001That recording started. actually one minute start slowly >> at least a Where's the g? >> Right. Okay. Yep. Yep. All right. All right. It is 6:30. We're going to call this meeting to order. We start with the pledge of allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States to theublic. >> All right. All right. Our chairman is coming in. So, I'm going to pass the >> Oh, I'll pass it to Yeah, I'll pass it to I had two fresh accidents on the way home. Uh, now turn things over to the superintendent for comments in the audience. >> Oh, I'm sorry. Is there anyone in the audience who would like to make a comment this evening? We'll now turn things over to the superintendent for tonight's celebration of excellence. There's a lot of it.
002>> All right. Tonight, there are a lot of celebrations this evening. really exciting uh to have some adults being celebrated tonight as well as some of our awesome students. Um I'd like to introduce Mr. Peas. >> Yes, my name is Larry Peas. I represent Boag from Rockville along with Brian Perell. We represent the town um 11 towns 12 town that go there and at this time we have a senior uh from Bolton one this year. We think we have seven students that all here and uh do you like to make a small speech Avery Johnson and she'll tell you a little bit about the program hopefully afterwards if you have any questions and she'll tell you everything about what she did for your service there. This time Johnson >> Hello everyone. How are we doing
003tonight? >> Great. Good. >> Awesome. As um Larry said before, my name is Avery Johnson. Um I'm here representing the town of Bolton. I go to the Rockville Science program and um over the past three years I've been involved in pretty much every pathway we have there. So we have animal science, plant science, mechanics, and aquaculture. Um my pathway is animal science and plant science. In college, I'm going into animal science studies. um where I'll be going into agricultural education teaching and um majoring in animal science, large animal science. Um I'm going to MCC for my first two years and then I'm going to Yukon for the next four to study education. >> Thank you. >> Anybody have any questions for Avery? >> Thanks so much for coming tonight and sharing that with us. >>
004Best of luck to you. >> Congratulations. You don't believe All right. The next award is the DAR award, Daughters of the American Revolution. This award youth leadership medal may be awarded to a boy or girl in grades 5 through 11. Who in the judgment of the school facility and or student body best exemplifies the qualities of honor, service, courage, leadership, and patriotism. Throughout the past two years, my students have been working on analyzing different historical events through perspective, historical context, and casualty. During this time, I've watched many students grow academically and personally. However, one student in particular has distinguished herself in remarkable ways. She has developed and honed these skills at an exceptional pace, inspiring others to discuss, contribute, and take risks within our classroom. Furthermore, this student is a leader in the classroom, teaching
005others about difficult topics. supporting them during their struggles and always participating. All these skills can be obtained with time. With hard work and dedication, any student can achieve and develop these skills. There is one trait that cannot be taught through effort alone, and that is a love for history. With that being said, this is why the 2026 recipient of the Daughters of American Revolution Award goes to Cla Hoffman. >> Wait, there's more. Claire Hoffman is one of a kind student. She deeply cares about her studies, her peers, and clearly her history. In an a digital digital age where phones and technology rule the world, Clare falls back on books, specifically history books. Whether she is reading about World War II, Gettysburg, or the American Revolution, Clare is always sharing with me what she is reading
006and what she is learning. Her ambition to become a better historian and learn about a world that is constantly changing is admirable. Clare regularly makes connections between past and present events, demonstrates maturity and intellectual curiosity beyond her years. In many years of teaching social studies and history, there have been very few students I have encountered that possess this level of passion and dedication to our subject. Being able to support, teach, and guide Claire throughout her educational journey has been a distinct honor. It is without hesitation that I support her in recognition for this award. Sincerely, Mr. Peter Stanovich. You're welcome. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Oh yeah, clear. So you can stay up there. And Sam, do you mind joining her, >> please? >> Okay. The next award is the CAS scholar Leader Award.
