Watertown Board of Education

Regular Board of Education Meeting

Minutes

Meeting Date: October 24, 2005

Meeting Time: 7:30 p.m.

Meeting Place: John Trumbull Primary School Library

Members Present: Ms. Mary Ann Rosa, Board Chairperson

Mr. Victor Vicenzi, Vice Chairperson

Ms. Mary Colangelo, Board Secretary

Ms. Maureen Caine, Board member

Ms. Gina Calabrese, Board member

Ms. Mary Dzioba, Board member

Mr. Charles Fenn, Board member

Mr. James Marks, Board member

Ms. Joanne Pannone, Board member

Dr. Joseph Erardi Jr., Superintendent

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. Matthew Dzioba, W.H.S. Student Representative

Press: Mr. Tommy Valuckas, Waterbury Republican American

Mr. Jim Taylor, Town Times

Guests: Mr. Thad Hasbrouck, Mr. Richard Sansoucy, Ms. Emily Blewitt and Mr. Ron Webb

Other interested citizens: Ms. Marylu Lerz, Mrs. Janice Pond, Mrs. Kathleen Scully and Mrs. Fran Palmer. Mr. Whitey Greenwood, Mrs. Sandy Greenwood, Mr. Bob Grady, Ms. Rosalie Loughran and Ms. Trish Kropp. Town Councilmen: Mr. Joe Pawlak, Mr. Ray Primini, Mr. Kevin Killeen and Mr. Rob Kane.

A. Convene Regular Meeting - 7:30 PM

Ms. Mary Ann Rosa, Chairman, convened the meeting at 7:30 p.m.

B. Salute to the Flag

Ms. Rosa led the salute to the Flag.

Dr. Erardi: I would like to take an executive privilege which I really don’t have but I will anyway. Our bi-monthly Celebration of Excellence this evening is focused on three Board members that will not be with us in November. I’d like to personally thank and I know I am thanking our three, retiring Board members on behalf of the entire Board of Education, certainly the Administrative team, and our 3,600 students who all benefited from their expertise and wisdom and their willingness to give their time to the town of Watertown; our three Board members that will be retiring after this evening and hopefully will still be actively involved.

I’d like to start by recognizing Charles Fenn, Charlie, “Appreciation for dedicated years of service to the Watertown Public Schools. Presented from the Watertown Board of Education, October 24, 2005.” Charlie thank you for everything, this is for you.

Mr. Fenn accepted his plaque from Dr. Erardi.

Dr. Erardi: Joanne Pannone, we have a similar plaque for you and the same gratitude for the service that you have given to the Watertown Board of Education and once again, to the students of the town of Watertown.

Ms. Pannone accepted her plaque from Dr. Erardi.

Dr. Erardi: “Big enough for my tombstone”, she says in my right ear. We had to do a little bit of research to put together the numerous years of service that Mary Ann Rosa has dedicated to the town of Watertown and again, more importantly, to the students of this community. If my math is correct and I think that it is, our graduating seniors, this year, were just newborns 18 years ago; Mary Ann Rosa has been with them from their first day. The 18 years of service is recognized by her leadership, her willingness to be out not just every other Monday, but nearly 3 or 4 evenings every week. “Mary Ann Rosa, In appreciation for 18 years of dedicated service to the students in the Watertown Public Schools, on behalf of all the Board members you have served with, all of the Administrators you have worked with and all of the students you have guided, we thank you.”

Ms. Rosa: Thank you, I have some comments I want to make but I will wait until a few minutes from now.

Dr.Erardi: I am going to evoke my executive privilege once again and what we would like to do at this time is take a five minute recess and enjoy some celebration cake for our three retiring Board members. I hope that our audience can join us with the celebration.

After a five minute recess Ms Rosa addressed the audience and Board members.

