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Watertown Board of Education
Regular Meeting
Minutes
Meeting Date: February 27, 2006
Meeting Time: 7:30 p.m.
Meeting Place: Watertown High School Technology Center
Members Present: Ms. Mary Dzioba, Board Chairperson
Ms. Maureen Caine, 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
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
Absent: Mr. James Marks, Board member
Mr. Richard Mazzamaro, Board member
Dr. Philip Pelosi, Assistant Superintendent of Schools
Press: Mr. Tommy Valuckas, Waterbury Republican American
Mr. Jim Taylor, Town Times
Guests: Camelia Guerrera, Alexandra Saraceno and Margaret Luddy.
Sean Buckley, Libby DiPaolo, Ashley Petruzello, Nicole Mancinone, John Carlo and Ms. Marylu Lerz. Mary Jane Miller and Gianfranca Focareta
Other interested citizens: Thad Hasbrouck, Richard Sansoucy, Matt Geary, Joanne Chenkus, Fran Palmer and Judy White. Lisa Rommel, Janice Pond, Pat Corvello, Emily Judd, Kathleen Scully, Laura Meka, Mary Raiola, Charlie Beliveau, Sandy Greenwood and Whitey Greenwood.
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. Recognition
Ms. Dzioba: We have three recognitions tonight so I will turn it over to Dr. Erardi.
Dr. Erardi: Thank you Ms. Dzioba. The first is a very neat recognition. There is a very talented young lady at John Trumbull Primary School, in Grade 2 who had the honor and the privilege to represent the entire town of Watertown as Little Miss Watertown, 2005. Her reign is coming to an end and, before it did, I wanted to make sure that the Board of Education had a chance to meet and say congratulations to a young lady that we are very proud of. Margaret please stand up and let us know if there is anybody here that is important to you that you brought with you.
Miss Luddy: This is my mom. Her name is Joan Luddy and my father, Tim Luddy, is on a business trip in Atlantic City, so he couldn’t be here tonight.
Dr. Erardi: Thank you and wave to your dad on the business trip in that camera over there. Wave and tell him hello. Margaret, I know that I speak on behalf of your principals, Mrs. Scully and Mrs. Meka who are here; you have a number of teachers who are here and the Board of Education who are awfully proud of you. Congratulations for being Little Miss Watertown.
Ms. Dzioba presented Miss Luddy with a Certificate of Excellence.
Dr. Erardi: Next, we have three honorees this evening. There was a competition sponsored by the Veterans of Foreign War. I’d like to introduce Alexandra first, please come forward and introduce who is with you and who is important to you.
Miss Saraceno: My mother, Rita, and my father, Chris Saraceno.
Dr. Erardi: Camelia, please come forward and let us know who is here with you.
Miss Guerrera: My mother, Mary Guerrera, is here.
Dr. Erardi congratulated the winners and Ms. Dzioba presented them with a Certificate of Excellence. Miss Scannell was not present to receive her certificate.
Dr. Erardi: We have one more recognition tonight which I will start and then defer to Ms. Lerz, the principal of the Swift Middle School. There is a sheet in front of each member that reads the following:
“National Board of Education Week, February 27 to March 3. Members of the Watertown Board of Education, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people, can change the World. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” That is a quote from Margaret Mead. On behalf of the 3,600 reasons why you donate so much time and expertise, thank you, enjoy your special week.”
Ms. Lerz: Thank you, I just wanted to take a minute to introduce the students who are here tonight from Swift. These are five eighth graders, John Carlo, Nicole Mancinone, Libby DiPaolo, Ashley Petruzello and Sean Buckley. They represent our Peace Pals at Swift, who are a group of eighth graders from Honor Society, Leaders for Tomorrow and Peer Advocates who volunteer to help organize and participate in our Character Ed. program at Swift. At the close of last year, these students performed for the incoming seventh graders from Heminway Park School and are planning another performance for the current sixth graders. The theme of their performance is Kindness Never Takes a Vacation and it promotes acts of friendship and kindness all year long. These five Peace Pals here tonight have also volunteered their time to assist us in evaluating a recent No More Bullies survey that our students took in Physical Ed. classes. They stayed after school today to help us tally the results of the survey. I’m especially proud of the fact that they took part in a protocol session this afternoon with teachers and staff members. The protocol examined how we can improve school climate and the students shared their thoughts and added their perspective. I am very proud of these five students and all of the Peace Pals for all the time and thought they put into this organization. Our hallways are decorated with peace bumper stickers that they created and designed to remind each of us the opportunities we have every day to show kindness and tolerance to one another. I want to also acknowledge Karen Hosking, one of our school counselors and one of our classroom teachers, Mary Jean Mangione, for creating this organization, for working with these students and for all of their efforts to promote this program throughout the year. These students are here tonight to deliver gifts to show appreciation for all you do throughout the year. They represent the students and staff of all of our schools, Happy Education Week.
