TOWN OF ROCKY HILL

BOARD OF EDUCATION

SPECIAL MEETING OF February 2, 2006

 

Members Present:             Neil Geldof

                                                Jennifer Viggiano-Grosse

Nadine Bell

                                                Peter Arico

Mark Carberry

                                                Charles McMonigle

                                                Rene Rivard

                                                Anne Schmidt           

                                                Catherine Vargas

 

Members Absent:               None

 

The special meeting of the Board of Education was held on Thursday, February 2, 2006, in the Library/Media Center of Griswold Middle School.  Chairman Geldof called the meeting to order at 6:07 p.m.

 

Pledge of Allegiance

 

The pledge of allegiance was recited.

 

Chairman Geldof turned the meeting over to the Finance Committee Chairperson, Mrs. Schmidt.

 

Mrs. Schmidt asked Dr. Vautour for responses to informational requests made by the Board at the last meeting.

 

Response to Information Requests made at January 31, 2006 meeting

Dr. Vautour provided the following responses to informational requests made at the last budget session:

 

  • With regard to the question concerning what it would cost if we introduced world languages in third grade only, Dr. Vautour handed out a summary indicating that to provide two hours of instruction per day at the third grade level which would provide 15 minutes per classroom for each third grade, would cost .6 of a teacher for $34,260, supplies of $2,000 and curriculum development work of $260.  That would result in total expenses to phase-in world languages in grade 3, for year one of $36,520.

 

  • With regard to the request to revise Page 26, Dr. Vautour handed out the Summary of Staffing Adjustments and explained administration had originally requested for Board consideration 9.45 FTEs.  At the present time, what is still contained in the budget proposal is a .5 social worker at West Hill, .5 social worker at Stevens, .4 reading teacher at Moser, .4 reading teacher for the strategic literacy program at Griswold, .2 art teacher and .2 family and consumer science teacher in the high school; so staffing adjustments being considered is 2.4 FTEs with an associated cost of $140,540.

 

Items remaining to be considered are the FLES program ($36,520) and the Strings program.  Dr. Vautour said since the last meeting he conferred with the Rocky Hill Education Foundation who indicated they are setting as a goal for the foundation’s ball supplying the requisite supplies and materials to initiate a strings program.  That would take $6,670 out of the budget. He also conferred with the Hartt School of Music who indicated they have graduate assistants who work with districts on a contract basis.  The Hartt School of Music does not establish the fee structure; that is something that is done between the district and the graduate assistant.  He believes they had experience with Avon, Farmington, and Simsbury, with phase-in programs. It would be possible to use graduate assistants if the Board determines they want to initiate a strings program.

 

Dr. Vautour suggested if the Board is interested in continuing the consideration of the strings program, they leave in the budget the factor of a .45 FTE associated with salary and provide him an opportunity to confer again with the Hartt School of Music with an eye towards coming in well below the .45 cost.  As soon as he receives the information he would share it with the Board and they could make a determination as to whether there is an adjustment they want to make to the budget as submitted to the Town Council.

 

  • With respect to the keyboarding program, the Board requested information as to what the impact is on people who are currently working with those 6th graders.  Mr. Watson explained that in looking at the schedule the best way to explain it would be to look at what’s presently going on.  Right now we have developmental guidance as part of the wheel which is staffed by guidance counselors.  We determined that we were going to move the developmental guidance out of this wheel and do that during on-team periods. So, developmental guidance would be a wash in that it would provide counselors with that period to counsel students.  Additionally, we have a paraprofessional, who is monitoring an SSR, and happens to be the library para who sits at the circulation desk.  This would return her to her job which we’ve been pulling her away from to cover the SSR.  Also, we have our art teacher covering two, 15-day segments.  She is being pulled out of her team planning period to do that.  She would go back to her team planning period to plan with other unified arts teachers.  There will not be a person with nothing to do if we have keyboarding.  Dr. Vautour said he and Mrs. Boutilier conferred and determined that there is still the issue of how rapidly the state will move to attempt to enforce the requirement.  He said that depending on the mindset of the Board his suspicion is there is some breathing space.

 

  • With regard to the question about the cost of the spelling text for grades 3 - 5, Mrs. Boutilier explained the cost would be $2,400 for third grade, $2,500 for fourth grade, and $2,500 for fifth grade, assuming this is the program we go with and assuming that we opt to continue the workbook-type curriculum through fifth grade. Right now, we use a formalized program in first and second grades.  Dr. Vautour raised the philosophical question earlier today about spelling as a stand-alone subject which we could move forward with or with spelling folded into a comprehensive language arts review  which is due to occur in the next two or three years.  So if the Board desired, they could delay movement on spelling.

