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MANCHESTER
BOARD OF EDUCATION
REGULAR MEETING MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2006 |
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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: Crockett, Edwards, Hackett, Huyler, Marcano, Pohl, Rizzo, Small-Miller, Stafford ALSO
Superintendent of Schools Dr. Ouellette, Director of Business A.1
Call to Order A.2.
Pledge of Allegiance A.3. Moment of Silence and Remembrance for 9/11 Dr. Ouellette recalled it was the 5th Anniversary of the attack on the World Trade Center and called for a moment of silence to remember the victims and fallen heroes. All of us had been affected, and lives changed since that day. A.4. Minutes of August 21, 2006 Ms. Hackett asked for a Motion to adopt the Minutes of August 21, 2006. MOTION: Rizzo/Stafford s.v. The Manchester Board of Education approved the minutes as printed. The motion carried 6/0/3. B. 2. PUBLIC COMMENTS Ms. Dorothy Brindamour, 6 Morse Road, referred to recent articles in The Hartford Courant and USA Weekend, concerning homework for children: a popular topic at this time. The consensus was that children were getting too much work during the school year, and in vacation time. Mrs. Brindamour shared the view and thought there should be limits. School should be enjoyed without the stress of being competitive. Some reading should be relaxing and entertaining, not overdone and demanding. Why were honor and advanced placement students being asked to write some twenty to thirty page essays; interviewed by people outside the school system and creating hardship for teachers? The interview process became expensive involving buying the mandatory equipment. She quoted that one year a person had been interviewed in Washington, D.C. and wondered how many parents could do that. Did this actually help those we were supposed to help? We were looking at a public school so all involved could have the same advantages no matter what the cost. She made a plea for the Board, the Superintendent; someone on her staff, or an appointed committee, to look into these important issues to find a solution within a reasonable amount of time. Mr. Milt Perlman, 3 Sanford Road, recalled the Great Path Academy student, who had been present at the previous Board Meeting. Mr. Perlman thought it would have been nice to hear the student tell us himself about his experience while studying there. Mr. Perlman had already sent a letter to the State Department of Education relative to newspaper articles about standardized tests, stating that his understanding was the tests simply contained materials already being taught in the classroom. Why were teachers teaching students tests they were already learning? The School Curriculum should be aligned with State testing expectations. He did not know if this was happening in Manchester schools. He pointed out that scores were lower the past couple of years. While he was not saying that tests were everything, there were a lot of children doing extremely well in tests and then failing afterwards. He wondered if reviews were taking place in Manchester. Ms. Karen Fiedler, Elementary Physical Education Teacher, at Martin and Waddell School, gave out information on the 11th Cross Country Challenge scheduled to take placed at Manchester High School on Saturday, September 30th, starting at 9:00 a.m. Sixth Graders have been invited to join in this year. The Savings Bank of Manchester Charitable Foundation was sponsoring the event. She extended a personal invitation to Board Members and the Central Office Administration to come. Mr. Tom
Stringfellow, 183, Hillstown Road, Mention of Astronaut Thomas Burbank, Tolland, and Ct; currently in space. Also be mindful of all those others working around the clock, including the military. Mr. Stringfellow extended a personal welcome to Mr. Enrique Marcano, new Board member. The current month was Hispanic Heritage History month - September 15th to October 15. Recommended
television programs: "Hispanics Today", "Latino Lifestyles."
