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Watertown Board of Education
Regular Meeting
Minutes
Meeting Date: September 25, 2006
Meeting Time: 7:30 p.m.
Meeting Place: Watertown High School Technology Center
Members Present: Ms. Mary Dzioba, Board Chairperson
Mr. Richard Mazzamaro,Vice Chairperson
Mr. Todd Griffin, Board Secretary
Ms. Gina Calabrese, Board member
Ms. Mary Colangelo, Board member
Mr. Chris Lafferty, Board member
Mr. Thomas Lambert, Board member
Dr. Joseph Erardi. Jr., Superintendent of Schools
Dr. Philip Pelosi, Assistant Superintendent of Schools
Ms. Amelia Grover, Dir. of Budget and Financial Planning
Ms. Betsy Hackett, Director of Special Services
Mr. Todd LoFrese, Director of Operations
Mr. William Zeman, Student Council Representative
Ms. Kace Duplissie, PTA/PTO Representative
Absent: Mr. James Marks, Board member
Ms. Joanne Pannone, Board member
Press: Mr. Jim Taylor, Town Times
Guests: Igor Panchenko
Other interested citizens: Mr. Whitey Greenwood, Mrs. Sandy Greenwood, Mr. Thad Hasbrouck, Mrs. Kathleen Scully, Mrs. Emily Judd, Mrs. Cathy Gelinas, Mrs. Gowlis and Mrs. Fran Palmer. Mrs. Mary Raiola, Mr. Charlie Beliveau, Mr. Bob Guerrera, Mr. Russell Erickson, Mr. Paul Bourassa and Mr. Keith Breiner.
A. Convene Regular Meeting - 7:30 PM
Ms. Dzioba convened the Regular Board of Education meeting at 7:30 p.m.
B. Salute to the Flag
Ms. Dzioba led the salute to the Flag.
C. Celebration of Excellence
Ms. Dzioba: Thank you all for coming tonight; we have a Celebration of Excellence so I will turn it over to the Superintendent.
Dr. Erardi: Thank you Ms. Dzioba. Igor, could you stand for us please? Can you let us know the important people that are here with you; can you point to them and tell us their first and last name?
Igor Panchenko pointed out his parents and younger brother, Principal Judd and his teachers, Mrs. Gelinas and Mrs. Gowlis.
Dr. Erardi: Igor, I would like to share with the Board of Education and with the Watertown community; of why you were selected. Dr. Erardi had asked a number of principals, that you called your director, and I liked that, Director Judd, that has a nice ring to it. I was very interested if we had an outstanding student in our summer reading program and we had some terrific readers this summer. Readers that read 35 and 40 and 45 books, but we felt that you were very special to our reading program. Igor, if Board members do not know, Igor is new to us; he is from Russia and he has been with us, for how many years Igor?
Igor Panchenko: Like almost two years.
Dr. Erardi: Almost two years, Igor came to us with us a struggle with the English language, his command is just exceptional. In my conversation with Igor, I found out a couple of neat things about this little guy. I learned his favorite author is?
Igor Panchenko: Jack London.
Dr. Erardi: His favorite book of the summer is?
Igor Panchenko: The Call of the Wild.
Dr. Erardi: Igor would you tell the Board how are you old and what grade you are in.
Igor Panchenko: I am 10 years old, I am in fifth.
Dr. Erardi: Igor, you are representing 3,550 students tonight as the outstanding student in the Watertown schools, it’s quite an accomplishment and I know I speak for the school administration, your director, the Board of Education, congratulations to you. Why don’t you come up and receive the certificate from Ms. Dzioba.
Ms. Dzioba presented Igor with his certificate and he thanked the Board.
The Board of Education wishes to recognize Igor Panchenko, grade 3 student at Polk School, for Excellence in Summer Reading. Igor has read a total of 16 books this summer.
If Igor would please come forward, the Board would like to present him with a Certificate of Excellence.
D. Public Participation
Ms. Dzioba opened Public Participation at 7:35 P.M.
Ms. Dzioba: Anyone who is interested in addressing the Board, for the best and fair way for everybody who wants to speak tonight, I am going to limit it to three minutes and to ask you to only come up to the microphone once, thank you.
Bob Guerrera, 117 Adams Road, Watertown
We are here just for informational purposes tonight, I am going to hand you out some information we received from FieldTurf. ( See Attachment 1 )
It answers a lot of the questions that have been going around and it also shows the installations they have done, with contact numbers of all of the facilities so that if anybody wants to just make a phone call they could get a lot of information from places that have already had it done. In the package, I’ll explain what you have a letter from the FieldTurf track engineer on how they protect the track. On the second page you have a letter answering a lot of the questions that were given and a lot of people were wondering about; the drainage under the track, the maintenance cost. I am just going to go down a couple of these real quick.
The drainage under the track, like he says, he couldn’t answer it all the way without looking at the drawings. I told him I could contact Charlie Beliveau but I have been working out of town and I haven’t had a chance to talk to him about the print that was drawn up to show the drainage.
Maintenance costs, you can see vary on how long it takes one person to basically drag the field once a month to pick up the garbage.
Replacement costs, is approximately two-thirds of the initial cost, as we said last time we were here, we asked about the signs, the cost of the signs along and that was just one idea, to use to replace the turf in the ten or twelve years, if it has to be replaced fully.
