Board of Education Meeting Minutes

September 2, 2008

ATTENDANCE: Susan Hamilton, Chair; Rosa Murray, Vice Chair; Glenn Iannaccone, Secretary; Jack Chiaramonte, Jody Bishop-Pullan, Bruce Kimmel, Greg Burnett, Migdalia Rivas, Shirley Mosby.

STAFF: Dr. Salvatore Corda, Superintendent of Schools

CALL TO ORDER

Ms. Hamilton called the meeting to order at 8:00 p.m.

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

Ms. Hamilton then led all those present in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.

SPOTLIGHT ON NORWALK PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Mr. Iannaccone then presented the report to the Board.

SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT

Dr. Corda Introduced Ms. Evette Santiago Ellis, new principal at Silvermine Elementary. Ms. Marie Allen, Assistant Principal at Ponus Middle School to the Board.

Dr. Corda spoke briefly about the opening of school. The focus is on the implementation of the District Improvement Plan. Under No Child Left Behind, Norwalk is classified as a District in Need of Improvement. Norwalk had a diverse population and the students come from many different backgrounds. The District Improvement Plan is goal oriented and data driven. Improvement starts by working in the classroom. Dr. Corda then outlined the portion of the plan for this.

PUBLIC COMMENT

Let it be noted that the following comments and remarks by all speakers have been summarized and are not necessarily verbatim.

Ms. Lynn Massey of 36 Meeker Court came forward and said that she supports both the Superintendent and the Board, both work effectively.

She said that she would like everyone to acknowledge the recent death of Mr. Charles Wilhelm.

Secondly, she would like to have the Board consider the marching band program in the High Schools. The band program at Brien McMahon, she felt that the program was over the top by requiring the students who want to play in a band such as a jazz band, are required to be in the marching band. The students are pulled out of academics to participate in the band program. The program is also very expensive.

Ms. Kerry O’Neill of 10 Silver River Court came forward and said that she had three children in the public schools. She was not able to attend the August 19 meeting and wasn’t able to access the plan online. She then addressed several issues regarding the revision of the Goal Three and the fact that there was not much of an outreach to the parents. She then had several questions about who was involved in this process. She asked what kind of transparency was there in the process and what the rules of engagement were. Ms. O’Neill said that she had been tracking the various reports and wondered how transparent was the process for the revision of Goal Three.

Ms. Nancy Cuttner came forward and said that she lives in East Norwalk and said that she was there to address the recent trip to China. She and her husband were able to be chaperones during the March trip to China. She said that there was a long lasting cultural exchange that took place. The students were able to interact with individual students in China. Ms. Cuttner said that she believed that Norwalk had a lot to offer the students from China.

Ms. Murray asked if there was anyone else who wished to address the Board at this time.

Mr. Paul Blumenthal came forward and said that he lived in Norwalk. He said that he was shocked to hear the criticism of the Board. Given the fact that the Board is comprised of the elected officials, who oversee the District, he was surprised. He pointed out that he did agree that it would be important to have a dialog with the community because the residents have to proceed together. He said that he was very hopeful after the earlier special meeting. There has to be attention to excellence.

Mr. Blumenthal said that parent involvement is important. One way to get involvement is to have an opportunity where the parents can come and get questions answered. Middletown has a full time parent involvement coordinator to facilitate parental involvement.

Ms. Murray asked if there was anyone else who wished to address the Board at this time. Hearing none, she announced that the public input portion of the meeting was now closed.

ACTIONS

A. Consent.

** MR. CHIARAMONTE MOVED TO APPROVE THE FOLLOWING PERSONNEL APPOINTMENTS:

APPOINTMENTS:

BARATE, LINDSEY – SILVERMINE – GRADE 5, MANO-A-MANO (ENG.)