And "Hispanic Business Magazine". Recommended
reading: He noted Ms. Brindamour's remarks on homework pressure and referred to "Women's World Magazine" September 19th issue, p.42 where it talked about Homework Help on the Internet websites for parents. C. CONSENT CALENDAR Dr. Ouellette reported there were seven items on the Consent Calendar for the Board's attention. C.1 Personnel Action APPOINTMENTS: Tracey
Bennett, Science Teacher, Manchester High School; C2. Appropriation for Education Special Projects - $231,498 Cedar Street Station After School Program, Washington Media Arts Magnet School, funded by 21st Century Community Learning Grant and Parents Fees The Washington Media Arts Magnet School operated the Cedar Street Station After School Program, providing quality after school care for Verplanck and Washington Elementary Schools. The Program would receive a 21st Century Community Learning Grant in the amount of $231,498. Parents contributed a weekly fee of $10. for each child. C3. Appropriation for Education Special Projects - $2,320 Cross Country Challenge The Cross Country Challenge races were held for children in grades K-5; the purpose being to promote active, healthy lifestyles for children and families. The Savings Bank of Manchester Charitable Foundation funded the event. C4. Appropriation for Education Special Projects - $28,168 Release Time - MEA President - .5 Release Time for the 2006-07 School Year In accordance with Article XXIII, Section F (2) of the contract between the Board of Education and the Manchester Education Association (MEA), Tom Alexander, MEA President was requesting a .5 release time for the 2006-07 School year. One half the amount of his substitute's salary, $28,168, would be reimbursed by MEA. This was similar to prior Board actions taken at the MEA's request involving the Association's Presidents. C.5 Appropriation for Education Special Projects - $1,577, Each year the Manchester Board of Education wrote for, and received, grant funds under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA) for use with special education students. This paid for staff such as teachers, occupational therapy, physical therapy, paraprofessionals and tutors. It also allowed for the purchase of equipment such as specialized reading and math programs, computers and other specialized assistive technology devices and specialized evaluations of students. This was a one year federally funded grant. C.6 Appropriation for Education Special Projects - $68,860 Each year the Manchester Board of Education wrote for, and received, grant funds under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA) for use with special education students. IDEA 619 funded items for children aged 3-5 and paid for a preschool Special Education teacher. It was a one-year federally funded grant. C.7 Permission to apply for Education Special Projects - $1,325,164 Entitlements for the year; Title I, II A, II D, III, IV and V under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) funded by the United States Department of Education. Title I:
Improving Basic Programs - $1,003,208 Title II
A: Teacher and Principal Training and Recruiting - $243,271 Title II
D: Enhancing Education Through Technology - $7,687 Title III:
English Language Acquisition and Academic Achievement - $27,508 Title IV: Safe and Drug Free Schools - $29,365 Manchester used this entitlement in a proactive fashion; funding the /ropes/Challenge Course, health curriculum development, student/parent seminars, teacher training to defuse student violence and restrain students safely, if necessary. The public portion of this entitlement was $23,957. Title V: Innovative Programming - $14,125 Funding
used to enhance library/media centers, technology in the classroom and
After School Programs at the Middle School. The public portion of this
entitlement was $11,527. Ms. Hackett
asked Dr. Ouellette if the Title I request for $1,003,208 under heading
C7 was a substantial reduction from last year. Ms. Brooks stated that
this year it was a minimal cut. The biggest impact with this grant would
be apparent next year. Ms. Hackett asked if the decision arose from a Congressional Act, and, if so, what the rationale was. Ms. Brooks responded that the Federal Government had just decided not to fund those portions of the grant. Ms. Hackett wanted to know if they were recommending any alternative resources to seek grant aid, and the answer "No". Dr. Ouellette said a significant amount of funds had been reallocated to the Elementary Title I schools because of the closure of Bennet, and those funds would be distributed because of transportation costs, etc. The discussion concluded and Ms. Hackett said Motion for the Consent Calendar would be called. MOTION: Rizzo/Edwards s.v. The Manchester Board of Education approved the Consent Calendar, as presented by the Superintendent of Schools. 