Liability insurance, as you see he couldn’t answer.
Additional equipment to maintain the field, they provide you with the drag; you could hook it up to any of the town’s equipment so the additional equipment is none.
Why the price come down? He figured it was a budgetary number, your $750,000, I been hearing numbers of $900,000 lately but if you looked at the drawing that we gave you that FieldTurf made up; we are not talking about doing the entire inside. If you do the entire inside, yes, you are going to add another $125,000 to $150,000 to the price. We don’t need to do that; we just need to do a field. The field cost is $567,000, that’s why maybe when they gave you the $750,000, they figured the whole thing. We are not doing that, if you looked at the picture it shows that you go five feet outside the end zones and it covers you for soccer, it covers you for everything.
We played at Wolcott this weekend, they did exactly that, they had the same scenario that we have, they did just the field. I just want to tell you, we looked at where and we contacted the head of Wolcott Youth Football and he showed me right where the trucks came in and out. They cut one gate of the fence out to make room for the trucks, the only way you could even tell there was a truck there, he said they did have a little bit of excess dirt that got on the track that is being washed out every time it rains. That’s the only way you could even tell that anything was even done.
The water affecting the track, there is no additional water as the system is a vertically draining system, therefore the water drains through the turf and is evacuated via the perimeter trench drain before it gets to the track.
Can field events utilize the field? It is desirable to have a separate area for field events, however, a javelin with a protective tip can be utilized, discus is generally not a problem and we can add a special foam pad under the shot-put landing area to ensure the surface does not get any permanent depressions.
The thing I want to add is how could they use a javelin now when you have a sprinkler system? What if it hits one of the sprinkler heads? There is maintenance on the sprinkler system.
The questions I have are, one, how come none of this is on the Agenda? That’s number one because I know it’s been two weeks since the question was asked to the Town Council and there is nothing on the Agenda about the turf at all like we suggested to the Town Council and if you want to answer a ton of questions, if you suggest to the Town Council to get three proposals, FieldTurf like I said will write it up for free. You get the three proposals and that will answer a ton of questions.
Ms. Dzioba: Thank you Mr. Guerrera.
Russell Erickson, 39 Pleasant View Avenue
I am back here again with some of my neighbors; I submitted a petition about this time two years ago when Mr. Erardi first took over. Here I’ll submit it to you, pass it around that’s a copy of your no smoking policy, this is the petition that I submitted to the Board of Education quite some time ago. Out of that came that letter from Mr. Erardi which we had a meeting with some of the police and Mr. Hasbrouck. Those are photos of what goes on on a daily basis up at your back gate. This condition still exists today after all the efforts and all the police that are present there. The school administrators during the day do nothing about the students leaving school. They stand there, they stand by, they watch the kids leave in the morning, 7:00 in the morning they start arriving, so between 7:00 and 7:30, students are allowed to leave. The administrators stand by and watch them; I’m told that they are not allowed to leave once they arrive at school. Is this true?
Ms. Dzioba: We will get that question answered for you.
Mr. Erickson: O.K. if that’s true then how come the administrators, Mr. Hasbrouck and his assistant principals stand by and watch threes kids leave? They smoke on school property, which at that back gate is your school property; they smoke on the side at the side gate near the back field, which is school property. All the way from the street up to the fence and beyond that fence on the other side is your school property. You have a no smoking policy in effect, that’s become a hang out, it’s riddled with trash, cigarette butts all over the place, papers blow into my neighbor’s yard. The last neighbor that lived in that on the corner moved because he couldn’t stand the kids, he couldn’t stand the high school. He was an elderly man and he didn’t want to fight with these kids anymore, he just got sick and tired and he said I’m selling my house and I’m going. Now they have pushed the kids down from where the back gate is, I watched them one morning going like this pushing them down and they pushed them down toward my neighbor’s house. They push them down there and now they are standing on that side smoking. Now they pushed them from there down the hill and now they are on the corner of Spring Street and Pleasant View Avenue which is on school property and now they are hanging out there. They are walking up and down Spring Street, they are burning those neighbors. What is it going to take? This has been an ongoing problem, I have done everything I can to eliminate this problem and all that you done hasn’t worked, what the administration has done have not worked. I was told that one time Mr. Hasbrouck said that “If I stopped them from smoking out there then they are going to be smoking in my school.” O.K. I think that’s, I think there in lies the problem, they don’t want them smoking on the school. You have a no smoking policy, enforce it, stop these kids from hanging around. Who’s running the school? Are the kids running the school or the administrators running the school? This is my question, what are you guys going to do about it? When is it going to end, what do you intend to do about it? I never, ever got an answer, never was that petition responded to, never was that petition responded to, I’ve looked on all your Minutes from your meetings and that was ever even addressed, ever. Why? It’s been two years.
Ms. Dzioba: We will look into it and get back to you.
Mr. Erickson: You’ll get back to me how?
Ms. Dzioba: We will get back to you within ten days.
Mr. Erickson: You’ll get back to me in ten days?
Ms. Dzioba: We will get back to you within ten days with a written response.
Mr. Erickson: I need that back and do you intend to enforce the policy that you have in effect?
Ms. Dzioba: If there is a policy we will look into and we will get back to you with an answer within ten days.
Mr. Erickson: O.K. and how about the kids wandering around the neighborhood during the day?