Ms. Rosa: I’ve decided since we are celebrating I think I will make my comments now, rather than waiting until later in the meeting. In September of 1972 I began as a volunteer in the Kindergarten classroom of Griffin School and I moved from the classroom to coordinating a volunteer program and then to President of the P.T.A. and finally to my position here on the Board. It’s been a long road from the classroom, one which taught me what it meant to care about children. I have come full circle and now there is someone else with experience and knowledge and that is our new Superintendent and thank goodness we have him. There have been a lot of individuals that I have worked with and spoken to through the years and who I count among my friends, from paras, custodians, teachers, administrators, Board members and parents. I won’t say all of their names, I’ll simply say thank you for the way you have enriched my life over these years. There have been some special people over the years and they deserve to be mentioned, Amelia, Phil and some of those who aren’t here any longer, a couple of people; Board members who died during my time, I’ve lost three fellow Board members during the course of the time I have served on the Board and that has been very difficult. So remember as you sit together, cherish that time because you don’t know. One Board member in particular that I served with over the years that has always been fair, honest, respectful of other people, politics never came into it, it was what was best for the students, she has been a shining star of what a Board member should be and it’s Joanne Pannone and I have been fortunate to know you and serve with you.

Ms. Pannone: Thank you Mary Ann.

Ms. Rosa: So to all of you who are running, we have been fortunate the last few years that we have had a non-partisan Board and there haven’t been any politics here at all. We have made our decisions and our comments with the best interest of the students at heart, I challenge you to keep that going and not let that happen, don’t go back to the politics again. Good luck.

C. Public Participation

Mr. Joe Pawlak, 173 Middlebury Road, Watertown, Town Council Member

It’s been my pleasure over the last two or three months to get to know Mary Ann as a representative from the Town Council, to the negotiations with the Watertown Education Association. I can say honestly that we have not always shared the same side on an opinion or an argument, but over these last three to four months, I have come to respect her as an honest, intelligent, forthright person with a lot of integrity and always the kids were first and foremost in everything she thought and did with the Board of Education. Not only that, but her dedication to the Town as a whole and I think her career and public service is something everyone should try to emulate and I thank you Mary Ann.

Ms. Rosa: Thank you Joe and I appreciate you coming tonight.

Mr. Ray Primini, 410 Cherry Ave., Watertown, Town Council Member

Mr. Primini: I came for the cake, first of all. Superintendent Erardi, I don’t think you have heard the last of Mary Ann, I’m sure she is going to be around for a long time, eighteen years. As being part of the Town Council for four years, one thing I can say that Board of Ed. members and I have gone through Teacher negotiations and contracts and I think that no matter what side of the fence we have been on, whether we are Democrat or Republican, I think one way or another, we do become friends. I think that is what has happened over the course of the years, I know Mary Ann and Joanne, between the Unico, we learned to say a lot of things over food so, good luck to all of you, I hope you all stay involved, we are still going to be involved with raising some money for this Board of Ed. so good luck to all of you and thank you.

Ms. Rosa: Thank you.

Mr. Kevin Killeen, 430 Northfield Road, Watertown, Town Council Member

Mr. Killeen: I would just like to state to the distinguished members of the Board that you represent a team that is part of a broad fabric in our community. A team that provides the best for our children and as was stated earlier by Mary Ann, it is always done in a non-partisan way and I know that while I haven’t spoken to everyone in the room, everyone shares in the appreciation and the gratitude for the years of service that you have provided and we would just like to say, thank you. I wish you the very best and I’m sure as Councilman Primini stated, you probably haven’t heard the last from either of them and we hope that they provide their positive experience throughout. Thank you very much.

Ms. Rosa: Thank you.

Mr. Rob Kane, 301 Kimberly Lane, Watertown, Town Council Chairman

Mr. Kane: I too wish to extend my congratulations on behalf of myself and Representative Williams, he can’t be here with us as well but he wanted to pass along his congratulations. Joanne, thank you very much, Charlie and especially Mary Ann. As Chair I get to work with the Chairman of the Board of Ed. and we have worked well together, I appreciate our time working together and I just want to say thank you to all of you and I appreciate all your hard work and efforts.

Ms. Rosa: Thank you very much.

