Present: J. Nye, S. Werbner, T. Robinson, A. Mistretta, L. O'Neill,
M. Rizzo, S. Edwards, L. Spadaccini, S. Cassano, J. Howroyd
S. Holmes, J. Huyler, T. Becker, K. Zingler, J. Hachey

Absent: S. Lok, M. Hackett, T. Thresher, G. Naab, D. Sheriden

Mayor Cassano called the meeting to order at 7:22 p.m.

Mayor Cassano led the Pledge of Allegiance.

Mayor Cassano welcomed the audience and stated that two meetings were cancelled in 2004, and in both cases, the School Readiness Council report was cancelled both times. This presentation has been prepared for six months.

1. Report of the School Readiness Council
Mr. Werbner introduced Hanna Marcus and Jerry Reisman. He reported that the School Readiness Council has been working diligently and are ready to deliver their report.

Hanna Marcus, the former Director of Human Services, and co-chair of the School Readiness Council, introduced Dr. Jerry Reisman, the Director of Manchester Head Start and co-chair, and Dawn Cook, Regional Director of the Hartford Region of the YWCA. She stated they had a meeting about a year ago which was a community forum on early childhood education. Approximately 100 members of the community attended and told them what they felt about early childhood education issues. Attending were parents, teachers, early childhood experts, and public officials. Since that meeting, they have been awarded $120,000 over the next four years by the Graustein Memorial Fund. This money will help them reach some goals that the School Readiness Council has set for itself until 2007. They have hired, with that money, a new Discovery Coordinator, to work with the Council to engage more sectors of the community. Additionally, they are waiting for confirmation for a new round of funds from the Federal Health and Human Services Department to continue to provide services under the MELO program. This grant is for $601,000 over a 17-month period. This follows a previous grant for $591,000 over the previous two years. This program has really reached out into the community serving up to 50 providers, many of them home-based or serving children not frequently exposed to services. This has been a very successful program. She stated that they are beginning to embark on a new concept of an Early Childhood Service Center. They will start by taking some MELO staff and the new Discovery Coordinator to establish themselves, in a virtual way, as a place where young children and their families will go to ask for information, to get services and referrals for services. This is nice to have with the loss of the Parent Information Center. Both the Board of Education and the Town are working cooperatively to build a new Head Start facility. It is a key part of the School Readiness Council's four-year strategy. This will enhance the number of slots available to 45%, and bring together health and dental programming and educational training to young children and their families. They are also in a position to apply for another $70,000 from the State Department of Education. They feel that with the change in the governorship, a lot will happen over the next few years on the state's part. When the Board of Director adopted the budget for 2004-2005, there was a last minute $25,000 inserted in the budget earmarked for School Readiness. She stated they would be back to the Board at a later date to let them know what their recommendations are for use of this money. Finally, the School Readiness Council is getting stronger and has established new structure policies for itself. By January, the Council will bring before the Board of Directors and Board of Education, a slate of nominees to officially appoint members to the Council, and for the Mayor to appoint a Chair. She outlined the goals of the presentation: to explain what Early Childhood Education is; begin a dialogue about what is important; and explain how Government and private interests can work together for young child. They will present what Manchester is currently doing and what still needs to be done. They will share several studies that have been done showing the positive financial impact of investments in Early Childhood. One Connecticut community reported saving $3M in Special Education costs in five years; another two saw dramatic reductions of the number of kindergarten and first grade retentions. Finally, they will offer some suggestions for investments that the Town can make in the future that can save money and reap the benefit of children who can do better in school. She introduced members of the audience in the School Readiness Council. She gave a brief history of the School Readiness Council and stated their vision to have any Manchester child entering kindergarten is ready of school and capable of achieving their potential. She stated their mission is to advocate for the advancement of young children's learning by promoting policies, programs and partnerships among families, schools and the community.

She introduced a short video, which has been shown all around the country. It is called "Why Early Childhood Matters".