Ms. Dzioba: Without talking to the administration and without, you know you are just coming to us, we will look into it.
Mr. Erickson: I’m telling you, I’m telling you, I sit out there when I have a day off, I’ll have a cup of coffee and sit out in the front of my house in my car and I’ll watch, I watch what goes on, I see with my eyes. You have photos, you have photos and you see, you can see with your eyes too what goes on. This is what happens on a daily basis and nothing is being done. Let me put it this way, Mr. Erardi has good faith, you know good faith efforts I guess he tells the administration but somebody , somebody somewhere is not following through. Somebody somewhere is not following through and this isn’t happening.
Ms. Dzioba: We will get back to you and we appreciate you coming forward with your concerns. Is there anyone else who would like to address the Board?
Paul Bourassa, 43 Mallory Road, Watertown
I am a parent of a child at St. Mary Magdalene School and I am here to talk about the busing situation. This is the third year in a row in which we got inadequate busing needs for our students. Every year it seems like it’s the same game plan, start out with overcrowded busing and then hopefully we’ll wear you down. Keep the busing going later and later, eventually we’ll start pulling our kids off the bus ‘cause we don’t want our kids to stay on the bus that long. I was the last stop and then I did exactly what I just said, I couldn’t have my kid stay on the bus for an hour and a half so I ended up pulling my kids off the bus. On Bus 23 myself and four other families took our kids off the bus. I talked to a mother today who has her kids on the bus and their bus is running between 4:00 and 4:10 at their stop, from their stop to my house was another twenty minutes. So, as far as I’m concerned nothing was fixed. It wears on us year after year after year when we hear the same things around the school year, that you just don’t care and that it’s the same game plan. That’s the part, it’s the plan where we just get worn down year after year and it’s starting to take root. I’m asking you to fulfill the busing needs of our school. St. Mary Magdalene is a good neighbor, we are an ally in education with you, we don’t want to be a footnote at the bottom of your budget and we don’t want to be treated like we are a burden on your budget. So, I am asking you to please consider our busing needs and please help us out.
Ms. Dzioba: Thank you.
Keith Breiner, 70 Woodside Ct., Watertown
I am the chairman of St. Mary Magdalene School Board, first I would like to thank Dr. Erardi, he has always taken all of my calls whether its compliment or complaint, he has never dodged me at all and I do appreciate that. I had spoken to Dr. today and I think that we have reached an agreement as far as the busing goes, when we do start our addition, which hopefully will be within the next 60 days, you will hopefully be able to alleviate our busing problem that we have now and then the anticipated problem that it will get worse, with another bus. So, in the spirit of cooperation again, I would like to thank Dr. Erardi and thank the Board, hopefully we can move forward and do what is right for the kids. On another note, I also happen to be the President of W.A.Y.S soccer in Watertown, I know that W.A.Y.S , you know we do play on some of the school fields, and we appreciate that but, the need of fields in this town really does need to be addressed. I think that by turfing the field at the High School, even if our children don’t get to play on that, the relief that it will give Veteran’s for W.A.Y.S and the other sports organizations will make a huge difference. I just want you to know that W.A.Y.S believes that the turfing of the field is a great idea.
Ms. Dzioba: Is there anyone else who would like to address the Board at this time?
Ms. Dzioba opened Public Participation at 7:35 P.M.
Report from Student Council Representative – Mr. William F. Zeman
Mr. Zeman: Thank you Madame Chair, I am continuing the theme I started last meeting about of activities at the High School. This meeting I would like to highlight a program that will be taking place on October 12 called Music Under the Stars. It was created by Assistant Principal Geary and Mrs. Monti-Bovi, an English teacher at the High School and the idea is to create an arena for which various students bands along with faculty members who have musical talent can participate in a community-wide event. Just to highlight a couple of the student bands and musicians that have played and are going to play, I’ll just list the names: The Aviators, At the Donner Party, Grenada and Zach and the Jakes.
They are all very good bands and I just wanted to point out in addition to them we have some incredible faculty at the High School; we have some very good musical talent. Mr. Rossi, who is a Math teacher here does an incredibly good Sinatra impression and Mr. Marceski & Saccoman are very good guitarists and before he left, Mr. Sansoucy treated us to an incredibly good rendition of trumpet playing. So I just wanted to bring this up, talk about how it brings the community together, it brings the entire student body together. We sell tickets for it and the funds go to benefit the Senior class and the effort to restore the auditorium and again it is held Oct. 12, at the back field, if it’s raining it’ll be held in the auditorium.
Also just on a note that was brought up a second ago about students at the back gate, I just feel the need to say that the actions of a few students at the back gate are not indicative of the entire student population.
Report from PTA/PTO Liaison – Ms. Kace Duplissie
Ms. Duplissie: I haven’t got much for this evening; there was the Open House at the High School which went very well except for the limited amount of parking because there was a football practice or something going on so people were parking everywhere, but other than that it was very good. The only thing I have is from Polk School this evening and these are some dates: the Book Fair will be Oct. 17-19, there will be other Book Fairs at Swift and Heminway and at John Trumbull, I just haven’t gotten those dates yet, they will probably be at the next meeting. The Family Night Book Fair will Oct. 19, and there will be an ice cream social and some of the students from Watertown High will be scooping out the ice cream, so beware. There is a Halloween party on Oct. 27 and the next PTO meeting will be on Oct. 11 at 7:00.