Board members were presented with home-baked goods and various gifts with logos representing all schools in town. All members expressed their gratitude to the students.
1. The Board of Education would like to recognize three Swift Middle School students who participated and became winners in an essay contest on patriotism that was judged by the V.F.W. Post #5157 and present each student with a certificate of Celebration of Excellence.
Kathryn Scannell, Grade 8, First Place Winner
Camelia Guerrera, Grade 7, Second Place Winner
Alexandra Saraceno, Grade 7, Third Place Winner
Kathryn’s essay also placed third in the district and will go on to be judged at the state level.
2. The Board of Education would like to recognize Margaret Luddy, Little Miss Watertown 2005, and present her with a certificate of Celebration of Excellence. Maggie is a grade 2 student at John Trumbull Primary School.
C. Public Participation
Mrs. Gianfranco Focareta, Vice President Swift, PTSO
I’d like to give you an update on each school and what is happening there. For John Trumbull, February 8, 9 and 10, the children enjoyed listening to stories from Tom Lee, a storyteller. While the program was sponsored by the PTO, a partial Grant was obtained by the PTO from the CT Commission on Culture and Tourism to help offset the cost. A special thank you to Dorothy Rinaldi for finding the Grant on behalf of the PTO. Tickets will go on sale March 1 for rescheduled Amazing Hero Art Show which will take place on April 7; seating will be limited and based on a first-come, first-serve basis. The Book Fair will be held March 10 in the Café and will be held in conjunction with the Family Literacy evening of camping; children will enjoy camping indoors in tents and listening to stories read by flashlight. Plans are well under way, complete with Bouncy Games and even a Dunk Tank. Casting is complete for the pups that have been barking their way into rehearsals for the Trumbull Players first ever play. The children will perform 101 Dalmatians on Friday, May 19, with a matinee performance May 20; tickets will go on sale soon.
Polk currently has Pay it Forward Month coming to an end as of the 28th, it was a complete success. They had their first Honor Roll breakfast this year. Everyone had a great time. In March, Shakespeareans will perform, the Prince and the Pauper, the Yearbook Club is going well with 35 students. All are very excited about the club, taking lots of pictures around the school and being very creative. Polk will also have a golf tournament at Western Hills Golf Course on June 16, Joe Martere is the chairperson and anyone who would like more information or would like to participate can contact him or Kace Duplissie.
Judson sponsored a Pasta Supper on the 24th. The teachers served and it was a great success. They are going to have a Sock Hop on March 3 and they are also working on Giving Baskets to support some of the families during the spring Holidays. Recently they awarded a $1,000 Grant to the Grade 3 teachers for Science and guided reading material.
Heminway will be running a Zap a Snack fundraiser beginning at the end of this week with the proceeds used to run educational programs for the students. They had their second successful Reward Night last month and one is scheduled for April and the students always report that it is a great time. They are eagerly awaiting their annual trip to New York City when the students and the staff will be going to see Lion King on Broadway in May. They would like to commend Mr. West on yet another successful year of running Heminway Hoops, parents are always in attendance and the students are always excited to play intramural sports, with play-offs beginning soon. His time and effort with these children is so appreciated. Also, Heminway will be participating in the first annual Naugatuck Chamber Duck Race, which will be held on May 7. Heminway will be selling raffle tickets and sponsoring a rubber duck that will be released into the Naugatuck River. It is expected that 15,000 ducks will be dumped into the river in what hopes to be an exciting race and a fun-filled activity for families. The school will receive 50% profit for each ticket sold.
At Swift, we are pleased to announce that we are working with Maureen Caine as a representative from the Board. We are planning two enrichment programs; Shakespeareans and The Outsiders and the Faust Works Masked Theater. Our annual Book Fair will be taking place the first week in March. The PTSO appreciates that we are allowed to give out input regarding the new cell phone policy that is presently being worked on. We’d also like to invite any one interested in joining our monthly meeting on the third Wednesday of the month at the Swift Library.
At Watertown High School, the Student Council has been and continues to be active in planning events for the Spring. The Musical is under way with performance dates of March 30, 31 and April 1. The sophomore CAPT testing is the first two weeks of March. PTO is giving money to Madame Miller for transportation involving the French students who are participating at the Palace Theater workshop for, “Les Miserable.” The PTO is also purchasing a year subscription to The World and I website. It used to be a periodical that was often used in the classroom by teachers and students.
Report from Student Council Representative – Mr. Matthew Dzioba
Members of the board, tonight I come to you not only as the voice of the Watertown High School Student Council, but more importantly, as a member of the Watertown school system student body. At this time of year especially, the future of our local education system is once again brought into the spotlight, and the obstacles that we face are at the front of our minds. On March 30th, the musical will go on once again relying on the contributions of private donors to light our condemned stage. Next week, members of the WHS class of 2008 will begin taking the annual CAPT test. While this test may not be the most important test of their lives, it is, in fact, the most important test for the life of our school system. Each year, dedicated students and faculty work their hardest to ready for this test, and each year, their performance is laudable. However, who can say whether or not the Watertown public schools will be able to continue to dodge the bullet of funding cuts with exceeded CAPT performance- dedicated teachers can only do so much with a lack of proper materials, and without a sound school environment in all of our six buildings.