Jerry Reisman stated that it is time to move to the next level of Early Childhood Education. He outlined three important factors: look at the impact of a lack of appropriate school readiness on children and the community; recognize that fewer children are coming to school ready to learn; recognize deficiencies and prepare children in line with No Child Left Behind. He stated that research has shown that there are a number of ways that financial benefits can be gained from Early Childhood Education. Savings come in terms of reductions in Special Education costs. It Manchester, it currently costs $32,000 a year to educate a special education child. School Readiness means fewer children held back in kindergarten or first grade. Each retention costs approximately $8,000 a year. School Readiness also means that fewer social and behavioral problems in classrooms make it easier for teachers to teach. Research shows that test scores are higher with children who have had a quality preschool experience. No Child Left Behind holds the district accountable to monitor a student's progress. He shared three studies conducted in Connecticut: one in Milford that examined the savings of Special Education costs; one in Bridgeport that looked at major reductions to retention savings; and one in Middletown that looked at decreasing the achievement gap between minority and white students. He mentioned that a new study came out, a cost benefit study by the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis that tracked long-term economic benefits from children who were in a preschool program. He distributed a materials package that outlined the statistics in detail. He concluded his presentation with three thoughts: school readiness and quality preschool program can save a community money on remedial and special education services; the programs make sure that the children are ready for kindergarten and that the programs are designed to be able to measure results; and, the school system, the children and the community are all the better for it.

Dawn Cook stated the School Readiness Council was created in 1997 to implement the State law that was enacted to better prepare three and four-year-olds for school. Manchester was designated as a severe needs district and received School Readiness funds, which the Council oversees. In 2002, the Town received a grant from Graustein to start the Discovery Project, which is now an integral part of the Council. They applied for a little more than a quarter millions dollars to continue the work that was started. They developed a strategic plan, which will be distributed to the Boards. Currently, the School Readiness Council is comprised of twenty community leaders representing a variety of organizations and concerns; early care providers and public officials. Some of the major accomplishments have been a unique series of partnerships that have been created with the school system, private and public organizations in town on a variety of projects aimed at the young children in Manchester. The School Readiness Council administers nearly a half million dollars combined from both the State Department of Education and the Department of Social Services to support 60 preschool slots in Manchester. They have secured federal funds totaling over a half million dollars for the Manchester Early Learning Opportunities Project (MELO). This is a town wide project that brings services to over 800 families directly to 40 licensed homecare providers and 12 center-based providers helping them build their skills and prepare children to learn. Key partners in the MELO project are ECHN, the Lutz Children's Museum and the library. The Readiness Council has also worked on a preschool/kindergarten assessment system. It has also worked on a community sharing project where young first-time mothers in Manchester are given information on pre-natal, infant care and parenting schools. It also started the Kindergarten Fair annually. This program will be changing in the coming years in cooperation with the school administration. They have created a health and resource manual. They also have been working on a preschool profile with the school administration to obtain accurate information on a child before they enter the system. She stated that about 13% of the population in Manchester is young children, or about 3,333 children in the birth to five period. There is a network of 16 center-based caregivers, half of which are accredited by the National Association of Young Children. Manchester has the state of the art early learning center, known as MELC, which is an accredited program that serves 60 youngsters. The town also had Head Start, the Manchester Public School's federally supported early learning program, which currently serves 132 children, based at Bentley School. The town is currently working on a capital improvement plan that will provide a much-needed new building, and increase the Head Start program to 192. The new building is envisioned as a one-stop early childhood service center. In Manchester, there are 96 state-licensed homes providing care, 40 of which had been involved in the early learning opportunities project. They have established that there are 860 children that have received early care and education either through licensed centers or licensed home daycare, which is only 25% of the children in need of these experiences. The Care for Kids program has sustained drastic cuts, which impacts the number of children in quality preschool programs. She spoke about the community conversation that was held in October. They were pleasantly surprised by the turnout to the very successful event. Materials were distributed detailing the discussions. She highlighted three major points: people stated that they wanted one place to go for information and services; there is a need for affordable, quality early childcare slots; and, parents want to be involved.