 

  • With regard to the remaining texts, Dr. Vautour explained they put texts on the list because we had a sense of having to find some money.  The attempt is to get more recent texts started at least in social studies in middle school, and we are only requesting half of them at this time.

 

This concluded Dr. Vautour’s report and Mrs. Schmidt said Board members would ask questions beginning with FLES.

 

With regard to the FLES program.  Dr. Vautour said if you were to go to a third grade only implementation of FLES at a cost of $36,520, you would realize a reduction of about $35,000.  Mrs. Schmidt asked if the plan is for two hours per day, per school, with instruction time of 15 minutes per class.  Dr. Vautour said yes.  If the Board were to finalize the discussion items that occurred last week, we would be looking at a reduction of $235,180.  If you went to a modified FLES implementation schedule, the reduction would move to $340,480.  Mrs. Schmidt said in looking at all programs, she is not sold on 15 minutes a day for world languages.

 

Mrs. Tina Lionetti asked if starting FLES in third grade includes keeping it in 6th grade. Dr. Vautour said, no.  Mrs. Lionetti asked if there was a breakdown of the cost for 6th grade.  Dr. Vautour said, yes. Mrs. Lionetti asked if in 6th grade it would be more than just 15 minutes day.  Dr. Vautour said, yes.  Mrs. Lionetti said but the cost would be a lot more.  Mrs. Vargas said $26,840.

 

Mr. Rivard asked, and Dr. Vautour confirmed, that it hasn’t been decided yet which language would be used for this program.  Mr. Rivard asked, and Dr. Vautour confirmed, that what administration would be trying to do is open up a foreign language to students to make them interested.  Mr. Rivard asked, and Dr. Vautour confirmed, that we are presently offering two languages plus Latin in the schools.  Mr. Rivard asked if it wouldn’t it make sense if we were to implement a program like this that both languages be offered so that when students have a choice of taking French or Spanish they will already have had exposure.  Dr. Vautour said we might be treating the elementary program similar to what 6th grade currently experiences which is an exposure to both.  Mr. Rivard likes the concept, but wonders whether we should have a better handle on what it is we want to offer.  Dr. Vautour said FLES can be revisited it in future years, it’s not the first time it’s been considered.

 

Mrs. Viggiano-Grosse’s concern is that if FLES is started in third grade and next year we have a tight budget and can’t implement it in the fourth grade, there’s a huge gap where they’ve been exposed to it in third grade and not followed up until 6th.  She and Mr. Carberry wondered why not start in the higher grade and work your way down instead of up, then there will be no huge gap in case we can’t implement it next year in fourth and fifth grade.

 

Mrs. Vargas said if you are going to implement it in the younger grades like we did the math program this Board will need to commit to the future that if started in the third grade we have to continue to commit to implementing it over the next couple of years.  We can’t stop.

 

Mrs. Schmidt can see it both ways because we already have an established program in the upper grade levels to add it downward does get you out of the problem of if we were faced with a difficult budget year.

 

Mr. McMonigle is not sure about $36,000 for 15 minutes a day.  He likes the concept but it will get more expensive and doesn’t know if it’s worth it.

 

Mrs. Vargas asked which list it is on.  Dr. Vautour said it was on the cut list.  Everyone agreed.

 

With regard to the Lead Teachers.  It was agreed that Lead Teachers was put on the cut list.

 

With regard to the Keyboarding Program.  Mrs. Bell thinks they need to step back a little and reassess when would be the best time and where it should be fit into the curriculum, perhaps in elementary school in the current library/media time.  She suggested it be looked at it in the upcoming year.

 

Mrs. Vargas believes if elementary school children are required to type a report (which she said she believes they are required by rubric at some point in elementary school) it would be the time to start to do something as far as keyboarding.  Starting in 6th grade is rather late.  She would like to step back and look at how this fits in the curriculum.

 

Mrs. Schmidt asked if there is curriculum mapping that would involve technology skills like keyboarding at the high school, getting into the computer essentials course.  Mrs. Boutilier said one of the components of the curriculum mapping is to identify in whatever course we’re teaching how technology is integrated into that course and what is required of the students.  The problem is we are three years away from being done with the curriculum mapping.

