Board of Education Honors Departing Members

Last night's regular Board of Education meeting began with a farewell from BOE Chairman Gene Nocera and Superintendent Pat Charles to Ryan Kennedy and former BOE Chairman Ted Raczka. Kennedy, who was appointed in 2008 to fill a vacancy and then re-elected on his own, is leaving the Board to run for a position on City Council.  Raczka was elected to the board in 2005, served as Vice-Chairman starting in 2005, and then was BOE Chairman from 2009-2011.  Most recently, Raczka was the Budget Committee Chairman.  "We wish him [Ted Raczka] the best in his future, in his law practice, and we thank him for everything he's done," Nocera told the Board.

The next Board of Education meeting is scheduled for November 19th to accommodate the election and swearing in of new town officials.  A newly formed BOE will meet that date and decide on committee assignments and leadership positions.

Schools PTAs Urge Parents to Support School Budget

The Board of Education goes before the Common Council this evening at 7pm to make its case for the 2012-2013 School Budget.  Mayor Drew said he would flat fund the educational budget on April 3rd, which would mean cuts of almost $3.5 million to amount the BOE has asked for.

School PTAs are urging parents to attend tonight's meeting to show support for the budget as proposed.  Interim Superintendent Dr. David Larson is expected to comment on at least the following arguments in support of a fully funded budget:

·         A 0% increase is less than a current services budget because of salary and benefit contracted increases.
·         78% of the education budget goes to instruction
·         75% of the budget is for salaries and insurance benefits
·         Maintain class size
·         Need for school librarians/media specialists to support the implementation of the common core – new national standards for education.
·         Need for interventionists to support our required SRBI (Scientifically Researched Based Intervention) implementation and the Common Core.
·         Update of our Student Information System to Power School to improve communication with parents and students as well as organization and access of student data (i.e. grades, enrollment, attendance…).

On April 17th, former BOE Chairman Ted Raczka, now the Budget Committee Chair, commented on what the loss of millions would do to the school budget:  "Extra-curricular activities will start to go, and if we're short millions, we will have to look at staffing levels.  Most of our retirements were done last year, and so it's not a good picture."  Raczka went on to say, "The reason I'm sitting over here at the end of the table [referring to where he sits at BOE meetings] is because I want to see money spent in classrooms.  I don't care about politics.  If you look at our funding compared to other communities, we're not getting it, and we're going to suffer because of that."


Raczka mentioned that he thought the Common Council would put some of the money back, but in the end, Middletown as a whole has to be serious about funding a quality education.


{Author's Note:  If you don't know what Common Core refers to, it's the new national standards for education coming out of DC.  Connecticut adopted the standards on July 7, 2010.  Click here for more information.}

Board of Education Passes 2012-2013 Budget

At tonight's Board of Education meeting, the 2012-2013 proposed budget of $74, 161, 155 passed with only one dissenting vote. Board Member Ryan Kennedy voted against the budget, saying he had heard from many residents who simply cannot afford for taxes to go up in this budget cycle. Kennedy did say that he does support the new math curriculum proposed by the budget, but that he can't at this time support an increased budget overall.

Click here for a link to the proposed budget, then select the link that reads "Superintendent's Recommended Budget for FY 2012-2012. The proposed budget represents a 4.82% increase over last year's budget. However, Budget Chairman Ted Raczka called it a "roll-over budget," meaning that other than contractual increases, budget amounts remain at the same level as last year. Raczka was also quick to add that the budget is a work in progress, and that he hopes members of the public will follow the process and advocate for a budget that meets the needs of Middletown students. BOE Chairman Gene Nocera commented that this year and next would be a difficult budget cycle and that he hoped to navigate the next two years with great concern for preventing staff lay-offs: "That would disastrous for our district and our programs," Nocera added.

Recent events at Farm Hill Elementary School completely overshadowed this evening's budget vote. Fourteen different parents and/or concerned Middletown residents spoke to the board about behavioral issues at Farm Hill. Over and over parents commented about the lack of information about what was happening while expressing a combined frustration at the perceived lack of resources or ability to handle behavioral problems. Superintendent Michael Frechette presented a report to the BOE about what resources have been available to Farm Hill and what new resources are coming as part of an expanded plan on how to address the concerns raised. At Farm Hill's upcoming Thursday (1/12/12) PTA meeting, Dr. Frechette will be meeting with the PTA to explain what is happening. Frechette will hold a similar meeting with Farm Hill teachers and staff on Friday (1/13/12). This EYE reporter was also told that several BOE members plan to attend the PTA meeting as well.

Additional information will be available as this week progresses, so check back for an update on this topic.

Sign Of The Times...A Commentary

If you've followed Board of Ed business at all the last few years, you'd know that members sit in the same place for each meeting. I never really thought about how that order was established until I sat through this first meeting with the new board and noticed everyone was all moved around. Specifically, the Superintendent now sits next to the Asst. Superintendent on the far right (instead of sitting next to the BOE Chairman, Dr. Nocera, who is in the yellow shirt on the far left of the picture), and Business Manager Nancy Haynes isn't seated at all anymore.

I asked newly elected BOE member Ed McKeon who assigned the seats, and he replied that seating is basically determined by the number of votes received during the election, but that BOE members also worked it out as to where people would sit.

Interestingly, after turning over the Chairman's seat to Dr. Nocera, Ted Raczka chose to sit at the very far left side of the room, next to Marcy Poppel (the Superintendent's administrative assistant who takes minutes of the meeting). There were several empty seats between Ted and the nearest BOE member, Cheryl McClellan, which meant I couldn't get Ted in the picture with everyone else.

I also find body language very interesting, and all of the new BOE members were sitting up and forward in their seats. They appeared shiny and new and interested in what was going on. Sitting BOE members like Ryan Kennedy and Bill Grady were far more relaxed in their seats, and tended to lean back and away from the conversation. And then there was Ted, very disconnected from the rest of his board members, resting the side of his head in his hand for most of the meeting.

I comment on seating arrangements and body language because both are a real clue as to how people get along (or don't), and what they think of their personal value as compared to a group value. I was encouraged to see a Democratic Chairman nominate a Republican Vice-Chairman, even if two BOE members voted against her. I was also encouraged to see the board (mostly) sitting together, with the Superintendent next to the Asst. Superintendent on the far side of the room. Visually, it sends an organized message (like groups sitting together), and it's comforting to us OCD types.

Mostly, though, I'm hoping it's not for show. Politics shouldn't matter when it comes to getting the best possible education for our children, and I'm hoping that the new Board of Education will remember that. There is much to do in the months ahead as the budget cycle is already starting. I'm looking forward to getting to know this new board, as I hope you are. Stay tuned!

