Posted - Old Saybrook Public Schools

OLD SAYBROOK BOARD OF EDU CATION50 Sheffield St.Old Saybrook CT 06475(860) 395-3157The Old Saybrook Board of Education met in Regular Session on Tuesday, December 6, 2011at Old Saybrook Middle School, 60 Sheffield Street, Old Saybrook, CT 06475.Board MembersMario T. GabouryDonna DunnEileen BakerGeorge ChangHolly KingJoanne SullivanKelley KennedyVito SavinoOthersJoseph Onofrio II, Superintendent of SchoolsHeston Sutman, Dir. Curriculum, Instruction, AssessmentCarole Alvaro, Co-Director Student Support ServicesKathleen Bai, Co-Director Student Support ServicesJulie Pendleton, Dir. of Operations, Facilities & FinanceOliver Barton, Principal of OSHSMichael Rafferty, Principal of OSMSMandy Ryan, Assoc. Principal of OSMSStudent Representatives: A. Hanover, J. KingGuests: M. Nicholson, D. PondStudents departed at 9:00 p.m. Administrators departed the meeting at 10:48 p.m.III.CALL TO ORDERA recognition reception was held in the Old Saybrook Middle School auditorium tohonor retiring Board member Brad Thorpe, Board of Education members for earning the2011 CABE Board of Distinction Award, 2011 CABE Award of Excellence forEducational Communications “Goodwin Goes Green” program leader Jermaine Lawrie,recent inductees into the National Honor Society, and students earning All-State athleticawards (See Appendix.)RECONVENE MEETINGSuperintendent Onofrio called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m. in the middle schoolMedia Center and led the Pledge of Allegiance. Newly elected member Vito Savino wasintroduced and welcomed to the Board of Education. Mr. Onofrio conducted the electionfor the Board Chair. Newly elected Board Chair, Mario Gaboury conducted the electionof the remaining officers. Karen Brodeur participated in the election of Board officersvia teleconference (7:30 p.m. to 7:38 p.m.)Election of Board Officers were voted and confirmed:Chairman: Gaboury (M. Gaboury: 9-0)Vice Chairman: Sullivan (J. Sullivan: 9-0)Secretary: Brodeur (K. Brodeur: 9-0)Chairman Gaboury welcomed newly elected member Vito Savino to the Board andJoanne Sullivan who was elected to the position of Vice Chairman. Table seating forremaining Board members will be determined by seniority.

Old Saybrook Board of Education – Regular Meeting Minutes - December 6, 20112A moment of silence was held in memory of Raymond Ames, former Main Street andGoodwin School custodian, who recently passed away.A moment of silence was also held in memory of Lena Brooks who recently passedaway. Lena was the former secretary to the Superintendent of the Old Saybrook Schoolsand secretary to the Old Saybrook Board of Education from 1945 to 1953.III.COMMUNITY COMMUNICATIONSAudience of CitizensNoneReports from Student/Board of Education RepresentativesAuditions are underway for the spring musical. Fall sports have concluded. The studentAdvisor/Advisee groups are meeting regularly. Chairman Gaboury noted that OldSaybrook is one of a select group of school districts that have high school studentssitting on their Boards of Education.Correspondence was passed on the clipboard. Board members and administratorsformally introduced themselves to new Board member Vito Savino.IVAPPROVAL OF MINUTESBaker/Kennedy“Move to approve the minutes of the November 1, 2011 Board of Education regularmeeting as presented.” MOTION: CARRIED (7-0). Savino abstainedSullivan/Dunn“Move to approve the minutes of the November 15, 2011 Board of Education regularmeeting as presented.” MOTION: CARRIED (6-0). Baker and Savino abstainedThe content and length of meeting minutes will be condensed to record only theessential information.VOLD BUSINESSThe math needs assessment will be presented after the school spotlight. Thereafter theagenda will resume as posted.School Spotlight – Old Saybrook Middle SchoolThe Old Saybrook Middle School spotlight focused on the shift of reading instructionfrom whole class novels to a multi-title approach. This approach, grounded in research,is based on differentiating instruction for students' ability levels and interests and iscentered on skill-based instruction rather than the teaching of a specific piece ofliterature. Matt Walton, sixth grade language arts teacher highlighted the multi-novel2