9/0/0. D. SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT D.1. Safety Update - John Bishop Dr. Ouellette invited Mr. Bishop to share with the public, and the Board, new safety measures that had been introduced with the reopening of schools. Numerous concerns had been received about bus transportation and the Board was working through these on an individual basis. The patience shown by parents and others was appreciated. Concerns about bus transportation would be handled by Mrs. Pat Beaudry in the Transportation Office at 647-3476, or emailed to schoolbus@ci.manchester.ct.us. Requests for bus stop changes must be submitted, in writing, to the Transportation Office at 45 North School Street, or faxed to 647-5027. It should be noted that changes to existing stops would not be considered until all eligible students had been provided with transportation, which might not be until the first week in October. Mr. Bishop talked about the challenging first week of school, with the construction projects taking place and changes in bus schedules. His concerns were such that each and every complaint coming in was being handled individually. He looked forward to alleviating those problems as quickly as possible. The Manchester Police Department, Fire Department, Traffic Engineer and other police staff had all been working on the issues regarding Illing Middle School, as the traffic in that area had been rather difficult. They had sought the cooperation of parents in working with them to try and find alternative drop off locations. Prior to the opening of school, the Police Department and Principal met with the parents and provided them with alternative sites for pick up and drop off. Prior to that, Mr. Monroe had sent out a letter to parents advising them of the concerns in the Manchester High School and Illing Middle School areas, due to construction. Parents had been very cooperative and they were looking forward to further cooperation as they tried to alleviate the traffic congestion on Middle Turnpike. The School Resource Officer Program was continuing: a new School Resource Officer has been assigned to MRA and Bentley; a full-time officer at Illing Middle School; two officers had already been in Manchester High School for three years. He was very pleased to indicate that the security force remained at three full-time, and four part-time security personnel at Manchester High School. They had been able to transfer their two security officers from Bennet to Illing, which now had a complement of three security officers. Through the efforts of Superintendent Ouellette and Business Manager, Ms. Brooks, they had been able to add entrance buzzers and camera systems to Robertson and Highland Park Schools, and a rear buzzer and camera system at Buckley. They were looking to implement Keycard systems in the district, to help alleviate some of the key concerns, and allow teachers access in an easy and accessible manner, thus keeping schools locked full time. Cameras had been added to the 2nd floor at Manchester High School. On residency issues, they had opened up eighty-two investigations this year and were in the process of doing verifications. All the issues were being addressed as a team involving the utilization of the Manchester Police Department, Town agencies and the Fire Department. He gave special recognition to Chief Berry and his officers; Town Traffic Engineer, Director of Public Works, and the Chief of the Manchester Fire Department. Mr. Rizzo discussed the alternative drop-off locations for Illing students and offered Mr. Bishop the opportunity to elaborate. Mr. Bishop said the side streets adjacent to, and surrounding Illing School, provided access to those schools; they wanted to avoid using Princeton Street on a continuing basis because the Police Department were in that specific area. In that place they were recommending the area of the rear of Illing where a sidewalk led down to one of the side streets there. Then the side streets leading directly from Center Street up to Middle Turnpike all provided some sort of parking for parents. Additionally, the Police had allowed an area on Middle Turnpike to be a "non enforcement of no parking" at this time, along the baseball side of Illing Middle School where parents could drop off/pick up. Mr. Rizzo had been informed that when children were being dropped off in the mornings they were crossing the street haphazardly and not using the crosswalk. He asked if this was a problem. Mr. Bishop said that when the Police see this happening they have been taking the student aside, advising them that they need to walk down the street to the proper area for their personal safety. Mr. Rizzo wanted to know if the students had actually taken home written instructions about where to cross the streets. Mr. Bishop stated there had been at least two leaflets addressed to parents. Mr. Rizzo wanted to know if the use of the side streets was a temporary or permanent one, and was told it was temporary. He was assured that at some point parents would be allowed to drive into the parking lot at Illing once certain safety issues had been addressed. Mr. Bishop emphasized that once children were safely inside the building, visitors would be more than welcome to utilize the parking spaces. Mr. Bishop was hopeful that once construction was completed they would be able to return to the normal