MINUTES
REGIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICT #10
BOARD OF EDUCATION
January 9, 2006
Members Present: Catherine Bergstrom, Beth Duffy, Barbara
Gilbert, Greg O'Brien, Paul Omichinski, Elaine Schiavone, Ray Sikora,
Karen Sullivan-Shepard, Peter Turner
Also Present: Paula Schwartz - Superintendent
David Lenihan - Business Manager
I. Call to Order - The regularly scheduled Board of Education
meeting was held in the library of Lake Garda School, and was called to
order at 7:35 pm by Chairman Beth Duffy.
II. Pledge of Allegiance - The Pledge was recited.
III. Communications, Resignations - Superintendent read letter of
resignation from Board member Greg O'Brien, effective January 31, 2006.
Under Kathy Gilson's direction, students from Har-Bur
Middle School formed teams and participated in a Hartford Courant
sponsored stock market simulation. The students and how they placed are
as follows:
1st Place – Jessica Wilbert, Brittany Denza, Michael DiOrio, Taylor Eagan and Connor Faticoni
2nd Place – Sarah Visintainer, Justin Kawiecki, Shannon Larkin, Tyler Markert, and Krista Molusis
3rd Place - Michael Rousseau, Rebecca Browosky, Lillian Corman, Nicholas Fitzsimons and Nicholas Gnitzcavich
4th Place – Brianna Saucier, Nicole Storti, Tyler Topor, Alicia Vinci and Brian McKenna
IV. Consent Agenda - A motion to accept the BOE meeting
minutes of December 12, 2005, and the financial report of December 31,
2005, was made by Paul Omichiniski and second by K. Sullivan-Shepard.
All in favor none opposed, abstentions B. Gilbert and E. Schiavone.
Corrections include identifying Ted Schiedel and Frank
Chairamonte in Section VI, Item A as 1st Selectmen of their respective
towns, correcting typographical error in Section VII, Item D baring à
barring. Two Board members were identified as seconding the motion for
the Board to go into executive session (Page 4). R. Sikora allowed that
N. Salvatore made the motion.
V. Public Participation - Donna Perreault of Harwinton thought
the Gifted and Talented Program did not include enough students and
asked that this be looked into.
Mark DiOrio of Burlington hoped the music curriculum would
be looked at next year and changes made to the program, particularly 6th grade chorus.
VI. Business -
A. Acknowledgement of past BOE members Nick
Salvatore, Reid Matusek and Greg O’Brien who had announced his
resignation. Plaques were given, along with public thanks, for their
service on the Board of Education.
Page 2
B. Acknowledgement of Jeff Bond's
contributions in acquisition of defibrillators. Certificate was
presented to Jeffrey Bond for his assistance in obtaining the grant
allowing Region 10 to acquire 12 portable defibrillators at no cost.
C. Review of audit - Rob Howard, Michael
VanDeventer (Carlin, Charron & Rosen, LLP). Rob Howard provided a
summary of the 65-page auditors report. Two audits were done - one for
the District's financial statements and the other identified as a State
Single Audit, which made sure the District was using State money for the
programs they were intended for. The auditors found no discrepancies,
found all areas to be "clean" and made minor recommendations for
improvement.
D. Enrollment Review - P. Schwartz provided a
comparison of State enrollment projections made in 2003 and the current
projections. The new numbers are higher than predicted in 2003 and the
current building project, as designed, should be able to accommodate
those additional students for the next ten years. Statistics are
showing Harwinton's population increasing and Burlington's as
decreasing. Enrollment in PreK-12 for next year is 2,843.