Parents Baffled At Handling of Transportation Complaint

At last Tuesday night's Board of Education meeting, two parents and a grandparent asked the Board to consider their request for a change in bus stop location during both public sessions. This request led to a very distressing exchange between concerned BOE members and the Superintendent and his Business Manager.

Background:

The stop in question is at the intersection of Prout Hill Road and Crystal Lake Road. According to the joint complaint, the road is very narrow at that intersection and there are no sidewalks for the 6-8 children to stand on. Additionally, the homeowner at that intersection has requested that children not stand on her property while waiting for the bus (see here for that request to the BOE and Mayor) because she doesn't want to be responsible for any accident that might happen. The proposed parent solution is to move the stop to the intersection of Crystal Lake Rd. and Trailside Crossing: the street is wider and there are sidewalks for the kids to stand on.

The group request to the Superintendent's office, dated September 7th and signed by 9 different families, followed an August 31st certified letter from Board of Education Write-in Candidate Mark Loomis (grandparent to 5 children using the bus stop, 4 of which live with him). On September 9th, Business Manager Nancy Haynes wrote back to Loomis, thanking him for notifying the BOE of the concerns and telling him she would "review the bus stop against the Board of Education's transportation policy."

On Monday, September 21st, Sgt. Scott Aresco, the Traffic Unit Supervisor for the Middletown Police department, sent an email of his findings to Police Chief Patrick McMahon. The email reads as follows:

Chief,

The Traffic Unit has reviewed the bus stop at Prout Hill Road and Crystal Lake Road, and has the following concerns and recommendations.

• The current bus stop has no sidewalks where the children can wait for the school bus.
• Currently, the children stand in the front lawn of 182 Prout Hill Road; however, the resident has requested that the children not stand on her property waiting for the school bus. This is the only location at that corner where children can stand without being in the roadway. This becomes an issue especially in the winter with the snow/etc.

Our recommendation is that the bus stop be moved to the corner of Trailside Crossing and Crystal Lake Road. Children waiting for the bus will be off the roadway, as there are sidewalks on Trailside Crossing. Additionally, there is enough room in the cul-de-sac of Trailside Crossing for a bus to turn around.

Should you have any question and or concerns please feel free to contact me.

Sgt. Scott Aresco

On October 5th, Mark Loomis sent a second certified letter to the Superintendent, with the return receipt showing the letter was picked up on October 7th. This letter referenced the first request, cited Nancy Haynes' promise to look into the matter, and included the text of Sgt. Aresco's findings. Loomis received no reply to his letter. On Tuesday, October 11 (the same day as the BOE meeting), Mr. Loomis called the Board of Ed to see where his request was. He was told by Nancy Haynes that she was waiting for a road report that was being prepared by the safety department at DATTCO, and that she would contact him when the report was done.

According to his comments via email to this EYE reporter, Mr. Loomis couldn't understand what would take over a month for DATTCO to report on, so he called DATTCO to find out for himself:

I called them to ask; 1) when was the report requested, and 2) when could the Board expect to receive the report. At Dattco, I spoke to Ms. BillieJo Richardi of the Safety Dept. She told me that any request for a report such as described by Ms. Haynes would have to cross her desk, and that her department was not in receipt of any such request. She sounded a bit dismayed that she was just now hearing that there was a concern, and promised me that she would get back to me tomorrow, (Wednesday), it being almost the close of business on Tuesday.

Back to the BOE Meeting:

Mr. Loomis, Mr. Byrd and Mr. Latina all told the board various parts of this story during the first public session story, and all asked why there was no resolution to their case. BOE Chairman Ted Raczka responded that it wasn't a Q&A time and that the Board couldn't respond to direct questions. However, once the public session ended, BOE member Sheila Daniels asked where this case was and why it wasn't getting resolved. Here's where it got interesting...

Both the Superintendent and the Business Manager replied that they had received no written request for a transportation hearing to address this particular bus stop issue: "I haven't talked to anyone about this," said Michael Frechette. "No one has asked me for a hearing, " commented Nancy Haynes a moment later. BOE member Sheila Daniels then asked if any of the parents were even told that they needed to do such a thing, and there was no real answer to her question. BOE Member Corinne Gill added, "Protocol is that they're informed they have the right to submit a request for a hearing." BOE Member Ryan Kennedy commented that there was a transportation committee meeting the very next morning (Wednesday, October 13), but that he hadn't heard about this case. After several minutes of discussion about who didn't talk to whom, Chairman Ted Raczka said, "If an email request cc'ing the Chairman was sent, a hearing would be scheduled as soon as practical."

During the second public session, Parent Craig Byrd returned to the podium to tell the board that he had never, in all his interaction with the Superintendent's Office, been told he could submit a written request for a hearing.

After the meeting concluded, this EYE reporter asked Transportation Director Mike Milardo for additional information on this bus stop issue. Milardo commented that he had spoken to Mrs. Byrd and that she didn't like his initial decision about not changing the bus stop. Apparently, the proposed alternate stop (Trailside Crossing/Crystal Lake Rd) has not been approved for a bus turn (but it has been approved for fire truck access), so Milardo denied the change on that basis. Mrs. Byrd was not happy with that decision, so she was able to appeal to Milardo's supervisor, Business Manager Nancy Haynes, and Milardo then was no longer in the decision-making process.

Immediately following the interview with Mike Milardo, this reporter was able to interview Business Manager Nancy Haynes about her interactions with the multiple families involved in this bus stop dispute. Haynes said that since Mark Loomis was not a parent of children at the bus stop, he had no standing in the case, and so his efforts to get the bus stop changed were pointless. She also claimed that "someone" had talked to DATTCO that day about the safety report that was necessary before a decision could be made. When asked if Mrs. Byrd was ever told that she had to request a hearing specifically, Haynes replied, "She's an employee of this district and she should know what the procedure is." (Author's note - Mrs. Byrd works at Woodrow Wilson Middle School.)

One Week Later:

One week has passed since the "Bus Stop Saga" was brought to the attention of the Board of Education. This EYE Reporter had to fly to AZ over the weekend, and was unable to finish the story before now. On a whim this morning, I emailed Mark Loomis (the Grandparent without standing and BOE write-in candidate) to ask for an update before I published, and the only change in the storyline was a visit by the Superintendent, who had to wait for another car to turn off Crystal Lake Rd. before he could make his own turn in. Based on that experience, according to what Mark Loomis emailed back, the Superintendent said it's not safe for a bus to turn onto Crystal Lake Rd. (remember that kids stand at this intersection currently, and the proposed change is to have the bus turn on Crystal Lake to pick up at Trailside Crossing). Loomis then commented,

Now I ask you, what sense does that make? It's too unsafe for a bus to make the turn, so we'll solve that by having kids wait in the road there? Is this some kind of joke? Dr. Frechette has zero expertise that qualifies him to make this call. The board should show some respect for the judgement of the traffic supervisor -Sgt. Aresco.