routine. Mr. Rizzo talked about the buzzer systems and entrance cameras installed in Highland Park School and the rear of Buckley. He wanted to know if there were other locations in the elementary schools requiring these devices. At Dr. Ouellette's suggestion, Ms. Brooks responded that as regards the modulars, they had had been taken as a capital project to ensure that every entryway into the front of the schools had a video camera to the office and a buzzer system. It was hoped that within sixty days all schools would have them. The rear entry from portable classrooms required to be locked so there would be a card system for students to go into the main schools to use restroom facilities. Mr. Rizzo stated that he gets questioned periodically on investigations and wanted to know how long it took staff to process through eight-two residency investigations. Mr. Bishop told Mr. Rizzo it depended on the severity of the situation; some cases required more significant work, but the majority of cases were completed within a week. Mr. Rizzo wanted to know about the ebb and flow during the year. He imagined there would be quite a few at the beginning of the year. Did they fall off as the year progressed? Mr. Bishop intimated that during the winter things begin to slow down a little. The situation changes again as the Spring Semester approached. Mr. Rizzo thanked Mr. Bishop for enlightening him as he had wanted to give Mr. Bishop the opportunity to tell the public that his office was responsible for doing these residency investigations; also to let people know how many investigations there were during the course of the year. By what process was Mr. Bishop's office notified that a residency investigation was necessary? Mr. Bishop told him these were done when families were unable to prove, without verification, that they were living within the Manchester School District, e.g., they were homeless; living with another family, or come from another community and currently living with a relative in Manchester. This was initiated at either the parent information level; registrar's level of the middle and senior high school, or at the elementary levels by the secretaries who do the registration work. Mr. Rizzo thanked Mr. Bishop for his brevity and directness in answering his questions. Mr. Edwards referred to Manchester's Safety Tips line and hoped that the telephone number could be projected on the screen, particularly with 9/11 in mind. He believed this was a rather unusual idea that more and more schools were adopting. Mr. Bishop
believed this had already been happening during his presentation: not
only was the Safety Tips line being scrolled across the screen, but
also his email address and office number. The Tips Line is 250-3019.
His office number is 647-3491 and he could be reached, via email at
jbishop@ci.manchester.ct.us. Mr. Bishop told him the Police Department had been most cooperative and had taken it upon themselves, through their budget, to provide officers at Illing. Those officers were not going to be there all the time. However, the traffic unit had stepped up its enforcement on motor vehicle and pedestrian violations throughout Manchester, and specifically in areas of all schools. Unfortunately, at the schools under discussion, there was a tendency for students to fail to utilize the facilities available to them, i.e., crosswalks and mechanical signals. The Principal encouraged students to use the facilities. Ms. Hackett prefaced her remarks by thanking the Board members for doing the right thing by telling the Administration they wished to make security a priority. Looking at the work that had been done at our schools; buzzer systems, cameras, etc., we had created a good infrastructure and she commended every Board member for making this happen. She also thanked the Administration for their innovative planning, researching, etc. She appreciated the fact that we were dedicating capital improvement resources, to ensure we sustained the infrastructure. In many cases it was a first time investment but was a huge payoff in terms of security that we were providing for our staff, students and parents. Ms. Hackett said it was necessary to impose on everybody the importance of not taking crossing the street for granted. Crosswalks should not be ignored, and she urged parents whatever age their student might be, to drive this fact home. Ms. Hackett was pleased at the proposal for the use of Keycards. Ms. Brooks confirmed that this system had already begun at Buckley and Robertson Schools and would continue in every school where there was a portable classroom so there would be access by the students and teachers while keeping the doors locked. Ms. Hackett was informed that this would not be implemented at the High School until construction was complete so that it could be judged where the key access would be required. Ms. Hackett introduced the subject of transportation from the elementary schools at dismissal time, and rumors about delays. Mr. Bishop said there had been some delays and he was working diligently to have the situation corrected. He was in the process of working