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MANCHESTER
BOARD OF EDUCATION
REGULAR MEETING MONDAY, MARCH 14, 2005 |
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I N U T E S
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7:30
p.m.
Lincoln Center |
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A. OPENING PRESENT: Edwards, Golas, Lok, O'Neill, Rizzo, Robinson, Thresher ABSENT: Hackett, Huyler ALSO ABSENT: None
Mr. Robinson led in the Pledge of Allegiance. Moment
of Silence - Lynda Kissell Friendly
Amendment Minutes of February 9, 2005 and February 14, 2005 Mr. Robinson asked for a motion on the minutes of February 9, 2005 and February 14, 2005. MOTION: Rizzo/Edwards s.v. The Board of Education adopts the minutes of the February 9, 2005 meeting. (6/0/1 - Golas) MOTION: Rizzo/Edwards s.v. The Board of Education adopts the minutes of the February 14, 2005 meeting. (7/0/0) B. PUBLIC
COMMENTS 2. Milt Perlman, 3 Sanford Road. He asked if anyone read Kimberly Philips column in the Journal Inquirer in which Mr. Werbner commented. He quoted Mr. Werbner as saying that it was a particularly difficult year to come up with recommendations, as information from the school Board was limited and in many cases unable to be verified. Adding this to the various things that recently happened, such as Dr. Brett leaving suddenly, the special account that was being used for special education, the paper problem at Waddell, etc., he believes these things should be explained before proceeding to the budget. He also discovered that the principal at the high school told a math class that one quarter of last year's freshmen didn't become sophomores. He feels this should be discussed as well. He wonders how many other students in other grades did not get promoted. He feels the Board should be discussing these educational problems. He feels the community and taxpayers are entitled to answers to some of these situations. 3. Stephanie Knybel, 138 Bobby Lane. She agrees with Mrs. Brindamour that something has to be done and a decision has to be made regarding Bennet Middle School and the grade configuration in the town. She feels that there is so much information out there, that voters are confused. They may be under the impression that the town is willing to accept the Edwards/Howroyd Plan, but at her PTA, a majority of the members have supported building new. She would like to know that a new building still has a chance. She feels that there are too many unanswered questions with the Edwards/Howroyd Plan, such as cost of an alternate site during construction and problems with renovating an old building. She suggests that the Board looks at the costs associated with building new. 4. Terry Werkhoven, 88 Santina Drive. With reference to the CHIP program (the child identification program), with the approval of the Board of Education and support of the Manchester Police Department and the CT State Dental Association, the Free Masons will be conducting this program for the children of Manchester. The CHIP program is free and he wanted to get the information out to the parents. The first session will be held on March 19 at Nathan Hale School, with Martin School involved. He encourages parents to participate. With regard to the 2005-06 budget, he also referred to the article that appeared and was quoted in the Journal Inquirer. He is concerned about Manchester facing significant bond debt in future years for Bennet Middle School, and the tax increase with reevaluation. The stated it is tough on those on a fixed income. He also asked for the RFP for the repair of the Manchester High School roof. 5. Harsha Culver, 791 Center Street. She spoke about Bennet Middle School. She asked why there is a school on Main Street, as she is very concerned about the traffic. She feels that it is dangerous and the children are in danger, especially on School Street. She feels the school needs to be moved off of Main Street. She noted that there is no crossing guard located right at Bennet. It concerns her that if a child gets hurt, the Town will be faced with a lawsuit. She also asked where the students would go if there needs to be an evacuation of the school. She feels it is an old building that can only be fixed so many times. In addition, the climate varies greatly within the school that students have to dress for winter and summer. She feels that this takes away from the learning process. 6. Ginny Schneider, Phelps Road. She has lived in town since 1975 and has had three children attend the Manchester Public Schools. Her children attended Illing; however, they attended several events at Bennet. It is her opinion that the town should be considering the safety of children on a campus. Bennet has a situation where children are walking across the street to classes and traveling through a quad. She feels that this is unsafe because non-school personnel cannot be kept off the campus. She feels it would be better to have one building where there is only one main entrance. She feels the Board should consider the need for a new building, and the best educational plan for the students. 