 

Mrs. Schmidt asked if technology component doesn’t have its own curriculum mapping.  Mrs. Boutilier said no.  Dr. Vautour felt the questions raised warrants administration revisiting this topic from the vantage point of the number of years that we offer computers and if we’re moving to requirement in some fashion into a lower grade how it will impact the computer essentials course.  There may be some implications in terms of existing staff.  If they are not teaching as many sections of computer essentials they may be freed up to do work in keyboarding.  The impact of adjusting a course at a lower level and its ramifications on a course at the upper level requires further study.

 

Discussion took place as to the amount of money being cut from the budget if keyboarding and FLES are removed.  Mr. Turansky directed everyone to Page 51 which shows the total for FLES in the elementary schools as $118,980 plus $22,840 for the middle school position.  Mrs. Schmidt said, so the whole amount is $141,820.  Mrs. Vargas asked about keyboarding and if the $37,750 is for the .55.  Mr. Turansky said it is for a .55 for salary and all the fringe benefits.  Dr. Vautour said with regard to the keyboarding teacher, no adjustment to the budget was made because it was put on the reconsider list, so any action taken this evening is going to have to be for the full amount of that position.

 

With regard to the Strings Program.  Mr. Geldof said in light of tonight’s discussion some gifts have been found that may mitigate the costs, and recommended keeping strings.  Mrs. Schmidt disagreed.  Do we have any idea of the potential range for hourly costs?  Dr. Vautour said most likely it will be lower than the $26,020 associated with the .45 position.  Mrs. Schmidt asked why it is $26,020.  She said $57,100 (the entire position) minus $37,750 (for .55 of the salary and all of the benefits) leaves $19,350.  Mr. Turansky said also remaining is supplies and equipment.  Dr. Vautour said the .45 as originally calculated was $26,020 it was .45 of salaries plus supplies and equipment.  Mrs. Schmidt said which are going with the Foundation.  Dr. Vautour said right.  We would be looking at something near $20,000.

 

Mrs. Vargas said on Page 52, equipment and materials is only $5,890, and we have $780 for curriculum development.  She didn’t think the Foundation would pay for curriculum development.  Mrs. Schmidt suggested just rounding the amount to $20,000.  Dr. Vautour said if you put a $20,000 figure for contracted services, you would be taking $6,020 as a reduction.  Mr. Geldof said $20,000 for that page.  Mrs. Schmidt said the reduction is $43,770. Dr. Vautour said right.

 

With regard to Textbooks.  Mr. Arico said middle school history is being reduced.  Dr. Vautour said the initial amount was $37,000 for two books.  Mrs. Bell would like to recommend putting back all the textbooks because we got really behind over the years and it took forever to catch up and feels we should not loose ground again.  Mr. Arico agreed.  Mr. Rivard would like to back that up because textbooks, aside from teachers, are the spine of the classroom.  Mr. Geldof said we have $76,600 for textbooks and are in agreement to keep them.  Mrs. Bell said right.  Mrs. Vargas said the curriculum development that goes along with it.

 

A break was taken.

 

Upon returning from break,

 

MOTION by Mr. Rivard, seconded by Mr. Arico, to amend the Superintendent’s budget proposal as follows:  Cut the Assistant Principal positions, $99,700; remove Accreditation process, $3,600; remove FLES, $141,820; adjust staffing at Stevens School to accommodate a Third Grade class, $57,100; remove additional costs associated with a Third Grade at Moser School, $3,255; remove Special Education Placeholder, $30,000; remove the Data Clerk, $$11,154; adjustment for Consolidation of Supplies, $2,541; remove keyboarding, $72,880; make adjustment for the Strings Program, $43,770; adjust Professional Development, $10,000; adjustment in Field Trips, $6,410; and remove the Adaptive PE, $11,420.  This will make a total budget reduction of $493,650 of the Superintendent’s original request of $2,082,015, resulting in a revised budget submission of $24,657,992, which is a net increase of $1,588,365, or 6.88% increase.

 

FAVOR:  ALL

MOTION CARRIED

 

Mrs. Schmidt thanked everyone for time, efforts and consideration and thanked Board members for their hard work.

 

MOTION by Mrs. Vargas, seconded by Mrs. Schmidt, to adjourn the budget workshop at 7:10 p.m.

FAVOR:  ALL

MOTION CARRIED

 

Respectfully submitted,

 

 

 

Juanda J. Simons

Recording Secretary

 

Accepted by: ________________________