007This is probably the most prestigious award uh a middle school student can can achieve. This year, we would like to take a moment to recognize a student who rose to every challenge within our classrooms in pursuit of academic excellence. The Cascal Leader Award represents the grit, determination, and leadership a student requires in order to be successful. For the 2526 school year, the eighth grade team would like to recognize Clare Hoffman as one of our two CAS scholar leaders. When it comes to academics and leadership, Clara exceeds all expectations. In class, Clare is a passionate learner who will do anything it takes to succeed. From extra credit to extra help, Claire is willing to put in the time and the effort to get a perfect score. The sheer amount of discipline and dedication this taste does
008not go unnoticed, and her grades clearly speak for themselves. While the chase for perfection in every class can sometimes be stressful, exhausting, and difficult, Clare does not lose sight of helping others. In every class with Clare, you can see that she puts others first, willing to take the time to support, guide, and educate peers that may need extra help. Her knowledge of every subject allows her to spread kindness and positivity in the classrooms, helping create an inspirational and flourishing environment where people want to learn and perform their best. Not only this, Clare has been an essential student and leader in multiple extracurricular activities such as student council, book club, basketball, soccer, and softball. In these clubs and sports, Clare represents the core ideals of a positive role model, teacher, and hard worker. Overall, Claire is
009a standout student who has worked exceptionally hard to earn this distinguished award. Our other CAS scholar leader award winner is Sammy Tumi. Sam Tumi has been selected by his eighth grade teachers as one of the recipients of this year's CAS scholar Leader Award. Sam embodies what it means to be self-directed, engaged learner who is an asset to every classroom. He can always be counted on by his teachers to try his hardest, ask great questions, contribute relevant ideas, and work well with anybody he is paired with. He is often observed by his teachers taking the time to teach his fellow classmates who come to him for help rather than take the easy way out by simply giving them the answers. His patience, trustworthy, trustworthiness, and academic prowess are all hallmark features of a great leader. His
010academic talents, strong work ethic, and leadership extend beyond the classroom. Sam Sam has been a member of the BCS student council since seventh grade. Is a member of the jazz band and the middle school book club and the spelling team. Sam has also donated his time the past three years to help out at the 4 fair. We're all very proud of Sam who is welld deserving of this special award. Congratulations. I did that last. Our next recognition slashthank you goes out to our very own Grace Osborne. We want to thank Grace for serving as her board of ed student representative. She has provided this board with valuable updates and a student perspective we greatly appreciate. It's very valuable in the decisions that we make as a board or as they make as a board to
011get your perspective as a student and hear from your lens. We hope you have an amazing finish to your BPS journey and wish you the best of luck in your next chapter. We know there are great things ahead of you. Thank you so much for giving your time to us. >> Thank you. At this meeting, we'd also like to recognize our validictorian and our saludiatoran for this year. They are either here. They're not here, but we will celebrate them anyway. Keian Kelsey is our validictorian this year. It gives me great pleasure to announce Kian Kelsey as this year's valadictorian for the class of 2026. Kian Kelsey is a dedicated and hardworking student who has challenged himself academically through a rigorous course load while remaining deeply involved in the life of the school community. Recognized as
012the American Legion boy state recipient, he has demon demonstrated strong character, leadership, and civic responsibility. Keian is also a respected leader on both hockey and soccer teams where he models teamwork, perseverance, and sportsmanship. In addition, his involvement in the National Honor Society and the Bigs and Littles program reflects his commitment to service and mentorship as he consistently works to support and uplift younger students. Kian plans on attending University of Connecticut to study material science and engineering. Congratulations to Kian and York family. Is with great pride that I announced Tanisha Ray as the class of 2026 saludiatoran. Tanisha has consistently taken and excelled in highle course work at Bolton High School while balancing time for a variety of extracurricular activities. She has served as a class officer for the past three years and is currently serving
013on the executive board for student council. Tanisha's leadership carries over to all that she does serving as captain of the volleyball and tennis teams, editor for the school yearbook, and through volunteer work. Tanisha's hard work and determination have helped her reach this important milestone. Tanisha will also attend Yukon in the fall studying nursing. Congratulations to you and your family. Now, I'd like to ask Miss Alig Ready to stand up. Mr. uh GR, do you want to hold her? So, I have a little write up that was um sent to us to honor Miss Aligretti for her years of service to the children of Bolton. Um my children included. So, it's a very special night for us to recognize Miss Aliggretti. Tonight, we recognize fifth grade teacher Elaine Aliggretti after four decades of remarkable service at
