001Mhm. >> Mhm. >> Meeting to order at 6:00. Welcome to the Monday, May 11th Berlin Board of Education meeting. We're going to start this meeting with a Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. And to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Um So, I, you know, Brian Delude is unable to be here this evening and Peter Zarabozo also is unable to be here. Um Congratulations Peter, his wife had baby since the last meeting, so he is home with a brand new baby and a three-year-old. So, I told him we would call him in during the during executive session. Um but we are going to swap the first two items on the agenda. Meg Skedda from Cave
002is here to present the board with awards, but we are going to go ahead and have our student presentation first. Um and Meg is very excited to see that, so we have an extra special guest here this evening. So, I'm going to turn it over to Mr. Souza, the principal of Hubbard Elementary. Welcome families and our student presenters. Thank you for being here tonight. Um before we get started, um I just have to take a moment and I have to, you know, point out Mary Rainey, Meg Westy, the grade three teachers at Hubbard School, and Michelle Hanlon, our library media specialist, STEAM teacher. Uh what you're about to see would not have been possible without your commitment and creativity. I am keenly aware of the sched- of of the schedule that you are under and
003what you needed to do to make sure this unit happened for these kiddos. Um so, on behalf of the Hubbard school community and families, thank you so very, very much for giving them the opportunity uh to learn not just uh some of the academic pieces, but also the social awareness pieces. And we'll be able to share that in just a moment. So, uh the grade three students and staff at Hubbard School um engaged in a STEAM unit around researching and creating accessible play spaces. So, I'm going to leave it at that because I don't want to steal anyone's thunder, and I will turn it over to our student presenters and our staff. Thank you. Uh hi, I'm Michelle. Nice to see everyone. Thank you so much for coming, and families, thank you for taking the
004time out um to hang out with us tonight. And kiddos, you're going to crush it. I'm Megan Wesley, third grade teacher. Mary Rainey, third grade teacher. Um in third grade, we learn about science through three bundles that are based on the NGSS state standards. And our first bundle is forces in motion. Um the students are asked to design a playground that uses motion to make it fun and safe. Um as Mrs. Rainey just said, our first unit, forces in motion, is really looking at um different forces and how forces can impact motion. And specifically, this unit is talking about how it can impact motion on the playground. And throughout the unit, we had a lot of different learning sequences. And throughout the lessons, we wanted the students to focus on forces like balanced and unbalanced
005forces, push and pull, friction, and magnetism. And then at the end of each learning sequence, we were always turning it back to how is it affecting motion on the playground? Where do we see push and pull? Where do we see friction on playgrounds? How is it impacted there? Um throughout our whole learning experience, we used a variety of resources, both physical text and ebooks, um digital resources like BrainPop as well as databases like PebbleGo, um other videos, and throughout our experiences we've used hands-on experiments where the kids can kind of look at different ramps at the levels of different ramps to see how it's impacted with motion, as well as interactive simulations as well. All the students at Hubbard School have the experience to learn through scientists and hands-on experiences through a program called High
006Touch High Tech. And Megan and I went through it and we found Newton's Day, and it's a program where they teach about motion and friction. And so we used that opportunity to to for the scientists to teach some of the instruction, um which helped with our time management, but also they got to learn from the expert and do um experiments. So they had a fun time with that. And the big performance task that's always at the end of this bundle is again having the kids apply everything they're learning about forces and to better improve motion on a playground. And what we found, Mary and I with reflecting on the unit and how things go every year, um we had some very creative ideas in the past. I mean, some of our playgrounds had water slides
007and trampoline floors, um and even like magnetic little connections underneath slides that would make things go and how creative they are, they were very unrealistic. So we really wanted to create a project that could be more meaningful, and we thought this is a good place in the curriculum to do something that was project-based. And so, we reached out to Mrs. Hanon, our STEAM teacher, and wanted to collaborate with her on how we could make this more of a project. Uh so, our project overview was the main goal was for every third grader to work together. And the fun thing was we collaborated with both classes, so they got to work with um students they wouldn't normally work with with both classes together. Um so, it was a STEAM project. We wanted them to not only
008complete research, um but take with their knowledge of forces and most motion and their research and combine it all to make a blueprint for their park and then make a 3D model of an inclusive community park, which we brought three of them today for you guys. So, our objectives were to learn about inclusivity, access, and equity. We wanted students to think about the impact of a park on the community and everyone in the community. They went through the design process, so not everything worked the first time. Um they had to collaborate together and build and figure out what worked, what didn't, what did some friends like, what did some friends need to change. And then they also practiced their presentation skills because they made a Google slide deck and shared it with their classmates. So,
009when we were coming up with this project, we thought about the vision of the graduate and how that connected to every student in our district. The kids were collaborating with each other by brainstorming, coming up with ideas together. They were innovating, making this plan for the park. They were all contributing and working on developing empathy for every learner and every student who or or really not student, but friend who was going to visit the park. They were thinking about everything they learned and taking that information and synthesizing it into their project and finally culminating with this beautiful presentation that they did. It was amazing. We also wanted to use our high-quality instruction framework when we were creating this project. And there are five elements in that framework, and the project included all of them. Um
010we created this learning opportunity using our last lesson and task design, and the students were given feedback on a rubric. And through their student voice and engagement in the whole unit, they all had a sense of belonging. Uh so, we're going to walk you through the process because this was a lengthy project for the students. Uh first, we started with research. We were able to read fiction books. Uh excuse me, we were we able to read non-fiction books, and we were able to do some research on PebbleGo, which is our non-fiction database. We uh listened to a TED Talk about a young woman who was um advocating for herself in making an inclusive playground. So, it was really great to hear from someone uh up the one of their peers. We read some non-fiction articles,
011and most importantly, I think our favorite part is we visited Jonathan's Dream Playground, which is in West Hartford, and it's a a stunningly beautiful inclusive playground with a lot of accessible equipment. So, students could play with it, see it, and get hands-on so that they were able to bring those ideas to their projects. So, this is us uh starting the research. And the very first part of our process when we were researching was really taking a look at what are parks. So, we did a lot of brainstorming. What are parks? What do you see in parks? What's included in parks? Um what are parks used for? And also, the kids brainstorming like who do we see visit parks? The next part of our research was accessibility, and the students learned how that it's very important
012in a community playground to include equipment that everyone can access. Um and one idea that they talked about a lot was that there are a lot of community members that can use accessible equipment, and they're not all in wheelchairs. And so, that was important to them. Uh after the research, we did our brainstorming process where we used our whiteboards in the library, and we had these nice chart papers. They came up with ideas based on what they had learned of what they wanted to include in their parks. Accessible equipment, um and also any other spaces that they wanted to include in their park. And then we did a gallery walk so they could see all of their ideas. And then we got to our field trip. So, we wanted to further enhance this opportunity for
013the project by um having a field trip at Jonathan's Dream Playground in West Hartford, Connecticut. And it was an opportunity for the kids to see firsthand accessible playground equipment. Um we brought iPads and the kids split off into their groups and their task was to explore and to find examples of accessible equipment, to try out accessible equipment. We even brought a wheelchair with us so the kids could um experience that, what it would be like to have a physical disability, and try out some of the accessible equipment as well. Um we took a tour as a whole grade around and really had conversations about what do you notice in this space? We noticed like larger pathways. We noticed um a big takeaway, too, was they found like benches that also had um an area next