Jack Carroll, Chief of Watertown Police Department

Chief Carroll: I just wanted to say that many, many years Mary Ann has represented the Superintendent and the Board of Ed. in a very magnificent way. We have nothing but a great relationship, I hope it carries on because she set the stage for it, the programs and the school system are outstanding because of her initiation in some of those things, and you should call her at any time. On behalf of the Watertown Police Department, I congratulate her and wish her well.

Ms. Rosa: Thank you Jack.

Dr. Erardi: On November 14, our Watertown High School Video/Studio/Conference Lab will open up. State Representative Sean Williams was unable to be here this evening and I’m pleased to announce that on the 14th we will be recognizing our Teacher of the Year, Paulette Koosed. We will also be recognizing retiring Board Chair, Mary Ann Rosa.

Report from Student Council Representative – Mr. Matthew Dzioba

Good evening, students at the High School have been busy all month with a variety of activities. This week, for example, students will be participating in a school wide can drive to benefit the Watertown Food Bank. Also, members of SADD are observing National Red Ribbon Week by sporting red ribbon wristbands to remind students to stay alcohol and drug free. The National Honor society is teaming up to donate several items to a student who has been displaced by Hurricane Katrina. The little girl, who now resides in New Jersey, will receive clothing, toys, toiletries and more from the Honor Society. On November 8th, students will be able to take part in Watertown High's first Community Day. When students have the day off from school for Election Day, they will have the opportunity to help Senior Citizens around our community rake leaves in preparation for the winter months.

Activities are also underway to showcase Watertown High School's cultural awareness. This Thursday, the Latin Table will be sponsoring a Day of the Dead concert, where students and parents will be treated to music, skits and presentations from all three components of foreign language at the High School. The concert will start at 6 pm, and tickets are $3 for students and $5 for adults. The High School is also preparing for an upcoming college fair, career day and school wide variety show.

In athletic news, the boy's and girl's Cross Country teams have had an unbelievable season. Last Wednesday, both the Girls and Boys teams dominated the NVL Championship events. The 8 person girl's team placed three of their girls in the top 10, giving them all NVL status. The 15 member boy’s team dominated the championship as well, and placed three members in the top ten. This marks the third consecutive NVL Championship for the boys and the first NVL championship title for the girls in five years.

In closing tonight, I would like to observe the fact that tonight will be the last regular meeting with this particular group of people. On behalf of the Student Council, I want to express our gratitude to Mrs. Rosa, Mr. Fenn, and Mrs. Pannone for their combined years of dedication to our school system. I would also like to wish the best of luck to all incumbent candidates in the upcoming town elections. Thank you.

D. Budget Summary – (Information Only – No Action Required)

There were no questions from Board members.

E. Committee Reports:

1. Advertising Committee, James Marks, Chair

Mr. Marks stated there was no Report this evening.

2. Athletics and Facilities Committee, Mr. Victor Vicenzi, Chair

Mr. Vicenzi: We met tonight and one of the items on the agenda was whether or not the new football field will be used for the Thanksgiving Day game, it was decided as to not take a chance on voiding any of the warranties of the work on the field, that the game will not be played on the new field, but on the back field.

Ms. Rosa: In other words, it hasn’t been accepted yet?

Mr. Vicenzi: Right, the final walk through will be in the Spring by the architect and until then if anything gets done on the field, it could void out some of the warranties of the work.

3. Curriculum & Instruction Committee, Gina Calabrese, Chair

Ms. Calabrese stated there was no Report this evening.

4. Policy and Labor Committee, Mary Colangelo, Chair

Ms. Colangelo: The Policy and Labor Committee presents the Board for second Reading; the Volunteer Policy and requests your support of that policy. We also had a brief meeting this evening; items are to come to future Board meetings.

5. Cablevision, James Marks

Mr. Marks stated there was no Report this evening.

F. Communications - Secretary

Ms. Colangelo stated she did not have any correspondence this evening.

