The joint Board of Directors and Board of Education Retreat was held on January 29, 2005 at the Nathan Hale Inn at Storrs, Connecticut from 8:00 A.M. to 2:15 P.M. The following are the minutes of that retreat.

Present: Board of Directors -Josh Howroyd, Joe Hachey, Tim Becker, Geoff Naab, Jennifer Nye, Dave Sheridan, Lou Spadaccini, Kevin Zingler
Board of Education - Dave Golas, Margaret Hackett, Jodi Huyler, Sandra Lok, Lisa O'Neill, Mike Rizzo, Tom Robinson, Tim Thresher
Town Staff - Steve Werbner, General Manager; Kathy Ouellette, Superintendent of Schools; Louise Guarnaccia, Director of Operations and Dede Moore, Director of Administrative Services.
Joseph F. Colletti, facilitator
Absent: Steve Cassano, Board of Directors and Steven Edwards, Board of Education

The meeting opened at 8:00 A.M. with an introduction and overview of the day by Mr. Colletti. Groundrules were set and a model for conflict resolution focused on examining assumptions was adopted as a working framework for the day.

The group first detailed the working systems under which both Boards function and identified the "hotspots" where their working systems put them at odds with each other. In the next exercise, each Board responded to and reported out on a series of questions which focused on the kinds of information that were needed to promote a positive working relationship between the Boards and on possible joint efforts that could be taken to both minimize potential problems and power up the effectiveness of the Boards' working relationship.
Teams comprised of members from both Boards completed a third exercise. In this work session, the teams identified the areas where the Boards had successfully worked together in the past and how the characteristics of those successful events might be amplified in the future. Each team then reported out its results to the entire group.

The final work session for the mixed teams was focused on reviewing all of the materials that had been generated over the course of the day and developing specific actionable items that would promote a positive working relationship between the Boards. The following items were then identified as being those that would best promote a strong working relationship:

• Form subcommittee on Budget
• Easier notification system - town wide email
• Invite BOD to BOE events and recognize them
• Mutual policy breakfasts
• Do Annual Retreats
• Create a unified collective bargaining subcommittee
• Share Buildings and Grounds resources
• "Next Level Down" Coordination
• Prevent inflammatory communications

After a review of the final items noted above, the leadership of both Boards made some closing comments. The meeting was adjourned at 2:15 PM.