These past weeks, as I reflected on the state of our school system, I spoke to several members of the staff and student body concerning the technological future of our schools. WHS is in a constant struggle to keep up with the times when it comes to providing an effective place for technological training. If it weren't for private and charitable donations and grants, like the one that built the room we are currently in, who knows how far behind we would be. However, we still have a far way to go. In today's world, the importance of technological education has never been so vital. As current events reflect, such as the recent controversy with Myspace.com, an online profile site that is being used by sexual predators, it has never been more important for us to expose our students to technology, and provide them with the proper education to use it responsibly. In order to do this, it is essential that this community provide our teachers with the resources they need, so we can expose Watertown students to technology at an earlier age.
I speak not only to the members of the board, but also the Watertown community, that the budget that will be presented here tonight reflects a desperate plea to help keep our school system prosperous, and to continue the growth of our community. As a senior, this budget will not affect me at all. In June, I will walk out those front doors for the last time as a Watertown student, and if I choose, I will never have to deal with the Watertown School system ever again. However, I and all the rest of the members of the Class of 2006 are concerned with the future of the schools that we have learned to love. This graduation, we hope to stand for the excellence that this community is capable of, and by then, perhaps the members of this community will have validated that hope by investing in the future of the underclassmen.
The heart of any neighborhood lies in its schools, and I have faith that not only will the Board of Education and Town Council adopt this budget, but that the caring, compassionate members of our community will approve it. Thank you.
E. Budget Summary – (Information Only – No Action Required)
Ms. Dzioba: The Budget Summary is in our packet.
F. Committee Reports:
1. Advertising Committee, Todd Griffin, Chair
Mr. Griffin stated there was no Report this evening.
2. Athletics Committee, Chris Lafferty, Chair
Mr. Lafferty stated there was no Report this evening.
3. Budget Committee, Todd Griffin, Chair
Mr. Griffin: The Budget Committee has recently finished its series of three workshops that were held on January 30, February 6 and February 21. Our school system Administrators, Teachers, Parents, and most importantly our Students, have endured many changes over the last several years. They have witnessed the elimination of 26 Faculty Members and Mentors, an Alternative Program that serviced English, Social Studies, Math, Biology and Computers. This cut also eliminated a Social Worker and Mentor, further attributing to our drop-out rate. A superb Talented and Gifted Program which resulted in an elimination of 5 Faculty Members and Mentors. Our Transitional First Grade out of John Trumbull, adding additional stress and fears to our young students at the beginning of their academic career. The Unified Arts Programs and Languages from Swift. The results of these losses have increased class sizes adding an additional burden to our Students to perform. This has left us with an unfavorable NEASC report which must be addressed. The Budget Committee is pleased to submit our proposed Budget outline for the 2006-2007 school year that will begin to address some of these issues. The Budget Committee looks forward to working with our Town Council and ultimately, the members of our community to restore excellence to our school system.
4. Curriculum & Instruction Committee, Gina Calabrese, Chair
Ms. Calabrese stated there was no Report this evening.
5. Facilities Committee, Rich Mazzamaro, Chair
No Report
6. Policy and Labor Committee, Maureen Caine, Chair
Ms. Caine: Prior to this meeting, we had a Sub-Committee meeting with regard to policies of the District. The first being cell phone use in the Middle School and High School, the Administration is at work on a draft policy at this point. I think input from parents is particularly important in regards to this issue and I think we need to undertake this potential change in policy with a view towards parents and children recognizing the privilege that is entailed with having a cell phone and the consequences that may flow from that. I think it is a fairly serious issue that we need to recognize and address and the Board is undertaking to do that and we’ll keep you abreast of what is going on with that.
We also discussed in the Sub-Committee meeting the smoking policy which remains as it is now; there is no smoking on school grounds, which supersedes actually, the CT Statute which forbids smoking just in the buildings, but in Watertown, there is no smoking in the building and further on the school grounds.
The last issue we addressed this evening was the School Board’s policy with regard to Athletic admission prices and we are undertaking an adjustment in that policy that would allow the Board, potentially, to take jurisdiction, of in fact managing and setting those admission prices.
So, we will keep you apprised of the outcome of all of theses issues and if anybody has any questions in this regard, I’d be happy during the Public Participation to address those.
7. Cablevision, James Marks
No Report
8. PBC Representative, Rich Mazzamaro
No Report
G. Communications - Secretary
Mr. Griffin read two pieces of correspondence this evening, one from Dr. Pelosi and one from the Casolo Family. See Attachments 1 and 2, respectively.