E. Budget Summary – (Information Only – No Action Required)
Ms. Dzioba: Budget Summary is in Board members’ packet for information, if you have any questions or concerns please direct them to the Superintendent’s office.
F. Committee Reports:
1. Advertising Committee, Todd Griffin, Chair
Mr. Griffin: Thank you Ms. Dzioba, we did have an Advertising Committee meeting this evening to recognize six new signs with eleven of the signs up generating revenue over $7,000. The new signs that were up today are from Thomaston Savings, BTS Graphics, Dr. Donald Demas, Bradshaw Chrysler Jeep, Allen’s Cleaners, Realty Mortgage Corp. and Stone Chiropractic. Thank you to all who are participating and who continue to contribute.
2. Athletics Committee, Chris Lafferty, Chair
Mr. Lafferty stated there is no Report this evening.
3. Budget Committee, Todd Griffin, Chair
Mr. Griffin: Thank you Ms. Dzioba, the Budget Committee also met this evening, it’s been a long night for meetings, it was part of a series of reoccurring meetings that have been set up. What was covered this evening was an update in Volatile Accounts, Cost per Employee, Budget timelines for our 07-08 Budget and Fiscal Impact of the Judson Boilers.
4. Curriculum & Instruction Committee, Gina Calabrese, Chair
Ms. Calabrese: The Curriculum and Instruction Sub Committee met on Wednesday, September 13, at 3:30 at the Watertown High School Library. Mrs. Hackett, Mrs. Raiola and Mrs. Scully presented a proposal to revise the current Pre-School curriculum in order to bring it in line with State standards. The revisions are projected to be completed in November and the revised curriculum will be brought back to
C & I in December. We were also presented with a proposal to enhance the language and pre-academic skills of children in the Developmental Pre-School program by integrating by up to four typical peers, who would serve as positive language role models. This appears as Item A under Action items on this evening’s Agenda. Mr. Antonucci provided us with a thorough overview of administrative and teacher’s August professional development days and Dr. Erardi provided the Committee with a list of program priorities so that the Board might have an opportunity to begin prioritizing there will of course be Budget implications, if and when the programs are reinstated or added.
5. Facilities Committee, Rich Mazzamaro, Chair
Mr. Mazzamaro stated there is no Report this evening.
6. Policy and Labor Committee, Mary Colangelo, Chair
Ms. Colangelo: The Policy and Labor Committee met last Wednesday and heard two transportation appeals and on the Agenda this evening for First Reading is the job description for the Supervisor of Buildings and Grounds. The only changes are on the last page, last two paragraphs, which address the compensation for emergency time as approved by this Board at a previous meeting.
7. Cablevision, James Marks
Mr. Marks was absent this evening.
8. PBC Representative, Rich Mazzamaro
Mr. Mazzamaro stated there is no Report this evening.
9. Education Connection Representative, Mary Dzioba
Ms. Dzioba stated there is no Report this evening.
G. Communications - Secretary
Mr. Griffin: There is one communication that we received from C.A.B.E. September 25; this is a complimentary copy the September issue of the C.A.B.E. journal. The journal is just one of the many excellent services that are provided by C.A.B.E. and I am going to leave with this with Dr. Erardi if any other Board member wished to see it you can get through Dr. Erardi.
H. Minutes
1. Regular Board of Education Meeting – September 11, 2006
Motion presented by Todd Griffin, seconded by Richard Mazzamaro that the minutes of the Board of Education meeting of September 11, 2006 be approved as presented.
Motion Passed Unanimously
(7-In Favor, 0-Opposed, 0-Abstained)
I. Superintendent's Recommendations and Report
1. Appointments – (Information Only – No Action Required)
a. Mr. Keith Borkowski to the position of Assistant Football Coach at Watertown High School for the 2006-2007 school year being paid a contractual stipend of $3,008.00 payable at the end of the season.
b. Ms. Denise Brown to the position of Varsity Field Hockey Coach at Watertown High School for the 2006-2007 school year being paid a contractual stipend of $3,007.00 payable at the end of the season.
c. Ms. Laura DiNapoli to the position of Girls’ Field Hockey Coach at Swift Middle School for the 2006-2007 school year being paid a contractual stipend of $1,881.00 at the end of the season.
d. Ms. Catherine Dombrowski to the position of Resource Paraprofessional, Category. #2, Spec Ed Program, at Swift Middle School effective September 19, 2006 for 7.0 hours paid per week at an hourly rate of $11.86.
e. Ms. Carrie Donofrio to the position of Assistant Field Hockey Coach at Watertown High School effective for the 2006-2007 school year being paid a contractual stipend of $2,131.00 payable at the end of the season.
f. Ms. Terri Downey to the position of Payroll Officer at the Munson House effective September 18, 2006 for 35 hours paid per week, 12 months per year, at an hourly rate of $15.68.
g. Mr. Michael Gaydos to the position of Assistant Principal at Watertown High School effective Wednesday, August 30, 2006, being placed on Step 1 of the Watertown Administrator’s Association’s contract for an annual salary of $77,700.00 prorated.
h. Mr. Kris Kuegler to the position of Cross Country Coach at Watertown High School effective for the 2006-2007 school year being paid a contractual stipend of $2,506.00 at the end of the season.