Ms. Marcus stated the demographics show a distinct community of young children who are at risk. Child poverty doubled from 1990 to 2000. Nearly ten percent of Manchester child speaks a language other than English at home, which is an increase of 11.3% since 1998. Thirteen percent of the households are led by single young women. Free and reduced lunch has risen in all but one elementary school, against the State trend. Between 1993 and 2001, the percentage of African American, Asian American and Latino student enrollment increased from 20% to 33.4%. CAPT scores show an achievement gap by ethnicity. She stated that quality and affordable early childcare is in short supply in Manchester. She feels that one factor for the decline in participation in preschool experiences is the significant loss of state dollars in a program "Care for Kids", the State subsidy program. The Committee recognizes that they have to move carefully and slowly to address some of the needs. The long-term view of the Committee includes supporting increased availability of quality and affordable early care services; building a community that values investing in quality and early childhood education; and securing financial investments from public and private sources for services that better prepare young children for school. There are eight targets for the community: 1) better emphasis on the pre-K/K transition system; 2) a single-point of entry for information and services; 3) an early childhood report card; 4) a new Head Start facility; 5) to build into the town and school budgets a fund for early childhood programs and services; 6) more affordable and quality care slots; 7) better partnerships with parents and the community, and 8) to have a full recognition of the School Readiness Council as the council in charge of making recommendations to the community and elected Boards She asked the Boards to consider allocating three-tenths of one percent of the ECS Grant to Early Readiness, which would translate into $90,000. She believes this money could be leveraged using other sources. She reported that systems need to be built in to be able to monitor measurement overtime as well as savings. She stated they would like to continue to sponsor the Kindergarten Fair. Additionally, they would like to hold a second community conversation in the future. They will submit a plan to the Board for the $25,000 in the budget, and will continue to work on the Early Childhood Learning Center.

Mayor Cassano asked for comments from the Boards.

Mr. Becker asked if they looked at why more and more children who are starting school aren't ready to learn.

Mr. Reisman stated that the availability of affordable childcare slots has decreased, as well as the Care for Kids subsidy decreased by 50%. This means that those families who need it the most are accessing it the least.

Mr. Becker asked for clarification.

Ms. Marcus stated that there are many parents who are very capable of being their children's first teacher; however, there are certain segments of the community are not as capable relating to many factors. Teachers are telling them that children are not as prepared as they were a decade ago.

Mr. Becker asked if they believed if the public school system should start at age 3 instead of age 5.

Mr. Reisman stated the school system is responsible for children who have special needs at age 3 and up. The School Readiness Council is trying to bridge the gap between the responsibility of the community and the school system.

Mr. Becker asked if it would be better if all children had the opportunity to start a formal program at age 3.

Ms. Marcus stated they have mixed emotions about starting every child at age 3, as there are some children that are not yet ready. They can help the parents so that they can help their children succeed as well.

Mr. Becker asked what department the $25,000 is in within the budget.

Mr. Werbner stated that it wasn't really put anywhere, and that there was a mention that $25,000 would be allocated to the School Readiness Council from additional revenues received at a point later in the fiscal year. There is no particular allocation at this time. A revenue source would have to be identified.

Mayor Cassano stated he asked for the money to be identified as the School Readiness Council had two appearances scheduled before the budget process, but both appearances were cancelled.

Mr. Becker confirmed that the money has not been appropriated and that it is not really in the budget.

Mayor Cassano asked what the waitlist was for the Head Start program.

Mr. Reisman responded that of the eight classes operated, six of them are half-day classrooms, and only two are full day classrooms. They could fill three more three-year-old full day classrooms from the waitlist. The new center would increase the program by four new classrooms, all full day.

Mr. Edwards stated he was interested what the specific requirements are for "being ready" for kindergarten. Additionally, how far behind can a child be for kindergarten.

Ms. Marcus stated that in the last couple of years, there are benchmarks that were established that for the first time. These give preschool educators indicators they can use when observing children to see how they are doing developmentally in various domains.

