001Hi everybody. Should start that way. Sorry. >> Yeah, we are live. >> All right. Good evening. Um, this is a special meeting of the board of education. Today's Thursday, October 2nd, and it's 6:01. I'm Jennifer Perez. Um, we have Willie Medina online. Well, we're all online. Albert Benahan, Joseph Sakalic, Akisha Casemir, and Marissa Esme Jimenez. I don't see anybody else just yet. Um, so I don't believe we had any public speakers, um, who reached out. So, um, we'll go ahead and start with the, um, agenda item. And so, Dr. Avery, I don't know if you want to do a quick word on it. >> Yes. Uh, thank you, madam chair. I just want to kind of give a quick update. Um, one of the one of the issues that that transpired d throughout the last,
002you know, semester, we talked a little bit about uh the reduction in force that we've had uh with reducing the $32 million deficit that we had. One of the items that that was reduced was uh the kindergarten paras. Uh and one of the things that we we did, we when we did that, we were we'd look at a a whole option of of things that we had to cut. And so as we came up with the options to cut kindergarten pairs, we ended up, you know, cutting them along with several other positions in the district to amount to that $32 million uh deficit. Uh and one of the things that has happened since school started as we looked at you know um the removal of those kindergarten paras uh with the with the start of
003school uh we had a couple of week at least the first week of school it was it was brought to my attention that we needed to be able to provide some additional support for kindergarten classrooms uh throughout the district due to the fact that we are uh engaged with you know a different type of learner in our system uh with additional needs um add an additional um um u diagnosis, you know, with with kids coming into the kindergarten classrooms. Uh and so one of the things that uh based on those concerns and comments and as board knows there was a couple of times where um we had uh kindergarten kindergarten teachers and their union come to the board to talk about the needs to bring them back. Um over the last week and a half,
004two weeks, I've had a chance to get into the classrooms and and and visit, you know, uh throughout the district and look for myself the concerns and the needs that were uh that they were talked about. Uh and so and my team and I went out, we mobilized, we went in classrooms, we looked at, you know, uh that this was a a real big concern. Uh so I had my uh you know academic cabinet together with along with Nester and the grants uh to figure out if we could find you know other you know dollar sources that we could eliminate in order to get the amount of money that we need to bring them back. Uh we brought that to the finance committee. The finance committee moved it to the full board. Uh and this
005here is uh the they asked for bringing the kindergarten prayers back uh with the amount of money that was put forth for um you know being able to bring them back. So that is really the synopsis of what has transpired uh as we uh bring together tonight in order to bring them back. uh wanted to kind of get with the board uh to ask for consideration of being able to bring kindergarten pairs back to play within our system. Thank you. And I know you presented actually the instruction support services committee. Um that was last week. So um uh Mr. Sakalavik. >> Yeah, I got I got a couple of questions and some uh little discussion. Um yeah, I unfortunately was unable to attend most of the instruction and support services due to prior commitments. Um
006where is the funding exactly coming from and what's going to be cut in this place? >> And Marge, you you want to talk about that or Nester with a little bit more detail? You're you're muted Nester, you're still muted. I can speak to that if you want, Dr. Avery. Go >> ahead. Go ahead. >> When we when we were looking at, you know, we we started a process this year based on our work with the Connecticut State Department of Education of rebuilding our our grants, specifically the alliance grant. Actually, all the grants we're going through, Nester and I and the team and Dr. Avery going through and and kind of looking at it through a lens of what's a backwards design. And through that process um we realized that we there were things in there
007a that we had already um weren't going to replace weren't going to use again this year based on our work that we did last year. So there was a small savings there and then we also have been talking and discussing a program for teacher attendance. uh we started it in the in August with our principles and really looking at how can we with it with a um kind of an informal awarding three schools for their having teacher daily attendance that was at at the national average of 94%. This is with the idea of working with our work working with our schools and in incentivizing teachers and developing a program and regime for principles to use and implement so that we can improve teacher attendance. When we when we approve teacher attendance, we can save money