i. Mr. William Leifert to the position of Cross Country Coach at Swift Middle School for the 2006-2007 school year being paid a contractual stipend of $2,131.00 at the end of the season.
j. Ms. Andrea Marino to the position of Varsity Volleyball Coach at Watertown High School for the 2006-2007 school year being paid a contractual stipend of $2,758.00 at the end of the season.
k. Mr. Scott McQueeney to the position of Assistant Football Coach at Watertown High School for the 2006-2007 school year being paid a contractual stipend of $2,506.00 at the end of the season.
l. Mr. Tony Mucciaro to the position of Girls’ Soccer Varsity Coach at Watertown High School for the 2006-2007 school year being paid a contractual stipend of $2,632.00 at the end of the season.
m. Ms. Wendy Nield to the position of long-term substitute Special Education Teacher at John Trumbull Primary School effective September 25, 2006 through December 31, 2006, being paid the substitute teacher’s rate of $65.00 per day for the first ten days, and on the eleventh day, being placed on the first step of the Watertown Education Association’s contract of $35,350.00 prorated.
n. Mr. Roger Ouellette to the position of Varsity Football Coach at Watertown High School for the 2006-2007 school year being paid a contractual stipend of $4,886.00 at the end of the season.
o. Mr. George Palomba to the position of Assistant Football Coach at Watertown High School for the 2006-2007 school year being paid a contractual stipend of $3,008.00 at the end of the season.
p. Mr. Garry Smith to the position of Girls’ Swim Varsity Coach at Watertown High School for the 2006-2007 school year being paid a contractual stipend of $3,008.00 at the end of the season.
q. Mr. Dane Street to the position of Boys’ Varsity Soccer Coach at Watertown High School for the 2006-2007 school year being paid a contractual stipend of $3,008.00 at the end of the season.
r. Mr. Jerry Valentino to the position of Assistant Football Coach at Watertown High School for the 2006-2007 school year being paid a contractual stipend of $2,506.00 at the end of the season.
s. Ms. Sylvia Burger to the position of Assistant Clinical Instructor for the Nurse’s Aide Program at Watertown High School effective September 25, 2006 for Monday and Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at the hourly rate of $22.15 per hour.
t. Mr. Tany Douangta to the position of Long-Term Substitute Guidance Counselor at Watertown High School, effective September 25, 2006 for approximately three to four months, being paid the substitute teacher’s rate of $65.00 per day, and on the eleventh day, placed on the first step of the Watertown Education Association’s contract of $35,350.00 prorated.
u. Ms. Stephanie Colella to the position of .5 kindergarten teacher at John Trumbull Primary School, effective September 25, 2006, being hired on the second step of the teacher’s contract, with a Bachelor’s Degree, one year of experience, at a contractual salary of $18,824.00 prorated. (.5 - $37,648.00)
2. Resignations – (Information Only – No Action Required)
a. Ms. Deborah Ciochetti from the position of paraprofessional at John Trumbull Primary School effective September 22, 2006 for personal reasons.
3. Facility Manager of Buildings and Grounds – Job Description – First Reading
The Policy and Labor Committee reviewed the proposed job description for the Facility Manager of Buildings and Grounds at its meeting on September 7, 2006 and presents it to the full Board for the first reading tonight. (See Attachment A.)
Dr. Erardi: If you have any questions between now and our next meeting, our first meeting in October please give me a call, or Mr. LoFrese a call or Mrs. Colangelo a call. We feel that it is a document that comes to you with the support of Policy and Labor.
4. Update on District’s School Improvement Plan
Administration will present to the Board an update on the four common core initiatives of the District’s K-12 School Improvement Plan: (See Attachment B.)
Community Partnerships
Technology
Special Education – Co-Teaching Model
Aligning best practice with state and federal assessments
Dr. Erardi: Administration has prepared a four-part presentation to what I think is a very important Agenda item as we go forward for the entire school year. The school improvement plan in all of our schools offers uniqueness for that particular building for that particular grade level however; there are fur common core parts to our school plan for all building principals, all staff and all of our Munson House central office staff. I’d like to talk very quickly to community partnerships and we will have very brief presentations on technology, co-teaching and aligning what we feel is our best practice with our State and Federal assessments. This week for the first time there will be a community partnership committee you’ve received information in your weekly update from my office, I’ve shared it with the community and I’m excited approximately ten community members will be sitting with me this week and we’ll be looking to create mentorships and partnerships. We’ll be looking to create a speakers bureau, we’ll be looking to tap into what I think is a tremendous resource with retired teachers and all of this for the goodness of our students K-12. There will be further information on community partnerships that will take place throughout the year along with the community initiative from the Superintendent’s office, all of our building principals in all six buildings will be focusing, making their building user-friendly for the entire Watertown community. I’d like to defer to Mr. LoFrese to speak on technology for our 06-07 initiative.
