Board of Education Meeting Minutes Draft

February 10, 2009

ATTENDANCE: Rosa Murray, Chair; Jody Bishop-Pullan; Susan Hamilton, Glenn Iannaccone, Jack Chiaramonte, Greg Burnett, Migdalia Rivas, Shirley Mosby; Mayor Richard Moccia

STAFF: Dr. Salvatore Corda, Superintendent of Schools

CALL TO ORDER

Ms. Murray called the meeting to order at 7:10 p.m.

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

Ms. Murray then lead those present in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.

SPOTLIGHT ON NORWALK PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Mr. Chiaramonte then presented the report to the Board.

SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT

Dr. Corda presented his report to the Board and introduced Atty. Moses, who would present the District’s report on Spectrum Kids

Mayor Moccia left the meeting at 7:30 p.m.

Report on Inquiry into Spectrum Kids

Atty. Marsha Moses, of Bercham, Moses and Devlin came forward and presented the results of the District’s inquiries into the services provided by Spectrum Kids and Stacy Lore.

Atty. Moses reviewed the details regarding the billing of Spectrum Kids to the Norwalk Public School District. She went on to state that the parents were pleased with the performance of Spectrum Kids, an independent licensed professional supervised Ms. Lore’s work and was satisfied. She went on to say that based on overall, after the review of the services, the reviewers did not find any negative impact on the Norwalk School District students.

Atty. Moses then said that there were some recommendation for inclusions of specific language covering licensing and credentials, services provided, background checks, and numerous other checks. She then recommended a full review of all outside educational providers with a report brought back to the Board. The administration should put into place a protocol regarding outside providers to insure the effectiveness of the provider. The administration should develop a written procedure including the billed services delivered and the rate clearly stated. A form should be developed to have the outside provider to sign off on. The last recommendation is that the Board consider consulting with law enforcement regarding Ms. Lore’s misrepresentations.

Ms. Murray said that there would be further discussion and that two Board members should be part of this process. Ms. Bishop Pullan asked what steps had been taken by the District. Dr. Corda said that it was clear that all the procedures were not in place and that this was his responsibility. Procedures have been instituted to insure contracts are in placed and properly signed. Legal consultation on the contracts have been done. Written procedures and background checks have been started. The Board is considering a policy relative to contracts and the consulting firm has determined that the procedures were adequate. Dr. Corda said that the District was identifying what safety precautions to have in order for this not to happen again.

PUBLIC COMMENT

The following comments have been summarized and are not necessarily verbatim.

Mr. Steven Colarossi came forward and said that he lived at 17 Fourth Street. He said that he had a daughter enrolled at Naramake School. Mr. Colarossi then said that the school was particularly accepting of his two adopted Asian daughters. He then said that he was surprised that the Board had not accepted Ms. Ockasi as principal. He reminded everyone that the School Interview Committee had painstakingly reviewed all the applications. When Board members had suggested that a wider pool of application when Naramake had chosen its candidate was from the same pool. The interview process happened on the same day as the Fox Run

Ms. Joan Smith of 5 Smith Street came forward. She said that the school had been unusually quiet after the news that Ms. Ockasi had not been selected as principal for Naramake. Ms. Smith then reviewed the interview process that the school group engaged in to select their candidate. The interview process was exhausting and Ms. Smith felt that all the candidates were treated equally and that the candidates were evaluated. She then said that she hoped the Board would reconsider their decision.

Mr. John Fillyan said that he lived in the neighborhood at 20 Sunset Hill and originally had not intended to send his children to a Norwalk public school. When he went to pick up his son’s records, he was impressed with the professional staff and decided to become part of the Naramake family.

Mr. Fillyan then said that he was involved in a number of boards and other positions in companies. He said that he felt no plausible reason was present to endanger Ms. Ockasi as principal. She was singled out in the Cambridge Report as a stellar teacher.