Loomis did not say that a hearing has been scheduled, and I'm in possession of the email sent last Tuesday night, October 11th, to the BOE Chairman and others that requested a transportation hearing.

Author's Opinion:

When I initially started following this story a week ago, it sort of sounded like someone just didn't follow through someplace and this complaint got left behind. However, the more questions I ask, the more I don't like what I get in response. It either is or isn't policy to tell a parent what their options are if they want to challenge an administrative decision. It shouldn't matter who the parent it, and it certainly shouldn't matter if the primary caregiver happens to be a grandparent. I would also think that the arrival of more than one certified letter on a subject would finally trigger SOMEONE in the Superintendent's Office to ask if a hearing had been scheduled or if the parties involved even knew that was an option. Furthermore, Nancy Haynes asked for 116.75 hours of overtime for the business office for September (due to the payroll supervisor position not being filled), and that's an additional 20+ hours per week of extra work for someone or someones. That (supposedly) means people are there working, so it's kind of hard to understand how something could get dropped this bad for this long.

So, besides a conclusion of incompetence, which I'll hold off on for now, the only other possible choice has some connection to the fact that Mark Loomis is a candidate for the BOE. Surely this isn't the case, and surely this isn't what happens in Middletown...

Board of Ed Frustrated With State "Embargo" of CMT Results

At last night's Board of Education regular meeting, Superintendent Michael Frechette was still unable to discuss Middletown's 2011 CMT scores. Frechette told BOE members that the State Board of Education had released the embargo on 9/1, but then "re-embargoed" the scores on 9/6. At a Superintendents' Group meeting, Frechette said three reasons were offered for this continuing embargo:

• The State doesn't have the capacity to finish processing the scores
• A school in Waterbury was caught cheating and the whole District has to retake the test, so the final state results can't be processed without the retake results
• Other states are starting to "not participate" in No Child Left Behind because of disagreement over benchmark levels. CT has asked for a change in the regulations because now 81% of the districts in CT are on the NCLB list because the federal benchmarks were increased. If left at 80% proficiency (meaning 80% of kids are at or above proficiency on the test), all Middletown schools would be off the list.

Several interesting threads came out of this "I can't talk about scores" stance. First, on top of being identified as a school needing improvement, Bielefield Elementary School also has an overcrowding issue in its two Kindergarten classes. Principal Jeff Fournier was asked to describe to the board how this situation is being handled, and he described the 6 certified teachers, 2 intervention teachers and 2 paras who have been brought in to assist the two classes. (More on this subject in a separate story - still waiting for some additional information.)

Second, during the (first) public session, MacDonough parent (and BOE Candidate) Ed McKeon told the BOE that he had called the Freedom of Information Agency and was told there was no such thing as an "embargo" of public information. Once information is in the hands of a State Agency, it becomes public information and has to be released. McKeon also questioned how only Title I families could be offered the choice to attend a new school (since 2 Middletown schools have to offer choice after not meeting adequate yearly progress two years in a row) when the policy states choice has to be offered to Title I schools. This would mean that ALL the families at a particular school would have to be offered choice, not just singled out families. McKeon had a list of questions for BOE members and he chided them for not being more concerned about policies being made in the Superintendent's office without BOE oversight (since the scores can't be talked about...).

Finally, several BOE members repeatedly questioned Superintendent Frechette about what would happen if Middletown "violated" the embargo, and if Frechette knew when the embargo would be lifted. "I don't know, and I'm frustrated too...you have as much information as I do," commented Frechette to BOE member Sheila Daniels. BOE member Corinne Gill couldn't see how principals and parents being offered school choice could know what was going on if the scores were embargoed, and Frechette replied that he was allowed to give info to those two groups but no one else. "I find this unacceptable, " Gill finished. Frechette just shrugged and replied it wasn't his rule. BOE member Ryan Kennedy asked BOE Chairman Ted Raczka to send a letter to the State Board of Ed, asking why there was an embargo, what the penalty for violating the embargo would be, and when it would end. Raczka agreed, but also commented, "If you aggravate the State Board of Ed, they can find any number of subtle ways to remind you of the proper relationship and the children will suffer..."

After this comment, BOE member Sally Boske told the board that she knows other districts have sent letters, but haven't had any luck with responses. "I don't think we're going to get a response, but we should be on record anyway." Boske went on to comment, "Don't forget we're also in between Commissioners, so there's no help going that route either." Corinne Gill then asked where the embargo is authorized in state statutes, and stated that "It really scares me that we are allowing ourselves to be held hostage by the State BOE." Boske replied, "I have confidence that Michael Frechette is going what he's supposed to do."

The meeting then turned to other subjects, like how long it would take to start a rehab of Keigwin Middle School. Director of Facilities Ken Jackson said it's about a 4 year process to have a feasibility study, to get the grant from the state, and to set up a building committee. BOE member Ryan Kennedy asked whether there was going to be a Facilities Committee established (as part of one of the recommendations from the re-districting process) to create a 20 - 25 year facilities plan. BOE Chairman Raczka said yes, but that nothing would be done until after the election in November.

None of the committees (Budget, Communications, Curriculum, Policy) have met, and most alluded to not meeting until after the election. BOE Member Sheila Daniels commented, "It's not OK that committees aren't meeting just because there's an election coming up. School has started regardless of elections, and there's work to be done."

The only happy news of the whole evening was that none of the Middletown school properties sustained any direct damage from Hurricane Irene. Several branches or trees come down, but nothing that damaged a building. There were other minor leaks or cases of minor flooding, but nothing significant.

Commentary:

I didn't think that politics were supposed to play an overt role in how education operates in a town, but that was clearly the case last night. First, there was the drama between BOE Candidate Ed McKeon and BOE Chairman Ted Raczka. Members of the public have 3 minutes to address the board, and McKeon clearly wasn't finished speaking when Raczka informed him time was up. McKeon kept talking, saying he was almost finished, and Raczka quickly called the meeting into recess and then jumped up and turned the TV feed off. In all the BOE meetings I've seen, I've never seen the TV turned off when someone tries to keep talking past the time limit. Raczka usually bangs his gavel and tells the person he or she is out of order, but I've never seen such a quick move from "Your time's up" to an immediate recess, and the TV has never been off. In fact, BOE member Corinne Gill questioned Raczka's actions later in the meeting, saying, "When did we decide it was our policy to turn the TV off if someone exceeds their time?" Raczka could have told McKeon he was free to continue his comments for another 3 minutes at the 2nd public session, but he didn't mention that at all.