7. Eileen Sweeney, 86 Hawthorne Street. She supports a sixth grade academy at Bennet. She feels that architectural design could be used to address campus safety. She stated that both middle schools and the high school are on major routes in town, and it is very dangerous in front of Illing and at the intersection of Summit and East Middle Turnpike. She feels that a sixth grade academy would make it easier for students to participate in after school activities. The school anchors the neighborhood. Any areas that have been considered for a new school have traffic dangers as well. Within the Bennet school neighborhood, about 50% of the students walk to school. 8. Rita McFarland, Nutmeg Drive. She is in favor of having sixth grade at Bennet Middle School. She mentioned an article in the Hartford Courant regarding the West Hartford School system. That town realized that a lot of money was going into their town budget for children that were not legitimately living in the town of West Hartford. They hired investigators and proceeded to find out about their population. Using these methods, they determined many students who did not live in that town. This is a fraud against taxpayers. She requested that money should be appropriated for a similar task for the Manchester community. She feels it would be a great savings for the town. 9. Tom Stringfellow, 183 Hillstown Road. He stated that it is the anniversary year for the end of World War II, 60 years. He recommended the magazine World War II. He commented that March is Women's History Month, and he hoped for a report from the schools on themes that are used in the school regarding this. Regarding Bennet, he is undecided about building new as taxes are going up in the State of Connecticut. He feels that spending has to be controlled. He commented about articles on teenagers, and specials that have been on CNN. He recommended an article U.S. News and World Report. Regarding No Child Left Behind, in USA Today, there was an article about states having more flexibility and control because one size does not fit all. He hopes that the Federal Government will support it monetarily. 10. Jack Crockwell, 22 Barnwood Road. He supports building a new Bennet School. He has three children who will attend this school, and he feels they deserve the best. He feels the town can afford it. It will keep the property values up as well. He does not support any type of swing space as he feels it sells out students for two or three years. 11. Jeff Ponticelli, 5 Hunter Road. He is a student that is attending the meeting for a Law and Order class. He does not feel that Bennet should be moved. He attended the school and received a great education. He does not understand why people are complaining. He understands the street is busy, but also believes there is not a less busy place to build a new building. He commented that people should focus more on the students that are achieving and less on the negative that is happening in Manchester. Ms. Ouellette thanked the public for their comments. She stated that she would be addressing the budget at a meeting on the following evening. She also stated that there is a residency official in Manchester. She told the public how much she appreciated them bringing concerns to the Board and administration. She commented that they are taken very seriously. C. SUPERINTENDENT'S
REPORT - PART I Captain Lanciano stated he resides in Manchester. After 15 years of being in the Army Reserve, he was called to active duty in November 2003. He was deployed in Kuwait in February 2004 and moved to Takrit, Iraq. It is a very poor section of the country. As part of his responsibility, he was able to get into the schools and meet parents and children. It became very apparent that the students did not have the resources to learn. They had no paper, pencils, crayons or many books. Children as young as age two begin learning English. Young children often acted as interpreters for their parents. He asked the headmasters what was needed, and they asked for books. In March 2004, he contacted Ms. Hackett who assisted in getting the word out regarding this project to get books to the children of Iraq. On Memorial Day, 2004, the book drive began. After two weeks, 20,000 books were collected and shipped to Iraq. He showed a 5-minute presentation of the children receiving the books. Ms. Ouellette thanked Captain Lanciano for his service. Captain Lanciano thanked the citizens of Manchester for all they have done. He left a copy of the presentation for the Board of Education. Mr. Robinson also thanked Captain Lanciano for his service and the presentation. D. PTA
COUNCIL REPORT Mrs. Knybel stated that she has served for three years as the PTA President, and that they are looking for nominations for the upcoming term. She stated that across the district, there is a lack of parental involvement at the PTA levels. She stated that the attendance at her monthly meetings is appalling. There was a reception for the new principal, Dr. Richardson, and the attendance was very low. She thanked the parents that did attend. They have tried several things to attract attendance over the years, but it hasn't really worked. She feels that parents should be actively involved in every level of their children's education. She stated that Bennet PTSA has done and will continually have events. They had a breakfast to open the school year; they sponsored the voting machines for the mock election; they supply mini-grants twice a year to faculty; they honor the Honor Roll students; they help with faculty with CMT incentives; they are collecting box tops for money; they participate in Shoprite and Big Y incentives; they have an update in the Bennet newsletter. She stated it costs $5 to become a PTA member. They will continue to work on safety issues in and around the school. She asked parents to actively participate in that effort. They are also sponsoring a $500 scholarship for a graduating senior who attended Bennet Middle School. She stated that Chief Berry would be attending their next PTA meeting to talk about safety issues and the Internet. Bennet is also sponsoring a team for the "Relay for Life", and they are looking for members and sponsorships. The event is June 3 and 4 at Northwest Park. E. HEAD