with the bus company to re-evaluate some of the routes; either make the routes smaller, or add a particular bus to deal with some of the issues. Part of the issue was the significant traffic flow out of Illing at the present time. Twenty vehicles were currently being used for pool transportation. Dr. Ouellette joined in the discussion, giving some background information on the twenty-nine stops, dismissal times, etc. Ms. Brooks, Mr. Bishop and she would be meeting with the Bus Company the following Wednesday to review the situation to consider what steps, if any, could be taken to improve the situation. Ms. Brooks explained that the twenty-nine bus stops were happening because they were pretty much doing door-to-door on safety grounds. They would not drop children off where there were no sidewalks. Times of the school closing would need to be adjusted as this seemed to be at the root of the problem: the dismissal time at Illing and the elementary school did not allow enough space for the number of buses going to Illing. Ms. Hackett asked if we had spoken to the Town about increasing sidewalks. Mr. Bishop said he believed that, following his presentation, Ms. Brooks would be giving a 'Safe Routes to School' Presentation, which might have a bearing on forthcoming proposals. D.2 Internal Reorganization for Administrative Purposes Dr. Ouellette, assisted by Dr. Richardson, gave a Power Point Presentation outlining an Organizational Chart reflecting that with new Central Office Staff on board, Dr. Ouellette felt there was a need to readjust the flow of services, whilst tapping into the strengths of those currently on staff, to better serve the needs of students and employees within the district. The slide illustrated an organizational chart, which the Superintendent was recommending for the Manchester Public Schools, to revise and reflect the reorganization of administrative personnel assigned to the administration and supervision of the wide range of facilities, programs and opportunities associated with the comprehensive operations within our public school district. In particular, in order to better streamline services from the Human Resources Department, she recommended that the Director of Human Resources in the Department of Human Resources directly report to the Director of Business and Operations and have that title changed to "Assistant to the Superintendent, Finance and Management." (Currently Ms. Brooks was in that position, and it was a title upgrade only) In addition, the other adjustments she had made to the chart were re-assigning Mr. Bishop to two supervisors, when he was working in his capacity as Residency Investigator and Police Liaison, working closely with DCF. She recommended he directly report to Mrs. Tait, Director of Student Support Services, and again when he was working in the capacity of the Safety Issues, such as construction and other issues previously mentioned, regarding traffic; other activities within the community, report directly to Ms. Brooks. That title would be changed to "Assistant to the Superintendent, Finance & Management." This reorganization would have no financial impact on the budget; was only a title upgrade, and a supervisory adjustment. Mr. Edwards noticed with the Director of Human Resources, the Human Resources, the Labor Relations contracts negotiations employee hiring, if there was potentially going to be some evaluation type services the Board might be able to put under that position as well. Dr. Ouellette replied 'absolutely': Mr. Edwards requested that this be added to the chart. D.3. Safe Routes to School Presentation - Pat Brooks Ms. Brooks, assisted by Dr. Richardson, gave a Power Point Presentation outlining Safe Routes to School.", and the anticipated schedule; two projects which were funded. Safe Routes to Schools was a new federal program, established under the newly-adopted Transportation Bill. Manchester had been fortunate enough to be able to submit applications for some of the $1.35m in infrastructure projects that the Department of Transportation was going to set aside in grants. Some of the goals of the Safe Routes to Schools initiative were to encourage more students to walk to school; provide safe pedestrian and bicycle routes; reduce the potential for child pedestrian and bicycle related injuries through improved roadway designs; reduce traffic; reduce school transportation costs and improve children's health. Preparation for the application of these grants was a collaborative effort between the Town's Public Works Department, Engineering Division, and the Board of Education Transportation Staff, Ms. Brooks, Principal of Bowers School, Planning Department, Police Department, Human Services Department and assistance from the CRCOG staff. All had played a vital role in the application process. In July, the Connecticut Department of Transportation announced Manchester had been awarded two of the projects for funding. The grants for the two projects totaled $568,945. The first project was for sidewalk extensions at Woodbridge Street, Green Road and Oakland Street and Ms. Brooks pointed out on a map exactly