G. Minutes

1. Regular Board of Education Meeting-September 26, 2005

Motion presented by Ms. Colangelo, seconded by Ms. Pannone that the minutes of the Regular Board of Education meeting of September 26, 2005 be approved as presented.

Motion Passed Unanimously

(6-In Favor, 0-Opposed, 3-Abstained)

In Favor: Mr. Vicenzi, Ms. Colangelo, Ms. Calabrese, Ms. Dzioba Mr. Fenn and Mr. Marks

Abstained: Ms. Rosa, Ms. Caine and Ms. Pannone

2. Regular Board of Education Meeting-October 11, 2005

Motion presented by Ms. Colangelo, seconded by Mr. Marks that the minutes of the Regular Board of Education meeting of October 11, 2005 be approved as presented.

Motion Passed Unanimously

(6-In Favor, 0-Opposed, 3-Abstained)

In Favor: Ms. Rosa, Mr. Vicenzi, Ms. Colangelo, Ms. Caine, Mr. Marks and Ms. Pannone

Abstained: Ms. Calabrese, Ms. Dzioba and Mr. Fenn

H. Superintendent's Recommendations and Report

1. Appointments – (Information Only – No Action Required)

a. Ms. Judy Johnston to the position of Kindergarten Classroom Paraprofessional (Category #3 – Regular Classroom) at John Trumbull Primary School starting October 17, 2005 for 2.0 hours paid per day at an hourly rate of $11.45.

b. Ms. Mary Ellen Coe to the position of LPN at St. John the Evangelist School effective Friday, October 21, 2005, being hired at an annual salary of $23,085.00 prorated for 2005-2006.

2. Transfers – (Information Only – No Action Required)

a. Mr. Charles Daniels from Computer Lab Paraprofessional at Swift Middle School to Computer Lab Paraprofessional at John Trumbull Primary School starting October 24, 2005 for 15.0 hours weekly at an hourly rate of $12.64.

3. Community Tours of Swift Middle School – No Action Required

The Superintendent of Schools will be conducting tours of Swift Middle School for any members of the community who wish to take advantage of this opportunity to get a more thorough look at Swift and why the renovation project is needed and so important. The tours will take place at 6:00 p.m. on November 15th and 22nd, and on Saturday, November 19, 2005 at 10:00 a.m. The tour group will meet in the Swift lobby.

Dr. Erardi: Also on Election Day the building will be open to any community member the entire day from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. There will be a guided tour, with Administration and an opportunity to answer any questions or concerns in order to make an informed vote on November 29.

4. Community Day – November 8, 2005

On Election Day, when school is not in session, all Watertown High School students have been invited to participate in Community Day. from 8:00 a.m. to noon. Groups of students will go out into the town and rake leaves in the yards of senior citizens. This is not a fundraising venture. It is a way of reaching out across the generations to offer needed assistance.

Dr. Erardi introduced Principal Thad Hasbrouck, Assistant Principal, Richard Sansoucy and student, Emily Blewitt, President, W.H.S. Interact Club

Ms. Blewitt: I am currently President of the Interact Club and we are directing the whole Community Day, as you know, we will start on Election Day from 8 a.m. to Noon. We have groups set up of approximately 82 students so far and we are hoping to have 100 made up of Advisory. We are going to clean up senior citizens’ leaves and we are hoping to reach all citizens’ locations.

Mr. Marks: Where do I sign up?

Mr. Hasbrouck: If you can raise your hand like that, you aren’t eligible.

Mr. Sansoucy: We have copies here tonight for anyone and also at the Senior Center and both Libraries.

Mr. Marks: Thank you and I will see you after the meeting.

Ms. Pannone: I’d just like to compliment the students for being so giving of their time on their day off. I think it is very commendable.

Dr. Erardi As a further connection before we move on, I know that students and Administration have made connections to our Senior Center to personalize the invitation; I’m very excited about that. Mr. Sansoucy, Mr. Hasbrouck and Emily, thank you very much.