START QUARTERLY UPDATE - Suzanne Kunz/Jodi Lawrence F. CONSENT
CALENDAR 1) Personnel Action Resignations Kathryn Watson, mathematics teacher at Manchester High School, has submitted her letter of resignation for retirement purposes, approved effective June 30, 2005. Ms. Watson has been with Manchester Public Schools since September 8, 1971. Leave
of Absence Jennifer Millington approved for a maternity leave of absence effective approximately May 13, 2005 through the end of the 2004-2005 school year. Ms. Millington has been with Manchester Public Schools since August 21, 2002. 2) Early Learning Center Educational Specifications 3) Appropriation
of Education Special Projects - $70,000 4) Appropriation
for Education Special Projects - $2,641 5) Extended
Field Trip Request - Manchester High School 6) Bennet (Franklin) Roof Replacement Educational Specifications 7) Bennet (Cone) Roof Replacement Educational Specifications Mr. Robinson asked for a motion on the Consent Calendar. MOTION: Rizzo/Edwards s.v. The Board of Education adopts the items listed on the Consent Calendar. (7/0/0) Mr. Robinson congratulated Jack Peak and Kathy Watson on their retirements. He also recognized Hannah Marcus and Jerry Reisman on their work and initiative on Item 2 on the Consent Calendar. G. SUPERINTENDENT'S
REPORT - Part II Mr. Harrell stated that there is an interrelationship of various issues that Manchester faces: racial balance, Least Restrictive Environment, No Child Left Behind Yearly Progress, and grade level configuration. They first created a series of maps and a district map that shows the location of all of the schools. He noted that the elementary schools have a direct tie in to the middle schools as feeder schools. Once they started, it became very apparent that the middle school issue is the key issue. They were also able to map all of the elementary students and where they live. This becomes important if redistricting is necessary. They then reviewed the enrollment patterns in Manchester by elementary, middle and high school. He noted the middle and elementary levels have been declining slightly recently, and the high school has been increasing. They reviewed the racial make-up of the school system and found that it increased every year, which is consistent with like towns in Connecticut. This data will help in determining racial balance at each school. They also reviewed the trends in out of district enrollment. He noted the increase over the last two to three years, attributed to the emergence of magnet and charter schools in the area. He stated it is important to look at trends in population for overall Connecticut. The trend shows a decline in age groups of under 5 and 5 to 9 years old, which is similar to the trend in Manchester. He stated that there is not a lot of undeveloped land within the Manchester community. The southwest quadrant of the community was identified as the area where the most population development potential still exists. An analysis was done on this area and they determined that a modest amount of children would be generated from new development that would not be a factor in projected growth. NESDEC had done enrollment projections, which were reviewed by HMA, and they believe that they are valid. The projections show no growth into the future. He reviewed the issues: educational quality is the highest priority; a need to act quickly in the context of long term solutions; losing middle school students to magnet and charter schools; Bennet not acceptable in its current condition; Illing needs technology upgrades; and, the elementary schools need various degrees of improvement. They then reviewed a series of alternative grade configurations. They prepared nine different scenarios; three of the scenarios would not be discussed in detail but are available within the packet of material distributed. Scenario 1 has two middle schools with grades 6-8, which would involve closing Bennet and building a new middle school. The pros include: a new school designed specifically for needs; elementary through high school are structured same as existing configuration; eliminate additional transition as compared to other options; continuity of curriculum; efficient use of staff; ability to locate alternative middle school programs; and, no swing space needed during renovations. Cons include: site acquisition; racial balance at the middle school level; technology upgrades required at Illing as well as the new school to prevent the loss of students to magnet schools; no additional capacity at elementary schools for all day kindergarten; and no capacity to bring special education students back to the elementary schools. Scenario 2 renovates Bennet for a smaller enrollment of 500-550 and Illing with a 900-950 enrollment. The pros include: same grade configuration; no new site acquisition; eliminate