Old Saybrook Board of Education – Regular Meeting Minutes - December 6, 20113unit approach to reading, shared a model lesson, and the measureable benefits of thisinstruction for students at all reading levels. In addition, two sixth grade students recitedpoems from memory to demonstrate the culmination of their current poetry unit.2011-2012 Professional Development Make-up DaysThe District Leadership Team has confirmed the district-wide make up dates for theprofessional development days postponed due to Tropical Storm Irene in August. Staffmembers were surveyed on possible dates and times. Extended hours on the followingdates were chosen: January 11, January 25, February 8 and March 28, 2012.Board of Education Liaison/Committee AssignmentsBoard of Education members have had an opportunity to submit changes to currentliaison/committee assignments. Mr. Gaboury will review the proposed changessubmitted and will implement the final assignments at the next meeting.Board of Education Budget UpdateIDEA awards have just been released and funding has decreased again this year. Thestatus of the district budget is unchanged except in the area of out of district placements,which remains over budget after the excess cost formula for reimbursement is applied.As a result, the 2011-2012 budget has been frozen to offset the shortfall. Every effort isbeing made to balance program needs with available resources.The Board of Education will request a meeting with the Board of Finance to determinebudget goals for 2012-2013. This joint meeting will be scheduled as soon as possibleafter the Board of Finance has met, seated their new members, and elected a Chairman.The final preparation and distribution to the Board of Education of the Superintendent’s2012-2013 budget proposal is anticipated to occur in January 2012.The Budget and Fiscal Committee will discuss appeals from current groups requesting awaiver of facility use fees at their next meeting.CABE/CAPSS Conference SummaryThe Board of Education earned the CABE Leadership Award – Level II for the secondtime. Joseph Onofrio, Eileen Baker, Heston Sutman, and Mandy Ryan attended theannual CABE/CAPSS Conference held last month. Individual events attended includedpresentations by the keynote speaker, Governor, and new Commissioner of Education.Workshops attended included Public School Initiatives in 21 st Century Skills, andstudent representation on Boards of Education. The Chairman thanked theadministrators and Board member who attend this conference.Policy 5131.911 – Student Bullying: Prevention/InterventionThe recently approved Public Act 11-232, “An Act Concerning the Strengthening ofSchool Bullying Laws,” contains significant revisions aimed at improving the existingbullying law. The definition of bullying has been expanded and additional obligationshave been placed on school employees and school districts. The policy also includescyberbullying, mobile electronic devices, electronic communication, hostile3

Old Saybrook Board of Education – Regular Meeting Minutes - December 6, 20114environment, school employee training, school climate, and alleged behaviors outsidethe school setting. School districts are now required to adopt and implement safe schoolclimate plans; establish deadlines for reporting, investigating, and notifying parents andguardians; prohibit retaliation; and report bullying crimes to police.While the State Department of Education has yet to provide guidance on implementingthe new legislation, Shipman and Goodwin has written a policy that meets the newbullying legislation and comes before the Board for consideration and adoption. ThePolicy Committee has reviewed and approved the recommended policy changes. Due tothe new implementation deadline imposed on districts by the State Department ofEducation, it is necessary for the Board to approve the new Bullying policy with schoolclimate plan regulation this evening in order to meet the January 1, 2012 compliancerequirement. Implementation of the revised Bullying regulation will occur on July 1,2012 as required by legislation.Baker/Kennedy“Move to approve Policy 5131.911 - Bullying Prevention and Intervention as presentedin order to meet newly established state requirements.”MOTION: CARRIED (8 - 0) UnanimousPolicy Review – Second ReadingAt the last meeting the Board discussed policies and the revisions recommended bythe Policy Committee, District Leadership Team, and CABE for consideration andapproval.Baker/Dunn“Move to approve Policy 0521 – Nondiscrimination as presented.” MOTION:CARRIED (8 - 0). UnanimousThe Board allows technical corrections to Policy 0521 to parallel the language in Policy4118.11 regarding examples of specific discriminatory behaviors.Baker/Dunn“Move to approve Policy 4117.4 – Dismissal - Personnel as presented.” MOTION:CARRIED (8 - 0) UnanimousBaker/Kennedy“Move to approve Policy 4118.11 Nondiscrimination as presented.” MOTION:CARRIED (8 - 0). UnanimousThe Board allows technical corrections to Policy 4118.11 to parallel the l language inPolicy 0521 regarding examples of specific discriminatory behaviors.Baker/Sullivan“Move to approve Policy 4121 Substitute Teachers as presented.” MOTION:CARRIED (8 - 0) Unanimous4