Ms. Angela Aruyo of Strawberry Hill came forward and said that she had been involved with Naramake since 2000 and that she was in support of Ms. Ockasi as principal. When Mr. Henry announced that he was retiring, Ms. Aruso thought that Ms. Ockasi would be a good principal. Ms. Aruso then said that there had only been one problem for her at the school, which concerned her niece and Ms. Ockasi was able to encourage her niece and the problem was addressed.

Mr. Gary Scharf of 30 Lockwood Lane came forward and said that he was involved in the Naramake School in the Information Technology Board. He said that he was disappointed to hear that Ms. Ockasi had not been approved and that an interim principal was being appointed at $600 a day. This means that the school could buy a new PC every other day, or go wireless in a week. He pointed out that in 20 weeks, the District will spend upwards of $60,000 and that this money could actually benefit the students. Mr. Scharf then urged the Board to reconsider Ms. Ockasi.

Mr. Dan Lucia came forward and said that he was a member of the Naramake staff. The Staff members in the audience all stood. He said that staff agreed that the Naramake leader should be a progressive thinker and one that can nurture the students and provide an atmosphere that help the students to learn. Mr. Lucia then said that Ms. Ockasi has all these qualities. He then listed the many qualifications that are needed and repeated that he believed Ms. Ockasi fulfilled these qualifications.

Ms. Lisa Lenskold, the co-president of the Naramake PTO, came forward. Her daughter is in Naramake and was not reading to grade level. Her daughter was placed in a special class to address this issue. Once she reached her grade level, her daughter was removed from the special assistance class, but still was struggling. After a discussion with Ms. Ockasi about this situation, a reading group was started for those students who were performing at grade level. Since then, the readers in this group have maintained their skills and are improving. This, Ms. Lenskold explained, was how Ms. Ockasi was able to provide a creative solution to a problem.

Ms. Michelle Andripolous came forward and thanked the Board for listening to the parents express their concerns about the selection of the Naramake principal. Ms. Andripolous said that her son had experienced a neighborhood school as it was meant to be. Ms. Andripolous then related how Ms. Ockasi would greet the students as they arrive at the school and other ways that Ms. Ockasi has reached out to the student’s body. Ms. Andripolous related that she had been in favor of sending her children to private school, but after meeting with Mr. Henry, she became in favor of sending their children to Naramake.

Ms. Wendy Gerbier came forward and said that she was part of the staff at Naramake. She said that when she heard about the meeting, she was hesitant to attend. Ms. Gerbier said that she is liaison between the families and the school. Ms. Gerbier said that she has witnessed how Ms. Ockasi had gone above and beyond the role of a vice president, which included buying students lunches and occasionally clothing which the families could not afford. Ms. Gerbier said that at the end of the day, she had never experienced anyone who could bring a school community together like Ms. Ockasi could.

Ms. Alvena Watkins of Lincoln Avenue came forward and said that she was a Norwalk resident, and a member of the staff at Naramake. When Ms. Ockasi arrived at the school in 2007, she immediately made connections with the students, the family and the staff. Ms. Watkins said that Ms. Ockasi had arrived at Naramake with over 20 years of experience and knowledge. She is able to put the students first and work with the school and the parents to focus on this. She then said she hoped that the Board would reconsider their decision regarding Ms. Ockasi.

Ms. Elizabeth Murelli of 16 Willow Street came forward and thanked the Board for their time. She then said that the fact that there were so many people present to say that they wanted Ms. Ockasi as principal was worth repeating. Ms. Murelli said that she had attended private schools all her live and very wary about sending her children to public school. Ms. Murelli then listed some of her concerns and said that Ms. Ockasi had addressed these issues without Ms. Murelli ever voicing them.

Mr. Peter Tucci of 13 Hillandale Road came forward and said that when his son became school age, he had considered All Saints, another year of preschool or Naramake. Because of Ms. Ockasi, he had decided to send his son to Naramake.