008on substitutes. So based on the work that Nester did in taking a look at that, we were able between the the duplicated programs in the grants and the savings in the teacher attendance numbers, we were able to rationalize bringing back the kindergarten paris. >> All right. So to so to be clear though, uh these um teacher attendance numbers are projections. They're not solid inhand numbers just yet. >> That's correct. That is absolutely correct. >> So, um, yeah, I'm not I'm definitely in favor of bringing back the kindergarten Paris. Um, no way, shape, or form. I'm really against it. However, we got to make sure the money's there and accounted for. If this savings does not come through the attendance program, because it's not a guaranteed number, I would like to have a backup plan to
009pay for it because we cannot overspend by $1 our budget. and our budgets balanced very precariously now. So I'd like to suggest in bringing back the par kindergarten paris as an alternate means if we fall short on the attendance program to authorize Mr. Nuo or and Dr. Avery to tap into the remaining internal service fund to make the difference because we got to make sure that's be able to be paid for and that we don't overshoot our budget a lotment. Also, I would like to definitely get the state department of education to pay for it because unlike them, all of us who have been around education for a while or employed by education don't need to figure out why kindergarten why kindergarten power professionals are necessary. They are necessary. They would never ask this question
010in Greenwich. They would never ask this question in Stanford. They would never ask this question in any of the wealthy districts that any of these people are from. It should be known if you were a superintendent in any district in any capacity, even a teacher and you know a kindergarten par professional is necessary. It shouldn't have to be explained. It shouldn't have to be broken down. It should not have to be rationalized. So the best case scenario would be for the state to pay for it and us to leave our things as is and use those s utilize those savings to bring back another program. But um but that's not that I I I would just like to propose uh a motion to use the um any deficit authorize the use of the internal service
011fund to cover just so we still have a balanced budget. >> And uh thank you Joe for that. I appreciate that. I think that's one of the things that we uh we will kind of make sure I think with the when you when when you when you initiate a initiative plan like reducing attendance we we have to be on point and and one of the things that you the board's going to be able to see through along the way is where we're going to have deeper conversations about attendance and making sure that that the board is a is is aware of what we're doing and how effective it is, you know, and that's important. So, if we keep the important things at in front of us as you see on a monthly basis that you're
012going to see, I think you're going to be, you know, uh, and and we're already seeing those things and we want teachers to be in tune. And now that we have support in the kindergarten classrooms, they're going to be wanting to be there more, right? So, all the things that we do, we're going to try to make sure that we we impact them in a positive way and then they're going to do more for us as well. So, I think it's a win-win situation. Uh, and we we have to start somewhere and um I'm I'm open to being able to to um use the internal service funds for support. Uh but I feel very confident that we can if we we we set oursel a goal, we're going to maintain that goal. Uh and and
013it's keeping it positive. And I think that's the part of what we do as a district is that we have to stay positive on some sometimes it's going to be bad stuff, but we got to turn it into a positive thing, too. So, uh, so I appreciate you bringing that up as well. >> Abs, right? I absolutely agree. And I got one final point before we go. Uh, personnel is our major major expense pro. I don't I can't call call out the percentage of it, but when we go to next year, looking at the potential of a $20 million deficit, if 75% of our costs are personnel, it's likely our 75% of those cuts are going to have to come from personnel. So, we may be right back in the same boat next year if
014we do not get adequately funded. And and and and to clarify that that's 80 to 85% of of the budget. >> Yeah. Thank you. That's even that's even worse. I like to be conservative when I'm when I'm panicking people. I like to be conservative so nobody accuses me of >> excessive things. So So 80 to 85%. Wow. >> Okay. Thank you. That's all I have. >> I'm sorry if I may. >> I forgot to mention that motion before we move. There was a motion on the table. So I want to make sure Okay. You're seconding. You're seconding the motion to use the ISF. >> Absolutely. Because I learned in my uh personal life and my spiritual life that if you fail to plan, you're planning to fail. And it makes sense for us to have