014to it that someone in a with a physical disability, a wheelchair, could wheel up next to it and sit right alongside someone who was in a bench. So, all these little pieces, not just the big playground equipment, but really how was it designed to really make everyone feel included. Um we found areas where there was music and different musical opportunities, as well as an area with braille. Um and all these ideas really helped them to come up with what they might add to their playgrounds. The next part of our process was the blueprint. The students were asked to sketch out their designs together and they had to agree on them. They were asked to include pathways, um spaces for community members of all ages to enjoy at the park, and they needed to include accessible
015equipment. We also created a rubric so that the students could know exactly what they were expected to include in their project, and it guided them throughout the way. They filled out this rubric, but they visited many times throughout the process, and they would use their reflection and then our teacher feedback to help improve their projects. And then John's going to come up and tell us more about it. Hi, my name is John, and my other group members are Faith and Christian. I'm going to talk about our blueprint and how we used it used the rubric. For our blueprint, we looked at Central Park and noticed that lots of fields, so we added a field. We also wanted accessible spaces for all people. We worked on We worked on together on our blueprint. We It was
016our guide to building our park. We added a sign and building and fences for safety. We included We used the rubric to figure out what else we needed to add to our park. We realized that we needed spaces for people to play outside of the playground. We also We also added bushes and trees. It helped us stay on track with our park. Um once the kids had their blueprints done, the next step was the building part, so the super exciting part. And we are lucky enough at Hubbard School to have gotten a grant this year, the Marjorie Moore Grant, which allowed us to create a maker space area in our building. Um so, these kids actually had the first opportunity to use the maker space. Um there were a variety of different manipulatives and different
017um materials they could use as well as some really fun tools that the kids are going to talk about. And this just shows you a little bit of the process where when we were on the field trip, the students were capturing photographs of some of the accessible equipment they wanted to use in the playground and how they were able to recreate it in their park. Um so, there's a picture of different level basketball hoops that they wanted to recreate for someone who may have more of a physical disability. Um we had accessible swings that were also right next to um standard swings that they were able to create. Um we had what we are calling a rolling rolling plate. No, what are we calling that? Rolling table. We're calling that a rolling table um that
018they were able to recreate as well as an accessible um zip line, which was also right next to a standard zip line they were able to use. So, I'm going to call Adam and Kayla up that are going to talk a little bit about how they built their parks. Hi, I'm Hi Hi, I'm Adam Youkhana. And today we're going to present our park. I'm so thrilled to show my park to everybody in the community. Hi Hi, my name's Kayla and we're going to be showing our park today. We're going We're going to share our park. It's called Redwood Park. We are going to talk how about how we built our park. We have lots of equipment and things to do in our park. We are going to talk about how we built our park. In
019our new maker space, we are able to build our park. The materials we used were popsicle sticks, clay, foam, pom-poms, paper, and cardboard. We also have a fountain, trees, a pond, a restroom, garbage cans, and recycling cans, and signs with rail. My favorite thing to do to build with the accessible swings because I got to build two different types of swings and use different color kits. My favorite part of building was using wood trunk saw because I could cut shapes and straight and curved lines. So, following uh the creation of their parks, which are phenomenal and we are going to show them off to you guys in a little bit. Um they worked together collaboratively on Google Slides to make a presentation, uh which was our first time using collaborative Google Slides, so that was
020really fun for them. And really fun for us. And really fun for Mr. Undu. Um From there, after the presentation after the slides, they made a full presentation to every third grader. Mr. Souza was there as well. Um and they sat up at the front and were able to use their slide decks that they had created. Uh so, what I would like to do is share uh one of the presentations from Blake and Elizabeth and Emmy with you. Hi, my name is Elizabeth. My name is Blake. And my name's Emmy, and Troy is also in this project. Our park is called Anyone Park. Accessible means making a space that that people with disabilities can use. For example, in a playground, if there is a ramp, that means it is accessible for people in wheelchairs, but
021there's probably but there probably might be stairs somewhere else where people can walk up. An accessible space is for anyone with or without a disability. We hope people use our park to have fun, use the park safely, play with your friends, relax, walk their dogs, enjoy. Anyone can use our park. Here's the playground and accessible equipment we included. Ramps, flat ground and paths, willy wobbly house, swings for wheelchair users, slides, a hideout. What else aside from the playground aside from the playground is in our park? Tess, trees, little free library, fields, pond, bridge, restroom, parking lot, paths, grass. What did our group do really well? Working together, coming up with ideas, asking the group before we build something. Making playground equipment. Here is us on the field trip. We like the merry-go-round, zip line, spin
022circle, and hideout. Our group liked this project because we got to work together, we got to work with clay, we got to work with cardboard, and we got to work with other people that we might not have known a lot about. So, the students built eight playgrounds altogether. There are three here tonight. And um you can feel free to walk around. The students will be with their park, and you can ask questions that are prepared at the table, or anything you want to know about the project from them. Um and we just want to thank you for this opportunity. >> It's a labyrinth. So, what's your favorite activity on this park now? Um Or that you would spend your most time? Oh, ha ha. Out of all of it. I'm sure on this um rolling
023table. I mean like the rolling table. The rolling table? The rolling table. And what about you, Kela? Um it prob- um I like building and it's really fun to catch. So, like um the like the play area and stuff. Yeah. So, you might be wondering um how I built this. It was from the chunk saw. Yeah, chunk saw is my favorite. Chunk builds this. Chunk saw? So, it cuts like very like very good. Very good. Like I can do curvy lines, straight. I know like some It's like you see it's very like straight and like same size. Oh, yeah. There are there trash cans. Um and then they Yes. And then there's little dots in them for like braille. You can actually take it out to play. Oh. You can. Yes. Yeah, um Yes. Yes.
024And it went all the way. It was close. It was close. Ah! Um all of this took about probably like a week. Yeah, like maybe two or one two I approximately like two weeks. two weeks Um parking lot, right? pond It's like a pond for like fish. Yes. Oh, yes. Yes, we can skate. soccer field soccer It is. What? Thank you. Oh. I'm I made these redwood trees because our park is called Redwood Park. And I made I made the red redwood I made all of these trees. And then we have a dog park. >> We also included a sign that says it's a redwood tree. Yes. I know. Thank you so much. No problem. Thank you. I know. I like it. Um I'm not sure. Oh, yeah. Because I used a Osmo box and
025I just took a random box and put it And for some of the stuff, the clay like wouldn't hold up, so we put a popsicle stick in Yes. So, inside inside the tree there's a popsicle stick to make it straight instead of bending. We We didn't have any clay, so I just You know like this is wood. It won't match, so I just put you know It was And this is And this is a pink redwood tree. Oh, no, this is the um the water It is nice. And this and dog park. So, that was the water. map the map I know. And I don't know. Okay. Sure. Who decided on the fountain in the center? Who decided that? Oh, Ella. Ella decided that? Yeah, she's in our other group. Oh, we were like We
026wanted to make a fountain, but we didn't know what to design, so we just took Oh, we told her We trust her, and then she just started to build something, and then we liked it. This You wanted the dogs They're like, you know, calling pennies. Oh, yeah, so it's like a like a wishing well, right? Oh, nice. Very creative. Very creative. And you made sure there was a restroom. That was very nice. You made sure there was that. That's That's important, right? Redwood >> Redwood Park And we have redwood trees. Inside are popsicle sticks. Oh, yeah. Yes. Like, for example, this one. We did not have any place so I just I know. It is nice. I know. It's nice. Um thank you so much. It's like Oh, yes. Yes. Mhm. It's like a treadmill.