Secondly, to hear that no committee work is going on because there's an election in two months and the membership of the board is changing or might change is just insanity. Add to that the fact that the Superintendent is making changes, based on CMT scores, to how the system is running, but he can't tell the board what he's doing or why. There is an overwhelming force being brought to bear on the 2 overcrowded kindergartens at Bielefield, yet it is unclear that the same approach is being done for the overcrowded 4th grade at Moody. Furthermore, BOE Chairman Raczka commented that he wanted to make sure that "Bielefield was up to the level of quality at all of our other schools, " and this left me pondering some math and its implications: two teachers require the assistance of 10 other individuals for about 50 kids...

Don't get me wrong - I'm not suggesting that our kids aren't worth it. I'm suggesting, and I fully admit I don't have the class size numbers in front of me yet, that the effort seems out of proportion to the resources available to every other class in town. This puzzles me, and either there's an answer that will be revealed once the mysterious embargo is released, or I've got some digging to do.

In the end, this is supposed to be about doing our best for our kids, and it seems like there's a mix of "enforced" non-supervision and election "hide-and-seek" going on (BOE members are hiding from their responsibilities while voters are seeking answers and results). Even if the state did succeed in lowering the CMT benchmark, that's just a paper result. It doesn't change the fact that we should be working toward EVERY child meeting the benchmark, and this effort has to continue whether there are elections or not.

Board of Education "Listens to Public" And Changes Meeting Format

[Author's note: My apologies for the delay on this article. It disappeared for a while when Blogger was having trouble last week, and I just discovered it was back!]

At last Tuesday night's (5/10/11) regular Board of Education Meeting, the board voted 5-3 to change the way members of the public may speak to the board. Previously, individuals had three minutes to address the board on matters pertaining to education in Middletown, and this public session was the fifth item on the agenda after the Call to Order, Salute to the Flag, Adoption of Agenda, and District Highlights.

Under the new policy, members of the public may address the board during a first public session only on matters listed on the agenda. The time limit of three minutes has not changed. A second, new public session has been added to the very end of the agenda, just before Executive Session (if the Board goes into one). During this time, members of the public can speak to the board about any matter pertaining to the Board's jurisdiction, and again, the time limit is three minutes.

There was much discussion about this policy change before the vote, with BOE members Jay Keiser, Sheila Daniels, and Corinne Gill voicing strong hesitation or outright disagreement with the proposed change: "I can remember being a busy parent, and this [speaking during public session] is a valuable way to communicate to the Board of Education. It's inconvenient and unfair to ask people with legitimate concerns not on the agenda to wait until the end of the meeting, " argued Keiser. Corinne Gill pointed out that the proposed policy listed the second public session AFTER any Executive Session, and this would mean that members of the public would have to sit through the meeting, then wait in the hall for the Executive Session to finish, and then be able to speak: "We were elected to listen, and I think we should listen." Sheila Daniels, who is on the Policy Committee and who worked on the creation of the new policy, commented, "Even though I worked on this policy, I agree that maybe we need to really look at what we're trying to accomplish. Someone could easily just wrap what they really want to say around an agenda item and we won't have accomplished what we think we're accomplishing."

On the other side, those BOE members voting for the new policy changed justified it as "just doing what the public told us they wanted to do." Specifically, several board members said this policy change was a result of complaints from the public who were embarrassed to take the microphone and speak to the board "after some of the things that are said." BOE member William Grady said, "This is an opportunity to get control over the board's agenda....to say that it's a way to chill free speech is incorrect....we're interested in appropriate comments to guide the board, not to fulfill a personal agenda." Grady finished his comments by dangling the possibility that BOE members might consider "responding" in a possible Q&A format during the public session at the end of the meeting.

BOE member Sally Boske, Chair of the Policy Committee, said her committee was just "listening to the public, which is what you [the BOE] said we want to do." Boske said her committee wanted to "do something about what's been going on," and that "we listened to the public, this is what they wanted the BOE to do."

BOE Chairman Ted Raczka added his support for the change by saying the "opening session is hostile and it puts a chill in the air....it's a bit too much of a circus." Raczka also added that this new format actually expands the public's ability to interact with the board because now there are two chances for an individual to address the board - once at the beginning of the meeting and again at the end. "And if it doesn't work out, we can always revisit this policy and change it,' Raczka finished.

In response to two concerns raised about making people wait to speak until after an Executive Session, the policy was amended to schedule the second public session BEFORE an Executive Session. It was also noted that the second public session could always be moved up on the agenda for a particular meeting if the meeting looked like it was going to be a late night.

Superintendent to Board of Ed: "Remember the Cliff? We're Here."

Much of Tuesday night's Board of Education meeting revolved around the 2011-2012 School Year Budget, but not because BOE members were talking specific details about how to cover the $2.4 million gap between the BOE's requested budget and Mayor Giuliano's proposed budget. Superintendent Michael Frechette told the board that he's make a zero budget work for two years, but that he can't do it for a third year. "We've done what we need to do to get this far, but it will be devastating next year with $2.4 million in cuts. Summer school will be gone because that's $200,000 right there. Class size is going to go up and programs are going away. Oh, and we're losing $700,000 in grant money too for next year."

BOE Chairman Ted Raczka commented: "This is a watershed year. It's important that we remember what we've done in the past. What got us through those tough, tough times was to make sure it was a community decision. Is Middletown going to support education? It's our duty [the Board of Education's] to make sure folks understand the significance of this budget." Raczka went on to say that he hopes passionately to avoid making the budget about a conflict in personalities: "This is a decision for us as a community to make about supporting education."

Several parents spoke during the public session about the impact on Macdonough if significant cuts are made to the summer program. Ed McKeon urged the BOE to be open with parents: "help us be your advocates to the Common Council." His plea was echoed by another parent: "We want to stand up for you at the Common Council meeting, and we want to make sure our schools get the resources they need. " PTA President Jennifer Alexander told the BOE that the $12,000 for 60 kids to attend a half day program for 5 weeks was a "very frugal way to give these kids a chance at stopping the summer slide" in academics. Alexander also asked the BOE to revisit the districting boundaries as the projected Kindergarten numbers might push Macdonough over its ideal student population number of about 240. "I would hope the board takes the opportunity to consider a more nuanced tool like some kind of parent choice option to manage this issue."