015a plan. That way, not only the uh Dr. Avery and his team feels deported, but also the district know that we're putting, you know, our dollars up forward to make sure that we're covering ourselves because we don't want to have a a uh a budget that is not balanced. So that will ensure that we have a plan as a board, as a unit. >> I want to announce that Mr. Chber joined the meeting. Um, is there any debate on that motion? All in favor of that motion say I. >> I. >> Those opposed. Any abstensions? I'm abstaining. >> Abstain. >> So, two abstensions. Uh, looks like that passes. Um, is there a motion for the main item? >> Motion to restore all kindergarten par profofessionals uh that were eliminated in uh 25. You could just
016read the motion that's on the agenda. >> I don't have the paper in front of me. I'm sorry. If somebody else could pick up the mantle, I'll gladly withdraw. >> I move to restore the paras that were cut in the in the budget this year to the level that they were at in the previous year. >> Thank you, Mr. Manahan. >> Moved by Mr. Traver, seconded by Mr. Ben. Any further debate on this >> question? Go ahead, Miss Miss Casemir. Sorry. Um, >> Dr. Avery. Um, parents, there were parents that asked me um about this particular uh agenda item. They said, "Aha, why? There must have been money in the budget already if they're restoring the kindergarten Paris." So, can you just give me, you know, on a ninth grade level like Cab always tells
017us, can you just give me an answer to that? remember when we gave the board, you know, line items that we wanted to consider for elimination. You know, we did that and and we g we gave those line items to the to the board and you guys decided this is what we're going to do. We and then we we summed up the budget, you know, based on the things that at the time that we felt were, you know, um, you know, going to be, you know, in our, you know, in our prayer view for for this this particular school year. What we've done is we've when we set the allocations for like you know substitutes and you know for Delta and Kelly we we budgeted that you know so what all we've done is we
018we re we've reduced those those two budgets you know in order to get enough money set aside. In addition to that, we put on top of that an incentive program to be able to support teachers from having to utilize substitutes to replace them when they're not in the building. So, that's technically what we've done. We've reduced one budget in order to get another budget to be able to use for this particular item. And you do that in every single budget that we do. There's there's things that we say, "Oh, we're going to do this, you know, over the over over the next year." And sometimes you have to go back and readjust your budgets based on the day-to-day happenings, right? So, basically the day-to-day happening soon as school started, you know, the day-to-day was happening.
019It was happening totally out of control and we needed to figure out another way of being able to do it. So, so I hope that kind of explained it, you know, in a in a very, you know, simplistic way. Uh, and so that's kind of what we've just readjusted the budget. Yes, there's money in it. There's always money in it, but we have to decide, do we are we going to address this concern that we're dealing with right now or wait to the future to happen and and we may or may not get to it. So, so that's kind of what we've done here is is really adjust the dollars in order to be able to bring this back because the need is is is more uh apparent now than it was when we first
020said we were going to cut them. Right. So, that's technically if I explain that right, if not Nester or or Marge, if I didn't explain it. >> No, it's okay. Just so so I understand. So, there's a reduction in the substitute teachers. We're hoping that we have a better attendance record of the regular teachers and so that's where it kind of came from. >> Yes, ma'am. Pretty. Yeah. In a nutsh >> that's all I wanted to know. Okay. >> Yes, ma'am. >> Thank you, >> Mr. Medina. >> Yes. I just wanted for some more clarity. Um, these are all paras for the kindergarten classrooms. Correct. >> That's correct. >> That's what I just want to make sure. Thank you very much, >> Mr. Draber. >> Yes. As I and to add to that, as I
021understand it, we we we you and your staff sat down and re-evaluated the budget in light of a situation that you had not anticipated in the kindergarten classroom. >> Yes, sir. >> And as we learned over the last few weeks that matters were worse than we anticipated. Um, and we all heard stories and you and your staff, as we discussed last week at the ISS committee meeting, went out, you know, we, this started, I remember at the long executive session at policy and procedures, uh, policy and and personnel, sorry. um as we were chatting there about what we were hearing and you were seeing um and you and your staff took the time to go out and visit the kindergarten classes and and see what was going on to your credit um and realize how
022bad things were. The BEA had come to our board meeting and testified and spoken to us um about how bad things were. you listened and you responded and I you give you all great credit for getting out there and not just sitting back in your offices but going out there and we talked at that committee meeting more about it and what I was hearing what you were hearing um and it you know the situation was far worse than anybody anticipated we had eliminated all the kindergarten paras 101 15 years ago and the situation wasn't nearly as bad as it is today uh for a variety of reasons and I believe it was Miss Bella who uh turn you know borrowed the phrase the perfect storm of circumstances and um it really was just a bad