transitions as compared to other options; continuity of curriculum; efficient use of staff, Bennet physical plant ideal for 500-550 students; Illing can handle 900-950 students; better use for the Bennet facility; and ability to locate an alternative middle school program. The cons include: racial balance is an issue at the middle school level; technology upgrades would be required at Illing and Bennet; no swing space to house students during the Bennet renovation; no additional capacity at elementary schools for all day kindergarten; no capacity to bring special education students back to elementary schools; and interscholastic sports would be affected. Scenario 3 would be a sixth grade academy at Bennet, and a 7/8 middle school at Illing. The pros include: elementary school configuration would be the same as existing; racial balance not an issue from 6-12 grade; Illing could accommodate grades 7 and 8 with modest construction project; no new site acquisition; eliminates middle school preference issue; and ability to locate alternative middle school program. The cons include: no swing space to house students during Bennet renovation; no additional capacity at elementary schools for all day kindergarten; Bennet as location for 6th grade academy may not be best due to campus layout; no capacity to bring special education students back to elementary schools; additional transitions for younger students; younger students on Main Street location; increase in transportation cost; starting times for all schools would have to be adjusted; larger subgroup raise issues for NCLB; and interscholastic sports would be affected. Scenario 4 would be a 6/7 middle school at Illing with an eighth grade academy at Bennet. The pros include: elementary schools structured the same as existing configuration; Bennet can serve as a grade 8 academy used for high school preparation; accelerated course availability; no site acquisition; eliminated middle school preference issue; racial balance from 6-12 grade not an issue; easier additional transition for older students; and grade 8 better suited than younger students at an urban-based school. Cons include: no additional capacity at elementary schools for all day kindergarten; no additional capacity at elementary school for special education students; no swing space to house students during renovations to Bennet; increase in transportation costs; starting times adjusted for all schools; larger subgroups raise issues for NCLB; and interscholastic sports will be affected. Scenario 5 would be a K-4 elementary configuration, a 5/6 intermediate school, and a 7/8 middle school. The pros include: capacity at elementary schools for all day kindergarten; racial balance from 5-12 grades not an issue; eliminates middle school preference issue; students are together from grade 5-12; gain additional space at elementary schools for special education; no new site acquisition; and renovations and upgrade of technology at both Illing and Bennet. The cons include: Illing and Bennet will be over capacity; renovations/technology upgrades required at Illing; no swing space to house students during renovations to Bennet; increase in transportation cost; starting times for all grades adjusted; and larger subgroups raise issues for NCLB. Scenario 6 would be Bennet School as an elementary school with elementary schools through grade 6, and grades 7/8 at Illing. The pros include: addresses the racial balance at the middle school level; could help racial balance at elementary schools by spreading students across more schools; eliminates middle school preference issue; Illing can be somewhat easily expanded for a 7/8 school; no new site acquisition; helps with NCLB issues by having smaller subgroups in elementary schools; and gains additional space at elementary schools to move special education students. The cons include: younger students on Main Street; requires major redistricting of elementary schools; kindergarten needs direct access to ground level; and adjustment on exploratory courses. Mike McDonald of the Downes Group continued the presentation. After much study of the issues, he concluded and recommended that whatever grades are placed at Bennet, the enrollment be limited to 500-550 students. The Illing building can easily accommodate an enrollment of 900-950. In the interest of creating the best campus for a capacity of 500-550 students, he presented a conceptual plan that removes automobiles from the inside of the campus and closing Vine Street. They would look to acquire houses in the easterly direction. This would focus on the four buildings, Rec, Franklin, Cone and Barnard as a campus. Removing the cars from campus, it could be closed off in a safer environment using fences and gates around the perimeter. Parking that has been displaced could be relocated on School Street. This concept would abandon the boiler house and the Cheney building. He presented a two-house model using the four buildings detailing the placement of classrooms and mechanical equipment and the square footage of each building. Looking at Illing, he stated that parking would be the biggest challenge. He feels there is a suitable area to build an addition to the school in a fairly cost effective manner. The goal would be to place 900-950 students in the building. Ms. Ouellette stated that there is no clear-cut solution as to the best scenario. She stated that her