H. Minutes
1. Regular Board of Education Meeting – January 25, 2006
Motion presented by Ms. Caine, seconded by Mr. Lambert to accept the regular Board of Education Meeting Minutes of January 25, 2006.
Motion Passed Unanimously
(7-0-0)
I. Superintendent's Recommendations and Report
Dr. Erardi: You’ll note that many of the Appointments are seasonal; either advisors or coaching positions, questions at all?
Mr. Lafferty: I was looking over the Appointments in Item 1 and doing a total for the amount of money for the stipends I came up with $18,865 and those weren’t for the three positions that have an hourly rate. This is a good amount of money and I am just wondering how we get the criteria for determining the different amounts paid to the different people for their services.
Dr. Erardi: I’m glad you asked that because other people probably have the same question. Mr. Lafferty, nearly every position that you see, if not every position, that we are looking to move forward with, are contractual. Many, if not all of them, fall within the Teachers’ contract. It is language that we have just reviewed with the Negotiating team and the dollars per hour or the stipend for the coaching or advisor position are presently agreed upon with the Board of Education and our Teachers’ Union, that is presently where we are. We have just set, as you know, a three-year contract that I can share with the Board and I will bring that to the Board’s attention at our next meeting, with respect to where we are in regards to the next four years with coaches and advisors.
Mr. Lafferty: Thank you.
1. Appointments – (Information Only – No Action Required)
a. Mr. Darryl Johnson to the position of Boys’ Basketball J.V. Coach at Watertown High School for the 2005-2006 school year at a contractual stipend of $2,089.00.
b. Mr. Eric Lozaw to the position of Assistant Volleyball Coach at Watertown High School for the 2005-2006 school year at a contractual stipend of $1,966.00 payable at the end of the season.
c. Ms. Lisa Mariano to the position of Girls’ Soccer coach at Swift Middle School for the 2005-2006 school year at a contractual stipend of $1,593.00 payable at the end of the season.
d. Mr. John Marburger to the position of Floater Custodian, 2nd shift, effective February 21, 2006 for 8.0 hours paid per day at an hourly rate of $16.22.
e. Ms. Paulina Auclair to the position of Yearbook Advisor at Watertown High School for the 2005-2006 school year at a contractual stipend of $1,877.00.
f. Ms. Kendra DeFrancesco to the position of Distributive Education Club Advisor at Watertown High School for the 2005-2006 school year at a contractual stipend of $1,181.00.
g. Ms. Amanda Geddis to the position of Junior Class Variety Show Co-Advisor at Watertown High School for the 2005-2006 school year at a contractual stipend of $787.50.
h. Ms. Michelle Goldfarb to the position of Junior Class Variety Show Co-Advisor at Watertown High School for the 2005-2006 school year at a contractual stipend of $787.50.
i. Ms. Monica Kreuzer to the position of Assistant Senior Class Advisor at Watertown High School for the 2005-2006 school year at a contractual stipend of $472.00.
j. Mr. Allen Marko to the position of Student Council Advisor at Watertown High School for the 2005-2006 school year at a contractual stipend of $1,788.00.
k. Ms. Colleen Spieler to the position of Senior Class Advisor at Watertown High School for the 2005-2006 school year at a contractual stipend of $1,575.00.
l. Ms. Joan Zimmerman to the position of Future Business Leaders Association Advisor at Watertown High School for the 2005-2006 school year at a contractual stipend of $2,011.00.
m. Mr. Eric Lozaw to the position of Assistant Volleyball Coach at Watertown High School for the 2005-2006 school year at a contractual stipend of $1,966.00 payable at the end of the season.
n. Mr. Joseph Giannelli to the position of Girls’ Basketball Coach at Swift Middle School for the 2005-2006 school year at a contractual stipend of $2,089.00 payable at the end of the season.
o. Mr. Keith Borkowski to the position of Boys’ Basketball Coach at Swift Middle School for the 2005-2006 school year at a contractual stipend of $2,089.00 payable at the end of the season.
2. Resignations – (Information Only – No Action Required)
a. Mr. Scott Demers from the position of custodian at John Trumbull Primary School, effective March 3, 2006, for personal reasons.
b. Ms. Amy Dawson from the position of one-to-one paraprofessional at John Trumbull Primary School, effective February 20, 2006 for personal reasons.
3. First Reading - Medication Policy – (Information Only – No Action Required)
At its sub-committee meeting on January 25, 2006, the Policy and Labor Sub-committee reviewed the Medication Policy and now recommends it to the full Board for the first Reading. (See Attachment A.)