During Asst. Superintendent Barbara Senges' report on the District Data Team (this is the group that manages implementation of the District Improvement Plan as required by the State), it became very clear that from her perspective, Middletown will not be able to continue the progress it has made over the last three years if drastic budget cuts take place. "This work [the District Data Team's work] is critical to our future success....we are going to take a huge step backwards in this process if we can't continue."

Of the 18 districts required to implement District Improvement Plans because of CMT results that failed to meet Adequate Yearly Progress (APY), Middletown is considered the "poster child" for the progress it has made. The State has finished its official monitoring and, according to Senges, "feels we've accomplished what they wanted and they are confident the process will continue." While Middletown met APY this past year for the first time in several years, the benchmarks went up again for this next year, and it is likely that the district won't meet APY this year. Senges told the BOE that while she hopes Middletown is "off the list," her actual goal is "to make consistent progress in closing the achievement gap."

Budget Committee Chairman Jay Keiser asked Business Manager Nancy Haynes to gave an update on the 2010 audit and the current budget. Posted on the District's webpage, the 2010 audit had "no findings of anything" for both the state and federal audits.

On the current budget, the $400,000 shortfall that occurred because of the cost of snow removal from school roofs has been whittled down to about $257,000. If this shortfall can't be covered, it immediately impacts next year's budget by this amount. However, Haynes is currently holding back the 2nd payment the BOE owes the city for health insurance for classified salaries because the city won't give her a statement showing the official cost of the insurance. "I think the city is overcharging us because several other departments had reductions in the cost of this insurance but we haven't and they won't give me any kind of bill or documentation to show the actual amount owed. It's not good practice to pay a bill without seeing the bill, so I'm holding payment for now." Haynes speculated that the savings might be enough to cover the shortfall, but that she won't know until the attorneys work it out.

The vote to approve changes to when the public session is scheduled during the meeting and what can be talked about by the public at what time was tabled until the next meeting. Three BOE members were not present (two had significant family issues this past week), and BOE Member Bill Boyd asked to table the discussion/vote until these members were present: "I know that they [the missing BOE members] have significant opinions on this subject and we shouldn't decide without them." Corinne Gill commented that while she completely understood the reason for the absences, she didn't want it to become a BOE habit to put off discussion because someone with a significant opinion wasn't there. Jay Keiser commented that he would not be voting for the new policy: "I agree we have a number of people who come to be disruptive and not helpful, but does this mean it's OK to make legitimate people with legitimate concerns wait until the very end of the meeting? Is this fair?" William Grady then stated, "We have to remember that this is a board meeting held in public, not the public's meeting. Public comment should have to do with our agenda because we're not here to just sit and listen. We can't respond, we can't engage. It's not that we don't want to, but it's not the time to do it. We have to run our meeting and our agenda." [Author's note: the proposed policy would split the public comment session into two segments. The first segment, at the beginning of the meeting, would be only for comment on items specifically on the agenda for that meeting. The second segment at the very end of the meeting would be for comments on any subject pertaining to the board's purview.]

In other business, the MHS graduation date and closing of school is June 21st, but Woodrow Wilson graduates on June 22 because it lost an extra day due to electrical issues. The BOE meeting on June 21st was moved to June 28. The Vo-Ag program was authorized to begin the application process for a $50,000 equipment grant to replace its 18 passenger school bus. The vehicle is used to take students to off-campus locations for training and visits that can't been accomplished at MHS.

The BOE's next meeting with the Common Council is April 26th at 6:30pm. There will be a public hearing before the Common Council on April 28th at 7pm. All members of the public are encouraged to attend and to voice their opinion on what education in Middletown will look like for 2011-2012 and beyond.

BOE "Doing Everything We Can" To Stop Bullying

Much of Tuesday night's regular Board of Education meeting was dominated by the topic of bullying and the larger issue of school climate. I'll give a quick summary of the non-bullying items that were considered, and then I'll go back and cover the bullying issue.

The Board received a written report from the principals involved in the February 4th evacuations of Moody and Bielefield Elementary Schools. Moody was evacuated to Spencer and Bielefield was evacuated to Wesley. The four principals were on hand to answer questions from BOE members about the evacuations and the lessons learned. Moody Principal Yolande Eldridge commented, "We learned how well our practice pays off...it was a tremendous learning experience for our children...they learned to be patient and flexible." Bielefield Principal Renata Lantos told the board that one of her students accidentally activated the fire alarm once everyone had arrived at Wesley School, so those 600 combined students had the additional bonus of a fire drill on top of a whole-school evacuation. BOE members praised the principals and Transportation Mike Milardo for the quick evacuations and overall handling of events.

Director of Grant Services Elizabeth Nocera was asked about two grants: a Community Development Block Grant for Hall House and then an Interdistrict Cooperative Grant for the Youth Mathematics and Technology Academy. The CDB Grant will allow for repairs to be made to Hall House to expand its usage. The Youth Mathematics and Technology Academy is a six district program that promotes academic achievement in math and reduces isolation for the students involved. It was originally developed to respond to Sheff vs. O'Neill requirements, and this year the program ran for 10 Saturdays instead of 15 due to budget cuts. BOE Member Jay Keiser questioned the effectiveness of the program given the mixed academic results from participating students, but Nocera noted that the program did seem to help with CMT results for the involved students.

Budget Committee Chair Jay Keiser spoke to the Board on the financial impact of the Local 466 Contract should it be accepted. Keiser stated that the BOE will have to find an additional $131, 336 to cover wage increases and other costs if the contract is accepted. A breakdown of these costs is available in a memo to the Common Council and Board of Education from BOE Chairman Ted Raczka dated February 28, 2011. (Click on BOE Responses to Local 466 in the "Latest News" section of the District webpage. A similar memo from Superintendent Michael Frechette is also available.)

Policy Committee Chair Sally Boske explained proposed changes to Bylaw #9235 Meeting Conduct and Policy #9325.2 Order of Business. First, the Policy Committee recommends dividing the Public Session into two separate parts of the agenda: where the public normally now has three minutes to address the BOE, this initial Public Session would be used for the public to comment on agenda items only. A second Public Session for non-agenda items would be added to the very end of the agenda (yes, you would have to sit through the whole meeting before you can speak about anything not on the agenda). Boske justified the proposed policy change by saying, "We [the BOE] really need the time to get our work on the agenda done, but we do want to make sure that the public can talk to us about whatever it needs to." The second proposed change to the Order of Business is to add a place under the Report of the Superintendent section of the agenda for school personnel to update the Board as necessary. This was previously done during the Public Session, and the Policy Committee felt this wasn't the place to address these issues.