where the new 5ft sidewalks were to be installed. In total, approximately 4,000 linear feet of new sidewalks would be installed under this project: the total value of $337,110. The map showed existing sidewalks colored in yellow, with new sidewalks in orange. The second project was for intersection improvements at Woodbridge Street, Parker Street and Green Road. From the slide it could be seen that the plan was to reduce the width of Woodbridge Street to a consistent 28ft wide between Green Road and Parker Street South intersection and tighten the intersection's geometry. Existing islands in the free flow of traffic from Northbound Woodbridge Street to Parker Street would be removed. The intersection would be reconfigured to a standard four-way intersection, with marked crosswalks. A bumper would be constructed on the northwest corner of Woodbridge Street, Parker Street 'T' intersection to remove the free flow lane from Southbound Woodbridge Street to Parker Street. In addition to the sidewalk extension between Parker Street and Brenton Road, new sidewalks would be constructed on the east side of Woodbridge Street, between the Parker Street intersection and Green Manor Road. Connecting this gap would provide a continuous sidewalk between this neighborhood and all points north. This project was identified in the Town's 2005/06 Capital Improvement Plan for a total value of $231,835. The projected construction on the sidewalk extensions at Woodbridge Street, Green Road and Oakland Street would begin in June 2007 so that the work could be completed prior to the 2007-08 school years. The intersection improvement project was currently scheduled to go to construction in the spring of 2008. Design for both projects would be done by the Town's Engineering Division staff. In the coming fall, the town would hold information meetings on the projects to solicit public input. Ms. Brooks said it had been a great opportunity for the Town to get these sidewalks covered under a grant for over half a million dollars. It had been a joy working with the Town to fill out applications for these large grants and to be rewarded with two out of the four grants applied for. Mr. Edwards said he had gathered from the depicted slide that we were solving two problems here; not only were we making a safe route to school, but we were fixing a terrible traffic intersection. He thought this would be an excellent improvement. He was assuming a sidewalk would be going over railroad tracks. Ms. Brooks said his assumption was correct; it should not change any of the bus calculations. What it would do would be to give students alternate and additional walking area to school, with the intent to make it safer. Ms. Brooks told him that these improvements were due to a collaborative effort on the part of all those involved in the grants application. Mr. Edwards said kudos was due to them. Ms. Hackett agreed that the project was a very necessary one and she was very much in favor of it. D.4. Facilities Update Mr. Keith Epstein reported on a very aggressive, but successful summer - approximately ten weeks, and $14.5m of work in place, at a variety of schools, which was major. Board members had participated in a tour of some of the construction projects and had seen, at first hand, the substantial amount of work being carried out. The High School and Illing opened without a hitch. Illing had parking issues and the parking lot had been striped the weekend previously to try to maximize the quantity of parking. It was hoped, by the end of the project, to pick up thirty parking spaces at the site. Swing space
projects - everything was ready for school and Mr. Epstein thanked Ms.
Brooks and her staff for their cooperation in dealing with abnormal
requests to open schools on Saturday; Mr. Stafford commended the cast of 100+ people who had done a magnificent job throughout the summer. He had been very impressed with what had been done and he loved a sign he had observed at the High School marquee` the week before school was open that said "Yes, school will start on time!" and changed to "We told you so" after it had opened. Kudos was due to everybody, including the Superintendent. They had done a great job. Mr. Edwards commented on rumors that had circulated about when school was going to start and recalled that he had been saying all along that the best way to kill a rumor was to prove it was untrue. This was the case here. Mr. Edwards questioned Mr. Epstein about fire alarm testing at Manchester High School versus a fire watch, and if they had passed their test? The answer was they had passed without a problem: the fire alarm system was fully operational. With regard to Bowers and Waddell's desks and chairs, the furniture was delivered the day before school started. Temporary chairs had been sent in place of ones not delivered. Mr. Rizzo
echoed Mr. Edwards and Mr. Stafford's comments about the phenomenal
job that had been accomplished. He thought the relationships that had
been developed with the contractors, efficiency and effectiveness, had
really shone through this summer and this was entirely due to Mr. Epstein.