5. Submittal of the Local Competitive Grant for Computer Assisted Writing, Instruction and Testing – (Information Only – No Action Required)

The Local Competitive Grant for Computer Assisted Writing, Instruction and Testing (2005-2006) has been written and submitted. Grant funds will be used to purchase laptop computers and software, and provide the four teachers involved in the program, along with the English Department Coordinator and Assistant Principal, training in the use of the laptop computers and the MY Access! Program. The Grant was submitted in the amount of $95,815.

The grant was prepared by Matthew Geary, Assistant Principal of Watertown High School, and Dr. Philip Pelosi, Assistant Superintendent of Schools, in collaboration with Thad Hasbrouck (Principal), Colleen Spieler (English Department Chair), Todd LoFrese (Director of Operations), Anthony Antonucci (Professional Development Coordinator), and members of the High School English Department.

The major goals of this project are:

?To increase student achievement in the area of writing by providing students more frequent opportunities to respond to various writing prompts with the use of laptop computers, and receive immediate, detailed, constructive feedback initializing MY Access! to measure student progress.

?To utilize the laptops during the 10th Grade CAPT Writing Test in the Spring of 2006.

?To analyze data by comparing the CAPT-10 writing results of the experimental groups (those who used laptops) and the control group (those who did not use the laptops).

Professional development will be provided for the development of technology skills at least two full days during each of the following years: 2005-06, 2006-07 and 2007-08.

Dr. Pelosi: Thank you Dr. Erardi, as you said, the Grant has been submitted to the State Department, it was due October 21. It is a Competitive Grant and the amount of money we are competing for is a total of $500,000, we have requested just a little over $95,000, the maximum was $100,000. It is a Competitive Grant for Computer-assisted Writing Instruction and Testing. We have 182 students who will be involved in the program spanning Grades 9 and 10 and there will be four English teachers involved. The Grant was written by Mr. Geary, the new High School Assistant Principal in collaboration with several people, Todd LoFrese to ensure that the appropriate hardware etc. was purchased, with Tony Antonucci because In-Service is an integral part of this. Also with Mr. Hasbrouk, to make certain that the High School Principal was on board with the concept of our students being involved in a Writing program. Basically there will be 60 laptop computers, the students will be revolved through this, it’s a one to one ratio so each student has to have one computer and they get instant feedback on the type of writing that they do and it’s aligned with the CAPT testing in Grade 10. We plan to carry this through students in Grade 9, if they move to Grade 10, current students in Grade 10 will be taking the test and we also have a plan to continue it into Grades 11 and 12. We will compare the Control Group, the students who are not using computers, with the experimental group with students who are. So that is essentially what we are trying to do, we know that we are not a Priority School District, hence a city, but we still felt it was very important to attend the workshops and compete for every cent that we could possibly compete for. So I think everyone who has been involved in writing the Grant and hopefully, Mary Ann, if you could say a little extra prayer, we’ll be able to get this.

Ms. Rosa: I don’t recall in all my years one that you didn’t get.

Dr. Pelosi: Well let’s hope and I thank all of you for your support and Dr. Erardi.

6. School Ledger Books Donated to the Watertown Historical Society

At its meeting on September 12, 2005, the Board approved of authorizing the Superintendent to turn over to the Watertown Historical Society four ledger books representing school years in the 1880’s. The books had been stored in the attic of the Board of Education offices at the Munson House. Attached is a copy of a thank you letter received from the Watertown Historical Society for the receipt of the books. (See Attachment A.)

Mr. Ron Webb, Executive Committee Member of the Watertown Historical Society, is present tonight to give the Board an update on the Historical Society and the potential partnership with the Watertown Board of Education.

Dr. Erardi introduced Mr. Ron Webb, Executive Board Member, Historical Society.