Mr. Reisman stated that it is broken down into four different domains and 30 performance standards that are broken down into benchmarks. Any one watching a child over time can identify 120 different types of skills. Assessment is used to inform instruction and to evaluate to determine the next level.

Mr. Edwards stated that his view of kindergarten that it is the great equalizer for children. He stated he is concerned about worrying about the three to four year old achievement gap, especially since children are growing.

Mayor Cassano commented that the film was presented by the National League of Cities, and prior to the filming there was a meeting at Yale. Both of the professors cited were at the meeting. There was a great deal of statistical data that was presented and he recalls the discussion of the gap. The greatest fear is that the gap that exists and progresses through the school system. He stated that it is an identifiable gap that doesn't change without direction.

Mr. Rizzo stated that the presentation was very informative. He pointed out that in 1996, Manchester was ahead of the State with preschool experience, and now in the negative. He asked if this was due to a dry-up of State money. He asked if it has gone back up in the last two years.

Ms. Marcus stated that it has not changed, and is still in the negative. A new preschool experience form has been completed so that the Town can get the best information about the child before they enter kindergarten.

Mr. Rizzo asked why children hadn't received the preschool experience. He asked if it was due to a lack of fund, a lack of interest, or another reason.

Ms. Marcus stated that part of it is because the Care for Kids money has dissipated. The affordability of care is a problem. More data will be available as more parents return parent forms detailing their children's experience.

Ms. Cook confirmed that the drop in funding for Care for Kids has affected programs throughout the State. She stated that it created a trickle down effect forcing providers out of business because it is cost prohibitive.

Mr. Rizzo confirmed that a provider is a formal program as well as a mother who takes in children for the entire day. He asked that quality care be defined.

Mr. Reisman stated that there are a number of issues that relate to quality: the ratios of adult to children, the kind of curriculum, and who monitors it. He stated that there are programs that are accredited by organizations and others that are licensed by the Health Department.

Ms. Marcus stated that one of the goals of the MELO program is primarily to bring services to the home based provider, licensed or not, like literacy services and parenting programs.

Mr. Spadaccini stated that one of the justifications for expansion of the program is the long term cost savings that it nets. He referenced the studies that were presented. He asked if they were aware of any studies that have different finds, with no savings.

Mr. Reisman stated the videotape referred to studies across the country. He has looked at literature that has consistently had the some type of results. Most the research looked at quality as opposed to quantity, and now data is available to give cost benefits as well as social benefits. There are some older studies that say by fourth grade the benefits of early childhood wash out.

Mr. Spadaccini stated they are asking three-tenths of one percent of the ECS Grant, approximately $90,000, be applied to enhance the program, and for an allocation of $25,000 from the Board of Directors through Human Services. He asked if these would be linked to cost savings immediately, and what the cost savings would be.

Ms. Marcus stated that they would continue to collect data. They would like to work with the schools to set up a system to place people in schools that are measuring children's gains over time as well as cost savings over time. The tools need to be in place in order to determine this. Discussions need to take place on what the tools would be and how they could work for the community. She would like this all instituted during the course of this fiscal year, if possible. She stated that cost savings would occur over time.

Mr. Spadaccini asked how much time she envisioned for seeing cost savings.

Ms. Marcus stated that it would be at least over a four-year period of time.

Mr. Spadaccini believes everyone's interest was peak about a return on the investment. He feels a set of goals and a timetable should be linked to this.

Mayor Cassano stated the waitlist would be the control group that will provide a lot of data over the next three years.

Mr. Robinson thanked everyone for the presentation and information. He stated the Board of Education is eager to help in any way in terms of developing the measurements.

Mayor Cassano called for a brief recess at 9:10 a.m.

Mayor Cassano resumed the meeting at 9:20 p.m.

2. Discussion of Consolidation Efforts per Charter Requirements

Mayor Cassano stated there would be a discussion of the consolidation efforts per Charter requirement. He recalled that at last year's election, there was a question to urge the Boards to work together to try and consolidate where possible to create savings where possible. He reported that Dr. Mistretta put together a shared services history of things that have been done successfully in the past. He asked Dr. Mistretta and Mr. Werbner to begin the discussion.