027It's a treadmill. >> of like that, right? >> Yeah, but not electric. You can like roll across it. >> Yes. And it Guess what? in our brilliant public library You know that carts? Like the little baby carts like this one. He was doing it until his legs right there. Good idea. Thank you. How's the dog park? Yes. Oh. Anyway. I don't know. this way if the board has any additional questions. Thank you. No problem. Can we get my mic? Hubbard third grade, thank you so much for coming out. That was I'm so impressed with what I saw. I know you You everyone would probably still be talking if we didn't make you stop, which is always a great thing. It didn't naturally get quiet. Um and I love the leading questions you guys had for
028us to help us ask certain questions and help you guys give us some more insight to the process. Thank you. Um board members, do you guys have any questions or comments for the students? I just want to say you guys did a phenomenal job. We're very proud of your research and all the work you put into your projects. And I also wanted to comment on how well all of you are sitting. You're sitting very still, very quietly. You're paying close attention. I'm very proud of you. I'd like to say also that it takes a moment I don't think I'm on, but anyway, I can talk louder. Well, then no one online can hear. Remember we keep dealing with these problems. Try this. I think it works. This is the one I was supposed to be
029talking into. Um I just want to say that I think it's really impressive that all of you got up to a microphone and held it and talked at such a young age. That's really scary thing to do. It's scary for adults and I can't even imagine being your age and doing it. So, that in itself was impressive and then everything else just icing on the cake. So, congratulations to all of you. Great job. Add anything? I spoke into I spoke individually to some of the um students, but just want to say as a whole you did a fabulous job. You should be so proud of your hard work. Um and just incredible to see the authentic learning, something that you're really engaged and proud of and taking all the knowledge that you've gained in all
030your different classes and bringing it all together. So, great job. Parents, thank you for bringing your kids here tonight and being supportive. We really appreciate it. And teachers, this time of year is tough, right? Especially with you have your testing and the wind down and everything else that you guys have to accomplish. So, thank you for taking time and being here. Um having you guys here is so important so the board can see what you guys do and you know, the students can see what we do. So, thank you so much. Thank you for your dedication. Thank you, Mr. Sousa. Everyone [snorts] else involved. Um we do have cookies right behind. So, if you want to bring those out in the hall, you guys are more than welcome to stay for the meeting. You can
031also watch it online. Um but, we will not be upset if you got up and go. Uh but, grab some cookies on your way if you want to bring them out to the hall and you guys can have some cookies if for dinner or for dessert, whatever wherever your family is right now. Um and uh to the families, you can watch this online uh your student portion and share it out with other friends and family. So, it's on YouTube BHS TV. So, thank you. Give them one more round of applause. I will let you guys get up if you want. You guys can go and I'll just give about 30 seconds before we move on. Um and I'll invite Meg Scott up to the front table. Yeah, we need them You'll need the microphone. However
032you want to to it. You want to stand? That's your style. Perfect. So, I'm going to introduce Meg Scata. She's the president of CABE. Um I'll wait 1 sec. So, Meg Scata from CABE is here this evening. She's the the president of Connecticut Association of Boards of Education. And and it's honestly an honor and a privilege to serve on the Board of Directors under her leadership. Meg has been doing some really great things with CABE. Um you know, and she has a lot of energy and some really great ideas. And um I'm happy to have her here at our meeting this evening. So, she is here to present us with Communications Award. So, I'm going to turn it over to Meg. So, back in uh August, uh Berlin schools sent in some projects that were
033the result of some work that was done in your elementary and your uh middle school. And um they they were judged for an award called the Bonnie B. Carney Award for excellence in education. And Berlin schools came through came through and have four plaques to hang with their other trophies and accolades that they've acquired. Um communication is incredibly important for Board of Eds. And Berlin does a superb job in getting the information and telling their story. Tonight is a perfect example. Kudos to those third graders, to the process that they learned as they went through. And um and I looked up your mission statement because it was on your website when I looked to see, you know, how many board members you had and whatnot. And I'll read it to you because this really what
034happened tonight and what these awards represent really speaks to your mission statement. It says, "We create learning experiences that promote a sense of purpose, ignite passion, and foster a sense of pride. And every single one of the awards that you are getting tonight um reflect all of that. There's a um I'll let Well, I can read them very quickly. Uh the um Mangui um March Madness was an opportunity for middle school kids to uh have a competition for basketball with their um against their teachers and staff. What's not to love about a middle school basketball game, especially when there's a lot of excitement and the purpose was fundraising for the wound wounded um veterans of What what is it? I want to get it right here. The Wounded um Warrior Project. So, it was a
035combination of fun and games and stiff competition and um and fundraising for a very good cause. The other one that um struck me was the Wolf uh Willard Willard Wolf Run, and that got everybody outside, teachers, staff, and kids, and they ran and um and they had a great time. That's what wellness looks like when we turn off the computers and we get outside in the fresh air and we are able to um participate. You also have a TV uh station that broadcasts all of the successes in your schools and all the activities, and you have an Instagram account. So, these awards are from CABE, and you um congratulations. We celebrate everything that you do. I think Board of Eds are one of the misunderstood bodies of municipal government. People wonder what Board of Eds
036do sometimes, and um and and we get blamed for a lot of things, but we also celebrate a lot of things. So, uh congratulations and celebrate yourselves and all the teachers and staff, students, parents, and the community at large. So, thank you. Thank you for inviting me. I love to come, and I'm so glad I stayed to see that student presentation tonight. That was incredible. So, thank you. And CABE is here for all of the board members to take advantage of professional development. Come to our webinars, come to the day on the hill when we have it. Legislative breakfast, I think, and I'll just get on my soapbox for 1 minute and this year I think there was a great partnership with the education committee, the legislature, the governor. I hope Berlin got a lot
037of money when he's doling out his $170 million and um uh and so um you know, we hope that that will cover some of the expenses and deficits that we're all facing right now, but Cave is here to support all the boards and the superintendents. So, um stay tuned for more good good things from Cave and thank you again for inviting me tonight. Thank you, Meg. Do we want to get up and do some pictures? Yeah, we can do whatever we want. What? I love saying stuff like that. It's okay, we'll just have them do it here after. >> What if they're And AI can edit anything. Brian learned about Gemini today. >> [snorts] >> The Lord. The Lord. She's shaking her head. All right. Moving on. So, we had our special presentation. Uh moving
038on to report report of board members. Do any board members have any reports? Yeah, we're talking about budget later. There's a lot to report. Oh, that's committee reports. That's too bad. Any board members have anything they'd like to report in the past 2 weeks? It's a fast 2 weeks. Just Okay. Moving on to report of student representatives. Tomorrow, May 12th, the distinguished members of the National Honor Society will be celebrated during the induction ceremony. An honor society dedicated to the core values of a student: scholarship, leadership, service, and character. Congratulations to all the inductees. For the past week, along with the next week, students have been in and out of classes taking the annual AP exams. With Berlin High School's variety of AP classes, students will be testing rigorously to receive national credit. Good luck
039to all the students and make sure you get a good night's sleep. From May 1st to 3rd, Berlin Up Beat went on their annual May weekend trip. This trip is designed to introduce students and staff to the program while also focusing workshops on how to work within a collaborative environment. Unified Theater is hosting an unforgettable night of entertainment as our students bring the excitement of game shows to life. Admission is free and cash donations will be accepted. Come cheer on our performers at the BHS auditorium on May 13th at 6:00 p.m. Any questions? No. Okay, thank you for your report. Moving on to committee reports. Jen, do you want to just give Jen or Gina want to give a quick update? >> We'll probably cover it later in the meeting, but I think we were
040just mostly we were talking about the at the finance and operations meeting we were talking about the 81,000 that's going to the second referendum. Um for the public to vote on um and the ECS funding that Berlin received which was almost around 600 from the state 600,000 from the state to the town. Um going to school operations, so I think that's the important caveat is that it's to school operations. It doesn't necessarily come directly to the board of Ed. Um and I think everything else we talked about was some technology purchases which Ashley will probably cover in later in the meeting. Okay. Vanessa, we met since the last meeting, right? Okay. Do you want to share any updates from the meeting? We um just last week sent out the updated snapshot. It came out awesome.
