Town of Rocky Hill
Board of Education
September 19, 2002
Page 1
TOWN OF ROCKY HILL
BOARD OF
EDUCATION
MEETING OF
SEPTEMBER 19, 2002
Members Present: Nadine Bell
Raffaella
Coler
Tina
Lionetti
Charles
McMonigle
Anne Schmidt
Frank Szeps (Chairman)
Marinella Tirillo
Catherine
Vargas
Jennifer
Viggiano-Grosse
Members Absent: None
A
meeting of the Board of Education was held on Thursday, September 19, 2002, in
the Council Room of the Rocky Hill Town Hall.
Chairman Szeps called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.
The pledge of allegiance was recited.
Moved by Mrs. Lionetti, seconded by Mrs. Schmidt, to accept the minutes
of September 5, 2002, as presented.
FAVOR: All
MOTION CARRIED
Dr. Vautour noted the letter addressed to Griswold Middle School students from Masofumi Okamoto of Hiroshima, Japan, in appreciation for the paper cranes sent as a symbol of peace from the students. Thank you notes from Mary Ellen Flynn and Vickie O’Keefe were noted. Dr. Vautour introduced Dr. Tina Parchin, from St. John’s University, who would be a superintendent intern for the year.
Town of Rocky
Hill
Board of Education
September 19, 2002
Page 2
AUDIENCE
PARTICIPATION
RHTA Liaison Committee
Pat Crawford, President, noted the BEST workshop to be hosted by Rocky Hill would take place on Monday at the high school. Thirty participants from around the state were expected to attend.
There were no student reports.
Meeting Open to
the Public
Marie Spadorcia, 11 Mark Lane, has a six year old, who has to catch the bus on the corner of Gilbert Avenue and Tumblebrook Road. The stop is two streets from the Spadorcia house. Mrs. Spadorcia cannot see or hear the bus from her home. She also has a nine-month old child, and a three-year old. There are no sidewalks on the way to the bus stop. She does not know any of the people who live around her. On the way home, the bus does not have a particular time that it gets to the stop. There is a variance of 45 minutes to an hour. She was told the time varies, depending on the route the bus has to take.
Mrs. Spadorcia has talked to Mr. Turansky. She was concerned about the bus getting to the stop early, with no one being there to meet her child. The bus has always gone up her street until this year. Mr. Turansky told Mrs. Spadorcia that he was charged by the Board to make the stops more efficient. She was concerned about the safety of her son. The current stop was not acceptable to her. She asked the Board to help her understand what was going on with transportation. She followed the bus on Monday and felt its route was not efficient since it traveled up and down streets where there are no children.
Dr. Vautour noted that a hearing has been scheduled on
Mrs. Spadorcia’s concerns. The hearing
is set for Monday.
1. Consent Calendar
Town of Rocky
Hill
Board of Education
September 19, 2002
Page 3
The
consent calendar included a child-rearing request from Tyrrell White; FMLA
leave requests from Lisa Rockel and Leah O’Leary, and information on the ESEA
Consolidated Grant.
Moved by Mrs. Lionetti, seconded by Mrs. Schmidt, to approve the
consent calendar of September 19, 2002.
FAVOR: All
MOTION CARRIED
2. Personnel and Negotiations
3. Policy
No
report.
No report.
5. Curriculum
No report.
6. Professional Development
No report.
7. Facilities
Town of Rocky
Hill
Board of Education
September 19, 2002
Page 4
No report.
8. Technology
No report.
9. Transportation/Accommodations
No
report.
No report.
OLD BUSINESS
Chairman Szeps noted the following Committee appointments for the 2002/03 year: Personnel and Negotiations: Marinella Tirillo, Chairperson, Raffaella Coler and Charles McMonigle; Policy: Marinella Tirillo, Chairperson, Jennifer Viggiano-Gross and Anne Schmidt; Finance: Anne Schmidt, Chairperson, Tina Lionetti and Charles McMonigle; BOE/Town Liaison Committee: Raffaella Coler, Chairperson, Nadine Bell and Tina Lionetti; Curriculum: Nadine Bell, Chairperson, Raffaella Coler and Catherine Vargas; Facilities: Tina Lionetti, Chairperson, Charles McMonigle and Catherine Vargas; Transportation/Accommodations: Catherine Vargas, Chairperson, Nadine Bell and Jennifer Viggiano-Grosse.
Also the following representatives were noted: Economic Development Council: Anne Schmidt; Cable TV: Rob Scheftel; Capitol Region Education Council: Frank Szeps; Technology: Marinella Tirillo.
Chairman
Szeps noted the appointments were effective as of today. Mrs. Coler asked the reason for the change,
since the Board had agreed that the committees would not change unless a member
had resigned or if there was a personal hardship. She asked why
Town of Rocky
Hill
Board of Education
September 19, 2002
Page 5
Chairman
Szeps chose to make changes at this time to the committees. Chairman Szeps responded that it was halfway
through the two-year term, and based on some of the input that he has received,
he has decided to make the changes. They
were his changes, and he felt this was a good time to make them. He pointed out
that they could change again.