Dr.Erardi: The next item is a draft letter that I would like the Board to consider for Action as a First Read this evening. It is a draft that is endorsed and recommended by the Superintendent’s Association through the Connecticut Association of School Superintendents, Dr. David Larson, the Executive Director. As I’m sure you have seen, the draft addresses the lack of funding in regard to the Local Education Association and Special education. The draft is asking for our State Representatives to pay attention in this Session of Legislation to look to reduce the cost for the local District. Again, this is a First Read and if members of the Board have questions between now and our next meeting, I’ll be happy to answer them.
4. First Reading – Letter to State Representatives Regarding Special Education Expenditures in Connecticut – (Information Only – No Action Required)
Presented tonight to the full Board for the first reading is a draft of a letter to State Senators/State Representatives asking them to take steps in this session of the General Assembly to address the issue of special education expenditures in Connecticut public school districts. (See Attachment B.)
5. Transfer of Funds – (Information Only – No Action Required)
At its meeting on November 22, 2004, the Board took action to reaffirm that the Director of Budget and Financial Planning may continue to make transfers of $2,000 or less between objects without prior Board approval. Attached, for information only, are a number of those transfers. (See Attachment C.)
Dr. Erardi: Mrs. Kathy Scully is here this evening, along with Mrs. Meka, the Administration from John Trumbull. They were very gracious in hosting a meeting that was attended by Mary Raiola and Betsy Hackett from our Pupil Services Department. We are really pleased that every Preschool Director that was invited attended. It is a meeting that was also attended by Mr. Lambert. Since that meeting I have had the privilege to go to approximately six of our preschools to have a chance to better personalize who I am and better understand what they do. Our partnership is moving towards a real nice understanding of what is happening in the preschools and what our expectations are in Grade K. It is an emerging partnership and I am real pleased with where we are with that. I just thought it was important for the Board to understand that, at least the early, initial conversations that we have had have been very receptive with all of our Preschool Directors and I am very pleased with that.
6. Preschool Program – (Information Only – No Action Required)
On January 25, 2006 I met with approximately twelve area preschool directors to discuss how preschools can work together with the Board of Education to prepare a curriculum that can be used to make a smooth transition from preschool to kindergarten. (See Attachment D.)
Dr. Erardi: I have additional copies for Board members for those who need the Superintendent’s Goals that were approved in September. I thought it was important to bring the list of initiatives to your attention as we round into approximately 2/3 of the school year. I can answer any questions you may have. I remain very pleased with where we are as a School District. I remain incredibly impressed with the hard work of our Administrative team, our Central Office, certainly our Teachers, our Paraprofessionals, our Secretaries, our Nurses, and our Bus Drivers. We are in very good shape with the work that is taking place, I feel, within this school year. You will find that a number of Goals are still pending. They are on-going. They may be for quite a while but I will be more than happy if you have any questions or comments or concerns at this time, in regards to my Goals. I’ll do my best to answer them or get the information back to you.
7. Superintendent’s Mid-year Report on Goals and Objectives
The Superintendent will present to the Board a report and update on the Superintendent’s 2005-2006 goals and objectives.
Dr. Erardi: Last item, from the last Budget workshop, there was a conversation about C.A.B.E. membership. The cost is approximately $14,000. Ms. Grover has prepared for you this evening and Mr. Griffin passed it around to you, the overall proposed increase with and without membership. I’d also like to share an editorial comment that despite not being a member this year, we have been able to, for the most part, receive the information that has been requested through a number of different places. I only share that with you as information. I was asked to bring back that bottom line of $14,000. You have that and that truly does represent where we are with the Operational Plan going forward with where you left off from last week.
8. C.A.B.E. Membership
The Superintendent has requested information from C.A.B.E. (Connecticut Association of Boards of Education) regarding the possible membership for 2006-2007.
J. Report from the Chairman
Ms. Dzioba: First item on my report tonight is a request from Education Connection for a representative from our board to attend their meetings. If any board member is interested please let me know. Otherwise, I would be happy to attend.
Second item is that it is Board of Education Appreciation Week. This is also the week we present our Budget to the Town Council and, I am sure, they will be sending their letters of appreciation to us for it. As I look at the members of this Board of Education, I see men and women whom I greatly admire and respect. I appreciate their dedication and resolve to make this school system better and their willingness to come out several nights a month to make the decisions that must be made—decisions that are some times difficult and not always popular. They are people who are dedicated to their political party but who put politics aside for the welfare of our students of Watertown. There are members who could be described as comfortable and those who make ends meet. We have a pretty recent graduate of our system, parents of young students just starting our system and grandparents who want the same standard of excellence for their grandchild that was the available to the parents. We also have members who don't have anyone in the system but who just CARE. I think we are a true cross section of the community and I am proud to serve with all of you. I just want you to know that. Budget time is a difficult time for us all. It is a time when reading the letters to the editor can raise one's blood pressure to dangerous levels and when neighbors turn on each other. We all understand the impact an increase in the mill rate has on tax payers because we are tax payers. But we also understand the impact further Budget cuts would destroy this educational system and our community as a whole. Our current Budget proposal represents a 7.17% increase which reflects some desperate needs. I just ask that before anyone decides we are out of line or decides to write a nasty letter to the editor about us, to please come to a meeting and discuss your concerns with us. I promise we will listen. Thank you.