041I think it looks really good. I even got some feedback and some people that looked at it cuz sometimes I feel like no one looks at the their email um said that it looked really nice and neat and well put together. Great. Um and did the curriculum committee meet? No, not for 2 weeks. Okay. Great. Any correspondence to the board? No correspondence to the board this evening. Okay, moving on to audience of citizens. Anyone in the audience like to approach the board this evening? If so, you just need to state your name and address and you'll be given 3 minutes. Okay. Uh moving on to the next agenda item. Personnel, we have a retirement of a grade four teacher at um Hubbard School, Tim Tim Molly. Molly, okay. Do we have a motion for consideration?
042I'll move that the board accept the retirement of Tim Molly, teacher of grade four at Richard D. Hubbard School, effective June 30th, 2026. Also to thank him for the 33 years he's service he has provided to the youth of Berlin and wish him good health and happiness in his retirement years. Do we have a second? I'll second. So, the motion by Jen, the second by Jess. Any discussion? And a few words. >> Can I say a few words? Yeah. So, Mr. Molly has been a presence at Hubbard School for 33 years. Um extremely dedicated teacher. Has some does a fantastic talent show performance every year. Um adored by the students and the and the colleagues. Um Mr. Molly wrote in his retirement letter, which was very brief. After 33 years as a classroom teacher at
043Richard D. Hubbard School, I am formally retiring, resigning from my position as the last day of school, June 30th. However, he does not want to permanently leave the district. He would like to have a paraprofessional job. And it really has to do with health reasons. But he is totally committed as he was the first day he started. Um I get a little choked up. Very, very dedicated staff member. And he will be, you know, missed in his role, but he wants to stay on if possible at Hubbard and be a paraprofessional. So, uh congratulations on your retirement and uh we do hope we have Mr. Molly staying in the district. So, Um when I read that retirement letter, I was I was actually very surprised. I had to go back and reread it. Um where
044it says, "I'm not permanently leaving the school system." And I was like, "Wait, am I reading that wrong? You know, cuz And I And I just I have a lot of respect for that, that they want to retire but still stay in the district and continue to work with kids. So, I think that's really really special. I don't know him, but the those are the people we we have here, and I think it speaks volumes. Any other discussion? Okay, we can move to a vote. All those in favor? I. Opposed? Vote carries 7-0. >> [snorts] >> Moving on to the consent agenda, do we have a motion for consideration? I'll move that we um approve the consent agenda as presented. >> Do we have a second? I'll second. So, the motion by Melissa, second by
045Gina, and uh I think there's an item of discussion here. Yep. Um so, I wanted to add to the April 27th uh meeting minutes that under the contract, um it was moved by Mr. Delude and seconded by Mrs. uh Ms. Gerken, and the vote carried 8-0 including President Dennis. That to be added to the meeting minutes. Any discussion? Are we doing it right? Make a note. We have to change the motion. I think we need We just need clarity of what the vote was on it, and that Right. Accept it Accept So, right, as amended. What we're doing is just accepting that the board voted to approve the contract for the custodians. We're just going on record to make sure that's the case. That's all. That's actually That's going on. So, that that's really what
046we're doing. We just want to be >> going on record that we approved the custodial contract and contract. >> That's correct. The custodial contract as described >> As described that it's a that it was first and second that we voted to approve it 8-0. So, that's that's what's going to go on record and be noted in the notes. Do we add an additional motion about the contract? Yes. Just say that we're Just say that we are Motion should be >> Okay, who wants to make the motion? I can't make the Oh, Melissa's got it. Okay, Gina. So, wait. We So, we're at discussion right now. So, now we need to vote and then we have to make a new motion. But, wouldn't the Cuz we have we have a current mo- We have to vote
047on this current motion, correct? Yeah. Yeah, please. She doesn't have it in the minutes correctly. Julia did the consent agenda. She'll say Don't you say any issues with what's presented and then someone would say, "I'd like to change." And then you make the motion to accept the consent agenda as amended. Okay. All right. So, let's finish this current motion and vote no, correct? >> Yeah. Yes. Cuz it's incorrect. >> Okay, all those in favor? Opposed? I. 7-0. Now, we're going to go back and change it. So, do we have a mo- Do we have a motion for consideration? Uh I um Right. I move to amend the April 27th meeting minutes to include um the negotiations with the Berlin Association of Head Custodians um completed and tentative agreement was reached for the period of July
0481st, 2026 through June 30th, 2029 as recommended um and it was moved by Mr. Delude second by Mrs. Gerken, and vote carried 8-0 including President Dennis. And accept the consent as amended. And accept consent agenda as amended. >> The consent agenda as amended. Do we Do we have a second? >> I'll second. Second by Jen. Motion by Melissa, second by Jen. Any discussion? So, going on record that we accept the head custodial contract and we are accepting the consent agenda as amended. Any other discussion? All those in favor? I. Opposed? 7-0. Okay. Great job. Well done, everyone. Moving on to new business. Revision to the 2026 Is my mic on? Okay. Revision to the 2026-2027 school calendar. Superintendent Benigni is recommending moving the March 25th evening conferences at Berlin High School to March 24th so
049they will not be held on the evening before Good Friday. Um Do you Do you want to talk about that or do you >> It's It's simply this, that not having it on the Thursday before Good Friday. So, if people are traveling, it'll be an inconvenience to move it to Wednesday. That's all. Do we have a motion for consideration? I move to revise the 2026-2027 school calendar to move evening conferences at Berlin High School to March 24th, 2027 instead of March 25th, 2027. Do we have a second? So, the motion by Gina, the second by Vanessa. Any discussion? Okay, let's move to a vote. All those in favor? I. Opposed? Vote carries 7-0. Thank you. Moving on to facilities update, Director of Finance and Operations, Ashley Dorsey, will provide us with a brief update. Contracts
050for the Berlin High School flooring project not yet been signed, but we're still making progress. At this time, only $900,000 of funding has been allocated for the project. At the Town Council meeting held on May 5th, the Council approved the request to call a town meeting at 6:45 p.m. on May 19th to approve 425,000 non-budgeted appropriation from fiscal year 2026 general fund unassigned fund balance for the flooring project. Pending the appropriation of the additional funds, the contract will be signed and the project will move forward. Despite the delay in signing, the project is expected to start this summer with the intention of doing one level this summer and another level next summer. The contract for the A&E designs over at the McGee Science Lab that is it's been signed. The town engaged with Fryer. Our
051kickoff meetings are expected to start in June, so same as last 2 weeks ago. Uh both HVAC projects at Griswold and Hubbard are progressing nicely. And discussions for the electrical shutdown have been in the works. We received official notification that anticipated electrical shutdown over at Griswold will start on Monday, July 6th, and will run through Friday, August 14th. During that time, no one except electrical contractors will be permitted in the building. Office staff will be relocated to McGee Middle School, and custodial staff will be reassigned throughout the district. John and I are meeting tomorrow to discuss the schedule and communication plans regarding the shutdown. Hubbard will also experience an electrical shutdown this summer. However, it won't be as long. Um Um, discussions regarding Hubbard shutdown will begin later this week. And the A&E contract for