During the Public Session, five members of Monique McClain's family spoke to the BOE about her bullying case, and six other members of the public not related to Monique spoke on her behalf (author's disclosure: I was one of those six). Monique McClain was present and so was Channel 8 News. Her Grandmother, Alexa McClain, addressed the BOE for the 4th time, listing a series of numbers to remind BOE members of how long Monique has been seeking resolution of her bullying complaints: 180 days since the first written complaint was filed, 132 days since the first verbal request, 49 days since the family asked for an at-home tutor, 41 days since a meeting with Dr. Frechette, 29 days since Alycia McClain (the mother) submitted a written request to the BOE, 49 days at home without school instruction after suffering 133 days of unchecked bullying. Alexa McClain went on to say that her granddaughter was being "psychologically abused by the apathy of the board," and that she could not believe that a tutor could be found to administer the CMT test to Monique at home, but one couldn't be found to help Monique prep for the test or even receive basic school instruction.

Both of Monique's parents spoke to the Board, as did her boxing coach, Johnny Callas (The Lion's Den) and Pastor Mike Wynn. All of the comments (from family members or members of the public at large) urged the BOE to take visible action to resolve this bullying complaint, with Monique's uncle commenting, "If not you, who else is going to help her? We know what happens to children who are bullied....We have the know-how to stop this, so who's going to do it?"

The Board of Ed doesn't respond to public comments directly, but on the agenda for the evening was a presentation from Mindy Otis, the Supervisor of Special Education. Otis handed the BOE a 24 page (double-sided) report on the District's efforts to eliminate bullying in Middletown schools. This report and other materials on bullying are available here on the District's website (click on the Bullying and Harassment link). As a background warm-up, Otis told the BOE that "Research indicates that an improvement in school climate leads to a reduction of "mean" behaviors. Since 2005 the approach to reducing and eliminating bullying has appropriately shifted from specific targeted interventions to a more comprehensive approach aimed at improving school climate." Otis also told the board that while the term "bullying" is most often used, the focus should be on "mean behaviors" instead: "We're trying to teach students how to proactively resolve conflict in a positive manner."

Calling the 2010-2011 school year the "Year of School Climate," Otis highlighted the District Data Team's efforts to improve school climate (Otis is a member of the School Climate Subcommittee). Noting that the District Climate Subcommittee has developed goals that are part of the District Improvement Plan, Otis outlined the following high priority goals that have been selected for next year:

1. Bus time. Teachers, Principals and behavior reports indicate that the time spent on the bus is problematic for mean behaviors. Currently bus report data is being entered into an electronic system and will be analyzed by May 2011.

2. Setting District wide standards for behavior that will be codified into standards based report cards. District representatives will be attending upcoming professional development on National Standards.

3. Infusing Responsive Classroom and Developmental design into daily practice and extending it to high school level (after NEASC re-accreditation).

Otis also commented on recent media coverage: "While focusing on the issue in general is beneficial as it improves awareness, excessive media coverage of individual cases can have detrimental effects on students. Further complicating matters is the (appropriate) restriction of information due to the need for confidentiality. As a result, there is an appearance to the general public that the Middletown Public Schools are not making great efforts to combat bullying." She went on to say that the vast majority of reports of mean behavior are being resolved immediately by teachers with students, and that those students often go on to be best friends and great role models for their classmates. "Some cases might require a bit more attention, but most are taken care of quickly," Otis reported.

Her concluding statement reads:

"In summary, the Middletown Schools continue their efforts to improve school climate, increase prosocial behavior and decrease antisocial behavior. We have made great growth since the December 2005 report to the BOE. The 2010-2011 was dubbed the "Year of school climate" and has showcased renewed efforts in vigor. While bullying and mean behavior may be on the rise in our culture and in the world, the Middletown Public schools have been ever committed to fighting this rising tide. We need to do a better job of communicating to the public about these efforts."

BOE member Corinne Gill asked Otis several questions about how students or parents know what the process is to file a bullying complaint (in the student handbook and online), what response deadlines are specifically outlined (there aren't any), and who keeps track of the number of verified bullying reports in a given year. Otis reported that there were 5 cases in 2007-08, 1 in 2008-09, and 2 in 2009-10. Other BOE members commented positively on the new focus on "mean behaviors" and the effort to concentrate on school climate as a whole.

BOE Chairman Ted Raczka followed with several questions/comments of his own: "We start teaching anti-bullying in pre-K and all the way through high school, right? Is is fair to say that all of our students get this curriculum and all our teachers participate in it?" Otis replied yes, and Raczka continued, "Things are in fact improving?" Otis again replied yes. Raczka went on to say, "Could we do better? We probably could...we're trying to do better. But we live in a world where violence in the home is acceptable and that has a connection to this...I wish I had a magic wand to end this, but we're not going to do it in one day. We're doing as much if not more than other districts, and I just needed to speak so everyone knows that within the bounds of the law, we're doing everything we can."

BOE Member Sheila Daniels added, "We need to ask the community to help us, to impress on our young people that if you can't say something nice, don't speak." Finally, BOE Member Sally Boske asked Mindy Otis if the parent volunteer space on the Climate subcommittee was filled. Otis replied that it was not, and that she would love to see parents volunteer to help improve school climate (apparently the committee has great snacks at their meetings...).

This concluded the BOE's consideration of bullying in Middletown.

COMMENTARY

I had one quick minute to ask Chairman Raczka a few questions before the Board moved into Executive Session. Acknowledging that he could not give me specifics because of privacy issues, I asked him if he could confirm that everything is being done to resolve Monique McClain's case. He replied, "we are following our policies." I replied, "Well, that doesn't seem to be working out so well for her, does it? Raczka replied, "Well, it may not quite work out exactly the way people might want it to be resolved." I pressed further, "The girl's not even in school, so how can you say it's working out?" Raczka replied, "Well, I don't really know the details of the situation..." and then Superintendent Michael Frechette told him to stop talking and Raczka did.

I admit that I did not tape this conversation and that I may not have recalled it exactly as it happened. However, I am positive that I heard BOE Chairman Ted Raczka say that he did not know the details of Monique McClain's case, and I just cannot believe that could be true given the fact that a written appeal was made to the Board of Education on February 8th. Even if this isn't exactly what he said or even what he meant, the hovering presence of the Superintendent and his quick move to cut off what Raczka was trying to say left me with an overwhelming impression that something wasn't right. It seems like there's a firewall between the Superintendent and the BOE, and I can't imagine why that would be.