Dr. Mistretta stated the Manchester should be proud of their collaborations, and that in her previous position, she was able to see the collaborations grow. She developed a shared services history that she will pass on to the next Superintendent. She reported that they started discussion with Mr. Werbner throughout the summer. She also reminded the Board that she would not be the Superintendent to work under any agreements that evolve from these discussions, so the intent of the Board is to discuss and listen and come to a decision at another point in time.

Mr. Werbner thanked everyone who took the time to discuss these issues with him, some of which have been ongoing for a number of years. He believes the Boards are in it together, and need to help each other through tough fiscal times. He asked that all arrangements be documented so that they can be passed down through the years. He stated that put together a document, which was forwarded to the Board of Education to respond. It is the first attempt to address some of the procedures, but looks forward to a manual that can be maintained throughout the years. He stated they also put together a document that is generated from discussions with the Board of Education as well as internal discussions. He commented that the document is broken down into three columns which are: Town Proposal; Board of Education Response; and the Board of Directors attempt to come up with something agreeable between both Boards. He reviewed the proposals which included: communication issues; negotiation language and consistent positions; facility management, the preparation and approval of education specifications; capital projects and an implementation team; facility inventories for all Board of Education facilities to be able to prioritize project lists; who has ultimate responsibility for determining the capital project list; budgetary format issues; the TOMMIF account; the maintenance agreement on high school grounds; the Town using its Fleet Maintenance division to bid on vehicles for the Board of Education; and, the installation of the new MUNIS software. The primary focus would be on the collaboration of the Facility Maintenance functions. These proposals and the positions of both Boards are in greater detail in the provided handout. He commented that the Boards are closer in agreement than apart on many of these issues. He feels with some minor adjustments, agreement can be achieved on a number of items, which could have a significant beneficial effect to the efficiencies of both operations.

Mayor Cassano stated that it was obvious that great strides were made on both sides, and he commended Dr. Mistretta and Mr. Werbner and their staffs for getting so much done. He asked what the next steps would be.

Mr. Werbner stated that this is a compilation of suggestions of how business should be done in a number of different areas. It is his understanding that the Board of Education would like some time to review this to determine what areas, if any, they as a Board are in agreement with. He feels the Board of Directors would want to hear the Board of Education's response before reacting to the document.

Mayor Cassano stated that no action would be taken at this meeting, and that questions could be asked. They would then wait for a recommendation to come from the Board of Education to the Board of Directors.

Mr. Spadaccini believes that this is very important and feels that if agreement cannot be achieved, then another joint meeting should be convened to try and reach a common ground. He asked if this was just an agreement, and not a formal policy or ordinance. He asked if an affirmative vote from either Board was needed for implementation, or if only a consensus from both was needed.

Mr. Werbner stated that there is no requirement for a formalized vote. Based upon how the charter language was set up, and how the discussions have gone, he feels a consensus from both Boards would be appreciated by the administration so they know they have the support of both entities in terms of how to move forward.

Mr. Spadaccini feels there is a need for clarification in some areas, particularly in capital improvements, maintenance, and infrastructure, as there are various jurisdictions that have overlapping responsibilities. For the benefit of the entire town, the groups would have to work together and come to common agreement. He believes substantial progress has been made and there is a lot of agreement.

Mayor Cassano feels the Board should vote on the agreed procedures to move forward. He believes there is strength in a vote as opposed to a consensus.

Mr. Spadaccini stated he had no objection to a vote, as long as it is clear what the vote is on. He asked if this was a set of operating procedures, or something more formally codified.

Mr. Becker agreed that a vote by both Boards on each proposal separately would be necessary as required by Charter. He commented that it was an impressive body of work. He stated that it is a great deal of progress and he would like to see the Boards prioritize some of the subjects. He asked if these would become new business items on future agendas of individual Boards.