BURNHAM, MICHELE – NARAMAKE – GRADE 2

BUTLER, SHONNA – JEFFERSON – GRADE 2

D’ANDREA, DANIELLE – WOLFPIT – GRADE 3

KOTI, SYLVIA – NARAMAKE – GRADE 5

MOWRY, SMITH – COLUMBUS – PHYSICAL EDUCATION

SITHIPHON, SOUKSAKHONE – FOX RUN – PRE-SCHOOL SPECIAL EDUCATION

IANNACCONE, CLAIR – TRACEY – GRADE 1

PAYTON, WILLETTA – BRIEN MCMAHON – LIBRARY MEDIA SPECIALIST

RESIGNATIONS:

ARMISTEAD, CARLA – MARVIN – ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL

KELLY, SUSAN – ROTON – SCIENCE

REED, MARYJAC – BRIEN MCMAHON - SCIENCE

AND RESIGNATIONS FOR THE PURPOSE OF RETIREMENT:

ALESEVICH, SAM – NORWALK HIGH SCHOOL – TECHNOLOGY ED.

BAKES, CHRIST – NORWALK HIGH SCHOOL – TECHNOLOGY ED.

BARNA, PAULA – WOLFPIT – GRADE 2 BRANDT, MARJORIE – JEFFERSON – LITERACY COACH

CARRANO, CAROL – PONUS – SOCIAL STUDIES

DAIGLE, HARRIS – BRIEN MCMAHON/ROTON – STRINGS

KLAR, GARY – WEST ROCKS – SCIENCE

KOPAS, MICHELE – ROTON – SPECIAL EDUCATION RESOURCE

KRETSCH, SANDRA – TRACEY – KINDERGARTEN

MASON, MARY – KENDALL – GRADE 2

MCLAUGHLIN, STEPHEN – PONUS – LANGUAGE ARTS

SZLACHEKTKA, CHARLES – ROTON/PONUS – SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKER

** MS. BISHOP-PULLAN SECONDED. ** THE MOTION PASSED WITH EIGHT IN FAVOR (CHIARAMONTE, BISHOP-PULLAN, KIMMEL, MURRAY, HAMILTON, BURNETT, RIVAS AND MOSBY) AND ONE ABSTENTION (IANNACCONE).

APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES

June 26, 2008

** MS. BISHOP-PULLAN MOVED THE MINUTES OF THE JUNE 26, 2008 SPECIAL MEETING. ** MR. IANNACCONE SECONDED.

The following corrections were noted:

Page 8, please change the following motion from:

** MR. BURNETT MOVED TO RESTORE $1564,00 IN ORDER TO REINSTATE TWO TEACHERS AND THE GUIDANCE OFFICE CLERICAL WORKER. ** MR. IANNACCONE SECONDED.

A discussion then followed about establishing parity at the various schools.

** THE MOTION FAILED WITH ONE IN FAVOR (BURNETT) AND EIGHT AGAINST (CHIARAMONTE, BISHOP-PULLAN, IANNACCONE, MURRAY, HAMILTON, RIVAS, AND MOSBY)

TO:

** MR. BURNETT MOVED TO RESTORE $1564,00 IN ORDER TO REINSTATE TWO TEACHERS, A TECHNICIAN AND THE GUIDANCE OFFICE CLERICAL WORKER. ** MR. IANNACCONE SECONDED.

A discussion then followed about establishing parity at the various schools.

** THE MOTION FAILED WITH ONE IN FAVOR (BURNETT) AND EIGHT AGAINST (CHIARAMONTE, BISHOP-PULLAN, IANNACCONE, MURRAY, HAMILTON, RIVAS, AND MOSBY)

** THE MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES AS CORRECTED PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.

June 30 Special Meeting

** MS. BISHOP-PULLAN MOVED THE MINUTES OF THE JUNE 30, 2008 SPECIAL MEETING. ** MR. IANNACCONE SECONDED.

The following correction was noted:

Page 2, paragraph 7, line 7: please change: “Mr. Kimmel said that many department” to “Mr. Kimmel said that some department”

** THE MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF THE JUNE 30, 2008 SPECIAL MEETING AS CORRECTED.

August 19, 2008

** MR. IANNACCONE MOVED THE MINUTES OF AUGUST 19, 2008 ** MR. CHIARAMONTE SECONDED. Regarding the minutes of June, July and August, Ms. Murray said that the minutes had not arrived in a timely manner and said that there would need to be a discussion regarding this with the secretarial service.