Mr. Webb: Good evening Ladies and Gentlemen of the Board and members of the community, I am Ron Webb, 27 Princeton Terrace and as Dr. Erardi said, I am representing the Watertown Historical Society. I have been a resident of Watertown for 29 years, which makes me a newcomer, compared to most of the people in the group. I have been a member of Watertown Historical Society for two years, which makes me one of the youngest people on the Board. I came on the Board with an agenda of helping with their finances but found out that there was a burning need for additional space and very little utilization of the resources that have been donated to the Historical Society. There was a passion among the existing Board members that they would make a move in a timely fashion and that passion was to move into Munson House which is currently occupied by the Board of Education. Being a pragmatic individual I said, let’s look at the options; we have the existing Town Hall which needs a tremendous amount of refurbishment. We have Baldwin School which is sitting vacant; there are a lot of opportunities. There is a Post Office that is being vacated, there are people who pass away and they donate homes to various causes, we may or may not end up in Munson House. However, when Dr. Erardi came on board he extended an open invitation to the community that people that would chose to meet with him, had an open door to come in early in the morning and I took him up on that offer; coming in at 6:30 in the morning and he was there waiting, I think he knew I was coming but I didn’t let him know in advance. We started to chat about the needs of the Board of Education and the potential move and consolidation into Heminway School, which may or may not occur as the agenda moves forward. The reality is there are a lot of needs in the community, the underlying needs are that we are outgrowing the spaces that we are in and therefore we need to create a win-win type of scenario. So the objective is to gather as much information, look at of the players in the initiative and then look at and determine what is in the best interests of the community, using a utilitarian approach. I have had an opportunity to visit Munson House and take a tour, it would be a beautiful location for the Watertown Historical Society, I see it as a sort of combination between the Industrial Museum in New Britain, which is downtown and the original Norman Rockwell Museum which was on Main Street in Stockbridge, I can see the marriage of those two coming together and creating a real showcase in the community. The reality is today we reside on the second floor of the Fire District at the pleasure of the Fire District, and their pleasure would be for us to find a home somewhere else because they too, have a space issue. So, we are empathetic of their needs and we know that the timeline is the Spring of 2008 at the earliest for everything to move, so we are trying to be proactive now to pull together all of the initiatives so that when things do come together, we are a part of that. I have had the good fortune of having three children go through the Watertown School system, graduate and attend college and they are all very successful, so I applaud each and every one of you for what you are doing on the Board. Sometimes it’s not immediately recognized but over the years as these children come through and they become successes, each and every one of you played a very important part in the growth patterns for them, in the very critical stages of their life, so I want to thank you for that. One thing that I want to share from the Board of the Watertown Historical Society is that we definitely want to be partners with the Board of Education, be collaborative partners so that there is a win-win scenario. The key is that each and every one of you can help us to be a better partner by sharing with us your areas of concerns and the types of issues that we need to surface as we move forward, we don’t have all of the answers, but we have a vision and we hope it becomes a shared vision within the community. So with that, I think I have covered the key points, I’m sure I may have left a few out but if you have any questions I would be happy to address those. One last thing, I would like to thank the Board for donating the ledgers from the 1800’s, which we are showcasing at the Museum, if anybody hasn’t had a chance to see them yet, there is excellent penmanship and excellent history of the community. It’s really impressive the records that were kept and the way that they were handled at that time.

Ms. Rosa: I would like to know when you accept donations, people that have things they want to give to the Watertown Historical Society, when are you open?

Mr. Webb: That is an excellent question, besides having a lack of space much of our products are stored in the attic which is less than desirable. We have an ongoing opportunity, you can call and leave a message and we will get back to you, because we are open limited hours. Jeff Bernier, who I was hoping would be here tonight, our President, is an excellent historian, he has a lot of information. We have a young gentleman named Steve Barkus, who is our curator and very active in writing Grants. The thing we want to make sure of is that it is a donation that is beneficial to the community because a lot of people have a personal interest in something but it may not be of interest to the community and we feel really bad if we take a donation and then find that we have, under a pecking order, put this aside and put other things on display. What we would like to do is rotate, so that items get displayed in the community and once it is donated we use it to the best result. We would like you to call and we will get back to you but we are always taking donations and we are also encouraging those of you who have not become a member, to become a member of the Watertown Historical Society. You are going to see that there is much more going on in the way of publicity, we are getting our name into the newspapers, we are doing some articles and we are doing some fundraisers, we just did one at Crestbrook the other night and it was attended well. Silent auctions, people are donating to help underwrite the expenses and we are also taking donations through our endowment to help us to move forward in the future. We do know that there are several other groups in the community, grassroots groups and we want to make sure that we work with them as well. So if you know of any areas that we need to address and encompass in this initiative please make sure that we get involved in each of those areas.