Ms. Tracey Smith of 12 Woodbury Avenue came forward and said that she had originally written her remarks but decided to speak from the heart for the parents who couldn’t be at the meeting. Many of the children are dealing with a lot of change at home and don’t want a change at school, too. She commented that many of the students were crying at the pancake breakfast at the school. Her own children told Ms. Smith to go to the Board and “make them make Ms. Ockasi the principal”. Ms. Smith said that her daughter was giving the teachers a hard time, but Ms. Ockasi had worked with her and her daughter. Now her daughter has changed and is doing much better. Ms. Smith said that the students really love Ms. Ockasi and they deserved a principal they like.

Ms. Cyndi Mottolese of 12 Heather Lane came forward and said that she was single parents and a Norwalk taxpayer. She then asked why the Board was looking out of District for a principal when there was a candidate available. She also expressed why Ms. Ockasi was not interim principal. Ms. Mottolese said her own child is witnessing a divorce at home and that both she and her child receive support from the school during that difficult time.

Mr. Jeff Ortolano said that he lives at Lockwood Lane and has been in Norwalk for seven years. He said that he thinks it is apparent that this is a significant decision. After three months of interviewing candidates, the Board had yet to make a decision. After being led by Mr. Henry, it is a challenge to find a replacement. However, Mr. Ortolano said that he could not understand why the Board was overlooking a candidate, that of Ms. Ockasi. He then listed the several qualities that Ms. Ockasi and implored the Board to reconsider the candidacy of Ms. Ockasi. He pointed out that there was a room full of parents who want Ms. Ockasi as the principal. He then requested that the Board not table their vote this evening.

Ms. Joanne Romano of Winfield Street came forward and said that she lived at 50 Winfield Street. While she does not have a student at Naramake, she was present as a concerned citizen. She then asked why the Board was replacing a well oiled wheel. Ms. Romano said that she was concerned about the fact that the District was spending $600 a day on the interim principal. This money is not in the budget and there is already a viable candidate at the school. She then urged the Board to change their vote.

Mr. Art Kassimis of 80 Walter Street came forward and said that he had moved four times in the last four years because his family has grown. He said that his family has always lives in the Naramake district and decided to stay there because he has seen the school go from good to great and then to excellent in the last fifteen years. He said that this is his daughter’s year and she has already had three teachers. He asked the Board to consider the students at Naramake.

Ms. Margaret Bustell of Stacy Lane came forward. She said that her child had been diagnosed with autism and that she had been told that there is only a narrow window to pull the child out of the autistic world. She took the advise of the school and let her son be tutored by Ms. Lorrie. She said that her son, who is not verbal, knows the sign for “cow”, but not “help” or “eat”. Ms. Bustell said that she had submitted evidence of the harm done to her son and that no one from the law firm had ever called her back. She urged that ms. Lorrie be prosecuted to send a message to people that making money on the backs of

Mr. Michael Bustell of Stacy Lane came forward and said that statistically, at least 120 people of his own demographic were present, and one of those would have an autistic child. He then recounted that he has video of his son talking at one, and making eye count. Then he had an MMR, which resulted in a high fever and then developed autistic tendency. He then pointed out that the school system had recommended Ms. Lore. The advocates for special education prey on autistic children’s families. He then suggested that the District follow the money.

Ms. Svetlana Brien of Sunrise Road came forward and said that she said that she wondered what documents were examined in terms of Stacy Lore. She then asked how it was determined whether the damage was done. She said that her child had many issues and that she had asked questions. However none of her questions were ever answered and she had never been contacted by the lawyers to talk about her child’s issues.

Another parent came forward and poised several questions about the qualification of the special education report from the lawyers. She added that she felt that this was a serious matter and should be perused further.

Mr. Jeff Hall, 73 Strawberry Hill, asked how much the report cost the District. Dr. Corda said that he had not received the bill yet. Mr. Hall said that it was this type of lack of information that concerned him. Usually the cost of the report is agreed upon before the process starts.

Ms. Maria Murphy of Sunrise Lane said that she was present regarding Spectrum Kids. She then said that data is routinely recorded by those who work with special education children. She then referred page 5 of the report, and said that she had not seen one page of data. She then pointed out several issues on page 6, such as the statement about a book that Ms. Lorrie supposedly wrote but that actually was written by one of Ms. Lorrie’s employees. To say that one can not measure something that is lost is incorrect, Ms. Murphy felt. The parents see the loss in the simple lack of progress.