Mrs.
Coler asked if the consensus the Board had come to in March had any bearing; Chairman
Szeps said it had a bearing, but it had no bearing on his decision. He did not have to come to the Board to make
committee changes.
Mrs.
Tirillo questioned the changes as well.
Chairman Szeps said he had received input from Board members. Mrs. Vigianno-Grosse noted she no longer held
a chairmanship.
12. Board Calendar
Dr. Vautour presented the tentative calendar of agenda items for the 2002/03 school year. He noted the district was continuing the process of three curriculum reviews this year, and tentatively they were scheduled for November (Technology), February (Physical Education), and April (Mathematics). It is possible that additional items will be included throughout the year.
13. Field Trips
Dr. Vautour was seeking guidance from the Board regarding field trips to large cities and overseas. The Hartford area superintendents met today, and with over 27 present, only two indicated they would keep an open mind on field trips. The others wanted to keep the children close to home. He noted the Washington, D.C. and Quebec trips, which require a lot of advance planning. If the district was going to be cautious, he would like to be able to notify staff so they can start planning some alternatives.
Mrs. Schmidt requested a list of all potential field trips and how many students are involved. She noted it may be better to have the students travel in smaller groups. Dr. Vautour would present the list of trips to the Board members. Mrs. Vargas asked for a list of modes of travel as well.
14. Summer School Report
Town of Rocky
Hill
Board of Education
September 19, 2002
Page 6
Mrs. Boutilier introduced Leslie Poland, middle school, Bill Duffy, Celebration of Learning 2002, and Kathy Hallett, Summertime Explore and SOAR 2002.
Ms. Poland stated that this summer, as well as last year, the district has hosted a summer learning program in conjunction with the Alternate Route to Certification. Sixty-two students participated this year in the program, representing Grades 5 to 8. Several students from Glastonbury and East Hampton attended as well. The numbers were down from last year, and administration was not sure why. Students attended four classes a day, each 35 minutes long, with a fifteen-minute break between the third and fourth classes.
The computer teacher allowed students to have access to the computers. Subjects covered in the program were math, science, language arts, reading, social studies, Spanish and computer applications. The computer class and reading class were additional this year. There was also a writing course offered this year.
The curriculum mirrored the curriculum at the middle school. A pass/fail policy was used this year. Thirteen ARC teachers were hired for the summer, and they use their summer teaching experience as their student teaching requirement. Rocky Hill staff supervised them and served as professional guides. They provided each ARC teacher with at least one evaluation, two observations and feedback.
The program is funded entirely from tuition. Fewer ARC teachers were hired this year because there were fewer students. The feedback was positive.
Mrs. Boutilier added that the district was able to hire two of the ARC teachers this year.
Kathy Hallett explained that the Explore and SOAR program was a six-week program, held from July 8 through August 16, Monday through Friday, from 9:00 a.m. to 11:45 a.m., for Grades 1 to 8. Registration was held in April, with a cut off in June. Once the classes were scheduled, students were allowed to register until the first day of class. One hundred fifty eight students participated. There were 36 classes proposed, but only 12 ran.
The cost of the classes was $60 per week per student. A sliding scale was used for siblings, reducing the cost by $5 for the second child. Seventy dollars a week was charged for non-residents. Nine teachers taught twelve classes. Griswold Middle School students helped in each classroom. The cost of the program was $6,291. The program turned into an income generator, taking in $8,965, with a $2,646 profit, which was split with the Parks and Recreation Department. At the end of the session, 58 parents
Town of Rocky
Hill
Board of Education
September 19, 2002
Page 7
responded to the parent surveys. Parents felt the program was a positive experience. Mrs. Hallett planned to start evaluating what other towns are doing. She felt six weeks was a reasonable time frame. Grades 3 to 5 represented the biggest block of students. Mrs. Hallett noted she works closely with Jason Cohen, Parks and Recreation, in planning the classes.
Mrs. Hallett noted the program started with sixty classes, went to thirty, and ended with twelve. The “make and take” programs were the most popular with the students. The math class was also successful. Nine to fifteen students were in each class.
Bill Duffy was in charge of the remedial program, the Celebration of Learning. He gave a brief power point presentation. The program took place at Stevens Schools this year. There were two two-week sessions for students going into Grades 1 to 5. The program started at West Hill School, and last year one session was held at West Hill and one at Stevens. This year, 166 students participated at Stevens School. He compared the number of students for the past three years. Sanchez Elementary School, Hartford, did not participate in the program this year.
This year, the Board of Education funded the program, which does not make a profit. There is no charge to the parents of students in remedial programs. Teachers recommend their students who are at the remedial levels. Students were recruited from the three elementary schools, and busing from Summerscape was provided. YES tutors helped in the classrooms. There were three computer labs, with eight students per class. The curriculum consisted of math, reading and computers.