first choice would be a new Bennet School on a new site. She realizes that the availability of land is a hindrance in moving forward. Her second recommendation would be the renovation of Bennet Middle School with 500-550 enrollment, and Illing Middle School with a technology upgrade and a 900-950 enrollment. She stated that research shows 72 percents of principals and 65 percent of leadership team members choose the 6-8 configuration as the ideal model for a middle school. She feels that there are a couple of options. Looking at a smaller Bennet, there is the availability to relocate one of the Title I feeder schools from Bennet to Illing, providing some economically and racial balanced middle schools. With a 6-8 configuration, there is an articulation of curriculum as well as a parent involvement role, which may be lost in the isolation of certain grades. The 6-8 model alleviates the transition issues. Her third recommendation would be an academy model for 6th or 8th grade located at a renovated Bennet. Her thoughts on a sixth grade academy would be the need to implement smaller interdisciplinary teams, similar to the middle school model that is currently in place. This would provide a meaningful learning experience for grade 6. Her intent would be to focus on the core subject areas, and ease the students into an exploratory program of non-core classes. The sixth grade academy would take care of the racial balance issues, and bring students together at grade 6 to connect with their peers. She has some renovations with regard to swing space. As an eighth grade academy, she is concerned greatly with the proficiency of grade 8 students. Students are not all where they need to be academically in this grade level. She reviewed some of the concerns that were revealed in the high school PTSA survey for grade 9 students. The majority of the students that were not successful in grade 9 felt they were not ready for the workload and expectations. Additionally, it was determined that eighth grade students should be exposed to high school course work and expectations. Students recommended making eighth grade more like ninth grade so that they would be successful when entering high school. She looks for an academy approach for eighth grade that would focus on a performance academy, where skills and knowledge could be assessed and have flexible scheduling to transition students to a modified block schedule in preparation for the high school. She would like to be able to integrate authentic learning experiences and make a connection with the community through community service. The main focus would be proficiency and adding academic rigor. She suggested many different strands that could be used that focus on different skill areas for students. Because land is limited, she stated that she is very much open to her second and third recommendation. She commended the Board for recommending her to conduct these studies. She stated there are many other reports that can be shared with the Board on an ongoing basis. Mr. Robinson thanked Ms. Ouellette, Mr. Harrell and Mr. McDonald for their presentations. He opened the floor to Board members for questions and comments. He stated options have been enlarged to include additions to Illing and changes of grade configurations. He is very pleased with the quality of the analysis. He feels the nature of the information will be informative not only to the Bennet project, but will also extend to deal with future issues. He stated that the Board has traditionally held special meeting for referendum type recommendations. Mrs. Lok thanked the superintendent for the presentation and recommendations. MOTION: Lok/Edwards s.v. The Board of Education directs the Superintendent of Schools to determine the last possible date that the Board could send a recommendation to the Town for a June referendum, and that the Board of Education schedule a special meeting for the purposes of discussing the Bennet/Illing Middle School facilities upgrade issue within the next two weeks. (7/0/0) Mr. Edwards stated that the longer the Board procrastinates, the more the Board of Directors has to compress their timeframe. He feels there is flexibility in the date, but in puts more pressure on the Directors. He would like to see the special meeting have a public comments session so that people could express their feelings with regard to the presentation given at this meeting. Mrs. Lok stated that when the Board previously sent a recommendation to the Board of Directors with a clear message that the Board supported building a new Bennet, she commented that support for a new school was on a decline with the elected officials. She encouraged individuals who were interested in building a new school to take advantage of the opportunity to express their opinions and start a movement in favor of this option. To date, she stated she has only received one phone call in support of a new school. She feels it is important for the Board to meet again quickly to discuss the recommendations made, and to consider the message the community has sent to renovate Bennet. She urged members to support the special meeting to prepare for a June referendum. Mr. Rizzo asked for clarification on the motion, which is to request the deadline date from the Town for a spring referendum. Mrs. Lok stated this was correct. Mrs. O'Neill commented that there is a Special Joint Meeting on the