** THE MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF THE AUGUST 19, 2008 MINUTES AS SUBMITTED PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.

APPROVAL OF JOB DESCRIPTION FOR NEW DIRECTOR POSITION

** MS. MOSBY MOVED THE FOLLOWING RESOLUTION:

RESOLVED, UPON THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS, THAT THE BOARD OF EDUCATION APPROVE THE ATTACHED JOB DESCRIPTION FOR THE NEW DIRECTOR POSITION. ** MS. MURRAY SECONDED.

There was a brief discussion about the job description and which description was being presented for approval.

** MR. IANNACCONE MOVED TO AMEND THE RESOLUTION AND ATTACHED JOB DESCRIPTION DATED AUGUST 1, 2008 FROM:

RESOLVED, UPON THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS, THAT THE BOARD OF EDUCATION APPROVE THE ATTACHED JOB DESCRIPTION FOR THE NEW DIRECTOR POSITION.

TO:

RESOLVED, UPON THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS, THAT THE BOARD OF EDUCATION APPROVE THE JOB DESCRIPTION FOR THE NEW DIRECTOR POSITION AS FORWARDED BY THE CURRICULUM COMMITTEE ON JULY 30, 2008.

** MR. KIMMEL SECONDED.

Ms. Murray pointed out that the position job title was incorrect. There was further discussion regarding how this issue should be handled.

** MR. IANNACCONE WITHDREW HIS MOTION.

** MS. BISHOP-PULLAN MOVED TO AMEND THE RESOLUTION AND ATTACHED JOB DESCRIPTION DATED AUGUST 1, 2008 FROM:

RESOLVED, UPON THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS, THAT THE BOARD OF EDUCATION APPROVE THE ATTACHED JOB DESCRIPTION FOR THE NEW DIRECTOR POSITION.

TO:

RESOLVED, UPON THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS, THAT THE BOARD OF EDUCATION APPROVE THE JOB DESCRIPTION FOR THE NEW DIRECTOR OF ADMINISTRATION POSITION AS FORWARDED BY THE CURRICULUM COMMITTEE ON AUGUST 1, 2008 IN THE BOARD PACKET AND APPROVED BY THE CURRICULUM COMMITTEE.

** MR. IANNACCONE SECONDED. ** THE MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.

Mr. Kimmel had several questions regarding the position regarding union membership. Discussion then followed.

** MS. BISHOP PULLAN MOVED TO ADD THE RESOLUTION TO NEGOTIATE WITH NASA HOW THE DIRECTOR OF ADMIN SALARY WILL BE DETERMINED

** MR. IANNACCONE SECONDED. ** THE MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.

** MS. BISHOP PULLAN MOVED THAT THE DIRECTOR OF ADMINISTRATION’S SALARY BE DETERMINED IN THE NASA BARGAINING UNIT BY NEGOTIATION WITH NASA, THE MEMBERS OF THE NEGOTIATING COMMITTEE (CHIARAMONTE, KIMMEL, BISHOP-PULLAN AND MURRAY) ALONG WITH THE HUMAN RESOURCE OFFICER. ** MR. IANNACCONE SECONDED. ** THE MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.

Ms. Mosby said that she would like to have some discussion about bringing in someone to help interim. Dr. Corda said that there had been some discussion about this with Mr. Daddona. Ms. Murray said that this would be more properly addressed in the Curriculum Committee. INFORMATION AND REPORTS

Report on Norwalk High School China

Mr. Ted Welch came forward and gave a presentation about the March trip to China. He also gave a brief PowerPoint show. Two of the students, Liz McQueen and Shannon Donahue came forward and spoke briefly about their experiences on the China trip.

Mr. Welch said that on the First of October, there would be ten students coming to Norwalk from the high school that the students visited. In the springtime, the school will also be planning another trip to China.

Mr. Burnett said that he would like to have the Chinese students brought to the Board meeting so that the Board could met them. He then asked what the Board could do to have more Norwalk students participate. Mr. Ted said that when the numbers get too great, it becomes difficult to manage. He also pointed out that the arrangement that the State of Connecticut has with the Chinese province allows the students to spend more time in China than they would in Europe. Mr. Ted then displayed a perfume bottle that had painted decorations on the inside and a large piece of calligraphy, which the Chinese school district sent to the Norwalk Board as gifts.