Old Saybrook Board of Education – Regular Meeting Minutes - December 6, 20115VINEW BUSINESSMath Needs AssessmentMathematics Building Specialists Heidi Hayes (KG), Karen Evans (OSMS), AnnetteHall (OSHS) and the Director of Curriculum Heston Sutman, presented the completedMathematics Curriculum Needs Assessment to the Board. The data considered in theassessment included parent and teacher surveys, CMT/CAPT results, regionalmathematics data, instructional practices, and leadership configuration. The EverydayMath, K-6 program is the textbook, not the curriculum. Alignment with the CommonCore of State Standards in Mathematics, instruction minutes, assessment tools,remediation opportunities, strengths and weaknesses of the current program, additionalsupports in and out of the classroom were all components of the needs assessmentreview. Areas of need include increasing instructional time, numeracy programmingsupport, and professional development opportunities. Holly King is the Board’s mathcurriculum liaison.Old Saybrook Middle School Consult ModelMr. Rafferty, Ms. Ryan and Ms. Bai presented an overview of the consult process asimplemented at the middle school. This process is designed to meet the needs of allregular education students who demonstrate a behavioral, social, emotional, and/oracademic skill deficit that interferes with the student’s academic ability to meet districtgrade-level expectations as aligned with state standards. Teachers work collaboratively,and systemically, in a strategic approach to data-based decisions that focus on improvingstudent achievement.Policy ReviewSelected policies have been reviewed by the Policy Committee and now come before theBoard for a first reading. These policies were revised to reflect current legislativechanges and CABE recommendations. Ms. Baker reviewed the following policies:• 1314/1324 Fundraising – The policy was revised to align with current fundraisingpractices.• 3280 Gifts, Grants, and Bequests – This policy revision came to the committee as theresult of the district receiving a recent gift.• 5141 Student Health Services – Revision to our existing policy adds language aboutthe school district medical advisor and medical support services personnel.• 9100 Biennial Meeting – This policy revision aligns with current practice.• 9110 Number of Members, Terms of Office – The revision aligns with the CTGeneral Statutes.• 9321 Time, Place, Notification of Meetings – The Board meeting time is revised inthis policy to reflect schedule change.5

Old Saybrook Board of Education – Regular Meeting Minutes - December 6, 20116VIIREPORTS BY ADMINISTRATORSThe building administrators submitted written reports on recent school events.Kathleen Goodwin School - No additional reportOld Saybrook Middle School - No additional reportOld Saybrook High School – No additional reportStudent Support Services – No additional reportOperations, Facilities & Finance – No additional reportCurriculum, Instruction and Assessment – DLT has recently participated in standardsbasedinstruction and RTI training. Student CMT and CAPT accommodations are beingidentified for future testing.Superintendent of SchoolsThe Haddam Killingworth telethon on December 23, 2011 is a fundraiser for one of ourstudents.A few years ago we incorporated Building Specialists into the Distributed Leadershipmodel. As observed in the curriculum reports this evening, the depth of their leadershipwas evident in the presentations and progressive recommendations identified.A flyer from Youth & Family Services announcing their community forum meeting onJanuary 25, 2012 at 5:30 p.m. arrived today and was shared with Board members. Forumdiscussion will include the Healthy Communities-Healthy Youth “Report to theCommunity.” This is an update on asset building with our youth as reported by theNovember 2010 student survey. The flyer and report will be distributed at conferencesfor middle school parents on Thursday and mailed to high school parents this week.CAPSS is going before the state legislature on Thursday regarding their position ontransformation of Connecticut’s educational system.Last month the Superintendent spoke about the Strategic Plan reporting procedures to beused to update the Board, staff, and community on progress. Status reporting forms willbe used by the administrative team and posted to the Strategic Planning wiki. Significantbenchmark accomplishments will be reported to the Board as they occur. Our goal is toreach 100% target on all identified Year 1 Action Plans. Review of Year 2 Action Plans6

Old Saybrook Board of Education – Regular Meeting Minutes - December 6, 20118XIIIADJOURNMENTDunn/Sullivan“Move to adjourn at 11:27 p.m.” MOTION: CARRIED (8-0)Karen Brodeur, SecretaryOld Saybrook Board of EducationMinutes recorded and typed by:Kathy Randall, Executive Assistant*DRAFT - Subject to approval at the next BOE meeting8

Old Saybrook Board of Education – Regular Meeting Minutes - December 6, 20119Old Saybrook Board of Education Recognition ReceptionOld Saybrook Board of Education RetireeBrad Thorpe2011 CABE Board of Distinction Award2011 CABE Award of Excellence for Educational Communications Program“Goodwin Goes Green”Jermain LawrieNational Honor Society Inductees – Mary Jane Peterson, CoordinatorGrade 11 Grade 12Derek ArbigeGabrielle CarvajalKatherine BeezerMichaela ForteElizabeth BlairCasey GowrieMelanie BrodeurAlexis HenryDiana ChanZhongMing ComeyJames CondulisMatthew CumminsChristine DeAntonisJ.T. GiegerichAllyson HanoverNathan HausmanLily HontzRachel MoskowitzErik NguyenKelsey PandianiJacqueline PereiraCori ReidKelsey RootAudra KohmVictoria MaxsonBriana MoonanBrittany RosserMeaghan SenackKrista ThorsenAlexis TrabucchiAshley VigoritaChelsea WaidaTenzen WangchukErin Woods1 st Team All- State Soccer – Coaches Larry Bright and Steph JacoboskiJeremy KingLauren MacDonald1 st Team All-State Field Hockey - Coaches Kara Bell and Laura WestnerNora McNeil2 nd Team All-State Field Hockey – Coaches Kara Bell and Laura WestnerAlexandra Steward9