Mr. Todd Lofrese: Good evening, first I’d like to point out some work that occurred over the summer to get prepared for this, thanks to a successful budget referendum, nearly 400 computers were deployed or re-deployed throughout the district. This included 200 new computers and approximately 200 re-deployed computers. In this deployment we received three new computer labs at Watertown High School, new computer lab at Polk, new computer lab at Judson, and each teacher at John Trumbull received a new computer. This allowed for professional development to occur over the first couple of days when staff returned. This type of professional development was unavailable at Judson and Polk due to the condition of their labs in the past. Prior to students returning, all certified staff had professional development in both websites and computerized grading software. Attached to the Board packet is an overview of some of the topics discussed in the website training, these included responsibility of staff members, the purpose of staff web pages, the rules for publishing student work, appropriate internet links and basic district standards. I’d like to encourage the public to visit and view the school websites; links to each school are located at the Board of Ed. main page which is, www.watertownctschools.org . Lastly and perhaps most important, staff members were trained in a computerized grading software that the entire district is now utilizing, we are going to be using this software to collect assessment scores and to analyze these scores; this is both on district and state assessments, principals and other building administrators have received training recently on using a tool known as Pivot Tables or Pivot Charts to analyze this data and additional training will be occurring in the Fall. Are there any questions I could answer at this time?
Board members did not have any questions for Mr. LoFrese.
Dr. Erardi: We’ll continue with an update with our co-teaching model from our Director f Pupil Services, Betsy Hackett.
Ms. Betsy Hackett: Since it is a co-teaching, I’d like to introduce Mary Raiola who is our Supervisor of Special Education, you know that there has been a Federal and a State initiative to have as many children as possible educated with their typical peers, so a component of that is the co-teaching. This summer Mary and I worked with some parents to prepare them for this possibility of what we are going to be doing in the Fall. One parent said, “I don’t answer how you are going to, is everybody going to be talking at once? Is it going to be like The View, you know visions of Rosie O’Donnell?” You know in a way in a sense it is a View, the working system where two or more persons are responsible for sharing the instructional responsibility for a single group of students. It is used primarily in a single class or work space, they pre-prepare the content as mutual ownership of the group, it’s not you and us as much as ours a kind of a program and the joint accountability for the learning that actually occurs, that definition is on this yellow sheet that I will pass around to you now, and to let you know that we have been fortunate enough to have in the High School, thanks to Mr. Hasbrouck’s support, we have up to fifteen classes that are available to our students with co-teaching now. At the primary level now, speech pathologists go into a first grade classroom and using technology to provide a lesson where she is using the immediate facilitator for a half hour of working on say, who, what, where type of thing, the disable child is able to use the computer, the mouse and move whatever needs to be moved along in the lesson. The classroom teacher is walking among the students and helping and supporting all those students, it works particularly well. Also at the primary level as well as at the High School they can divide the classroom into cooperative teachers who have say four students and each one has a task and the disabled child is able to buddy up with someone who is more able or have a strength of their own to be able to work with the cooperative teacher. Right now we are looking at more co-teaching workshops that are given by CERC, thanks to Dr. Pelosi and Tony Antonucci will have on-site developmental workshops that will talk about co-teaching. The Administrators have an opportunity to go to a workshop that will train them using our model, our evaluation and observation model, to train in the co-teaching environment. That is a summary of co-teaching and if you are interested you are looking at the information that was provided by the State and Dr. Pelosi and made available to all of the teachers at our In-Service this summer. If you have any questions. Mary, anything you want to point out?
Ms. Mary Raiola: No, I think the handout is very self-explanatory and if you have any questions please let me know.
Dr. Erardi: Betsy thank you, we’ll end the K-12 school improvement plan with Dr. Pelosi:
Dr. Pelosi: When we talk about aligning best practice with the State and Federal assessments, we are basically talking about No Child Left Behind and what we must do to comply with some of the rather outrageous things that we are required to do and some of the very salient things that we are required to do. One of the things is that each school will develop an action plan or school improvement plan, to meet the needs of our students as we look at our test scores on the Mastery Test and the CAPT test at the High School. The goal is to create a plan which taps into students’ strengths as well as their weaknesses and also to improve student achievement. A formal plan is to be submitted to the Superintendent by November 1 by each building administrator. My role will be succinctly, to meet with each building administrator and/or his/her administrative team to review the data and desegregate the data using the PivotCharts that Todd was talking about using the training that we had so that we could really pinpoint areas of strengths and weakness. Also we want to incorporate into the plan the use of our protocol days, reviewing specific student work, what we’re working, why it’s working, what our instructional practices are, where we need to do better and also why some practices are working and why some are not. Also to review the released items on the test and to have the teachers take a more in-depth view of what occurs on the test because it was a brand new test last year, the fourth generation Mastery Test was in its first stage last year, first administration. So, to have teachers be more conversant with that and also, hence students will be. Also to address the needs of the students as a special education sub-group is reported out if there is more than forty in a school, which is the case in most schools, so to have the expectation that all special education will meet all of those lofty standards, is something that we have to address since it’s an expectation, a Federal expectation. The action plan will be reviewed for their final submission by me in conjunction certainly with the building administrators and their team so that Dr. Erardi receives a comprehensive and cohesive plan by November 1. Are there any questions?
Board members did not have any questions for Dr. Pelosi.
Dr. Erardi: Questions from any Board member regarding any of the four parts of the school improvement plan? This will be back in front of you a number of times throughout the school year with updates.
5. Update on Bus Issues
The Superintendent will present to the Board an update on transportation.