K. Action Items – Adoption of Items to be Approved by Consent
a. Consideration of Approval of Letter Regarding State Mandates – Second Reading – Tabled January 25, 2006
Board Member James Marks has requested that the Board send a letter to our State Representatives and Senators and ask them to do what they can to reduce our burden of state mandates. A draft of this letter was presented for the first reading at the Board of Education’s meeting on January 9, 2006. The letter is presented this evening for the second reading and for full Board approval. (See Attachment E.)
Motion presented by Mr. Lafferty that the Board consider Board Member James Marks’ request that the Board send a letter to our State Representatives and Senators and ask them to do what they can to reduce our burden of state mandates. A draft of this letter was presented for the first reading at the Board of Education’s meeting on January 9, 2006. The letter is presented this evening for the second reading and for full Board approval. (See Attachment F.)
Ms. Colangelo noted a point of order that this item was tabled at the last meeting and should be taken off the table prior to any action being taken
Ms. Dzioba stated that in the absence of Mr. Marks, this item should remain on the table until he is present.
Motion Withdrawn by Mr. Lafferty
Item Tabled
b. Consideration of Approval of Acceptance of Gifts
1. The Bill Wildman Floor Covering Company wishes to donate remnants with an approximate value of $5,112.00 to the Watertown Public Schools. These remnants can be used for art projects, pads for sitting, and area rugs, etc.
2. Ms. Maria Guerrera, on behalf of the Siemon Company, would like to donate $275.00 to Heminway Park School to help offset the cost for some students to participate in the school’s trip to New York to see The Lion King in May.
3. Mrs. Susan Minicucci would like to donate a box of expanding file pocket folders with an approximate value of $55.00 to the Swift Middle School.
4. The Staples Office Superstore wishes to donate $2,000.00 to the Watertown Public Schools to be used at Watertown High School and Swift Middle School.
It is recommended that the Board accept these generous gifts and letters of thanks to be sent to the donors.
Motion presented by Mr. Griffin, seconded by Ms. Calabrese that the Board accept these generous gifts and letters of thanks to be sent to the donors:
Discussion:
Mr. Lafferty: With regard to K-b-1, the carpeting, I know this is an approximate value but what are we going to do? Do the Art teachers have a plan for the pads for their projects? Also, with any leftover carpeting, where are we going to put it when we are not using it? I think there is a lot that needs to be clarified with this, it is I guess, thoughtful, but I’m still not convinced as to what we are getting with this approval.
Dr. Erardi: I could do my best to respond to that. Is Mr. Beliveau still here? Could you assist with this because I think it came through? I know that Mr. Lafferty, the smaller remnants would be used as Art projects. I know that Mr. Beliveau was instrumental in coordinating this for us and perhaps he has a better answer for this than I do.
Mr. Beliveau: The carpet products are typically used in the lower grades, they use them to sit on instead of sitting on the floors, they will sit on the carpet squares. We can use them as area rugs, mostly all of these carpets are commercial quality so they all have a fire rating so there is no issue with that. It’s all good carpeting. It’s all pretty good size pieces which will be utilized and as far as storage, right now it’s not taking up much space.
Mr. Lafferty: O.K., so just so I know how will we be storing them?
Mr. Beliveau: Right now, we have half of it stored here at the old CD Garage here at the High School and the other half is at the Maintenance Garage down by Deland Field.
Mr. Lafferty: Thank you, Charlie.
Ms. Caine: Mr. Beliveau, if we needed to dispose of it, would that be a problem? I mean if it just didn’t get used in the next six months to a year, it is carpet, I have to wonder if moisture is going to a problem. If we didn’t use it, would it cost us to dispose of it?
Mr. Beliveau: Right now, it is up on pallets. It’s staying dry. If it became a problem like that, we would get rid of it a little bit at a time so that it wouldn’t cost us anything.
Motion Passed Unanimously
(7-In Favor, 0-Opposed, 0-Abstained)
c. Consideration of the approval of Transfer of Funds
It is recommended that the Board approve of the attached transfer of funds. (See Attachment F.)
Motion presented by Ms. Caine, seconded by Mr. Griffin that the Board approve of the attached transfer of funds outlined in Attachment G
Motion Passed Unanimously
(7-In Favor, 0-Opposed, 0-Abstained)
d. Consideration of the Approval of Out of Country Trip to France
Ms. Mary Jane Miller, French teacher at Watertown High School, requests Board approval for an out of country trip to France to visit Paris, Versailles, the Loire/Chateau Valley, the Cliff City of Rocamadour, the Lescaux Paleolithic Caves, Medieval Carcassonne, Provence, Nice and Monoco from April 10, 2007 through April 20, 2007 with approximately 20 students.