E. Review of Gifted and Talented Program -
Linda Carabis spoke of the Gifted and Talented Program. Eighteen
students from the 4th and 5th grades where chosen based on teacher
recommendations and standard test scores. Eight were from Lake Garda
and 10 from Harwinton Consolidated. There are two major components -
Odyssey of the Mind, which emphasizes teamwork and builds
problem-solving skills, and the Renzulli System, a web-based, self-paced
program providing students with a broad base of subjects from which to
choose from. In Odyssey of the Mind, students meet two times a week
before class. The State competition is slated for March and the
National competition for May to be held at Iowa University. L. Carabis
provided a demonstration of the Renzulli System. Currently it is being
used as a resource tool for the Odyssey of the Mind program.
F. Update on the No Child Left Behind
District and School Reports for the '04-'05 school year. P. Schwartz
reported that results from the latest CMT and CAPT tests show students
have met the standard at or above proficiency.
G. Mandarin Chinese Updated. Tunxis
Community College is offering an eight-week course in Mandarin Chinese
to students from Region 10, Bristol, Litchfield and Simsbury. Each
school is allotted six slots. Deadline for enrollment is January 20,
2006. Cost is $225 per student, which will be borne by the District.
Each student will be asked to contribute $50, which will be refunded
upon successful completion. It is open to grades 8 through 11 and, upon
successful completion, students will be given an Independent Study
credit. Next year the Superintendent is recommending a course at Lewis
Mills High School in Mandarin Chinese.
VII Action -
A. 1st reading of Supervisor of Language Arts and Library Media position. A motion
to accept the first reading was made by P. Turner and second by P.
Omichinski. All in favor, none opposed. P. Schwartz recommended, that
as a result of a recent vacancy, that the Board eliminate of the
Supervisor of Special Education position and create instead Supervisor
of Language Arts and Library Media. P. Schwartz discussed the duties of
this position and how it would better fit the needs of staff and
students.
Page 3
B. "Kids in the Middle" Coordinator. This
position would work with middle school students to implement a mentoring
program, provide outreach to middle school students not involved in
extracurricular activities, promote a collaborative partnership with
students and local businesses, etc. This program is modeled on a United
Way program, which has been very successful in other school districts.
The coordinator position would be part-time, approximately 25 hours a
week without benefits, with a salary range of approximately $19K -
$24K. It would start out as a one-year program and be funded via a
United Way Grant. Kent Hurlburt presented information on his Husky
Leadership Program which will utilize services provided by this
coordinator.
A motion to approve the program
concept and hiring of a part-time coordinator, contingent upon receipt
of grant money, was made by G. O'Brien and second by B. Gilbert. All in
favor none opposed.
C. Review and approval of specifications and
project budget for submission of the State Department of Education for
Phase IV LSM/Har-Bur Project. This item was not ready for discussion.
VIII. Board Committee Reports
A. Facilities and Grounds Committee - Meeting is tentative scheduled for February.
B. CREC Committee - Nothing to report.
C. Curriculum Committee - Met last Wednesday. There were
two curriculum reviews. A presentation by Ed Dorgan focused on middle
school curriculum changes in Social Studies. Andy Komar presented
changes to the science curriculum. Starting in 2007 science will be
included in CMT testing.
D. Transportation Committee - Nothing to report.
E. Negotiations Committee - Nothing to report
F. Technology Committee - Nothing to report.
G. Building Committee - Meeting last week was cancelled due
to snowstorm. Project is fairly close on target. The 5th grade wing
is taking shape with actual classrooms and rough wiring visible.
H. Communications Committee - Nothing to
report. G. O'Brien publicly thanked P. Turner for his assistance during
his time on the Communications Committee and on the Board. P. Schwartz
stated that due to the recent Board member resignations this might be a
good time to look at restructuring/realigning some of the Committees.
There was no motion to adjourn the meeting. Meeting ended at 10:25 pm.
The next regularly scheduled Board of Education meeting will be
held on February 13, 2006 at Harwinton Consolidated School. There will
be a budget meeting held on February 6, 2006 at 7:30 pm at the Learning
Center of Har-Bur Middle School to discuss the District overview of
administration and operations.
Karen Sullivan-Shepard, Secretary