Ms. Janet Negron of Heather Lane came forward and said that she was born and raised in NYC and her husband was from the Bronx. One of the reasons that she moved to Norwalk was to get away from the New York City schools. She said that she loves the staff at Naramake and that she had interviewed many parents about Naramake. She then urged the Board to confirm Ms. Ockasi as principal.

Mr. Paul Blumenthal came forward and asked the Board to think about the current trends that are happening across the country. He said that there were four schools that were not meeting the yearly progress. However, tonight there is a strong representation of parental involvement. He then asked the Board to reconsider and reevaluate the decision by bringing in some representatives to discuss this issue.

Regarding the special education issue, Mr. Blumenthal said that the big question was to whom did these schools belong.

ACTIONS

A. Consent

1. Personnel Actions

Ms. Rivas asked that the appointment of the principal for Fox Run be removed from the Consent Calendar as this was a position of under the Diversity Employment Plan which required all members of the interview committee not present during an interview to recuse him or her self from the vote.

** MS. BISHOP PULLAN MOVED TO APPROVE THE PERSONNEL ACTIONS AS FOLLOWS:

RESIGNATION :

BUCKLEY-EBSERSOLD, PAMELA - SILVERMINE – GRADE 2 – EFFECTIVE 02/23/09

RESIGNATION FOR THE PURPOSE OF RETIREMENT:

SUCHY, ELLEN – BRIGGS – SOCIAL STUDIES

RECOMMENDED FOR APPOINTMENT:

HELD, CAROL – SPEECH AND LANGUAGE, WEST ROCKS – EFFECTIVE 01/26/09

** THE MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.

Ms. Mosby said that she had a problem with the fact that someone could vote without seeing the candidate in an interview.

** MR. BURNETT MOVED TO APPROVE MR. JAMES MARTINEZ AS THE FOX RUN PRINCIPAL.

** MR. IANNACCONE SECONDED.

** THE MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.

Ms. Rivas objected because she stated that the Diversity Employment Plan which required members of the interview process who were not present during an interview to recuse him or her self. Ms. Mosby reiterated that if a Board member was not present at the interview, then the policy stated that the Board member should recuse himself or herself. Mr. Chiaramonte said that it was not right that in a democracy, someone should be denied the right to vote on an issue that involved his committee.

Ms. Mosby said that there was a violation of privacy by Board members and interview committee members when some of the committee had spoken to the public about issues that had been discussed in Executive Session. Ms. Mosby said that she had been subjected to bullying, intimidation and comments because of this. She went on to say that her opportunity to ask questions of the candidate was taken away from her. Ms. Mosby was quite upset with the comments that had been made over the last week. She repeated that if a Board member is not present when a candidate is interviewed, then it is not right for a member to vote. She said that she was objecting to the process and how it was violated. She said that it was shameful that such a diverse community hadn’t come as far as she thought it had.

Ms. Rivas said that if there was a procedure, and a Diversity Employment Plan, then it should apply to every person. She said that she was hurt by a lot of the comments that had been made. She said that if she was pulling an item from the Consent Calendar agenda, the process shouldn’t be ignored.

Ms. Murray said that she would allow two more comments before moving on to the next item of the agenda because the vote had already been taken.

Ms. Mosby then said that she wouldn’t discuss things from executive session, but that the candidate was asked to come back. She added that it would be important to follow the process.

Mr. Chiaramonte said that the Board members receive a packet of information on each candidate and that each member of the committee that received the packet had the right to vote.

Approval of Policy #41153 Athletic Coaches

** MS. BISHOP-PULLAN MOVED THE FOLLOWING RESOLUTION:

RESOLVED, UPON THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS, THAT THE BOARD OF EDUCATION APPROVE POLICY #4115.3 ATHLETIC COACHES.