052the CCTA improvements were actually executed today. Um, and we will be having kickoff meetings with the contractor and the project team to start getting that project underway. We'll establish timelines and uh scope scope reviews. Any questions for Ashley? None? Thank you for your update. Very informative and brief. All right, now we are going to um uh turn it over to all of you to talk about the ESY program. So, as of right now, you have in front of you our preliminary projections for summer. Um, we have sent out >> [music] >> We're We still have a few spring PPTs left, which recommendations will go in the IEP, but the teachers have um sent information to our office and um requests have gone out to parents if they're planning to send them. So, as of Friday,
053these were the numbers we had had. Um, we are down a little bit. Our secondary um is down quite a bit, almost 15 from last year's at this time, the projections from this time. Um, so um, it just helps us to kind of narrow down what we need for staff. So, um, we will look at that. So, um, summer school, I think most of you know is part of special education, part of a student's IEP, not all students um, are recommended for ESY for summer school. Um, it's really what they're based on what their needs are and if they show regression in either academics or behavioral needs. And some of our more impaired students are here for um, five weeks. So, we have one program that's five weeks and one program that's four. So. Any
054questions? Is there a cut off time No. Cuz it's part of their IEP, so we'll send out Joanne, we'll send out >> reminders again asking. Cuz we also have to figure out transportation, so if parents need the transportation, um, we also need to set that up. So, we need to know where the kids are getting picked up and dropped off from. Any other questions? Do you guys have anything else you want to add? That's all I got for today. Thank you. All right, thank you for presenting. Thank you for sharing that information. All right, moving on to um, committee objectives. So, two of our committee chairs are unable to be here today. Um, but in our last committee meetings, we did review the committee objectives cuz I I was in two of the three of
055these meetings. Um, and I don't know. Do you have them or do you want Do you want to share the F&O's and then Vanessa Gill share yours and then do you want to share? Curriculum, perfect. Okay, Melissa, they're Community engagement can go first. Community engagement can go first. Vanessa, it's all you. Number one. Give us 1 second to pull them up. Wait, Jenner, you got You want me to go first? Jenner, Jen is going to share out the F So, the Finance and Operations Committee, we have three. Uh first one is review current budget process including ongoing discussion with stakeholders and make recommendations for changes and improvements as necessary. Number two, coordinate with the town on capital, building, and site budgeting to support effective long-range planning. And the third one is review the financial impact
056of the district's plan, development, and strategies for recruiting and retaining high-quality educators and staff. So, for the Curriculum Committee, um we have three goals, uh three objectives. Commit to building an organization that fosters on the learning of all members resulting in the optimal growth of each student. Second one is implement future-ready ideals, um which integrate the vision of the graduate competen- competencies into daily learning um experiences as outlined in the district curriculum. And then the third one is support the development of the social-emotional well-being of all members of the school community. Vanessa Continue to explore different ways to reach and engage the greater Berlin community. Thank you. >> [clears throat] >> Okay. Any questions, discussions about these? All right, moving on to the next item. So, at our F&O committee meeting, we talked a bit
057about this um and Ashley will, I think, segue us into the next few items. So, the first agenda item is technology purchasing. So, I'll have Ashley share out a bit about this and then before we talk, we'll make a motion, second that, and then open it up for discussion. So, Ashley, go ahead. Yeah, so this is just standard housekeeping um for some of our year-end purchasing. I'm looking to purchase grade six Chromebooks, um a firewall for the main network closet over here at central office, and then to purchase 50 staff laptops to replace units that have exceeded their useful life. Um one of the things that I want to bring your attention to is, especially with the Chromebooks, you'll notice it's a 53% increase from when you uh approved the ninth grade Chromebooks back in
058February, and they are due for another increase the first week of June. So, we really want to make sure that we get these done before we have to pay even more. And the total dollar amount between that is $38,000, which is equivalent to a pair of salary. So, um when we talk about equipment and and funding equipment properly, when we have to wait for year-end, it kind of puts us in a in in a tough spot and where we're paying more than we need to be. Cuz if I had the funding for 425 Chromebooks back in February, I would have bought 425 Chromebooks for um a cheaper cost. So, it's just something to just be aware of. Um the cost of everything is going to continue to increase. There are many things that are causing
059it um and it we don't see that the the industry is not seeing a trend the other direction. So, just want you to be mindful of that as we prep for next budget cycle. Right, so we're always using end of the year funds, anticipated funds, which we need to wait for rather than purchase them, you know, knowing we have the the line in the under line in the budget for equipment. And another thing, all of these, with the exception of the staff laptops or Chromebooks, are partially going to be paid for out of the Chromebook insurance account. And then the firewall, we're going to be using a portion from our e-rate funds. So, those two purchases are not fully funded by general fund. Okay, do you have a motion? For consideration. To authorize the superintendent
060to waive the formal bidding procedures to purchase 225 Acer Chromebooks and Google Chrome licenses from CDW CDW-G through the Connecticut AEPA 025F Chromebook EDU 025-F and Connecticut 025F for is in the best interest of the board and authorize the director of finance and operations to issue a purchase order not to exceed $111,352. Sorry. I Why do I always have trouble? >> [laughter] >> I do too. $111,352.50. Do we have a second? Motion made and second by Christina. It's Christina, right? Not Christine. Christine? Okay, I looked it up the other day cuz I mix up names. Anyway, discussion. Um these funds that we're going to be using for the Chromebooks, will they in any way affect if we don't get the salary for the teachers? Is this money going to affect money that could be have
061gone towards keeping these teachers? No, are you talking about the $250,000 that we're trying to get? No. Uh these funds are for this current fiscal year. Uh the $250,000 is for next fiscal year. Okay. Can we roll over? I was just going to say, can we roll over? Nope. No. Okay. Any other points to discuss and questions? Okay. We can move to a vote. All those in favor? I. Oppose? 7-0. Okay, moving on to the firewall. Ashley, would you like to talk a little bit about this? Yes, so our firewall here at central office um is about 3 years past its life cycle, needs to be updated. Um a firewall is another one that we saw a significant price increase in. Um it was about $40,000 back in November, it is now up to 68.