following evening and asked if this could be considered for this subject. Ms. Ouellette stated that aside from the budget, she did not know the rest of the agenda for that meeting. She stated that the General Manager has not shared the timeline with her. Mr. Edwards thanked everyone for the presentation. He commented that the plan for Bennet included the Rec building, and he asked if a plan was considered without the use of this building. He stated that one concern has been the changing of classes in inclement weather and security has been noted as a concern as well. When he first suggested this plan, he considered only using Franklin, Barnard and Cone. Mike MacDonald stated he requested an ed spec plan for 500 students, and that it would be a very close fit into three buildings. Additionally, they would need a home for the central plant mechanical system. The limitation is a 500 enrollment with the use of only three buildings. The enrollment figures currently indicate somewhere between 500 and 600 students. Mr. Edwards stated the future growth looks flat. His concern about using the Bennet campus is that he wanted to see the buildings get connected. Additionally, there are people who would like to see the Rec building renovated for use of the pool, and not a place to house the mechanical plant. He asked if this plan would utilize basement classrooms and if so, how would the current issues be mitigated. Mr. Harrell stated that he is conducting a separate study for the General Manager, which evaluates the cost of some of the alternatives. He stated he would report to this group on March 22. He has contemplated in the cost modeling of this renovation to connect the Rec building to Barnard and Franklin, with a second floor connecting bridge. Regarding the basement, there would be a modern heating and ventilation system in all areas of the building. Further, there would no longer be cars parked up against the building, eliminating the exhaust directed at the windows. He believes this would achieve usable space in all of these areas. He feels the use of the Rec building to recreation is a mismatch in modern terms. The swimming pool is not sized properly and is in a congested area in the basement. The upper level gym with the suspended running track is not very functional. He feels the proposed use for art and music would fit well into these spaces. Mr. Edwards agreed with this explanation, but believes that many community members have a soft spot for this building and its recreational use. Mr. Edwards cautioned that there are many community members that do not understand demolition techniques and methods and that public education on the matter is essential. Mr. Rizzo thanked everyone for the thorough report. He stated that there are quite a few options to choose from and it reflects some out of the box thinking. He appreciates the Superintendent speaking more about the education of the children rather the structure of the building. MOTION: Rizzo/Lok s.v. The Board of Education instructs the Superintendent to gather the educational impact data, research and best practices regarding grade configuration for middle schools and report to the Board of Education. (7/0/0) Mr. Rizzo stated he would like to hear what the two middle school principals would have to say, as well as other information that could be gathered by the Superintendent. Ms. Ouellette stated she would comply if the research were available. Mrs. O'Neill asked if there were figures on the transportation costs. Mrs. Brooks stated the sixth grade academy would cost the district approximately $273,000 more to transport students. The same is just about true for the eighth grade academy. Having Bennet with a 5/6 grade configuration and Illing with a 7/8 configuration would cost the district $434,000 more. The plan for 7/8 at Bennet and K-6 at the elementary schools would decrease the transportation costs by $68,000. The same plan using Illing instead of Bennet would save the district $34,000. Mrs. O'Neill asked about the Title I money. Ms. Ouellette stated she provided the Board with a memo from Kate England, Supervisor of K-12 Language Arts, which shows the impact with the middle school reconfiguration. With a sixth grade academy, there does not appear to be a significant adjustment in Title I funds. Both schools would qualify for some type of Title I support. Mrs. Lok commented that it is important to note that a June referendum is an opportunity that should not be passed up in an effort to gather information. Mr. Golas stated that there is a tight timeline and he urged the Board to move quickly. Mr. Edwards asked if anyone has verified with the State Department of Education or the Legislature what the deadline is within the fiscal year. Mrs. Brooks referred to page 40 of the presentation, which shows a timeline. A referendum on June 1 would allow the Board to submit the application (ED049) to the State Department of Education to start by June 30, 2005 in order to receive money the following June. Mr. Robinson commented that as the scope is enlarged to include Illing, the addition to Illing would take up field space. He asked how this would impact the current athletic program. Mr. Harrell stated none of the Superintendent's recommendations would require an addition to Illing. He noted that other options did require additions to Illing, but that the recommendations would only require improvements to Illing. H. OLD