Ms. Miller will be the head chaperone and will be accompanied by additional teacher chaperones, one chaperone for every 6 students.
Board members have received a packet of information under separate cover.
Motion presented by Mr. Lafferty, seconded by Mr. Lambert that the Board approve for Ms. Mary Jane Miller, French teacher at Watertown High School, an out of country trip to France to visit Paris, Versailles, the Loire/Chateau Valley, the Cliff City of Rocamadour, the Lescaux Paleolithic Caves, Medieval Carcassonne, Provence, Nice and Monoco from April 10, 2007 through April 20, 2007 with approximately 20 students.
Ms. Miller will be the head chaperone and will be accompanied by additional teacher chaperones, one chaperone for every 6 students.
Board members have received a packet of information under separate cover.
Discussion:
Dr. Erardi: I do have some additional information that the Board should consider. The High School Administration is here along with the trip advisors. Mr. Lafferty, I think you should be on that trip. I think you did a great job reading that portion. I would suggest, because we are in the World that we are today, that the Board should consider adding onto Mr. Lafferty’s proposal that as a Board of Education, you hold onto and you reserve the right to reconsider the approval of this trip at anytime between now and the time of departure of this trip. The second stipulation that I think you should consider is that in the event that the Board does decide to rescind it’s approval of this trip, thereby canceling the trip, the Board will not be responsible for any financial losses or penalties incurred by students, parents or guardians. I have discussed those additional add-ons with the High School Administration and Mrs. Miller and they are comfortable with that language.
Ms. Dzioba: We need to amend the original Motion.
Motion presented by Mr. Lafferty, seconded by Mr. Lambert that the Board approve the trip as amended* with the following conditions:
*The Board reserves the right to reconsider the approval of this trip at any time between now and the time of departure of the trip.
In the event that the Board decides at any point to rescind its approval of this trip, thereby canceling the trip, the Board will not be responsible for any financial losses or penalties incurred by the affected students or their parents or guardians.
Discussion:
Ms. Calabrese: I would like to make a point, I know that this has come up in the past and we have had some controversies regarding these trips out of the country. I know that this is something very popular and very valuable but, I am going to reiterate what I have said in the past. I don’t think that the Board of Education should be sanctioning out of country field trips. This is just my personal feeling. I think it is unfortunate that we live in the World that we live in right now, but right now, I am very uncomfortable even with the conditions that Dr. Erardi has very thoughtfully put forward in association with this. I am personally not going to support this.
Ms. Colangelo: We have had a lot of discussion in the past about the Board approving or sanctioning these trips based on our liability should something happen. I think we have also discussed in the past about possibly teachers and students doing threes trips on their own time rather than during school time. I know part of this is on their vacation time but it does extend into the school week. I am also very uncomfortable supporting out of country trips for our students.
Ms. Caine: I am going to have to say that I feel very bad about feeling exactly the same way that in the times that we live in it’s unfortunate that this is not just an almost automatic kind of thing. I remember the terrible experience that we had with the trip to Spain after a terrorist act had been committed there and the awful feelings of hurt and disappointment with regard to the children. I would hate to see the trip get started and as the plans get started and the children are in the situation where they worked hard to set aside a certain amount of money that would then be non-refundable should anything happen. That would certainly dictate our disapproving the trip at a later date. I feel terrible about expressing myself and for feeling this way and that the World is in such a state that I just have to come on board with my other two members and say that I feel exactly the same way about it.
Mr. Lafferty: Can I just ask, if you don’t mind me asking, how come you don’t feel the Board should sanction out of country trips?
Ms. Calabrese: I think we assume a certain liability when we do that. I think they are very valuable. I think that there is a lot of learning but I’m just not comfortable in this day and age with sanctioning that. It is giving our approval for it and I personally don’t think it is a wise idea for the safety of everyone involved.
Mr. Lafferty: Thank you.
Ms. Dzioba: I just think it is a wonderful opportunity for our students and I’m for it. So, I will call for a vote, if there are no other comments. I will call for a vote on it.
Motion Passed
(4-In Favor, 3-Opposed, 0-Abstained)
In Favor: Ms. Dzioba, Mr. Griffin, Mr. Lafferty and Mr. Lambert
Opposed: Ms. Caine, Ms. Calabrese and Ms. Colangelo
e. Discussion and Approval of Proposed 2006-2007 Budget
A copy of the Board of Education’s proposed budget for 2006-2007 with and without membership to C.A.B.E. is attached for discussion and action. The proposed 2006-2007 budget must be provided to the Town by Wednesday, March 1, 2006. (See Attachments H and I.)
Motion presented by Ms. Caine, seconded by Mr. Griffin that the Board approve the proposed Budget for 2006-2007 with a 7.17% increase without membership to C.A.B.E.