062We are going to be using a portion of our reimbursement from E-Rate to offset the cost. Um that's the reimbursement we get for internet services being a public school system. And um it's very much needed. Firewalls are are what we need to protect our data and our finances and our our personnel stuff. Do we have a motion for consideration? I move to authorize the director of finance and operations to issue a purchase order not to exceed $68,632.06 to Insight Public Sector of Chandler, AZ for the purchase of a firewall and upgrades. Do we have a second? I'll second. Motioned by Vanessa, seconded by Christina. Any discussion? Okay, we can move to a vote. All those in favor? I. Opposed? Vote carries 7-0. Staff laptops, we'll turn it back over to Ashley. Yeah, so um the
063quote that you have in front of you today or the the motion we have is for 50 staff laptops that will uh be distributed throughout all five schools. Um they are going to replace the end of life. Uh we try to get about 6 to 7 years um even though on the book it's usually about 5 years for a life expectancy for a laptop that are used on a daily basis basis like ours. Um and we need about 120. So this will take a good chunk out um and hopefully we could purchase more as the year starts to wind down even further, but as of right now um we only have enough for 50. So we have a motion for consideration. bidding procedures to purchase 50 staff Mac MacBooks through the collegiate purchase program agreement
064CID 15435 CCN4665 for it is in the best interest of the board and to authorize the director of finance and operations to issue a purchase order not to exceed $60,400. How was that again? So moved by Beavis Seconded by Jen. Any discussion? [clears throat] I I I think that's a great price for MacBooks. What happens if you exceed the the money that's I have to come back from a different approval. Like if I >> what you will allow for this particular order. Yeah, so if I if I have enough funding to buy additional laptops, I have to come back in June for for more a different approval. Is there any discount for Let's say we get 100. Do they give us like anything significant discount or You get a sole source and it's already been
065bid for the lowest through the collegiate agreement. Um so it's been exposed to that special contract price. Okay. Um, it's a pretty good That's a pretty good price. Just a little note for the board, because we use mostly almost exclusively Macs, we do get 6 to 7 years typically out of them, which the life expectancy of a PC is much less. So, we may pay a little more up front, but the the durability of the problems we've been with a Mac based for a long time in Berlin here. The other piece I want to say, you're seeing these now, not like in other years we talked about it in the F&O committee. The reason you're seeing these purchases now, this is typically we talk about the so-called surplus. That's like to be said, we have
066a surplus. These are the end of the year funds that Ashley's anticipated with the e-rate and with other things that she's merging. And the thought was at F&O that we should do some of the purchasing now before the prices go up, rather than wait for the end of the year when we give you a report at the end of the year of everything purchasing. So, that's why you're seeing it discussed now, not like in other years. Yeah, I just just to add on to that, I think I think it was you, Ashley, in the in our F&O meeting, we we were talking about this and you said somebody said, "This is the why behind our surplus." And and it's absolutely, I mean, this is money that's not budgeted in that we still I mean, we
067need these we need these to function in our school system and and so that's why we need to purchase them. I think if we go back to the budget and how we reduced the budget, cuz I wanted to talk about budget moment, and we reduced it by cutting equipment from 500,000 to 100,000. That's what's currently in the budget. Those are the funds that would have been used for this. What we typically do is we play catch up with end of the year funds to purchase the items like we're doing now. Just so everyone understands what we're doing, and that's what we've discussed in public numerous times. So, we have a motion out there. Any other discussion? Questions, comments, now is is to ask. Okay, we can move to a vote. All those in favor? I.
068I. Opposed? 7-0. Okay. Thank you, Ashley. You might want to stay by for the budget, but you know, we'll guess we'll call you back up. So, we're going to provide a little budget update. Um so, we we did meet as an F&O committee, and I have some updates as well. I don't know if you want to start or you want me to start. >> I can start, I guess. So, um I received a phone call last week uh from the mayor. Um he did stop in at the board on Friday. He wanted copies of the two letters that we sent out. Uh the one the one under my pen, and then the one that the board sent regarding the budget, which we did give him. I spoke to Julia. Julia sent it to the mayor.
069Um his concern was that we weren't losing teachers. We were just going to have to move them to another building, and I explained to him that we are losing positions, which would increase class size. But, we do have retirements where we could move the teachers to, but it's still two less teachers at McGee, which would increase class class size above 25. Um it was a it was a productive conversation. Um at that point, I did speak to him and say we really need 200 some odd thousand dollars to cover the teachers, both the two McGee teachers and the high school math teacher. And um I said that's what we've impressed upon. He was upset that he claimed that myself and all of you didn't disclose that the teachers wouldn't be um out of a job.
070And I said it is it is it is disclosed. It's disclosed in the letter. It's disclosed publicly that they would be reassigned to another building. So, the physical teacher wouldn't lose a position, but we'd still be losing teachers that you know, positions that were here before. So, that was what the discussion was. Um it didn't end in a in a nasty way or anything like that, but um it was a discussion um that I had with the mayor. So, I'll follow up with that. That's a good segue. Um and over the weekend I emailed uh the town manager, the mayor, and the chair of the Board of Finance asking about the $581,000 $191 um newly allocated money by the governor and that was just signed into legislation. So, I wanted to know um if we
071are going to be get I understand with educational cost sharing we don't always get that money. Uh but after talking with some other districts they are seeing that money in addition to the increase that they're getting. So, I know that the Board of Finance voted to give us another 81,000. They sent that off. That's that's been voted. That's going to referendum. But what about that extra 500,000? Um I know our legislators did not legislate this for our our local municipalities and our you know, our town to keep all that money though it could go towards debt repayment, capital improvements, other educational costs. But it's But really they're getting money, the town side as they're getting probably about half, 200 and something thousand and then we're getting 581. That's really to go towards the school systems.
072Um so, you know, after hearing from some some other districts and talking and seeing what they're getting, they're getting all of the money they they anticipated from their town government. Um and I know that news sources are looking to run stories on this. So, I emailed the mayor and the chair of the Board of Finance and the town manager asking will we be getting our 581,000? And I wanted to know before tonight so we could talk about it. Um and I didn't get a written response, but right before the meeting the mayor did call. It was a very brief phone call because I was at the baseball field. But some of the things we talked about um we did talk about the teacher. So, I made sure we talked about that. So, that's the first
073point I want to bring up cuz that's where Brian just left off. And I said that, you know, we are losing those two positions at McGee. Though they are not the actual people, they will move elsewhere. I you know, and he was receptive and understood that. So, that was a positive conversation. But, um you know, I asked about increasing us even giving us half of it. Like, that's the intended purpose. Though with ECF E- EC educational cost sharing, ECS um it goes to your town, but this is different. It It almost kind of reminds me of extra funding, right? But, they did not put that language in when they signed it in. Um I did speak with two education lobbyists who I know were on the back side of lobbying for this. And I've since
074spoken with CEA who is actually actively trying to CEA is a Connecticut Educators Association. They're trying to change ECS funding and how that's allocated. I think that will cause other issues. That's not what I'm here for right now. But, you know, this may end up in the news. Like, the districts who are not receiving the money, it may end up headline news. I did hear from one news outlet last week. I did not reply to them yet. Um I'm just going to kind of give it a week or two, see kind of where things go. But, if we're going to be at, you know, 100,000, 200,000 when 581 was legislated to go to education, like the this is what we need to stand for because I think this is our tax dollars funding this. Our
075our state is giving us this money with our taxes that we are paying into a system. And that it's not going towards our education. Why should it have been legislated to begin with? So, peo- people can win their their elections. It's crazy. So, that's crazy to me. Um I don't know what you guys think. Uh Yeah, so it's if you Yeah. I thought it was that going to the town and then they can decide >> They It is. They can. But it is for education and for school purposes. It Yes, because there's town money and then there's education money. But they they're not obligated to give it to us, but after speaking with a few towns so far and I'll and and another great benefit of having CABE is I have the CABE board chair
076list serve. I'm going to reach out to the rest of the towns in Connecticut who are members of CABE, which are like 121 out of 169, to see what everybody else is getting and I'm sure I'll get many responses. I just wanted to talk with the board about it first because I don't want to, you know, start going rogue and having these conversations. I had enough. I want to hear from you guys and I want us to be able to collectively act on this because this this is a concern of mine. All this money is coming to us for education and then we're getting 81,000. So, and and that was decided before the 581 was signed in. Wow. It's a It's a huge concern. I mean, we're talking about the difference between the 81,000 and
