Board of Education Meeting Minutes

October 3, 2006

ATTENDANCE: Rosa Murray, Rob Polley; Bruce Kimmel; Jody Bishop-Pullan; Susan Hamilton; Richard Fuller; Midaglia Rivas (7:49); Gregory Burnett (7:50).

STAFF: Dr. Salvatore Corda, Superintendent of Schools.

OTHERS: Stuart Opdahl;

I. CALL TO ORDER

Ms. Murray called the meeting to order at 7:47 p.m.

II. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

Ms. Murray led the Board in the Pledge of Allegiance.

III. SPOTLIGHT

Mr. Fuller read the Spotlight report into the record.

IV. SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT

NCLB Update re High Schools Dr. Corda reported that both Norwalk High School and Brien McMahon High School have been identified as having youngsters who are in need of improvement. He said it was unfortunate that the way in which the legislation is crafted, the schools are characterized as in need of improvement, and he does not believe that it is the schools that are in need of improvement in the sense that the teachers and administrators at all three high schools in Norwalk are committed to the success of our students. And he does not say that their students are in need of improvement from the perspective of their having deficits in terms of their capacity, but rather, and it is interesting to note, that the groups that have been identified as having need of improvement are African-American students and free and reduced-price luncheon students. Dr. Corda asked why was that important. He said everyone was familiar with the achievement gap, and has been debating, discussing, planning, and implementing all sorts of steps to address that. The fact of the matter is, one of the overriding factors that contributes to youngsters needing more time in order to be able to perform successfully, is because, many times, youngsters who come from poor families have a greater need for support in order to catch up. Not in all cases, but in many cases. And unfortunately, many African-American students come from families of limited economic means. And it is fair to say that the youngsters that inhabit the free and reduced-price lunch group, many times, are African-American youngsters.

Dr. Corda said he was talking about this tonight because he felt that they, as a community, need to recognize that there are certain realities that require paying attention to. The realities are this: the fact that youngsters need more time and need additional support does not mean that youngsters are incapable of success. We know what the students are capable of, and we know that with the right support, both in school and out of school, we can create the means for them to be successful.

Dr. Corda said he doesn’t want to lose sight of the goal, which is that, when a youngster leaves the Norwalk Public Schools, that youngster is able to take his or her place in the world, whether they are entering college, entering the work world, or entering the military. He said the point is, we are not going to let a youngster out of here unless they can meet those goals and those standards that the Board has approved.

Dr. Corda said the danger in NCLB is that it can create an affect, a belief, that schools can’t do the job. He said our schools can do the job, and will do the job. If he were to try to break down the statistics, the reason why Norwalk H.S. and Brien McMahon did not make the criteria so that this conversation would not be necessary, is because the percentage of youngsters who needed to meet the standard was not quite “there”. What did he mean by this? Dr. Corda pointed out that if only two students at McMahon and two at Norwalk H.S. had scored at the next level, the score would have been fine, at least in terms of NCLB. But the schools would not be fine, unless high percentages of our students are meeting the standards. Dr. Corda said that to him, that is not 65%, that is not 75%, it is 95% or better. That is a goal that is attainable, and is the goal they are striving for. The value of NCLB, in his judgment, is, that it underscores the importance of making sure we pay attention to all of our groups. The danger of NCLB is that it has no understanding of what it takes for schools and schools systems to improve, and more importantly, that it creates a public perception about the capacity of schools to be successful, and that is what they have to worry about.

Dr. Corda said if he were to share the percentage of students in comparison of the percentage of students the last time these numbers came out, the percentage of students at proficiency has increased. But it has not increased to the point where it would not have met the NCLB criteria. Dr. Corda stated he says that often enough to be perceived as trying to make excuses, which he is not. He is not satisfied with the performance of our youngsters until we get to those high 90s in all areas. And he is also concerned that, at the same time, people don’t jump to conclusions about the quality and the caliber of Norwalk teachers, administrators and Norwalk Public Schools.

Dr. Corda stated he wished to also discuss student safety. He said it was unfortunate that a number of incidents where young people were killed in schools have been in the newspapers and on television, because of the actions of individuals who were either mentally unbalanced or had criminal intent. He said this raises concerns in all of us about the safety of our children. The question among the public, the Board, and the staff is, are we safe?

Dr. Corda said at that afternoon’s cabinet meeting, the cabinet met to discuss issues related to student safety, and he wished to share the outcome of that discussion, which is an ongoing process. The information was sent to the principals at about 7:30 this evening, and parents would be receiving it within a day or two in a letter with the same information. Dr. Corda said he wanted the public to be aware of the steps they were taking in order to be sure that the schools are as safe as possible.

A number of years ago, they developed a School Emergency Plan, which was a comprehensive document, which was the result of collaboration between the City and School personnel about the steps that need to be taken to respond to a whole variety of emergencies. It has not been reviewed in the last three years, and they are now in the process of reviewing it. In addition, they are asking that principals review, with staff, the existing procedures, especially making the new staff aware of what these procedures are. Dr. Corda listed an example of an issue that took place at Ponus Ridge Middle School in which a person was discovered on the roof of the school building by a janitor, and how the school went into “lockdown”, with the police being called and inspecting the building.