Discussion:
Ms Calabrese: This is a significant increase; probably more than we have seen in recent years, but I think it is imperative that we support this Budget. I think we have been going backwards, sometimes through no fault of our own. We have, as a Board, supported Budgets that would maintain services that the School System now provides. I think that the most recent NEASC recommendations are proof that we have taken a major step backward over the last several years. I feel that I have a moral obligation to support this Budget. I think that we need every cent that we are asking for.
Ms. Colangelo: Which Budget are we approving, the 7.1% or the 7.2%?
Ms. Dzioba: C.A.B.E. is not in the Budget that we are bringing forward tonight. It is the 7.1%. We did not discuss whether or not we wanted to add C.A.B.E. in. It was not in the Budget that the Sub-Committee decided to bring forward. Is there anyone that would like to discuss adding C.A.B.E. into the Budget? I personally feel that there are other areas that I would like to see the money go to, $14,000. I am just not interested in putting it back into the Budget at this time. I know they are a good organization and they are very helpful, but I just can’t support that so I would like to go with the original proposal of the Budget Sub-Committee of the 7.17% which represents without C.A.B.E.
Ms. Caine: I think that it is important to note that this 7.17% increase isn’t some arbitrary number that we just picked out of the air as I think certain groups and individuals maybe want to do. This was a figure that was derived after a lot of blood, sweat and tears and mandates and NEASC considerations and capitol improvements that need to be made and curriculum considerations. The compensation of our teachers that are fundamental to the system working because without teachers you don’t have schools. I think that everybody on this Board worked very hard and diligently and takes great pains in coming to this figure which is not an inflated figure; it’s not a figure that we are trying to take money out of people’s pockets. I think, not to go over the edge with this but, in these times when we are trying to push democracy into countries, we forget that the cornerstone of any democracy is an educated public. If we forget that we need to educate our children, then we forget what we are as a country, or what we should be, as a country. I find it rather ironic, that as a Nation, that we are pushing our ideals around the globe. Where, here at home, we can not even recognize that education is fundamental to our system of government and that we need to teach our children to carry those principles in this country. So then I would urge everybody to understand this is no arbitrary figure. This is a figure that was worked at and it represents real needs and addresses real concerns that we have in our school system.
Mr. Lambert: I’d like to say one thing about this Budget. I know that it was hard fought, the Superintendent had a lot of input into it, he had a lot of great ideas. I think a lot of it is NEASC driven. I think this High School needs to get up to speed and get all of the NEASC areas covered. I think it is a lot more than people think. It is a big, well thought out Budget and I really think people need to get behind this and again. It’s not just an arbitrary figure. It was really worked out well I think.
Motion Passed Unanimously
(7-In Favor, 0-Opposed, 0-Abstained)
L. Future Agenda Items and Board Members’ Comments
There were no requests for Future Agenda Items or comments at this time.
M. Public Participation
Mrs. Mary Jane Miller, French teacher, Watertown High School
Thank you for passing this. I know it is an invaluable opportunity for the children. One thing about the climate of the World, it is a fact of life and we have to face it whether we are in Europe of New York City or Washington or wherever we take students. Four years ago, the trip that I led was very prior to declaring war on Iran and what I did at that point in time was that I cancelled the trip from April to July. It’s not something that I had to do. It was something that I felt, and I’m not going to take the kids abroad at that particular time. So please rest assured that I would not ever willingly take children anyplace that there was any danger that one could foresee. I am going to send to you, Dr. Erardi, a complete copy of the agreement that parents have to read because it has several things that regarding for example: in the absence of a written notice, which you are not sending to parents, I understand that the trip is not officially sponsored or supported by the municipality etc., etc. but as a courtesy to the teacher. There are several covenants in here regarding liability from the Board, the School System, the School and myself. Also, I want to make note that when I first present this to the parents, I am going to be having an informational meeting soon, that it is completely up front that sometimes plans do have to change and there are three options available to them via A.C.I.S. the company that I utilize, whereby practically all of their money, if they sign up for the ultimate, they are given one, but there are two additional steps, so that the majority of their money can be refunded. I certainly encourage the parents to do that so that they are not hit financially in the event that the trip has to be cancelled and hopefully, that will not come to pass.
N. Executive Session/Litigation Matter/Personnel Matter
All Board members present entered Executive Session with Dr. Erardi, Mr. Beliveau, Ms. Grover, Mr. LoFrese and Attorney Pilicy at 8:28 p.m.
Executive Session ended at 9:30 p.m.
O. Adjournment
Motion presented by Ms. Caine, seconded by Mr. Lafferty to adjourn the Regular Board of Education Meeting of February 27, 2006
Motion Passed Unanimously
(7-In Favor, 0-Opposed, 0-Abstained)
Meeting adjourned at 9:30 p.m.
Respectfully Submitted
Todd Griffin, Board Secretary
Barbara Mordenti, Board Clerk |