077the 250 and we now have these funds. I spoke at the town council meeting last week and um you know, I stand by what I said there, too. Just just a little clarity. Right now, the the 81,000 is not coming from ECS. >> It's not. That was separate. >> coming from tax dollars. So, and the other piece of it, Vanessa, just to make sure you're understanding it cuz you asked the question about you thought it was coming to the board. I was on a conference call with the commissioner. It is going to the municipalities across the state and municipality decides how much money to get, but the caveat is has to be used for education. But, they can decide to put it against like the debt debt services. They could do something against capital improvements
078in the schools. You know, they could put it to um the I think they could put to the floor cuz it's improving the floor part. They can put it towards the labs. They get to decide because they're the ones in control of the money. So, I think the best thing to do is to advocate for us and we've said from the start that the 200,000 and 250,000 to solidify those teachers is what we really wanted and that gets back to the 3.8 on the stack bar graph. You know, 3.81 or 3.85 was you know, remained all staff in places we had. I'm floored. Well, and that's what my conversation with the mayor was and it was it was brief cuz again, you know, I was at the baseball field, but I wanted to take the
079call. But, really it was um could you at least just give us 250,000 of it? Like it's mutually beneficial. You'll be the hero. I'd love to have all 581,000, but please let's get 251,000 and the um I think we left off with, well, we're going to listen to the voters. And then I said, okay, great. I'll start utilizing my time at the baseball field and I will start passing out flyers that I make on my own. >> And so, listening to the voters, I think there needs to be some clarity with that because what we're voting on is whether the 81,000 is too high or too low. And the 81,000 is not counting that 581,000. So, they're two completely separate It's two very separate buckets. >> They don't understand that, right? So, even those sitting
080around the table right now just understanding that. I know there's people >> um in Newington in the Newington district that are going to town meetings now because they found out about this money that was being allocated to education and they're saying, well, then why did we give them an increase? If they're getting this money I'm just playing the devil's advocate because they're saying, well, we gave them this increase and now they're getting five, you know, 900 something. >> Yeah, I mean, is every town the same or does it depend depend on demographics and and how many people? >> I think it depends, but I think a lot of the [clears throat] towns are trying to honor what the purpose was. So, if you if you follow the news, like you've got a number of cities
081and municipalities really in the hole because as we sit [laughter] here, and though budget season is tough and though we're constantly [snorts] criticized for the same exact things, we're not transparent. We always ask for more money. We always have a surplus. It's the same things every single year. Doesn't matter how transparent, how much we talk about it, how many more meetings we have, how much more communication. Even Meg Scata said Burlington's communication compared to other boards is is is phenomenal. And she wouldn't just say that for no other for no reason. Like, I didn't preface her with anything um prior to this meeting. I It was two texts. 6:00, see you soon. And um she says that. And so, you know, we're constantly getting the same criticism from the same people and we always have
082low votes. So, um you know, I think I kind of lost my train, but really what I think it is is we're over here, you know, Try trying to do our best to to advocate for for education, but my my point was that >> I was saying was so many other towns and cities are in the hole right now and because the cost of everything is going up. This isn't us not being transparent or, you know, crying wolf or saying we need this and that and every year we need more and more and more. Every year we are told that the same thing, that we're always asking for more, we're never using what we have. But the town [clears throat] has a $5 million surplus. We have like few hundred thousand. We're criticized, town's not.
083So, at this point, you know, across the state, everybody is in the hole. You know, everything has gone up from firewalls to power school subscriptions to supplies, which we've kept flat. Uh salaries, insurance, everything is going up. Everybody is struggling. That is why our legislators allocated this money, not for our municipalities so hold on to it and say, "Nope, we're going to give you this because this is what we believe and this is how we believe you guys handle budget. We don't agree with you. You're getting that. End of story." That's That's not it. So, in Newington, um whether they're going to gain traction or not from going to town meetings, I don't know. I'm just telling you what I've been hearing >> Yeah, yeah. Because I've heard the opposite about Newington. >> They don't
084even know that this money was allocated. That's That's what I'm saying. So, but a lot of people don't know that this there's this big dump of money that's that's happening. So, now towns are waking up and saying, "Well, we gave them a a 5 and 1/2% increase and now >> And they take the money from the state. Why aren't they Why can't they use that? >> Because I think >> Wait, hold on. Before I forget. Yeah, yeah. I know. My next question would be if it's for education, and I know you just said they get to determine what that education is, what if they don't hand over the 581 over a period of time? They're not going to give you 581 and say, "Here, happy birthday." You know, that's not how it's going to happen.
085>> This budget. It has to be this budget, yeah. So, >> So, they can just keep it? They They could pay down debt. They could pay for capital improvement. They could pay for other things. >> allocated for education. >> Correct. And that's why That's why ECS needs to change. That's why educational cost sharing in the state and it keeps coming up and nobody has a better solution on how to change it. Um It has to be used for education in the morning. No, but Correct. And I'm shocked that it wasn't. >> So, if they use it to pay down the education debt, that would be okay. If they use it for an improvement project, the the labs, a study, that that that >> that all >> Would you not? Well, we want we want our
086you know we We're not going against the operational budget. We need our So, I think the thing is that people want to see I think the board's mission has been to not to cut the staff. Right. No, I So, if we got to that, I think people would be in a good place. I don't think I don't know how all of you would feel if the staff were if the staff were able to get back in and they use the other money otherwise for education would the board you know would the board be okay with that? That's not so in our budget. Is this I don't know what the teachers are No, I mean obviously this is is this an opportunity I don't know how it would go where we have a joint meeting as
087a whole to discuss it instead of talking about it at one meeting and then possibly showing up at another just to say our possible ideas whether they want to But it's already going to referendum. No, the referendum has nothing to do with >> Well, that's what Mark said. Yeah. Mark [clears throat] basically said the money's coming to us. Uh your number's going to referendum. We'll talk about it after. So >> And and I think like that kind of I think our thing right here right now is get the voters out for this current referendum. Let them know about that 581,000 however we can because we're very limited in how we can do that. Let them know about that. So, by voting no to low if that's how they so choose to vote. I'm going to
088be careful what I say here. It's not going to increase your taxes because now all this new money is coming in. And if everybody is so concerned about their tax increase, this actually won't drive your taxes up. And if it does like our taxes are still pretty low compared to several surrounding towns and towns in Connecticut. The conversation with Mark that I had on the phone was also with the $81,000 and what we need to cover the two other staff members that maybe would cover one the two other two staff members. My conversation was in years past we've been way apart. I said we're not that apart, not that far apart from making this work without, you know, having issues on both sides." And that was my message, you know, before before the ECS money
089was released. My conversation was before it was all public. So, um to to what you're saying, Melissa, about getting together and conversation, that that was similar to my conversation. We're We're not as far as apart as we've been in years past. I mean, and before the announcement was made about the ECS funding, the uh Board of Finance, when they met, this was the topic of that meeting, and they went back and forth a lot about "Why don't we just use ECS?" And they weren't comfortable Some of them were not comfortable using those funds because it hadn't been approved yet by the state. So, now that it is, I think, you know, hopefully that will go back to the table after the referendum. Yeah. I think it's in good It's only in good conscience. If that's
090I I can't I If that money is supposed to be allocated for education, I can't understand how they could not give us some of that money. And you're saying it's for this budget cycle. So, they Let's say they say, "Okay, here's 250,000." And then the other 250,000, approximately, they don't give us. What happens to that money? They can pay down the debt. >> They can pay down debt. >> it for any other But it has to be educational But education debt. The high school bonding. projects Okay. floors, HVAC labs. But here's the thing, like, if we were to get that 581,000, we could prepay for the 3-5 years for PowerSchool or Parent Square or all Chromebooks or more laptops or other things that um we need. And And again, that's why this money was allocated.