District Improvement Plan

Dr. Corda then distributed updated copies of the District Improvement Plan. He then gave a very brief overview about some minor changes that had been made to the Plan. Dr. Corda reminded everyone that the plan would be presented to the State on October 2, 2008.

Mr. Iannaccone had some questions regarding the goals on page 58. Dr. Corda reviewed this with him.

The discussion then moved to the role of the parent committee in 2006-2007 plan.

Ms. Hamilton said that the Board would take the document home and read it before voting on it.

Discussion followed about the composition of the District data team for 2007-2008. There were several concerns about the team that was chosen for the data team.

Curriculum Report

Ms. Mosby asked about having an interim director for the A.S.I. Dr. Corda said that Mr. Daddona and he had just started discussing this earlier in the day. Ms. Murray asked if Dr. Corda could then send copies of discussion in a memo to the Committee.

Ms. Mosby then gave a brief report of how the Curriculum Committee was reviewing the various aspects, including the CMT scores, the CALI model and the demographic scales for the various schools. When the reports are received, having vertical scale scores included would be helpful. Dr. Corda said that the District was still waiting to receive some clarification about this from the State.

Ms. Murray said that Ms. Diane Falardo was an excellent presenter and that she was an asset to the District.

Ms. Mosby announced that the next meeting would be on the 18th.

BOARD MEMBERS ANNOUNCEMENTS

Mr. Iannaccone said that he was involved with NHS marching band for 10 years and that the students were scoring in the high end of the SAT scores. Mr. Iannaccone said that he disagreed with the statement made earlier. Mr. Iannaccone has been appointed to the state task force for mentoring.

Ms. Mosby then inquired if the report that she had asked for from the consultants contained the complete information for the last two months. When Mr. Cook said that it was complete, Ms. Mosby said that she did not see any breakdown of the numbers in some of the line items. Mr. Cook explained that those accounts had not had any vouchers drawn against them yet.

She also asked where the line item was for Dr. Lang’s consultant fees. Mr. Cook explained that the vouchers for that particular expenditure had not been processed yet. Ms. Mosby then stated that the report was not complete. Mr. Cook said that the report was complete in regards to all the vouchers that had been submitted at that time.

Mr. Kimmel said that he had requested that this issue should be discussed in the Finance Committee. Ms. Mosby then asked if she attended the Budget meeting, would she be able to ask the questions about the budget. Ms. Hamilton said that it was the discretion of the Chair to decide. Mr. Kimmel said that there were some FOI requirements that needed to be acknowledged. Mr. Burnett said that there is an item on the Budget agenda for public input. Ms. Rivas pointed out that when someone speaks during the public input, the Board is not supposed to respond, or answer questions. Mr. Burnett then asked if was a FOI meeting or if this was the Board Announcement portion of the meeting.

** MR. IANNACCONE MOVED TO ADJOURN. ** MR. BURNETT SECONDED. **THE MOTION TO ADJOURN FAILED WITH TWO IN FAVOR (IANNACCONE AND BURNETT) AND SEVEN AGAINST (CHIARAMONTE, BISHOP-PULLAN, KIMMEL, HAMILTON, MURRAY, RIVAS, AND MOSBY)

Ms. Murray said that she had asked for some information regarding time and pay, such as when a third floor employee is not in the building and how this is reflected in the payroll. She said that she wanted to see the actual payroll and how these items are accounted for in the payroll. Dr. Corda pointed out that he had included the form that the employees fill out for vacation and sick time. Ms. Murray said that she would give a call to the Payroll Department.

Ms. Mosby said that she would continue to bring her issues before the Board.

ADJOURNMENT

** MR. CHIARAMONTE MOVED TO ADJOURN. ** MR. KIMMEL SECONDED. ** THE MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.

The meeting adjourned at 10:25 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Sharon L. Soltes Telesco Secretarial Services

Category: Minutes