Mayor Cassano stated he assumed it would be one item with all components when it comes back from the Board of Education. He stated that some of the items in the document are currently written into the Charter. The Charter is the guiding principal for both Boards. He believes the spirit of agreement and cooperation is apparent.

Mr. Becker stated that the items that are not in agreement should continue to be worked on.

Mayor Cassano stated that this might be necessary, depending on the discussions on the Board of Education.

Mr. Zingler feels that many citizens in town do not realize that there are separate functions on each Board, such as Finance, Human Resources, etc. He feels that this is groundbreaking and well overdue for Manchester to start looking at these areas. He asked that during the process, all information be shared with all members of each Board. He feels that community is key to the whole process.

Mayor Cassano stated that communications and questions should be funneled through Mr. Werbner and Dr. Mistretta so that everyone has access.

Mr. Edwards feels that it is a good idea to get some representatives from each Board to meet and hash some of the issues out. He feels it is a lot to ask to have only Dr. Mistretta and Mr. Werbner work out differences, and that the Boards should be involved. He stated that the Boards are bound to the Charter; however, there are clearly issues where the Charter and State Education Law are not in line. He added that the Board of Education is an instrument of the State and not of the town. Its fundamental job is to protect the interests of the State with regard to education in town. He feels the document should reflect this.

T. Robinson feels that the document has some sections that are very particular, while there are others which are much more generalized. He feels that the future interests need to be considered when making decisions regarding these issues. He feels that references to Policy 3510 should not be included, as it could be done away with at any point in time. He thanked Mr. Werbner and Dr. Mistretta for the many hours of work that went into the document at this point.

Mr. Rizzo stated that he was very pleased with the progress and content of the document, but cautioned on moving too quickly. He believes the project should take its course so that everyone has input.

Mr. Howroyd was glad that this was not a contentious meeting, and he appreciated the work of Mr. Werbner and Dr. Mistretta. He believes everyone recognizes that the Boards have separate and distinct roles, but they also have common interests such as serving the citizens of Manchester. He believes the document is a big step forward. He also appreciated the list of shared services to highlight the great deal of cooperation between the two Boards. He agrees that there should be a focus on the handful of issues that there may be some disagreement on.

Mrs. Holmes stated that she is glad this process is taking place. As far as setting a dollar amount for what a capital project is, she stated the Board policy has a number and feels these references should match. She feels it is important that whatever the Board of Education is funding, they should have final decisions on. Regarding the Fleet Maintenance piece, she feels the Board of Education should reserve the right to seek RFPs from private contractors. She feels that this agreement, once passed, needs to be reevaluated occasionally. Additionally, she stated the Town makes ordinances and the Board of Education creates policy. She feels a policy should be made regarding the document to ensure consistency for future Boards and administrations. She agrees that there should be a vote on both Boards.

Mayor Cassano stated that this should be addressed on an annual basis, and believes the community would want the Boards to move forward on collaboration. He stated the Boards would meet separately, before a subcommittee is addressed. Any concerns should be identified to the Superintendent and General Manager.

Mr. Zingler feels it would be helpful if administrations on both sides prioritize what items they would like to see addressed so that the Boards would know where to focus their attention.

Mayor Cassano stated anything associated with budgets should be the highest priority.

Mr. Werbner stated that there are some items that have immediacy associated with them, such as MUNIS. He stated that they are attempting to move in a direction of separating the databases, and not consolidate certain operations. This needs to start within the next couple of weeks. With regard to the facilities inventory study, if numbers are needed for the budget process, an RFP should be done very soon.

Mr. Spadaccini does not believe that there are so many issues that the Boards cannot develop or work towards consensus in the not too distant future. He agrees that there are a number of items that are immediate. He suggested that the two administrators, who developed the document, work out as much between them as possible, and then bring it back to the respective Boards for input. If there are issues that can't be resolved, then a joint meeting or subcommittee could take place. He stated this is a set of guidelines that can always be changed for future Boards.

MOTION: Nye/Rizzo s.v. They adjourn the meeting at 10:30 p.m.