023bad situation and you all uh acted accordingly took steps to to say look we can do this we can move this money over here we can find some money here we can do this here and and and to your credit uh located resources and reallocated resources um it's bit of a gamble as you pointed out. Uh Mr. Sakalavic would has made a motion which we've passed on how to cover ourselves in case the gamble is it doesn't work quite right. But um it's a it's a worthy thing to do. Um we all know uh you asked me in July to speak with the technical assistance team about that $5 million and why we need that $5 million for this purpose. >> Yep. and that was July and here we are still waiting. Um so uh
024you know we would hope the state would step in and help out with it too but in the meanwhile you've taken matters into your into our you know your hands to help with a situation that we can control. So now we're we're fixing a problem ourselves again um that we need to address. and my compliments to you and your staff and we're addressing this situation um the way we should as we've done um since the beginning of the year. Thank you. >> I see one more hand and then we could take the vote. Miss Casemir >> um just one more thing. Um Dr. Avery, before you had or it was proposed that the kindergarten paris be cut, was there a conversation with kindergarten teachers before that cut happened? Just I just need a yes or
025no. >> Probably not. I think it was just more of just looking at a wide range of things of options that we could take. So, it really I don't think there was a deep conversation with that. Now Marge may have had you know her I see her hand up. I'm gonna let her you know go ahead Marge and jump on an answer as well. >> I believe at the time that when we looked at this that historically the kindergarten paras were cut in the past and so we took that at well you know they were able to do it once to save some money. I think it it was that thinking that it had been cut in the past that perhaps we could cut it again and it was a not a good thing. Yeah.
026And that's the reason why I'm asking is because um you know you're saying that there are kindergarters that are coming up with more diagnosis and things like that. So I would have thought that that would have been in consideration in addition to speaking to the kindergarten teachers. And again, I appreciate you guys. I'm always talking to you guys. So, it's not that I just need the answer to these questions in my head. And then the next the last question, Dr. Avery, was you went out, you talked, you went, you and your team went out, you visited the, you know, the classes. Like, why didn't the team go into these classes before now? Like, why wasn't that done before all the teachers came to that meeting and public speaking, you know, and and talked to you
027about it? I'm I'm I just wanted to know. Well, I mean, you got to understand. So, some we had usually it takes a little bit of time for transitioning into the school year. So, you you got to give it some time for things to there's it's new. They're babies, right? And so, they have to be able to be transitioned in. And so, it takes a little bit of time for things to really rise to the to the surface, right? Uh and so it, you know, one or two weeks, you know, in, you know, you have to kind of give a chance to kind of work out the kinks of things. So that's basically what it is. So it wasn't anything that we that we didn't take in in consideration and didn't go sooner than later.
028It was all about a process that you have to take when kids when beginning of the school year is always a transition. We had high school kids having transition getting into from from ninth grade to I mean from 8th grade to nth grade. So and then once they get settled in things work fine, right? So again, you have to give it a little time to kind of work yourself out and and that's what we did and and we reacted as soon as we needed to react and I think we are at a perfect place right now to pro to provide additional support uh that is needed and we all and then because two weeks from now we have another issue that we have to figure out, right? And that's what my team does. We get
029out there, we're in those classrooms, we're boots on the ground and and we got to provide support. We got a brand we got a lot of brand new teachers in the district now. And so we get that our next thing is how do we retain them? We got to support them. They got to have learning environments that's going to be good. Uh and that's the part of what we're doing here as well. So >> Okay. Thank you so much. Appreciate it, >> Mr. Traver. >> Yeah. I I I just I think hindsight's always 2020. Um and um I as as Dr. Avery said, I believe that discussion it, you know, was two weeks into the school year. I mean, the realization was a week or two after school started how bad things were. Um, and