Dr. Erardi: The update in regard for busing for our public schools and our Catholic schools, since we met two weeks ago there have been a number of meetings that have taken place within the Munson House and a meeting at St. Mary’s. I have met with our Director of Transportation, our Transportation Coordinator, the Principal of St. Mary’s and Mr. Breiner, who you heard from this evening. Mr. Bourassa who spoke this evening is absolutely right, that if every St. Mary child in this same way, if every public school child, took the bus, our fleet would be inadequate. Presently, at St. Mary’s our departure to last drop-off approximately 50-53 minutes, to give you a sense of a parallel with our public school buses, on a given day and we have an awful lot of data in regards to our bus runs, when the St. Mary’s ran for 53 minutes, there were seven public school buses that ran for 51, 52, 53, 56, 656, 57 and 61 minutes, you can see that we are tight with all of our runs. I’d like to go back to what I think was a little bit misquoted in a couple of our local papers that it is not my goal to have every bus home by 4:40, my goal in regard to safety is to ensure that the earliest, darkest day in December, which is approximately 4:40 p.m., that we do not have students still on buses walking from the door of the bus to their home. We’re at the point now where our buses are running at approximately 4:05 or 4:10. In my last meeting with St. Mary’s administration and their parent leaders, we discussed their building project. Their project has the ability to move much quicker than a public school project and in my latest conversation this morning I was told that the project, although there is just a very few minor issues with Planning and Zoning in our Watertown P & Z Committee, that their contractor has been selected, and that they will be breaking ground sooner than later. Again, we are in the timeline of perhaps as soon as November 1, it could be October with an outside of possibly going through the winter but in my conversation today, I was certainly hanging up the phone believing that ground would be breaking and the building project would be beginning. This creates an additional problem for the Watertown Board of Education, Mrs. Pion their principal, has been very clear with me and not to be in any way difficult, but I believe she is being pragmatic, that it would be impossible for the number of parents who presently pick up, to continue that same practice due to construction and that it’s her intent to send a note home that all of Watertown students who attend St. Mary’s, become part of our transportation. With that said, I plan to work closely with the St. Mary’s administration to bring back to the Board of Education that it would be my recommendation when the ground breaking does take place, that we would look to investigate a third bus for St. Mary’s. My present recommendation is that we have been able to add a fourth bus for one pick up. So we have two buses presently dedicated to St. Mary’s, we have two additional buses that alleviate some of the pressure, one since we spoke last allowing us to be in that 50 minute range and again, recognizing the number of students who no longer take the bus, same situation that happens in our public schools. I plan to recommend to the Board of Education in our 2007-2008 school year two additional buses, we are tight everywhere, cost of an additional bus is approximately $34,000-$36,000, with an additional $4,000-$6,000 in fuel and we will hold as a projected cost of about $40,000. I have offered to the St. Mary’s administration to meet personally with their parents, I have offered to the St. Mary’s administration to share in writing my thoughts and the parallel information I think is important for all parents to have not only our Catholic school parents, but our public school parents. This continues to be a difficult situation, administration has done their best work with St. Mary’s and I too am very respectful of the cooperation from St. Mary’s during the first month of this school year and I believe that I will be back to the Board of Education perhaps as soon as a month to a month and a half with an additional update on the groundbreaking which then would lead us to a situation that I feel we would need to readdress this issue. That is the additional update that I have for you this evening, are there any questions?
Mr. Lambert: Dr. Erardi with the lowering of the fuel costs lately is there any savings system-wide to bring up that shortfall, to bring up some monies so that we could afford another bus by the fuel savings.
Dr. Erardi: I’ll defer to Mr. LoFrese.
Mr. LoFrese: We have locked into our fuel oil and diesel fuel prices for the year, I’m not certain off the top of my head what our diesel fuel price is and I also am not certain of how it correlates to what we budgeted quite some time ago, our Budget went to the Town back in February. So, between then and now, I’m not 100% positive, I could back to you with that answer.
Mr. Lafferty: I know I spoke with a few people about this, actually back last Spring, I know that with some situations with the busing right now, I know with field trips and sporting events, sometimes they’ll have a large 70 person seater bus going, carrying 9 students to an event. I was wondering now with that in mind is there any way to work with the bus company to say that we can use smaller vehicles for such trips? I mean I just think that we are wasting all this space and using bigger vehicles. Is there a way we can work with more efficient vehicles to transport people, hopefully cutting down cost in some areas when we go to Budget?
Dr. Erardi: Mr. LoFrese?
Mr. LoFrese: I can try to address that question. The smaller vehicles, the vans, are typically used exclusively for either special education needs or also for routes that are out of the way, at the borders of town to pick up a child that may live out on the town border somewhere. Per contract with First Student,
we have a set number of buses that are available after school and interestingly enough, the price for a van or a large bus, they are both the same, the contract is the same.
6. Watertown High School Graduation Date – First Reading
The graduation date of June 20, 2007 for the Watertown High School class of 2006-2007 is presented this evening for the first reading.
Dr. Erardi: I strongly recommend that the Board considers June 20, 2007 as the commencement date for Watertown High School senior class.
Ms. Dzioba: That date puts us at a no risk date for having to change it for inclement weather?
Tape ends.
Dr. Erardi: That’s correct, the Board stated that this date includes 5 snow days and this enables Project Graduation organizers to plan accordingly. Administration will also be coming back to the Board at a later date within 4-6 weeks with a cost comparison if there is any thought to have to move graduation indoors.