He was confident that future projects would be in very capable hands. Mr. Crockett congratulated Mr. Epstein and his staff on a job well done. He made the hilarious remark that "It was a lot like being married - "Not everything you do is wrong, but nothing is right!". He specifically mentioned the success of the swing space project. Ms. Hackett added her personal congratulations to Mr. Epstein for the wonderful job, and knew that he was close to the project on a daily basis and had been kind enough to bring Board members on a number of building site tours. She requested that they start booking dates for some Phase II work at Illing and MHS. She believed that having Board members at the buildings helped to address public concerns and enabled them to answer questions from the public. Ms. Hackett asked about the non-instructional space at Bailey Auditorium. Mr. Epstein replied "Nothing - all of Bailey would be done next summer." Ms. Hackett pointed out that at the High School Media Center there were some areas of the walls really needing attention and the students' entrance to the High School needed a facelift. Mr. Epstein said that in the coming fall they were going to sit down with the Principal, Staff and Architects and go through what they project would be the remainder of the contingency and come up with a prioritized list. Ms. Hackett asked what was happening at Waddell with regard to the furniture and the built-ins. Mr. Epstein informed her that the furniture, with one exception, had been delivered to the library. On the built in units, the portion on the back of half the bookshelves had not been delivered as the manufacturers' installer had walked off the site and returned to Michigan. They had been told to return to do the installation. At the moment the library was not operational. Ms. Hackett asked to be kept updated on the situation. Ms. Hackett asked what had happened to the front door at Waddell, and was told the plan was to replace it. Ms. Hackett suggested a little window dressing would improve the area. Ms. Hackett thanked Mr. Epstein for all his work. E. COMMUNICATIONS There were no communications. Ms. Hackett commended Dr. Ouellette and her staff for a wonderful Opening Day for Manchester staff. She had attended the function and was very impressed by the professional speaker of the day, who was additionally gifted with a wonderful sense of humor which was greatly enjoyed by everyone present. Washington School also had a nice Opening Day Ceremony, with student entertainment and large community involvement. F. COMMITTEE REPORTS F.1. Buildings & Sites Committee Mr. Edwards reported on two Building & Sites Committee meetings (with the caveat that they had been overtaken by events):
Ms. Guarnaccia explained that for every potential issue there was a contingency plan and that everything should be occupied for the 2006 school opening. Bennet:
discussion took place about the Historical Society being given the opportunity
to walk through the buildings and take any historical memorabilia they
would like to have. Ms. Guarnaccia would bring in the work that had already been done on the Buckley bus loop to the next Building & Sites Committee meeting. At that time the Committee would continue the discussion. August
15, 2006 All schools would be opening on time. Martin & Buckley Elementary would open with contingency plans. Martin 6th grade students would be in temporary classrooms in the gym and the MAP class would remain at Buckley. Buckley's portable classroom would not be available the first day of school but should be ready for use within one week. The next meeting of the Building & Sites Committee was scheduled for September 14, 2006 at 5:30pm at Central Office. Mr. Pohl referred to the planned walk through of Bennet School by the Historical Society and wanted to reiterate that any items taken would be given on a loan basis. They would still remain Board of Education property, while being part of the Historical Society's collection. Later when the 6th Grade Academy reopened, the Board of Education would have the opportunity to return some of the items to the school. Mr. Pohl reported that he had had the opportunity to visit various schools in town and meet with school principals. Concerns related to the Keeney Bus Loop area emerged and it was pointed out that there might be ways to make this safer for children. Mr. Pohl met with Ms. Guarnaccia at Keeney and learned that she had the Town Engineer's Department take a look at the problem. They have come up with a great plan in mind for solving the problem. This would, hopefully, be talked about at a future date. F.2. Personnel & Finance Committee Mr. Rizzo reported on two Personnel & Finance Committee meetings. August