Mr. Duffy noted that Officer Catania came to one of the classes, and a traveling pet show and a fire fighter attended others. The student: teacher ratio was as low as 2:1. The average class size was about eight students with three to four teachers per room. With the smaller groups, students participated easier and received extra supervision. Mr. Duffy noted there were just enough computers. He complimented the experienced staff. The Young Educators served as volunteers.
Next year, Mr. Duffy wanted to revise the curriculum to focus on the computer curriculum.
Mrs. Schmidt asked out of the 166 students, how many were recurrent students; Mr. Duffy estimated that 70% had attended earlier classes. Mrs. Schmidt asked if the students were tracked; Mrs. Boutilier noted that last year, administration entered them into the database, and they were doing comparisons. Teachers are targeting students who they
Town of Rocky Hill
Board of Education
September 19, 2002
Page 7
think need the service. This year, the principals and classroom teachers contacted the parents personally about the program.
Dr. Vautour noted the level of cooperation that exists among the various departments with the summer school programs. He wanted to acknowledge the fire department and police department.
At this time, Chairman Szeps recognized Councilperson Anthony Sparveri, who was in the audience.
15. Discipline
Report
Dr. Vautour reviewed the discipline reports for the last three years. In 1999/2000, the
number of students requiring discipline was 355; in 2000/2001, the number dropped to
223, and in 2001/2002, the number was 240. He noted that in 2001, the Saturday
detention was introduced, which has had an impact the number of suspensions. The
number of repeat offenders was few. The number of fights was few.
Responding to a question from Mrs. Bell, Mr. Pitocco noted the student body has gone
from 500, to 600, to this year’s enrollment of 660 students. Dr. Vautour noted there was
a noticeable change in the feeling in the school because of the number of bodies, which
has increased from 550 to over 660.
Chairman Szeps asked if the district should be comparing the discipline numbers to data
from other school districts; Dr. Vautour responded that the State has been compiling
discipline data over the last two or three years. Administration would be working to
provide comparative data.
16. Budget
Charge/Timetable
Dr. Vautour reported that the budget charge has been modified in one aspect from
previous years. Last year’s charge included the mandate to complete the middle school
model. The model has been removed from the budget charge/timetable now that the
Uniformed Arts Team has been completed.
Submission of the budget is projected at January 10. An extra week has been built into
the schedule because Central Office will be moving to its new location during the
Christmas break.
Town of Rocky
Hill
Board of Education
September 19, 2002
Page 9
Moved by Mrs. Schmidt, seconded by Mrs. Lionetti, to approve the budget
charge and timetable for fiscal year 2003-04, as proposed.
FAVOR: ALL
MOTION CARRIED
17.
Summary
of Legislation Affecting Education
The members had received a summary of 2002 Connecticut Legislative Enactments Affecting the Public Schools and Public Sector Employers from Attorney Murphy’s office.
Dr. Vautour highlighted several of the Acts. He noted Public Act 02-56, An Act Concerning the Idling of School Buses. He noted that buses were not allowed sit idle for more than three minutes when the buses were not in motion, except in the case where a bus needs to be run because of the temperature or certain other conditions.
Public Act 02-106: An Act Concerning Sexual Assault by a Coach or Instructor, Mandated Reporting of Child Abuse or Neglect and Issuance and Revocation of Educator Certificates. Dr. Vautour noted the requirements for this Act.
Another Act brought to the Board members’ attention was Public Act 02-119: An Act Concerning Bullying Behavior in Schools and Concerning the Pledge of Allegiance. The Board of Education was required by February 2003 to have a policy addressing bullying. The Superintendent indicated that CABE has set up some additional language in this area. The Act also requires that the Boards of Education make available a period of time during the school day for the pledge of allegiance. The Boards cannot mandate that the students participate.
Public Act 02-138: An Act Concerning Penalties for Sexual Assault of a Minor, Civil and Criminal Statutes of Limitations in Sexual Assault Cases, Reporting and Investigation of Child Abuse and Neglect, Disclosure of Records of Teacher Misconduct and Establishment of Sexual Offender Risk Assessment Boards. This Act extends the statute of limitations for claims of sexual abuse. The statute of limitations is now seventeen years, which will be extended to thirty. The reporting period used to be 24 hours in which to file the initial report; there is now 12 hours for the mandated reporter to file the initial oral report.
Town of Rocky
Hill
Board of Education
September 19, 2002
Page 10
Special Act No. 02-8: An Act Concerning Civil Preparedness and the Needs of Children. This is part of the Homeland Security Act and deals with how children will be dealt with in the event of an emergency.
Dr. Vautour noted that the policies on bullying, abuse and the pledge of allegiance would be brought to the Policy Committee and acted on within the next month or two.
The next Board of Education meetings were scheduled for October 3 and October 17, 2002.
Moved by Mrs. Vargas, seconded by Mrs. Schmidt, to adjourn the meeting
at 8:10 p.m.
FAVOR: ALL
MOTION CARRIED
Respectfully
submitted,
Rosalie
W. O’Neill
Recording
Secretary