091Like, go Go on the news. Look at New Britain. Look at Hartford. They have these big budget deficits. Their communities are giving them an increase, but they cannot increase at the rate of everything else increasing, and that is why this money is here. Because the rate benefits are increasing. How much have they gone up this year? 10% every year, right? Insurance, yeah. Set Right. So, at the rate of everything increasing, they are trying to give us this money to help us out, but it's not going to help us out if we only get 81,000 out of the 581,000. We could get supplies that we've kept flat at zero. Like the supplies that the kids built those maker spaces on. Like we could do so much more for the students. Like so much more. And when
092if we're not getting that, it's just going to pay down the debt because we we want to, you know, keep our taxes low. Like our taxes are low. Like they It's been very healthy where we're at. I look at surrounding towns and say like, our taxes look great here, especially compared to some neighboring towns at, you know, our mill. But if that's our primary concern, and it's not the kids, then like we shouldn't actually be sitting on this board. We should We shouldn't. Like But they're not going to give you the money. Uh So, I've sat on the board for 10 years. I've gone through this for 6 years as board chair, and I just had a conversation with the mayor. But he didn't say he wasn't going to give you the money. He said
093we'll talk about it after the referendum. That's different than saying you're not touching or seeing the >> Correct. So, I'm just trying to say that let's wait until And we can >> know whether or not we should be >> But But here I am. I'm going to advocate for the money because that's that's >> we're going to advocate for the money, but to say that he's not giving it before he hasn't made a decision yet. >> I think thing for us to do is to try and get that information out as much as we can and we're allowed to. Um It's going to be ground >> get out there and vote. And then after that, it's to show up at some meetings and make sure they understand that we want them to use that money
094for our operating budget. >> of that money. And let's be, you know, if they want to pay down some debt and then give us some to do whatever we need to do with our where our priorities are. Their priorities are this, our priorities are that, but it all has to be part of education. So, I think a compromise would definitely be in the in the works. >> do just 250,000?" And it's had Well, let's get through this process. >> going to answer that now. Right. And no one is, but you know, I wanted to have that conversation before tonight to share that with you guys. I appreciate that. But, I think you guys all need [snorts] to know this. Everybody sitting at the table needs to be aware of this conversation and be aware of
095this money and what can be done with it. I have a quick question. So, what's Say the state gives us gives the town the whole amount and the city magically decides to give us all that money. Is that considered like a one-time gift or is that setting the standard for next year or will we No, it's not a gift. I'm just wondering how it would affect it. The fact that the following year when they give that money to us. So, if we got it, we could just use it and it doesn't affect next year's budget. Right. Oh, okay. But, it could set So, a town like us, it could set us up to be in a pretty good place for next future budget years. Places like New Britain and Hartford who are facing a significant
096like are on the news. This money is going to help help them get through this year, but maybe not the following years. This is going to help us get ahead. So, maybe our ask next year is a little more evened out. It's a little bit less. It's a lit- it's a little more predictable. This would really help us get ahead for future years if if need be. Um you know, I do think paying down you know, debt and paying for other projects is important, but when I look at the towns getting money, the school is getting money. Well, they wouldn't have legislated for two separate buckets of money if they didn't want us as a board to be getting it. It's a flaw in the educational cost sharing, and that's truly what it is. Um
097they went back and revised this multiple times. And And again, it's typical legislation. Like, let's throw money at a problem. Let's Let's make good on our end, and let's not specify it to, you know, poke too many bears. Don't specify what exactly what was intended for. And that just opens up a whole can of worms because everybody wants their hand in the cookie jar, and it's just How do you But it reminds me of when we got that SR funding, and we had the autonomy to spend the SR funding. It's different. And And I I wish something more was set up like that. And that's why I spoke with the two lobbyists, you know, over the weekend to really just try and see is there something else I'm missing. So, if we use some of
098that money, let's say we get the full amount, and we start buying the Chromebooks while they're still inexpensive, and we buy the subscriptions for more years so that this way the cost is lower. I mean, we can advocate because that means that when we're going to the budget next year, we're like, we don't need that money for that. Is there any Do you know what I'm saying? There's a way to be able It helps the city, and it helps us now and in the future if they give it to us. You know? An example of what they did. So, when they funded the reading program, the 218,000, that didn't go against our number. That was on top of the the percentage. What But it was money that they received again from the state that they
099used for that. So, it's similar It's similar. I just think that when you have the referendum, even if it comes back no too low, it's it's trying to give perspective that our number is the 250,000 or close to it to fund the staff. That's I think the message. But I think you know the the it's a control issue. Who's going to control the money. That's And I think it also goes to like every single year I've sat in this chair. It does not matter or not this chair, sit at this table. It doesn't matter who the chair is, what they've done, it's the same few excuses. We're not transparent. Ashley has got like got above and beyond at changing her reports, changing the budget presentation to really like make it simple so lay people can
100understand it. When I first got on the board, I I could not understand how those reports were done. It was a different language. Um so I think we've really improved with that level of transparency. I think that we've improved in our meetings. We got rid of Nutmeg TV and now these are all on YouTube. Anybody can watch them. Anybody who has questions, you can go back and watch these meetings. Um you know, it's our job to set our number and and and advocate for our number, but it's always we're not transparent. We always ask for more. We always have a surplus. It's the same three things. So it does not matter who's around the table, it does not matter who the chair is, it doesn't matter what more we do or what less we do.
101It's the same exact excuses. So I don't know. I think when you have people who are dying on a hill of not supporting education. Not saying that about the mayor, I'm just saying there are people in town who are elected officials who do not want to support this. Like this is what we are going to deal with and I don't know. I I think it's a a huge challenge for us every budget season. is usually because of taxes going up, but with this funding taxes will not be going up. Correct. It's always been about holding the mill. You know, whether they excuse me, take from the town, give a little to the board. But it's always holding the mill at where it's at. And this these funds are an opportunity again, similar to last year,
102state funds that don't impact the mill. So, maybe there's some hope that that there will be, you know. I think, you know, I don't think none of us sitting here saying we're asking you to give us all of it. Shouldn't be that. We're saying just give enough to fund back the teachers. Right. I I think we you know, I know there's that feeling that we we have to kind of grovel, but um I really don't see them not giving us something. I just I I don't see it. >> I did say, "Can you give us a $250,000?" He said, "We're going to listen to the voters. Let's see how the referendum goes." So, if if it if it does go no too high or yes, then they're listening to the voters and we're getting 81,000.
103So, that's that is what he said. He held to that last [clears throat] year. So, So, what? Came out last year, but yeah. But still, so what? People out. The bigger the percentage of the no too low, the more they will listen. Anyone want to share anything else? Ashley, you have any final thoughts? Ryan? Any board members? All right. So, Gina, thank you for your perspective. I appreciate it. Always always appreciate it. All right. Uh So, executive session is it anticipated. So, do we have a motion for consideration? >> Just inviting. The superintendent. Superintendent. Oh. Yep. Been a day. >> Motion by Gina. Do you have a second? I'll second. Second by Melissa. Any discussion? Okay, all those in favor? I, opposed. Okay, 7-0. We are going to enter into executive session at 7:39 p.m.
104and then we will exit and we'll try not to mess up any >> Mhm. >> Hey.