. And if you wanted to take like AP economics and there were nine and not 10, then you did it on your own with a teacher that agreed to work with you. Th this is like

120overwhelming to me. And we do we should see the um FTEES along with this. How many FTEEs go with some of these courses? Um and and some should definitely be combined. I'm hoping you you you're combining the IBM math 11 the 12 with you know like some of these courses could be combined in one classroom and that's what we're not seeing whether or not they are like IBMath HL12 has two and then IBMath HL11 has seven and what is the difference between an HL and an SL >> standard level and higher level >> I can >> so I think that there's there's a few things here that I just want to point out is like yes I understand right now uh we did we don't have enough students to run the the AP chemistry course

121um but I would also like to point out that we were able to raise the number of students in the courses for both AP and IB courses and I think that also speaks to um some of the discussion that's happened in the past that that these courses were competing against each and that uh you know I think that we can raise the enrollments at both AP and IB. Um I also you know say that I completely agree with the board that we have uh some low enrollment courses that we are struggling with to make sure that we're getting students in there. I want to say that this the enrollments right now is a step forward to where we were last year. We had the same discussion last year. Uh, I talked to the board about

122the fact that this is a really a process of getting these enrollments up, that we've had a lot of conversation with Susan about what we're trying to do in terms of moving this forward. Um, but I think that we can get our AP numbers up, we can get our IB numbers up, uh, we can get all of these things up, but I think that this is a process. Again, I I think that Reed, I I heard what you said about the the uh overall uh FTE enrollments and and Matt Brown was taking a look at that and we had that conversation with Susan the other day. Um but the other piece is, you know, I I again I don't have the numbers in front of me. But I would put these numbers up against what

123we had last year and say that we're making progress. And but it but again, this is not just a one-year thing. This is going to be a really a couple year process of moving this forward and getting this to where it needs to be. And I would say that to add to that, I have that same sense of urgency, Rita. That's why I've hired a consultant with P school. And not only will this consultant give us different variations on the theme, but they'll work with our administrators and counselors. So when kids are, you know, enrolling in these courses, we'll have kind of just in time decision making on what's going to actually want run for next year and what won't. and we'll be able to get a clearer picture of what's possible here. So, I

124I'm feeling that same sense of urgency. I've seen this problem since I got here and um you know and I feel like we're trying to do it the best we can that will you know work um for our students because it's really all about our students. >> Absolutely. >> Yeah. And I I just wanted to mention again that I've done many years that the AP US history, our scores are never great in that a lot of our AP and IB exams, but in AP history, if you notice East Lime High School, Waterford High School, they break it into two years so that you take part of US history your sophomore year, you take another honors course, you know, like in your um junior year, you could take the AP, but they break it apart. so

125that it's not all lumped together at one time and then you go into the AP and you take that exam in May. So, I just would love to see a little more thought into how we could raise our scores by giving the students more of a chance academically with some of these courses. >> Yeah, a little out of the box thinking maybe. >> Yeah. Thank you. >> Thank you, Rita. this. >> Um, my question is about FAS, freshman academic seminar 1826. I was there when it first came into policy because we were bringing together middle schooler from different schools and we were combining them so that they had uh they came into high school. This was a class the main focus was to get everybody on the same playing field. That's not the case anymore.

126We have one middle school. Do we need FAS anymore? And I think that's something that I would I personally would like to hear about. What is the purpose of this this course anymore? And how could we then better use our staff that are doing these FAS classes? We can put them back into a more academic deal. Is FAS necessary? >> I was having this discussion as well. I've been asking that question too. Can we contact it with the global citizen which is the getting ready for the project? >> So we're going to be looking at some curriculum and having those discussions to see if there's a way to contact. >> Yeah. And and again we we are having this conversation. I do believe FAS serves a very very important purpose at the high >> what's

127that? It it has um now I think that um you know I think it's worth maybe not at this meeting but just having a discussion with the board about the history of this course u because it has gone through a lot of iterations even in my time at pitch um and this this includes the FAS and it it's kind of sister course global citizenship um but the the main purpose of FAS uh running in the first semester for all freshmen is number one it's that acclamation to the high It's the learning those study skills that students need in order to really succeed in high school. Um, and and really starting to develop that relationship with the students and having them find their place at the high school. Um, and the probably the most important piece

128is really to nail down those uh those ATL skills that are so important with the with the uh the middle years program. Um, and really trying to see how those students are expected to use those. And then at the final bringing it into the the the global citizenship class and the introduction of the personal project which we've already talked with the policy committee about the possibility of that becoming our capstone. So I think that it's something where I do believe that's an important piece. Um I understand that the possibility of combining those courses and making it a semester course might allow freshmen to you to utilize other opportunities to take other electives. Um but at the same time I I also believe that having our freshmen taking those those courses getting those skills in a