Ms. Dzioba: If one were to be interested in becoming a member, how would they go about it?

Mr. Webb: We have applications that are creatively selected around town, such as the Library, the Watertown Historical Society, also if would like to give me a call; I’d make sure an application got to you. Any member of the Board can get one to you. There are different degrees of membership, you can become a lifetime member and the membership is relatively inexpensive, I think it starts at around $25 and goes from there.

Ms. Dzioba: Any resident of Watertown can become a member then?

Mr. Webb: Yes.

Ms. Caine: Are you planning to come into the schools maybe and speak to some of the children and maybe show some of the artifacts that you have?

Mr. Webb: We would be very pleased to do that, all you have to do is extend an invitation and we would put a program together and bring it in, we also encourage field trips to the Museum, we would make it available and supply the tours. There is a tremendous amount of history, we just applied for a Grant to basically take some 32 years of Town Times information on microfiche and convert it into digital format so there is easy access and retrievability, and we are in the process of writing Grants for that but it’s just the tip of the iceberg. You need to visit the Watertown Historical Society if you haven’t been there and you need to take a closer look and kind of peel back the onion to see what is down below because there are a lot of things available. If you don’t see what you need, ask for it.

I. Report from the Chairman

Ms. Rosa: Just remember that we are still Board members until the new Board is sworn in so if the is reason for an emergency meeting, you are all on call.

J. Action Items – Adoption of Items to be Approved by Consent

a. Consideration of Approval of Volunteer Policy – Second Reading

The Policy and Labor Committee reviewed the Volunteer Policy at its meeting on October 3, 2005 and the policy was presented to the full Board of Education for the first reading at its meeting on October 11, 2005. It is presented tonight for the second reading and for Board of Education approval.

It is recommended that the Board approve of the Volunteer Policy effective immediately. (See Attachment B.)

Motion presented by Ms. Colangelo, seconded by Mr. Vicenzi that the Board approve of the Volunteer Policy as presented for the second reading, effective immediately.

Motion Passed Unanimously

(9-In Favor, 0-Opposed, 0-Abstained)

b. Consideration of the Approval of Acceptance of Gifts

1. The Thomaston Savings Bank Foundation, Inc. would like to donate a grant award in the amount of $2,000 to Swift Middle School to be used to purchase research and reference materials related to student’s heritage. This grant was written by Ms. Joann Barthelmess, .40 Library Media Specialist and .60 Art Teacher at Swift Middle School.

2. The Thomaston Savings Bank Foundation, Inc. would like to donate a grant award in the amount of $1,000 to Watertown High School to be used for School to Career Field Trips. This grant was written by Ms. Kathleen Kottwitz, Business Education Teacher and School to Career Advisor.

It is recommended that the Board accept these generous donations and letters of thanks to be sent to the donors.

Motion presented by Mr. Marks seconded by Mr. Vicenzi that the Board approve of a grant award from Thomaston Savings Bank Foundation, Inc. in the amount of $2,000 to Swift Middle School to be used to purchase research and reference materials related to student’s heritage. This grant was written by Ms. Joann Barthelmess, .40 Library Media Specialist and .60 Art Teacher at Swift Middle School. That the Board approve of a grant award from Thomaston Savings Bank Foundation, Inc. in the amount of $1,000 to Watertown High School to be used for School to Career Field Trips. This grant was written by Ms. Kathleen Kottwitz, Business Education Teacher and School to Career Advisor.