J. Report from the Chairman
Ms. Dzioba: My report tonight is just to thank the people who came forward to us in Public Participation and to assure you that although you don’t get the answers immediately, we do address all of your concerns, we do appreciate you bringing them to us and taking the time to come out and speak to us when you do and to assure you that we do address all issues and we will be getting back to you.
K. Action Items – Adoption of Items to be Approved by Consent
a. Consideration of the Approval of the Developmental Pre-School Program (Non-Special Education) Proposal at John Trumbull Primary School
At the Curriculum and Instruction Committee meeting of September 13, 2006, the Curriculum and Instruction Committee members endorsed the proposal to enhance the language and pre-academic skills of children currently in the developmental pre-school program by actively seeking and integrating into the program up to four typical age peers who would act as positive language role models. These typical peers would attend school from two to four mornings a week.
Tuition, based on the same rates* as currently in effect for the “Just Friends” program, would be applied, as well as the same rules for down payment and all other financial timelines.
The money accrued would be entered into the existing community program accounts. This proposal suggests that the monies be applied to offset the salary of the current program teacher or current paraprofessional, as the administration determines.
The projected implementation date would be on or about October 15, 2006.
*Preschool “Just Friends” (Non-Special Ed) Tuition Rates 2006-2007
One (1) half-day per week per year $463
Two (2) half-days per week per year $1,032
Three (3) half-days per week per year $1,391
Four (4) half-days per week per year $1,855
Five (5) half-days per week per year $2,318
It is recommended that the Board of Education approve the Developmental Pre-School Program (Non-Special Education) proposal as presented, effective October 2006.
Motion presented by Gina Calabrese, seconded by Mary Colangelo that the Board of Education approve the Developmental Pre-School Program (Non-Special Education) proposal as presented, effective October 2006.
Motion Passed Unanimously
(7-In Favor, 0-Opposed, 0-Abstained)
b. Consideration of the Approval of Acceptance of Gift
The Watertown Foundation Inc. wishes to award a grant in the amount of $1500.00 to the Board of Education to support the development of an Economic Development Commission website.
It is recommended that the Board approve of the donation of a grant in the amount of $1500.00 from the Watertown Foundation Inc. to support the development of an Economic Development Commission website and a letter of thanks and appreciation to be sent to the donor.
Motion presented by Todd Griffin, seconded by Richard Mazzamaro that the Board approve of the donation of a grant in the amount of $1500.00 from the Watertown Foundation Inc. to support the development of an Economic Development Commission website and a letter of thanks and appreciation to be sent to the donor.
Motion Passed Unanimously
(7-In Favor, 0-Opposed, 0-Abstained)
c. Consideration of the Approval of a Family Medical Leave of Absence
Ms. Rachel Reiter, grade 4 teacher at Judson School, requests a Family Medical Leave of Absence commencing approximately January 10, 2007 through June 2007 with use of accumulated sick time and then leave without pay.
It is recommended that the Board approve of a Family Medical Leave of Absence for Ms. Rachel Reiter, grade 4 teacher at Judson School, commencing approximately January 10, 2007 through June 2007 with use of accumulated sick time and then leave without pay and a medical doctor’s note to return.
Motion presented by Richard Mazzamaro, seconded by Todd Griffin that the Board approve of a Family Medical Leave of Absence for Ms. Rachel Reiter, grade 4 teacher at Judson School, commencing approximately January 10, 2007 through June 2007 with use of accumulated sick time and then leave without pay and a medical doctor’s note to return.
Motion Passed Unanimously
(7-In Favor, 0-Opposed, 0-Abstained)
d. Discussion and possible action on fuel for school year 2006-2007 following a discussion held by the Budget Committee at its meeting that convened just prior to the Board of Education meeting.
No action taken on the recommendation of Budget Sub-Committee Chair Todd Griffin
Mr. LoFrese: We had an opportunity or an offer to pre-pay in advance on our fuel oil and although there was a savings, the interest that the Town would accrue in the general fund account was greater than that savings and we determined that today and passed that message forward to the Budget Sub-Committee.
Ms. Dzioba: O.K. so we will have that item be a non-action item.
L. Future Agenda Items and Board Members’ Comments
Mr. Lafferty: I just want to clear up a comment that I made at the last Board meeting that I stated after having a meeting with the coaches in an Athletics Association meeting that I felt that I was their voice in the Board of Ed. or that I represent them or that I was representing them. I just want to clear that up and say that all of the opinions or all my judgment that I use in basing when I vote is strictly my own conscience and that really my only role with the coaches is their opinions that I am bringing them forward and I am their means of communication with the Board, if there are any and I’m not necessarily influenced in total by what they say. Any communication in the future will hopefully be handled more clearly than I did at the last meeting.
Mr. Griffin: Back at the end of June we submitted a report to NEASC, have we heard anything from them yet?
Dr. Erardi: No, soon, but no.
M. Public Participation
Ms. Dzioba re-opened Public Participation; there was no one who wished to address the Board at this time.
N. Adjournment
Motion presented by Chris Lafferty, seconded by Richard Mazzamaro to adjourn the Regular meeting of the Board of Education at 8:26 p.m.
Motion Passed Unanimously
(7-In Favor, 0-Opposed, 0-Abstained)
The meeting adjourned at 8:26 p.m.
Respectfully Submitted
Todd Griffin, Board Secretary
Barbara Mordenti, Board Clerk
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