129really intentional way uh is important as well. So I think that you know I've talked to Susan about some other opportunities that we have in terms of other courses to give students more choice and giving students more opportunities to take these electives uh might be the better way to go. Um I share the the board and Susan's goal here. I want more students in these classes. I want to make sure that we're running our class at double digits. Um, you know, and and making sure that we have healthy course enrollments. Um, I think we've taken steps more to that. I think we've made improvements to that and we're going to continue making improvements to that. I don't necessarily see, my personal opinion is I do not necessarily see combining FAS and global citizenship as an

130effective way of doing that. I believe there is still value in those courses and I'd like to see some consistency in those courses because there have not been consistent courses since my time here. Um, so I think that uh I would I think that that is an important piece of those students being successful, especially our lower level students coming into the high school to having those skills as they go forward. Um, >> so maybe I don't mean to cut you off, excuse me, but I think maybe Phil, this is something for our January meeting is that we need to review the curriculum >> for both the FAS as well as the global citizenship. Sure. >> And that way we can do go on from there. So >> honestly, we've had that conversation just earlier this

131week, right? >> Talking about that, >> which would be No, not earlier this week. >> Today's Monday. So >> Monday, so it was last week. And I do have I do have those documents. >> Uh and the only reason it wouldn't be December is because our December meeting is so packed. >> Yes. Okay. So I also want to get get us back onto the agenda topic, which is just enrollment, not just enrollment. >> But one of the things also we've talked about is that the FAS classes can be bigger. Uh and that would actually lower the number of FAS classes that we're running and allowing uh the the teachers use other questions as well. >> Okay. Thank you. Question >> quick. >> I've got I've Bev has been hanging out. >> That's fine. >> Bev,

132you there? >> Yeah, I'll just make mine quick now. I'm just going to align my thoughts with Rita that it's kind of overwhelming to see some of these class sizes very low. And um Susan, can you send me the class sizes for the high school from last year? I want to look at last year's class sizes compared to this year's >> just for the high school. >> Yeah. >> Okay. Thank you. But it is overwhelming that some of these class sizes are low and and what Matthew said maybe combine some of the classes maybe like we did guitar guitar one and guitar two together. Um like that's all I'm not going to go on and on. >> Okay. Thank you. I also if I'm gonna I know you said quick um I it to Dean's

133point earlier which is the overlay between what what are the what are your FTEES what are they teaching I think is is helpful too because I feel like this is not the complete picture um this is what we asked for so you gave us exactly what you asked um un unfortunately you are you are you are encouraging us to really be thinking about this. Um, and so I don't know what this means in terms of full-time teachers because that's going to impact our our FTEES are going to impact how we do >> that's kind of the natural next step for this process when we're really looking at our staff as the intrical piece to our budget process. >> Right. >> So that is something that um I think Matt has pulled out and we're starting

134to look at and then I'll send it your way. de I don't know if anybody remembers a CI calculus AB does has calculus BC ever been offered >> it does it is offerative which we only had a few students that were looking to take it so we offered it as an online option for those students >> they're like literally for the MIT Stanford headed students so it's not >> usually not populated very well >> no I think we only had three students if I remember correctly they were interested in >> I was curious Rita, >> I I was just going to follow up with Dean. Um, actually my daughter took the AB and then the BC in the exams um when she was at Fitch. So, and it was a very well populated class of

135juniors and seniors. So there it has happened in the past and I think it's extremely important if you're going to go to um you know into some of the colleges that would demand that you have those courses. I think we should try to populate it again. But there >> I think it all starts with having more kids in honors algebra one at the middle school read up that really >> and to double up with geometry and algebra 2. That's really quite easy to do for kids who love math. >> And you know when they had >> when they when there was a block scheduling you were able to do that because you took a whole course from September to January and then the second so you were able to like double up on a lot

136of things. Um and I had one more quick question about Latin in the IB Latin. Can anyone sign up for that? >> IV Latin. Um, for the IV Latin, I believe that you have to have uh a prerequisite of I believe it's Latin, too, but I need to get that. >> I thought it was abio. >> What's that? >> I thought Latin you could do it as abio. >> You can do the online as well, but you have to have at least a song. >> But abonisio is the first level for non like the beginning. >> I have to look at the program of studies. I don't know that right off the top of my head. Well, I'm just still, you know, hoping that Latin is not totally ignored and still taught at Fitch. And

137I was I was just thinking that it would be a great way to increase the enrollment in Latin in the IB if it was o, you know, open to more students. >> Well, that's why, you know, we may even have to do with this grant on global mindedness. I'm contemplating doing another survey for kids just to see what the interest is, but they may need to have a little bit of a taste test of the different languages to go into that. >> Um, you know, encouragement and we still do have a wonderful teacher who teaches Latin and social studies. So, um, you know, we do have someone who can, you know, share information with kids. I had one more quick question, Kim, about the Native American um studies course that is will be taught I