15, 2006 Ms. Brooks reviewed the recommended FY2006, end-of-year budget transfers. The June 30, 2006, FY2006 balance was $572.72. The committee reviewed and accepted the FY2007 meeting schedule The next meeting would be held on September 5, 2006 in the Board Room at Central Office. September 5, 2006 The meeting began with Ms. Brooks reviewing the current status of the MEA and MSAA negotiations. There was a brief discussion of the hygiene services offered by East Hartford Community Health. Ms. Brooks asked the committee for permission to go out to bid for this service. There was a consensus that the dental hygiene services would initially be provided to students at Verplanck School. The school bus transportation contract would expire on June 30, 2007 and Ms. Brooks would be writing a bid for transportation services to begin July 2007. Ms. Brooks shared that the Bennet buildings needed to be completely emptied by the first week in October. The process had already begun with current teachers taking supplies, furniture, etc. to where they were needed at reassigned locations. Remaining items would be retained for future use, or as surplus. Under the Town's Charter, surplus property must be sold through a competitive bid process. Normally, the entire lot of items would be offered through a sealed bid process. However, since this was not a normal sale of a relatively small number of items, it had been determined that a surplus auction would be held at Bennet on September 30, 2006. The Manchester Historical Society would be given the opportunity to walk through the buildings and take, on a loan basis, any items they would like to have. Paintings, plaques, pictures, trophies, etc. would be returned to Bennet once it reopened. Any other everyday items in the building would not be sold, but salvaged for future use by the Board of Education. The next meeting of the Personnel & Finance Committee would be held on October 3, 2006 at the Central Office. G. PUBLIC COMMENTS Stephanie Kynbel, Stephanie Kynbel, 138 Bobby Street, expressed great concern about the lack of parking for parents at Illing School and urged the Board to address the problem. If they want parents to come in they have got to provide them with adequate parking. Mary Angeli, 65 White Street, was very happy to hear there were going to be sidewalks on Green Road because of the high volume of traffic and drivers who drove as if they were on the highway. She noted it took action on the part of the Education Department to make this happen and she encouraged the Board to continue to look at all of the streets, particularly White Street, which was not on the schedule. Side streets should also be looked at because the streets leading from Green Road were very narrow and when cars were passing those that were parked; the view became restricted for pedestrians. June 2006 SAT's results had been reported in the Reminder as twenty points lower than the State average, in Manchester. She emphasized for the benefit of the public it was very important they understand that Connecticut is #4 in the nation and 77% was very good. The other side of the coin was that many of the students were not taking SAT's so this was not the overall picture of our school system. At the close of the article the Education Commissioner quoted "We are concerned whenever we experience a decrease in our scores, and encourage each school system to examine its curriculum and teaching in those areas where we did not make the progress we anticipated." There were a lot of concerns in our state about the writing portion, and her strategy which she had explained in the past was in oral language, reading and writing. Ms. Angeli had written to the Commissioner and was hoping to get an appointment to share her strategy. She encouraged the Language Arts Committee to please call her so that she may share her strategy with them. Mr. Stringfellow
expressed support for Items 2, 4, 5, 6, and 7 on the Consent Calendar.
New Haven
High School had commenced using metal detectors and wands, and H. ITEMS FOR FUTURE AGENDAS No items were proposed for future agendas. Ms. Hackett asked for a Motion to adjourn. MOTION: Pohl/Stafford s.v. The Manchester Board of Education adjourned at 9:30 p.m. 9/0/0. Respectfully submitted, Michael
Rizzo, Secretary |