014Bolton Center School. Miss Aliggretti has always loved the good story. So, we'd like to take some time to tell you the tale of her time in Bolton. We hope that you find it as entertaining and special as she is to us and the many students she has taught. In a bright classroom in Bolton, where glitter sometimes lingered on desks long after spirit day ended, there lived a teacher named Miss Aliggretti. Miss Aliggretti wasn't just any teacher. She was a kind who believed a little sparkle can make any day better. For 40 years, she filled her classroom with learning, laughter, and just the right amount of shimmer. Some days she wore a tutu. Some days she dressed up like a cat in a hat or Sparkella. And every day, no matter what, she showed up ready
015to give 110%. Her students always knew something special about Miss Aliggretti. She saw them. Not just their homework or the test scores, but their ideas, their worries, their jokes, their dreams. Most of the time, Miss Algradi taught fifth grade, helping her students grow into confident, curious learners ready to take on the world. She also taught Spanish and fourth grade. Throughout her time at BCS, Miss Aliggrad advised many clubs, including student council, homework club, and the yearbook club. She was often found in the crowd cheering proudly at sporting events, concerts, and talent shows. And oh, how she loves spirits days. Crazy hats. She had 10 sparkles always, tutus, of course. If her students were dressing up, Miss Aliggary was right there with them, sometimes even more enthusiastically. Because to her, school wasn't just about lessons. It
016was about joy. When the final bell rang each June, Miss Algra didn't just remember the class. She remembered each student, every single one, their smiles, their struggles, their victories. Outside the classroom, Miss Aliggretti's heart was just as full. She loved traveling to new places, exploring the world with the same curiosity she encouraged in her students. And most of all, she cherished her two daughters, Cat and Liz, who were always her biggest pride and joy. As the years passed, generations of students walked through her classroom door. And though they grew up and moved on, they carried a little piece of her with them. A belief in themselves, a love of learning, and maybe, just maybe, a bit of sparkle. Finally, the day came when Miss Algradi stood in a classroom one last time. The room was
017quiet, but it didn't feel empty. It felt full of memories, laughter, and four years of love. She smiled, thinking of all the students she had taught, all the costumes she had worn, all the moments that mattered. And as she turned off the lights, you could almost see it, the little shimmer in the air. Because teachers like Miss Aliggretti don't just teach, they leave a sparkle that never fades. Congratulations on your well-deserved retirement. I won't get back in pressure. So, Mrs. Already, you are also the reason that students move back to town and want their their kids to come through here as well. So, I'm sad my kids never had you, but you and you know, teachers like you are the reason that a lot of us return. So, thank you. Well, excellence. It really is.
018Um, now is the time where we will move forward into our regular business. And if you have homework or papers to correct, possibly anything or are not planning on joining us for that, now is a great time. Um, thank you all for coming and thank you for your excellence. It really is a special place. Thanks everybody. >> Thank you. Thank you. >> Thank you. It's lucky that my eldest child was got a chance to have Miss the other two. Hold on. >> Oh, sir. You want to take pictures? We We can take a break for a second. Don't have a lot of time. >> We used to always put a plate of cookies in all stock. But I think we shut up from the budget actually. Can somebody here make cookies and then maybe a
019couple of special meetings a year going forward? about a rotating basis. Everybody would only have to vote once. >> All right. On to DHS student representative reports. >> Okay. Our spring sports teams have doing well with baseball having a senior record of 7 to eight. Softball has 5 to nine and tennis 7 to1. The pack team has one more meet before the confession. Pack team has been doing very well this season with high school records being broken. Our students have been working hard these past two weeks in order to perform well on their AP exams. With testing wrapping up by the end of this week, students are looking forward to finishing strong. This Friday, student council will be hosting a parapit night. This event will feature a variety of activities and food for students to
020enjoy. Highlights include a flag football game hitting upperassman girls against underassman girls, a volleyball net, and additional long games be games along with pizza, sw' and apple baskets. Two weeks ago, we had our spring fire concert and culinary showcase. Fire students have been working hard in their program to honor America's 250th anniversary. Mr. Jones and the culinary program were excited to share the food their food with members of the community. It was an overall success for both the choir and culinary students. The students who participated are extremely happy with how everything turned out and the community loved the event. Next Wednesday, the BHS band will be hosting their spring pops concert at 700 p.m. Jazz band, percussion ensemble, and concert band will all share pieces that they have been rehearsing for months. Students are excited