Motion Passed Unanimously

(9-In Favor, 0-Opposed, 0-Abstained)

c. Consideration of the Approval of Meeting Dates for 2006

Connecticut General Statutes require that the Board of Education publish the year’s schedule of regular meetings with the Town Clerk 30 days prior to the first meeting of the up-coming year. The Board of Education has traditionally established the second and fourth Monday of all months of the year except July, August, and December as those on which regular meetings will be held. Over the past several years, Board Members have indicated an interest in meeting at least once during the months of July and August. Only one meeting has been traditionally held in December. All meetings are scheduled to be held in the new Technology Center at Watertown High School. Attached is a draft of the calendar of meetings for 2006. (See Attachment C.)

Motion presented by Ms. Caine, seconded by Ms. Dzioba that the Board approve of the Calendar of Meetings for 2006 as presented.

Motion Passed Unanimously

(9-In Favor, 0-Opposed, 0-Abstained)

d. Consideration of the Approval of Family Medical Leaves of Absence

1. Ms. Christine Shortsleeve, Physical Education Teacher at Swift Middle School, is requesting a Family Medical Leave of Absence commencing November 7, 2005 through November 28, 2005, with use of accumulated sick time, and a medical doctor’s note to return.

It is recommended that the Board approve of a Family Medical Leave of Absence commencing November 7, 2005 through November 28, 2005, with use of accumulated sick time, and a medical doctor’s note to return.

Motion presented by Mr. Vicenzi, seconded by Ms. Colangelo that the Board approve of a Family Medical Leave of Absence for Ms. Christine Shortsleeve, Physical Education Teacher at Swift Middle School commencing November 7, 2005 through November 28, 2005, with use of accumulated sick time, and a medical doctor’s note to return.

Motion Passed Unanimously

(9-In Favor, 0-Opposed, 0-Abstained)

2. Ms. Elizabeth Tracey, ½ Kindergarten and ½ day Day Care Component Program Kindergarten Teacher at John Trumbull Primary School, requests a Family Medical Leave of absence commencing approximately December 19, 2005 for approximately 8-12 weeks, with use of accumulated sick time and then leave without pay, and a medical doctor’s note to return.

It is recommended that the Board approve of a Family Medical Leave of absence for Ms. Elizabeth Tracey, ½ Kindergarten and ½ day Day Care Component Program Kindergarten Teacher at John Trumbull Primary School, commencing approximately December 19, 2005 for approximately 8-12 weeks, with use of accumulated sick time and then leave without pay, and a medical doctor’s note to return.

Motion presented by Mr. Vicenzi, seconded by Mr. Marks that the Board approve of a Family Medical Leave of absence for Ms. Elizabeth Tracey, ½ Kindergarten and ½ day Day Care Component Program Kindergarten Teacher at John Trumbull Primary School, commencing approximately December 19, 2005 for approximately 8-12 weeks, with use of accumulated sick time and then leave without pay, and a medical doctor’s note to return.

Motion Passed Unanimously

(9-In Favor, 0-Opposed, 0-Abstained)

K. Future Agenda Items

Ms Rosa recommended that future items be decided by the new Board.

L. Public Participation

No one wished to address the Board at this time.

M. Executive Session/Litigation Matter/Personnel Matter

Motion presented by Ms. Colangelo, seconded by Ms. Dzioba to enter into Executive Session with all Board members present and Dr. Erardi and Dr. Pelosi to discuss a Litigation/Personnel Matter

Motion Passed Unanimously

(9-In Favor, 0-Opposed, 0-Abstained)

All Board members along with Dr. Erardi and Dr. Pelosi convened into the Conference room at 8 15 p.m.

Executive session ended at 8:45 p.m.

N. Adjournment

Motion presented by Mr. Vicenzi, seconded by Ms. Caine to adjourn the Regular Board of Education meeting of October 24, 2005

Motion Passed Unanimously

(9-In Favor, 0 -Opposed, 0-Abstained)

Meeting adjourned at 8:45 p.m.

Respectfully Submitted

Mary Colangelo, Board Secretary

Barbara Mordenti, Board Clerk