** MS. HAMILTON SECONDED. ** THE MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.

Approval of minutes (January 13 & 20, 2009)

** MS. BISHOP-PULLAN MOVED THE MINUTES OF THE JANUARY 13, 2009 MEETING.

** MS. HAMILTON SECONDED.

The following corrections were noted;

Page 1, under ATTENDANCE: please removed the second occurrence of “Greg Burnett”.

Page 1, under BOARD DISCUSSION WITH THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION CONSULTANT, MARTHA SULLIVAN: Please change

“BOARD DISCUSSION WITH THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION CONSULTANT, MARTHA SULLIVAN”

to: “BOARD DISCUSSION WITH THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION CONSULTANT, MARTHA SUMMERVILLE”

and all further references to “Ms. Sullivan” to “Ms. Summerville”.

Page 8, paragraph 1, line 1: please change “Ms. Murray requested to open up discussion on a part of the budget” to “Ms. Murray requested to have the organizational charts pulled out on the part of the budget”

Page 9, paragraph 1, and throughout the page: please change all reference to “Mr. Iannaccone” to “Mr. Gorian”

Page 17, paragraph 7, line 3: please change the following from: “The cost for three would be $180 with a savings of $120.” To : “The cost for three would be $180,000 with a savings of $120,000.”

** THE MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF JANUARY 13, 2009 AS CORRECTED PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.

** MS. HAMILTON MOVED THE MINUTES OF THE JANUARY 20, 2009 MEETING. ** MS. BISHOP-PULLAN SECONDED. ** THE MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF JANUARY 20, 2009 AS SUBMITTED PASSED WITH FIVE IN FAVOR (HAMILTON, CHIARAMONTE, BISHOP-PULLAN, IANNACCONE AND RIVAS) THREE ABSTENTIONS (BURNETT, MURRAY AND MOSBY).

APPROVAL OF FIELD TRIPS

BMHS Center for Global Studies to Japan Bowl, Washington, D.C. April 2-4, 2009.

** MS. BISHOP PULLAN MOVED THE FOLLOWING RESOLUTION:

RESOLVED, UPON THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS, THAT THE BOARD OF EDUCATION APPROVE THE ATTACHED FIELD TRIP: BRIEN MCMAHON HIGH SCHOOL CENTER FOR GLOBAL STUDIES (JAPANESE II A-P) TO JAPAN BOWL, WASHINGTON D.C. APRIL 2-4, 2009.

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

APPOINTMENT OF TWO BOARD MEMBERS TO THE NORWALK BET WORK/STUDY GROUP

** MR. IANNACCONE MOVED TO APPROVE THE APPOINTMENT OF TWO BOARD MEMBERS TO THE NORWALK BET WORK/STUDY GROUP. ** MR. CHIARAMONTE SECONDED. ** THE MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.

APPROVE REINSTATEMENT OF DIRECTOR OF ELEMENTARY EDUCATION (MOTION PREVIOUSLY TABLED).

** MR. CHIARAMONTE MOVED TO APPROVE REINSTATEMENT OF DIRECTOR OF ELEMENTARY EDUCATION.

** MS. HAMILTON SECONDED. ** THE MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.

APPROVE APPOINTMENT OF PRINCIPAL FOR NARAMAKE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.

** MR. CHIARAMONTE MOVED THE FOLLOWING RESOLUTION:

RESOLVED, THAT THE BOARD OF EDUCATION APPROVE THE APPOINTMENT OF KAREN OCKASI AS PRINCIPAL OF NARAMAKE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.

** MR. IANNACCONE SECONDED.

Mr. Burnett said that there had been a discussion in Executive Session about the candidate. Mr. Burnett said that later the decision and understanding expressed in the meeting were changed and brought into public space. He said that having said this, he would support the appointment of Ms. Ockasi as principal of Naramake School.

Mr. Iannaccone said that he had a strong passion for Naramake and had attended Naramake the year it opened. He said that his children had also attended Naramake.

The Mayor joined the meeting at 9:41 p.m.

Mr. Iannaccone said that he had heard from various people that the District did not promote from within and felt that this was a shame.