021to share their hard work with family, friends, and community members. In two weeks, modern band will be hosting their bi-anual coffee house on May 28th. There will be performances by many of the music students along with modern band set list to end the night. There will be refreshments and people are urged to come and go as they want to. Music students are looking forward to this event as a culmination of the year. Last Thursday, seniors presented their portfolio presentations and connections and are looking forward to the final events of the school year. One of these events, prom, will be next Friday, May 22nd, at the Glastonbury Country Club. Juniors and seniors are excited to be able to celebrate the year with dancing and being with friends. And since this is my last board of ed
022meeting, as one of your student representatives, I have the honor of introducing Denil Doyle as our next student representative to join us next year. >> Welcome. Welcome. Yes. >> All right. Thank you very much. Same offer as always. If you have homework to do and feel free to go if you want to hang out, then you're more than welcome. >> Someday somebody will surprise me. Thank you. >> All righty. We have no additions to the agenda. >> Correct. >> On to routine business and the approval of minutes. Do we have a motion, please, to approve the minutes of the April 9th, 2026 board of education business meeting? >> So move. >> I'll second. >> Um, does anyone have any questions, comments, or edits for these minutes? None. All those in favor of the motion, please
023say I. I. >> Is there anyone who is opposed or abstaining? All right. Moving on to board of ed committee reports and finance. >> Sure. Yeah. Um, so as you can see from your uh attachment, we are 71% extended for the school year as of April 30th. That is the same as at this point last year. Uh spending is stable across all uh budget areas. Um as usual, uh special education is ever changing and sometimes unpredictable. Um also want to u mention that we have three reclassifications and two transfers uh that the superintendent will uh go over with us. And then also um we did uh as you guys are aware from your email but also want to make um on record that we did receive um some funds from the the state from educational
024cost sharing. Um so yes it want to describe them or >> uh your transfers are pretty self-explanatory. Um, one that might look a little higher than you would think would be the uh transfer to cover the the banner upgrades. Those banners are are very very expensive to um to add things to or add new ones. So, um that was a cost that was a lot higher than we anticipated. >> Okay. Uh so we are looking for a motion to approve the transfers and reclass for a motion. Second. Does >> anyone have any questions or comments about these? >> All those in favor, please say I. >> Uh, is there anyone opposed or abstaining? Thank you very much. On to curriculum. um curriculum committee meet met on May 6th and we just did an update of
025courses and professional development. Um we do not have anything new to bring to the board. >> Um anyone have any questions for finance curriculum on to community meetings and we'll fill in on >> It's been a busy month already. Um, so in we had our spring ga. We've also had a teacher appreciation week. So, we had lots of travel and coffee trucks with there plus some catering and they all appreciated um snack delivery service that the PTA put on. And we are very thankful for all the community members donating snacks and time to help get that off as well as the art show, springfest, ice cream social, book fair that just happened on Tuesday. That is a huge um lot of work to get up and going from getting all the artwork out, the book
026sale, and just it's just a lot. And so we appreciate all the community members that come out and help with that. Um including our high school volunteers to get their last minute hours in for the year. Um we also have coming up yards game on the 30th. We've got mini golf at Mara Lee. Um I think it's usually $5 a pop. um on 69. Um and there should be I think a Subway dine out night incl um piggybacking on that night as well. And on 6ix9ine because school's going a little later than we all hope for this year due to weather. Um we're having an engineering and wonder um free family night at the center school at 6:30. So um have fun learn about engineering work on the branding children in >> Thank you. Excellent
027job by the CPTA as always. Um does anyone have been to other meetings? I don't know what >> I say the scholarship committee we met um it was just a brief meeting. It was in between before scholarship deadline happened. So now the deadline happened and the committee is going to start going through solids to make decisions. >> Exciting. Uh any other meetings? All right, I'll turn things over to the superintendent for tonight's superintendent report. >> Well, as the previous reports were reporting out, I was checking off things that I had to report out on. Um, a lot of things as you indicated happening in May. Um, BCS band and chorus concerts, uh, the culinary showcase, um, the art show, and what really stood out to me was all these things were nice reminders of all
028the fantastic learning experiences our kids have outside the classroom. Um, and to see our kids talents on display with their artwork, singing, playing a musical instrument, um, was was nice to see that we really are committed to the whole child in Bolton and and we're committed to having fantastic programs that give kids opportunities to find a new passion and um, and show off their talent. So, that's been it's been really inspiring seeing what our students are putting together. And every year I'm blown away uh whether it's a performance on on stage um with the fearlessness of our kids. Um they really have no fear and they go up there with a ton of confidence and uh they do an amazing job. So really really impressive. Um things that may they may think are a little