Dr. Corda said there are a number of other procedures depending on the circumstances that have been developed. We want to review with our staff all the procedures so if it becomes necessary to utilize them, people know what to do and how to do it. They will review all procedures and conduct the drills that are necessary so that pupils know what is expected of them. Every staff member has an ID badge, and they will reinforce the importance of wearing them. Buildings that have intercom systems will be checked. Administrators, custodians and other personnel have cell phones with two-way radio capacity, and they will verify that everyone who should be on this system is, in fact, on it. They will reinforce with custodians and staff that school building doors are not to be left open, including gym doors, or any door that moves to an outside space.

Six elementary schools have an entryway, which requires being buzzed in, with a TV camera that focuses on the individual ringing the bell. At the six remaining elementary schools, the three middle schools that do not have that capacity, and at Briggs H.S., this system will be implemented, and the plans at Norwalk H.S. will be reviewed to be sure this system is available there as well. Dr. Corda said they have learned from Mr. Rodriguez today that the two-way radio system at Brien McMahon does not have a strong enough signal to go from one end of the building to the other end, so they will get a booster to make sure the capacity is there.

Dr. Corda said they will accept other suggestions from both principals and parents to increase the security of all school buildings.

V. PUBLIC COMMENT

No member of the public wished to address the Board.

VI. ACTIONS

A. Consent 1. Approval of personnel actions 2. Approval of budget transfers.

** MS. HAMILTON MOTIONED TO APPROVE THE CONSENT ITEMS. ** MS. RIVAS SECONDED. ** MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.

B. Approval of minutes (August 1, 15 and September 5, 2006)

** MR. FULLER MOTIONED TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF THE AUGUST 1, AUGUST 15, AND SEPTEMBER 5, 2006 MEETINGS. ** MS. HAMILTON SECONDED. ** MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.

C. Approval of field trips

1. Norwalk High School to England (English Literature classes)

** MR. BURNETT MOTIONED TO APPROVE NORWALK HIGH SCHOOL ENGLISH LITERATURE CLASSES TO ENGLAND APRIL 14 THROUGH APRIL 22, 2007. ** MR. POLLEY SECONDED. ** MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.

2. Roton and Ponus Ridge Middle Schools to Japan (Grade 8 Japanese)

** MR. BURNETT MOTIONED TO APPROVE ROTON AND PONUS RIDGE MIDDLE SCHOOLS GRADE 8 JAPANESE CLASSES TO JAPAN MAY 9 THROUGH MAY 23, 2007. ** MR. POLLEY SECONDED. ** MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.

3. Norwalk High School to Spain (Spanish Classes 10-12) ** MS. HAMILTON MOTIONED TO APPROVE NORWALK HIGH SCHOOL SPANISH CLASSES (GRADES 10-12) TO SPAIN APRIL 13 THROUGH APRIL 23, 2007. ** MS. RIVAS SECONDED. ** MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.

D. Approval to certify that Norwalk Public Schools has agreed to comply with all the Provisions of Section 2 and 3 of Public Act 06-63, an Act concerning Healthy Foods and Beverages in Schools

** MS. HAMILTON MOTIONED TO APPROVE THE RESOLUTION, UPON THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS, THAT THE BOARD OF EDUCATION CERTIFY THAT THE NORWALK PUBLIC SCHOOLS HAVE AGREED TO COMPLY WITH ALL THE PROVISIONS OF SECTION 2 & 3 OF PUBLIC ACT 06-63, AN ACT CONCERNING HEALTHY FOODS AND BEVERAGES IN SCHOOLS. ** MS. RIVAS SECONDED.

Mr. Polley asked if Norwalk’s program complied with the national program, even though it doesn’t have to. Dr. Corda stated that it did.

** MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.

VII. INFORMATION & REPORTS

A. Candidate search protocol – Norwalk High School

Dr. Corda stated that Dr. Jennifer Masone has been appointed as Assistant Principal at Brookside School and illustrated Dr. Masone’s requirements for the Board.

Dr. Corda explained that the protocol will change, and said the change concerns using a consultant. He outlined what the Building Committee and Central Office will do. He said he has asked Mr. Morris, who served as chair of that committee, to re-convene the committee to discuss the changes.

B. Budget Review 2006/07

Mr. Opdahl discussed an assessment of the 2005-06 year to use as a baseline comparison. He distributed documents to the Board for their review and explained that they were addressing the goal of long-term planning.

Mr. Opdahl stated that the District is now locked in with prices for gas through Yankee Gas, and with diesel fuel. He also noted that the District’s accreditation is coming up. He reported that as far as medical benefits this year, July was a very good month and they were under specific claims by $400,000. He said the budget looked good on transportation also. Further discussion followed.

VIII. DISCUSSION OF NEGOTIATIONS MATTER (Executive session anticipated)

** MR. POLLEY MOTIONED THAT THE BOARD GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION TO DISCUSS THE NEGOTIATIONS MATTER. ** MS. BISHOP-PULLAN SECONDED. ** MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.

Mr. Fuller recused himself from the discussion and left the meeting.

The Board went into Executive Session at 8:53 p.m.

IX. ADJOURNMENT

** MR. POLLEY MOTIONED TO ADJOURN THE MEETING. ** MS. HAMILTON SECONDED. ** MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.

The meeting was adjourned at 9:18 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Linda J. Hayes Telesco Secretarial Services

Category: Minutes