As frustrating as it seems, I understand the privacy issues and I get that bullying outside of school-sponsored events complicates things. I even understood what was meant by "it might not always get resolved the way some people want it to" (this refers to the victim wanting a resolution that may not be possible). It was lovely to hear the report on how much of our curriculum supports a positive school climate. However, THIS issue for THIS ONE CHILD is not yet resolved (the Superintendent told Channel 8 this himself on the 10 pm news), and we can't just pat ourselves on the back and say that overall, we're doing a great job. If even one child is bullied and the school system can't make it stop, can we really say our program is effective? There has to be a distinction between a general focus on a positive school climate and the specific focus of an individual case. If a wider focus on school climate makes us less effective at handling specific instances of severe bullying, how is that OK?

I will give Chairman Raczka credit for trying to highlight what the District has been doing in the general category of anti-bullying education, but he blew a perfect chance to reach out to the McClain family. I was left with the impression that the bullying presentation was designed to highlight what a great job the District has been doing, and no one had the guts to ask even one semi-difficult question about what happens if the bullying doesn't stop.

In my Public Session comments way at the beginning of the meeting and before the bullying presentation, I asked the Board to give us (the public) a "warm fuzzy" in the pits of our stomachs that they heard the McClain family's distress and that they were in fact doing everything they could. I acknowledged the privacy issue and accounted for a disparity between what the BOE could do and what they could talk about. I also reminded the BOE that they were elected officials and that they were accountable for doing the hard jobs we can't do. Sadly, I didn't walk away with what I was hoping for, and I'm not even the people who have to live with this every day. I am profoundly discouraged and disappointed, especially since Alycia McClain told me that one of Monique's friends was told that "she's next" since Monique isn't in school anymore. How can this be? How can this "mean behavior" continue for even one more minute? Why haven't these children been expelled according to the BOE's policy?

I'm actually not even sure what to say next because I don't know what else I could say that would be helpful. I'll just leave you with a comment offered to the BOE during the public session: "There's no reason you're not jumping out of your seat to protect this kid..."

A Call to Action: Do You Want to BE the News or MAKE the News?

COMMENTARY

My name is Jennifer Mahr, and I write for the EYE using my initials JAM. I was at Tuesday night's Board of Ed meeting since I'm the one who normally summarizes the meeting for EYE postings. I wish each of you could have been there to hear Alexa McClain and then Monique McClain speak before the board. The utter helplessness of the moment can't be captured by mere words, and I still shudder to recall the horror that griped me.

So she stood there, sobbing, and speaking so softly that the entire room had to lean forward to catch her words. Amazingly, the audience was full of teachers and administrators from across the District who came to see if February's vacation would be cancelled, so the "system" couldn't have been more exposed to McClain's plight. Interestingly, though, because Monique used the democratic process we the people created to handle grievances such as hers, she's now facing an even greater threat to her personal safety.

There are almost 3 dozen comments on three articles that describe this situation, and most condemn the behavior and then say something to the effect of "I applaud your family for being so brave."

I'm sorry, but someone is going to have to throw the big red BS flag, so it might as well be me. I confess to having taught U.S. History at the college level, and I admit to having a slight preference for all things democratic. I just can't stand what I'm seeing and hearing anymore, and if you're allergic to the cold hard truth, you had better stop reading now.

In the Federalist No. II, John Jay wrote to the people of the State of New York and encouraged them to support the newly drafted Federal Constitution. Alexander Hamilton had written the first letter, and Jay's first paragraph and a half are worth repeating now:

When the people of America reflect that they are now called upon to decide a question, which, in its consequences, must prove one of the most important that ever engaged their attention, the propriety of their taking a very comprehensive, as well as a very serious, view of it, will be evident.

Nothing is more certain that the indispensable necessity of government, and it is equally undeniable, that whenever and however it is instituted, the people must cede to it some of their natural rights, in order to vest it with requisite powers.

Abraham Lincoln would say much later that "The legitimate object of governments is to do for a community of people, whatever they need to have done, but cannot do at all or cannot, so well do for themselves - in their separate and individual capacities."

Then we have the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which reads in Section 1, "All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."

I'm not a Constitutional Lawyer, and I know that both Jay and Lincoln were referring to a Federal system of government when they made their comments. But listen to the spirit of what they said and then apply it to Monique McClain and all the other bullied children in the United States.

Jay and Lincoln had their moments: each stood at the edge of the unknown and each agreed that the united system of government created by the Constitution was our best hope for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Americans might disagree over the technical details of how that system comes to life, but we need it to have any chance at all.

Similarly, we need a Board of Education in our town. Middletown's forty-five thousand-plus residents have no way to manage 11 schools, hundreds of teachers, and thousands of school children without one. We wouldn't want the State of CT to manage our schools from afar, so politics are local because they have to be.

So here we are, in this place and in this moment. A very brave young woman stood in front of elected officials and reminded them nicely that she is experiencing repeated, verified, bullying incidents. Her mother has followed all the steps outlined in BOE Policy 5131.911, but these have not stopped the unacceptable behavior. Policy 5131.911 says in part:

The Board of Education directs the Superintendent or his/her designee to develop and implement administrative regulations to address the existence of bullying in the schools. As provided by statute, such regulations shall:

(9) direct the development of case-by-case interventions for addressing repeated incidents of bullying against a single individual or recurrently perpetrated bullying incidents by the same individual that may include both counseling and discipline,

Looking at the specific language of the "Prevention and Intervention Strategy, " it says:

For the purposes of this policy, “Prevention and Intervention Strategy” may include, but shall not be limited to:

1. Implementation of a positive behavioral interventions and supports process or another evidence-based model approach for safe school climate or for the prevention of bullying, including any such program identified by the Department of Education.

2. A school survey to determine the prevalence of bullying.

3. Establishment of a bullying prevention coordinating committee with broad representation

to review the survey results and implement the strategy.

4. School rules prohibiting bullying, harassment, and intimidation and establishing

appropriate consequences for those who engage in such acts.

5. Adequate adult supervision of outdoor areas, hallways, the lunchroom, and other specific

areas where bullying is likely to occur.

6. Inclusion of grade-appropriate bullying prevention curricula in kindergarten through high

school.

7. Individual interventions with the bully, parents; and school staff, and interventions with

the bullied child, parents; and the school staff.

8. School wide training related to safe school climate.

9. Promotion of parent involvement in bullying prevention through individual or team

participation in meetings, trainings, and individual interventions.

Students who engage in bullying behavior shall be subject to school discipline up to and including expulsion in accordance with the Board's policy on student discipline, suspension and expulsion.