029thing right now but um as adults we know those the ability to do those things uh will reap benefits for them uh in the future as they grow into adults. Staff appreciation week was fantastic. want to thank the PTA for their participation in that. Um we had an ice cream truck. We try to do some little things each day to make the staff um feel as as recognized and appreciated as possible. Obviously, this is something we try to do all the time, but this was a nice specific week. We got to go out our way to do it. Um some administrators relieved teachers and cap duty. I hear that was like the big hit of the week. Um I don't know why, but cap duty doesn't seem to be the teacher's favorite duty. Um, so
030having uh Mr. Gard and Miss Callaher take over the cafeteria was was uh very well appreciated from the staff and we thank them for everything they do. The teachers really are the staff um are the heartbeat of our district and we really tr truly appreciate everything they do. People like Miss Algra, that's those are people that make our district so fantastic. Uh strategic planning committee, we have met as a leadership team to kind of put the finishing touches on our draft. The draft is a synthesis of all the work sessions that we had as a committee. I feel really good about where we are. I'm excited to present this draft to the committee later on this month and then hopefully put the finishing touches on it and um get that thing finalized. So, I think
031it's a it's a really good it's a really good draft. It really represents the the core work that we want to be doing moving forward for the next 5 years. And I think it'll be serve as a nice guiding document for us transportation contracts. Um, we just exchanged what we hope is the last of language adjustments um, with the other attorney this week. So, hoping to hear back from them. I know they're working on a couple different bus contracts at the same time. So, there's a little bit of delay in in the back and forth, but again, we're hoping to have um that finalized in the coming weeks. Uh, speaking of contract negotiations, teacher contract negotiations will be happening this summer. Miss Gold Snider and I are starting to prepare and gather information to help
032us along with that process. Uh, finally, budget related, the finance committee last Thursday set the budget. Uh, the board of ed budget was reduced by $325,852.82, putting the BOE increase at 2.9% from last year's increase. Um, that brings the estimated mill rate that'll be voted on at 6.22%. I met with both school staffs at the staff meetings this past week to provide them with an update on the staff update on the budget and answer any questions they might have. Um that that was a productive meeting. The governor did announce $107,000 in supplemental aid to Bolton public schools. There is a little confusion as to how that money can be used. We have uh another Zoom meeting with the commission of education tomorrow to hopefully gain some more clarity on how those funds can be used
033moving forward. So I'll provide more information as that comes. um working with the teachers union to create some financial efficiencies in our systems without negatively impacting effectiveness. So we're continuously every day trying to find creative ways to get um the high level work done at a more cost effective way and the union has been partners with us and and had some really good conversations about some different things we can do to make that happen. Um that's it. Uh, does anyone have any questions? >> Yeah, quickly. Um, I know you had mentioned in a previous meeting um that we had a possibility with the school bus contract to house the buses here in Bolton. Wondering what the status is of that and then the benefit if we do get them here in Bolton. >> Yeah, great
034question. So, um, if we do get to house them in Bolton, then Bolton would receive revenue in the form of um, property taxes. So that is that is my main motivation for housing the buses in Bolton and they'd be closer to our schools which would be somewhat helpful. Um if they aren't housed in Bolton, they would be housed just right over the town line in Manchester right across from Highland Park Market. So it is only a few miles away. Um but it would be a little more convenient to have them in Bolton and it would also bring in additional revenue um with the property taxes. >> You think good likelihood of that? >> I'm cautiously optimistic. Yes. Awesome. I'm working on it. >> It's probably pretty much the same to them. depends on how they
035send their people out like they have to check in or something. But >> um um the 107 supplemental is that baked into the 325 yet or >> It is not. >> No. Great question. It is not >> too early to tell what to do with it basically. >> Yes. >> Yeah. >> Any other questions? Uh we have minimal unfinished business. We have one item of new business and that's resignations. >> Yes, we'd like to thank uh BCS custodian David Spanelli for his service to Bolton Public Schools. He has submitted his resignation and we wish him the best of luck. >> All right. Any future business? Well, then we are looking for a motion to adjurnn. Some >> move second questions, >> comments. All in favor, please say I. >> I. >> Opposed or obstaining for
036Ben tonight and Dave especially are not sad about having us time and meetings tonight. >> Early night. >> We don't have another meeting, do we? meet you at the town hall. Take the rest of the day off. >> Yeah. >> I told the girls I might not see it before bedtime. So