November 5, 2008 at 7:00 PM - Board Meeting

Rationale: 

Rationale:  Marilyn Oat will be reporting on the news going on at Killingly Memorial School.

Rationale:  Barbara Otero will be giving the board her annual report on the status of the Food Services Department.

Rationale: 

Rationale:  I am required by law to present the Strategic School Profile (SSP) to you at the first board meeting after receipt.  We do not intend to review this with the Board this evening; the focus of the November 19 meeting will be on reviewing CMT/CAPT results, other key BOE indicators, and action plans.

As you review the SSP, please forward any questions you have to Mr. Thompson.

Rationale:  According to Angelo Petrocelli, Gilbane's Project Manager, the project continues on schedule and on budget.  Four board members visited the site on October 27 and witnessed the amount of progress made.  Excavations for footings for most of the main building are complete, with footings being poured.  Blasting and grading for the vo-ag building continues, as does grading on the remainder of the site.  The main entry road will be paved within the next ten days, with permanent power available and steel erection starting before the end of December.

Rationale:  Attached are the CABE resolutions distributed to the delegates.  Richard will review them and share with the Board any resolutions he deems necessary. If you have a particular resolution of interest, please be prepared to share that with the Board.  Action by the Board on a particular resolution is only necessary if the Board wants to bind Richard, as your designated delegate, to a particular position.

Rationale:  The Fiscal Committee reviewed the administration's recommendation for transferring funds from medical benefits and teacher salaries to cover the $75,000 cost of the Facilities Study.  The Committee recommends that the Board approve this transfer, as presented.

Rationale:  As you know, during the summer Patricia Morgan, Trustee of the Beagary Charitable Trust, approached the administration and offered financial support for an initiative not funded through the regular town-approved budget process.  She identified the 1-to-1 laptop program for ninth graders, originally proposed by the high school as a decision package, as the program she was most interested in supporting.  She offered funding for the first year of implementation, but could not ensure funding for future years of the program.  Since August, we have had a team in place doing implementation planning with the support of Apple, a company with a long history of implementing these programs in Maine, Virginia, Florida and other states and school districts.

Several weeks ago, several Board members questioned moving ahead with the program given the current economic conditions.  The Fiscal Committee, at its meeting on October 20, reviewed the purposes and costs of the program with Mr. Costello and with me, and unanimously voted to recommend moving ahead with the program as planned.  They did want the entire board to have the opportunity to discuss this, and recommended the item be placed on the agenda for this meeting.

A number of supporting materials were distributed to the Board during budget deliberations last spring; please review them for the meeting.  Additional documentation and planning materials will be shared at the meeting.

Rationale:  The Board approved the first reading of Bylaw #9132 which will establish four standing committees - Curriculum, Fiscal, Policy and Community Engagement.

Rationale:  The Board approved as a first reading revised Bylaw #9321, Time, Place, and Notification of Meetings, making adjustments for new statutory requirements for posting on the district's website. 

Rationale:  The Board has approved as a first reading revised Bylaw #9323, Agenda Construction, making adjustments for new statutory requirements for posting on the district's website.

Rationale:  The Board has already approved as a first reading revised Bylaw #9326, Minutes, making adjustments for new statutory requirements for posting on the district's website.

Rationale:  The Board has approved as a first reading Policy #5145.14, On Campus Recruiting.

Rationale:  At its last meeting, on October 22, the Board reviewed the Student Discipline policy recommended to replace the existing policy and approved it on a first reading basis.  A number of revisions were made, and several questions raised about specific components of the policy that require advice from counsel, which we will have in time for the meeting.