030we did cut them. We eliminated them all before, but that perfect storm was the ma a combination of the children coming in um the the lack of preparedness, the um the low the load just a variety of things that were not foreseen. Um and so I'm not sure even if we had talked to the teachers in the spring completely, anybody would have seen how how hard it was going to be this fall. um we we just knew it was not a good head situation to begin with. Um so I think there were people um who were concerned because they hadn't been through it before, but I don't think it would have affected the judgment until we saw what what the um um capability of the the students were. And that's when everybody realized how difficult
031the situation, how challenging the situation was and how important it was to get that kindergarten barrel back into the classroom. >> That wasn't any different than what Dr. Avery just told me, but >> All right, Mr. >> Yeah. Yeah. I just want just want to piggy back on what Mr. Traver said. Yeah, it's definitely difficult without Paris. This is the second time in my tenure I had a vote to eliminate Paris due to budgetary constraints. It was hard the first time around. It was killing us. What we're doing right now in all honesty, we're we're tri we triaging. This is not a permanent solution. This is a temporary solution. What we really need to do is get our paras up to fully staffed paras permanent certified paras in our district like they got in every
032other district. Um, if I may ask Mr. Unquo, how many um, PAR positions, certified par positions are budgeted for that are currently not on the payroll yet? Cuz th those are the jobs, those are the things we need. We need permanent PAR professionals. >> Mo most of our in-house par positions are filled. Uh, the killing part be honest with everyone is the, you know, the specialized onetoone parish. I mean students are transitional moving from one district to another. It's not really the best brilliant thing to do to fill all onetoone parap position with permanent district employees because some of them will graduate some of them will transfer out again some of them will transfer in. So we are using the agency to kind of supplement the onetoone par but resource paras in-house paras most of
033the positions are filled and the ad is on the on this district website 3 >> that's why that's why I'm asking >> it's up on the district website 365 days the our doors are open come on down apply we will hire you so it's not like the district is not >> advertising it's up on our website. 24 hours 365 days. >> And when when when's the last time we hired uh non special ed par like a kindergarten parah or they all special ed we just hiring? >> Special ed. Yeah, special ed. >> Yeah, >> that par rise par onetoone parah we have some in-house onetoone paras too. >> Thank you. I mean with all due respect you just hired one one of one in-house para she couldn't deal with the stress >> or whatever you
034want you know. Yeah. So it it's meant not meant for everyone. Let me just put it that way. >> Yeah. Um I see Mr. Medina and then Mr. Chair we already asked you already went twice so we do need to take a vote. Um and is there any further debate on this? Mr. Medina >> I was interrupted. Madam Chair, >> you you stopped speaking. >> I I was I paused to ask my question. >> All right. Can Mr. Medina and then >> Yeah, I was just going to raise my hand. Uh, excuse me, Mr. Sakal pretty much asked my question and it was answered. So, I'm just going to also call for a roll call vote, please. >> I have a question first, Madam Chair. >> You have a question? >> Yes, ma'am. Um I
035want to ask who's overseeing these paras. >> Um the paras are actually going to be agency paras. They're going to be coming from Delta agency. So they're not going to be district paras in the sense that if the funding is not there next year with this district is not liable to unemployment or any compensation. >> I understand that part. But who supervised their work? >> The principal. Okay. when they're assigned to the school, it's going to be two to one par meaning I understand >> the principles are going to be super to their school >> just like it was done in the past. >> I well and I've been told in the past there was a problem with them doing all the job work they're supposed to do. So, I want to make sure that
036it's clear who's overseeing and making sure they do the work because that work that we were so concerned about that we were discussing over the last few weeks needs to be done and somebody's got to be able to say that is your job. Do it. >> And and my staff will be in the classrooms as well to oversee that as well. Mr. Traber, >> thank you. >> Mr. Ben, you can take the roll call. >> Yes. Thank you, Madam Chair. I roll call. I'm going to start calling Mr. Woodson. You just only only people that are here. >> Okay. Okay. I just want to be sure for the record I call everybody's name. So I don't want people say something negative. >> Mr. Robert Traver. >> Hi. >> Yes or no? >> Yes. I >>
037Okay. Thank you. Mhlet. >> Yes. >> Jennifer Perez. >> Yes. >> William Medina. >> Yes. >> Mr. Martinez, sorry. >> Yes. >> Casemir. >> Yes. >> Pretend that this is not here and myself. I vote yes. >> Seven. Yes. >> All right. So, we passed that. Um, thank you guys. Um, meetings or motion to adjurnn. >> So, move to moved. >> Okay. Moved by Mr. B, second by Mr. Medina. All in favor say I. >> I. I. Thanks guys. >> Have a good night. >> Have a bless you guys. >> Thanks everyone. >> Everybody. >> Bye.