138believe next year the curriculum is going to be ready. The state of Connecticut is is will that be what grade will that be taught in 9th 10th? >> I think Rita if my research is correct it's going to be offered 9 through 12. It's going to be an elective >> an elective institution. >> But I think what they're going to present it because ninth grade doesn't have enough space in their schedule that I think it's mostly going to be populated with 10th 11th grade, maybe 12th. I think they're going to do it more like they like they started with the um African-American Latino studies, >> but it's something that is required by the state of Connecticut to take. >> Not yet. Not required. Not yet. It's on the It's on the >> It's on the

139You know, >> it's on the list. >> Yeah, it's on the list because the first one's going to be this African-American, black, Puerto Rican, Latin American studies. >> Yes. >> That's going to be the first one that's going to go as and it's the way they're going to do it's going to replace you could take this or a US history class. >> Oh, really? >> Yeah. >> The state's supposed to release that course read in June of 23, >> right? >> Yeah. So, you know, it's coming, but it's it's that's how they're going to allow it to, you know, it's going to be required, but you can do this or that. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Sorry, Kim. >> No, that's fine. That's fine. Um, any other questions? Hearing not, we're going to move on

140to our last agenda item, which is the uh um is the Gartner public school security system grants. So Susan and Sam >> and Clint. >> So we did have a meeting with John Bert and I think I wrote about this in board notes and the um Chief Vasaro and Chief um Jennings. Is it Jennings? That's his name. >> Jenkins. Jenkins. Um and it was really a very good discussion about this um software that was brought to our attention called Mutual Link which would link up the schools and the police and fire departments um and it would be mapped out so they if there were any indication of an emergency anywhere in any of our buildings, it would contact police and fire and they would know exactly what it was, where it was, and what to

141do. Um, we also I talked John Bert was there and I did have the discussion that this isn't just a school project. This is a safety for the community. It could also mutual link could also be in the town hall annex or in the town hall building or in the libraries. So this could be bigger than the schools, but the schools of course are my priority and the schools linked to fire and to police are absolutely a necessity. Um, with that we need better cameras and equipment. Um, we might need some kind of a dongle that would be an emergency some of the panic buttons >> on panic panic buttons. So, this is a whole project that we had submitted to ARPA at at the tune of about half a million dollars. We've broken it

142out to look for added as CIPs. But in the conversation, I have to tell you, and we're doing a follow-up with John Bird because he asked me to do that. Um, I got really a good indication that this is something that they still are interested in. There's been no decision to my knowledge, although I think they are going to meet tomorrow night when I have finance and facilities about some of the different options that are coming to the council around the different um, grants that were submitted. And um so I'm very hopeful that they'll see this as a priority and at least get us started down the path of getting those cameras in and having a way to communicate. Um the other communication tool we're looking at are some really um >> highend radio >>

143high-end radios better than our other walkie-talkies where at least we could have a couple of these in the main office at the hub at central office that coordinate right with police and fire department. So if there was an emergency we could have direct access to them at any given time. So, between, you know, cameras and walkie-talkies and um cameras in the buildings and outside the building to really get, you know, good angles and CK and Northeast can use upgrades as well. So, we're looking at all of our schools and and CB. So, um so what's the purpose of of of us talking about this tonight? What are you hoping um for the board to hear? Um >> that this hasn't gone away, this request. >> Okay. >> And that we're looking at other ways to

144connect with the town bodies. And I always wanted this to to be a community endeavor and I think I made that point at our meeting that this is, you know, but the schools are definitely a priority when it comes to school safety. They even talked a little bit about SRO's. Is there a need at the elementary level for security guards and SRO's? So, um that's something that we're still contemplating. Um so, it may be something that we want to discuss further on. Um probably what would be helpful is for also I mean money and safety is two separate things, but it would would be important for us to know if we were to add five SRO's, what would that look like for our budget, right? Um, go ahead. So, so my question is with the

145new cameras. So some some school districts and towns they do it's the partnership in regards to that is is really really tight and the the cameras and everything are a townwide um thing versus the middle school has these particular cameras and this you know some towns their visibility of what's going on in the schools is centralized with the with the police and security um such that they have immediate access to the cameras if there's something going on at whatever school they're able to visualize what's going on. >> Um >> and that's what this mutual link would do. >> Okay, >> I had that in Monroe. >> Um and you know there's ways that they can be even supervising buildings while we aren't in school, you know, because we're not here, you know. So it it