BUSINESS Mrs. Gejda stated a presentation was made to the subcommittee by the science department chairperson regarding revision of the physics curriculum and the pilot of a physics textbook for the Honors and CP classes. The same presentation was then made to the full Board at the last meeting. She asked the Board to accept the recommendation of the department chair and to approve the adoption of the textbook that was selected. Mr. Robinson asked for a motion on this item. MOTION: Rizzo/Edwards s.v. The Board of Education adopts the Physics textbook, reviewed and recommended by the Curriculum Committee, and presented by Mrs. Gejda. (7/0/0) Mr. Edwards asked how many books would be purchased and the cost of the purchase. Mrs. Gejda stated that this action would have no impact on the budget as the books were already purchased. The cost was approximately $4,500. I. COMMITTEE
REPORTS 2. Community
Relations Committee 3. Personnel
and Finance Committee 4. Buildings
and Sites Committee Mrs. Lok asked Mr. Edwards if his committee considered or discussed the whole concept of having a Board member write an article for the School Bell. She stated that this has not yet been done, and because the newsletter goes to every resident, there is potential for the publication to become a forum for an individual Board member's opinion on any given topic. Her interest in that item coming before the Board is to get it recorded into the minutes stating what the actual intent is. Mr. Edwards stated they reviewed a similar publication from a neighboring district, which had both features (superintendent and Board members perspectives). He stated that it is not intended to be a message from a Board member, but intended to be a message from the Board. It would be a generic message. After he writes it, he intends to have the Board review before it gets published so that there are not any objections to the material. He also spoke about rotating the duty of writing it amongst each Board member. It was suggested to have the Chair write the article, but it was then recognized all of the things the Chair already does for the Board. J. COMMUNICATIONS Mrs. Gejda stated that she did not have an exact number, but she believes the number does vary. She stated that in some cases, there are computer labs for whole group instruction. The technology plan is trying to accomplish a minimum of four computers in the classroom. The practice has been that as computers come into the school, they are placed into labs, and those in the labs moved out into the classroom. Mrs. O'Neill asked for an inventory by school, by grade. Mr. Thresher stated he spent March 3 at the Capitol as part of a CABE event. People were talking to their State Legislators to get more mandates funded. There was a very large rally on a very cold day. K. PUBLIC
COMMENTS 2. Tom Stringfellow, 183 Hillstown Road. He was impressed with the presentation by Captain Lanciano. He believes in literacy around the world. Regarding the textbook adoption, there was a report that just came out to the U.S. economic leadership, saying there was a poor performance in math and science among some students graduating from high school. Additionally, he recommended a book, Handbook of Language and Literacy Development that deals with special need students or students coming from different countries. He also recommended the book, Using Data to Access Your Reading Program. At Bennet, he feels the academy may be good, but the funding has to be reviewed. He feels there should be a public forum. On April 13, there is a forum on The Real Manchester, Stand Up called "Race and Affordable Housing". 3. Eileen Sweeney, 86 Hawthorne Street. She stated that Vivian Ferguson had asked her to tell the Board that she could not attend the meeting, but she wanted the Board to know that she is very much in favor of the sixth grade academy and grades 7 and 8 at Illing. She stated she would appreciate it if the Board would visit www.nationaltrust.org. She stated the Manchester Historical Society recently did an all day workshop at MCC, which was spectacular. It brought out the economic and environmental impact of historic preservation, and not just the aesthetics. Regarding textbooks, she stated she has a 9th and 10th grader, and they found great difficulty with homework. They discovered that the teachers have one edition to the textbook and the students had another. This made homework very difficult. She stated that there is a huge gap between the Honors and CP levels. She knows it is being worked on by the administration, but many of her children's classmates have dropped down from Honors to CP. She hopes that the administration will bridge that gap. She feels the spirit of the homework policy as it was revised three years ago was to allow students and families the time to rest. She feels work should be due prior to vacations or holidays so that families can have family time. She feels there is a lot of time wasted with block scheduling. She feels that time could be better used, and she feels there is disorientation with a day in between classes. Ms. Ouellette
reminded the students, parents, public and teachers that Thursday, March
24 is a professional development day for all staff, and students should
not report to classes. MOTION: Rizzo/Edwards s.v. The Board of Education adjourned 11:03 p.m. |
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