Ms. Mosby said that she had not have the opportunity to explore and ask some questions to Ms. Ockasi because of the situation.

** THE MOTION TO APPROVE THE APPOINTMENT OF KAREN OCKASI AS PRINCIPAL OF NARAMAKE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PASSED WITH FOUR IN FAVOR (BURRNETT, CHIARAMONTE, IANNACCONE, AND HAMILTON) AND FOUR ABSTENTIONS (BISHOP PULLAN, MOSBY, MURRAY AND RIVAS).

Mayor Moccia left the meeting at 9:45 p.m.

INFORMATION AND REPORTS

Dr. Corda announced that the District Technology Plan that was listed on the February 3, 2009 agenda would not be presented at this meeting because Mr. Valenzisi was not able to attend the meeting.

2009-2010 School Calendar

Dr. Corda then reviewed the details regarding the calendar and the impact that snow days can have on the calendar. Ms. Bishop Pullan then had several questions about the timing of the February vacation. Dr. Corda said that he was not sure that having a week off in February did not necessarily help the students with winter colds and flu. He said that in his recollection, the winter recess started because of the gas shortages in the 1970’s. Dr. Corda said that his biggest concern was finishing up at the end of June. Currently, the schools need to extend the instructional days by one day. However, the winter is not yet over.

Mr. Burnett said that he was concerned that the families had a chance to adjust to the change. By extending the December break to two weeks, the District took a small step forward. Before making a change for the 2009-2010 school year, more data would be needed.

Dr. Corda said that any consideration would be for 2010-2011. Discussion then followed. At the conclusion of the discussion it was announced by Dr. Corda that this issue would be listed as an action item on the next agenda.

Possible BOE Meeting – February 24,

Dr. Corda said that there was no pressing items for next agenda and he suggested that the Board not meet on the 24th. The general consensus of the Board was that this would be acceptable. Ms. Rivas stated that she did not know what a consensus was. Ms. Murray assured her that one had been reached by the Board on this matter.

C. Discussion of agreement document between NPS and Human Service Council

Ms. Mosby asked if a copy of the agreement could be included in the next packet. Dr. Corda said that it would.

D. Discussion of proposed policy on NPS contracts.

Ms. Bishop Pullan said that the Draft Policy had been worked on and that it would be on the agenda. Dr. Corda suggested one change and Ms. Bishop Pullan said that the Committee had considered this. Ms. Murray said that she would like some clarification on who would be required to sign the contract.

COMMITTEE REPORTS

Standing Committee Reports

Ms. Murray said that she would like to have the Committee minutes in the packets and have the Committee representative give a brief report.

Facility and Construction Committee - Mr. Iannaccone reported that the last Facility and Construction Committee had been cancelled.

Policy Committee – Ms. Bishop Pullan said that the next Policy Committee will meet the last week of February. She also thanked Sheri McCready for all her hard work

Ms. Hamilton said that CES had not met recently. She then gave a brief overview of the help that CES provides to the district.

BOARD MEMBER ANNOUNCEMENTS

Mr. Iannaccone announced that Mr. Gilmore, a former Norwalk High School had passed away recently.

Mr. Burnett thanked the Board and the School District for all the support in the last few weeks when his mother died recently.

Dr. Corda said that he had requested that the Board members had been asked to check their calendar for March 10th for the CREC report. He requested that the Board members check with him about this.

DISCUSSION OF EMPLOYEE SEPARATION AGREEMENT

** MS. BISHOP PULLAN MOVED TO ENTER INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION TO DISCUSS PERSONNEL ISSUES.

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

The Board and Dr. Corda entered into executive session to discuss personnel issues at 10:09 p.m. The Board and Dr. Corda returned to public session at 10:32 p.m.

ADJOURNMENT

** MS. HAMILTON MOVED TO ADJOURN ** MR. IANNACCONE SECONDED. ** THE MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.

The meeting adjourned at 10:33 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Sharon L. Soltes

Telesco Secretarial Services

Category: Minutes