146has a lot of benefits either way. >> Can can I comment on that? Yes, >> very very quickly. So we're kind of three tiers. So part of this funds additional cameras internally and externally, especially filling in holes at some of our older schools. That's kind of tier one. Get the hardware place, new panic button, additional panic buttons. Like tier two, what we were going after was exactly that. We don't have a way in public schools now to put in front of Sam or in front of Susan every camera across the district. So that was really tier two. How do we pull this all together into one so that they would have ready access at all times, the building principles, etc., but then also an account to the police department so that we're not they're not

147asking to be granted access, god forbid, there's an active shooting event in one of our schools. The tier three with the mutual link system which came in which really ties this from a school to a community event is that's great that we have a 100 cameras at Fitch and if we have a problem we can call the police and they will be there in a minute across the street eyes on those cameras immediately but now all of a sudden you have well-intentioned officers trying to solve a problem and they've got a hundred cameras in front of them. Now what do I do? The mutual link system, what it does is based on where that call happens or where a panic button is pushed, it immediately opens a voice channel between all parties, cell phones, radios,

148text, and so forth, which instantly goes on. Plus, it bases on the geol location of where the event was triggered, panic button, phone call, what have you. It shows them those, it lays those four cameras up on your screen immediately. So, we're trying to advance base level, getting the right hardware. Second tier is pulling all those Tammers together. And then third tier is really making it actionable for first responders to go in and have immediate information to get the problem solved. And those three build on each other. And that's what this ultimate proposal demonstrates from a kind of a collective effort across the town, not just board of education, also PD, also the town side and so forth. >> And so, >> sorry, that was a lot for your question. >> That's okay. And so

149this is we're paying from the for this based based on the school budget the cameras and everything. >> Um >> we have not done that yet. I mean we've had new building projects. We've got new cameras in the new schools. Um we're faced with needing resources in the older buildings um and you know in that three tier structure. So that's why we went for the ARPA funds in the town and now we've we've said it can be beyond the school, you know, into the um you know, other community access points like the, you know, town halls and the libraries and other facilities too. >> Yeah. And and so we originally didn't make the the top 10, >> which was one of the reasons why then there was a meeting that kind of came together. And

150what I think Susan and I heard I was on Zoom is is that it's it's not off the table in terms of having having the town really kind of push to make sure that this gets goes through a grant because of the the importance the high the high importance of it. Does that answer your question? >> Yeah. Yeah. I mean, because this is something that like every voting member of the town would want is security and safety of their children. >> Yeah. >> And give us back this, you know, the field stuff so we could do the fields ourselves. >> Matthew, did you have your hand up? >> You're muted. >> I know. I know. Um this is related at the last meeting if my memory doesn't leave me. William reported back on a lecture

151or a a cave lecture that he listened to about the utility of having the board uh engaged and know about the uh security plan. Have you guys had a chance to think about the you the use of that? So, guess what? Um, I was able to bring that was my one question was I said that we had a board meeting and that was brought up that the board would really like to have go into executive session and to hear from the police and the fire about what is the safety plan. We're not going to know the actual actuals down and dirty, but to kind of hear what some what some of the plan is. Um, not some of the plan, but to hear what the plan and plan of action. Um and so we are

152going through our budgets time and so I'm suggesting a very early March um if we get done with our budget early um February time fra frame where we can have a special uh time where we can not special but like a time um for executive session with with those people. So it it's it's already on it's it's not on the calendar yet but it's an agenda item. >> Thank you very much. And we we another piece of this project that we've paid for is these slip charts that align with our state plans that go to the state department of something or other. I don't know which state department you bring it to, but we have to sign off on it, everyone. And um so those flip charts are going to be easy access for for

153everybody to use. They're going to go we'll use them for professional development around you know our different p procedures whether it's a fire drill or a lockdown building secure and um it really was the great work of Adam Diskin and Sam and a lot of you know elementary and middle school administrators um high school administrators that worked on this. So that's something I can share just how it looks and that kind of thing and you might not know the details behind all the planning but I can at least give you a briefing on you know how how these plans get written and you know kind of we can march through that. >> Any other questions? Can I just say um thank you Susan and everyone else that has been working on the school safety project

154because this is not only good for our students while they're in school but even after school when we have after school activities and people are in our school buildings. So, thank you very much. And I hope we get more money to do all this stuff, >> right? And any building we go to to pay our bills, it's nice to have that security among us, you know, in our town. So, >> I'll keep you posted. >> Okay. It gives us peace of mind. >> Yeah. Yeah. I'm looking forward to actually hearing what the plans are. Um, uh, and not I mean, I don't know. It feels like that that's an important information and um for us to have >> motion to adjourn. >> Oh, is there any is there any more conversations about the safety? If

155not, I have a motion on the on the floor for for adjournment. I have a second. >> Second. >> William has seconded. Um all those in favor, please say I. I oppose. >> Thank you.