Notice #5 calls for "adequate adult supervision." If there can be 11 specifically identified bullies, then there isn't adequate adult supervision. Notice also that it says "shall not be limited to." I read this to mean that Monique McClain should have never heard the words, "Our hands are tied, " or "We've done all we can," because this policy specifically lets the Intervention Strategy be anything it needs to be to stop the bullying.

How about that...ANYTHING it needs to be. Here's where I'm throwing the big red BS flag, and here's where our current situation differs from the Federalists and from Lincoln. Those giants of American History really didn't know what lay in front of them. They had an ideal they were committed to, they were hopefully sure they knew how to get there, and they went for it. They argued and eventually shed blood for a solid foundation to build a future on.

The Middletown Board of Education has no such excuse. We know what the future can hold when bullying goes unchecked. Just ask South Hadley, MA how it's going for them...

So here's my question: Do we want to BE the news when (or if) something physically happens to Monique McClain or do we want to MAKE news by pulling together as a community and seriously tackling this issue once and for all? Our moment is right now, and we can choose action or we can hide behind ineffective policies and well-meaning but utterly useless comments.

In the biblical story of Esther, a young Jewish girl becomes the Queen of Persia. Her nationality is a secret until a plot by the King's highest ranking official to exterminate the entire Jewish race forces her to a decision point: she can risk her own life by approaching the King (without being summoned) to plead for her people, or she can hope her royal position saves her life when everyone else dies. Her uncle urges her action, noting in Esther 6:14, "....And who knows but that you have come to a royal position for such a time as this?"

I'm not trying to suggest that BOE members are royalty, but I am saying that they are in their position for such a time as this. The Chairman, Mr. Raczka, is a lawyer by trade, so he certainly has the skills to craft a policy that will give Monique McClain and all other bullied children in Middletown the protection they deserve. His leadership and determination to get it right can make a difference, and he needs to do it right now. Why hasn't this issue made it on the agenda of a Board of Ed meeting?

Benjamin Franklin said to "Show thyself a man." Updated for today's sensitivity toward gender equality, I'll paraphrase that to say, "Show thyself a citizen." That means we can't sit this one out on the sidelines, and we can't expect someone else to do it for us. We need the Board of Ed to facilitate this process, but it seems that will only come at our insistence.

So I insist. You insist. We insist. Mr. Raczka told me on Monday afternoon that he welcomes emails from concerned parents and Middletown residents, so let them fly. Here's his email address: tedvr@cttel.net

Here's what we should want:

1. Immediate resolution to Monique McClain's educational status. If the Woodrow Wilson administration can't guarantee her a threat-free in-school environment, then the district must provide her with access to another school. If there isn't a policy that establishes how this happens, then make one. We Americans are good at inventing things that don't exist when government can't or won't protect us.

2. Who are these bullies and where are their parents? Let's see documented proof that the parents were notified in accordance with District policy, and then let's figure out how to hold parents accountable for their children's behavior. How about the District levels a fine per documented bullying instance? Or how about we go after the parent's driver's license? I know those rules don't exist, but why couldn't they?

3. If bullies need a babysitter, then I volunteer my time. It won't cost the District a penny. There's only one of me, so maybe a BOE member or several will follow suit. And those of you who told the McClain family that you stand alongside them in their fight should be willing to babysit as well. I'm sure the sheer embarrassment factor of having a random, really annoyed adult shadow will dampen any enthusiasm for further in-school bullying. The adult shadow should also be able to bill babysitting charges to the bully's parents.

4. Let's make news and make Middletown the center of national attention on this issue for the right reason. Let's partner with Wesleyan and Middlesex Community College and other local campuses and empower our young minds to work on a lasting solution. Get the experts here for a national conference and invite everyone in town to participate. Call Oprah and Katie and anyone else you can think of and let's do this.

Or, the moment will pass and we'll go back to shoveling snow, and Middletown will probably be in the news again for yet another tragedy. Can you live with that? If our bullying policy in effect creates a situation where one child has unequal access to the educational system, we already know what that should mean. If your child is next, what hope will there be for you? The next regular BOE meeting is March 8. You have three minutes to tell the board what you think. I'll see you there.

Board of Ed Hears Redistricting Update and Facilities Report

The most "exciting" elements of Tuesday night's Regular Board of Education meeting have been covered in previous posts, so this update will just cover the more mundane topics that still deserve some attention.

During the discussion before the Board's vote to use April vacation to make up snow days, BOE Member Sally Boske asked if there was any flexibility in the scheduling of CMTs. Asst. Superintendent Barbara Senges replied that other than fixed date tests, all other tests have to be completed by March 31 (this includes make-ups). Normally, the elementary schedule begins the first week in March with the fixed date writing assessment on March 8. However, because of all the snow day schedule disruption, the CMT dates have been moved to later in the month. A letter to parents with these new details is coming home soon.

The administration is putting together a committee to look at the school calendars for 2011-12 and 2012-13. This group will consider the issues caused by this year's weather as it works on what the next two years will look like. Ultimately, the BOE has to approve the calendar, but there will be a deliberate discussion about ways to handle snow/make-up days, and if the current method is the best choice.

At the last BOE meeting, members asked for an update on redistricting, and Asst. Superintendent Barbara Senges gave a verbal update (a written one coming soon, didn't have it done in time due to time spent on analyzing substitute requirements if Feb. vacation was cancelled). The quick update is that some schools did a student and/or parent survey, and "everyone seems to be happy" with where they ended up. At Farm Hill, for example, of those surveyed:

• 96% felt welcome
• 96% felt the staff was supportive
• 94% said their children liked to come to school
• 96% said the school was meeting their expectations
• (the total number of surveys was not known)

There were no cases reported of anyone asking to go back to the school they came from. At Moody school, it was reported that parents are happy to have a computer room back, and they're happy about not having to attend two different assemblies (because of previous overcrowding limitations). Attendance at all school activities district wide is up, and Senges also commented that there is "high quality instruction and the climate is positive."

Macdonough Principal Jon Romeo was asked about how redistricting has affected his school and if the racial balance numbers are within compliance. Romeo replied that Macdonough had two separate challenges: first, that 50% of the student population was new to the school this year, and second, that he was merging five different populations of students into one new group (students were redistricted to Macdonough from five other elementary schools). Despite these significant challenges, though, Romeo said the school year was going well, and that Macdonough is well within the racial balance limits. Furthermore, the vast majority of students who had to leave Macdonough went to Spencer, and according to the reports he's received, these families "felt loved" by their new principal and school community.

The administration will continue the District Improvement Plan for a 4th year just because all pieces of the plan have not yet been implemented. Middletown had to develop this plan as a result of its identification as a district "needing improvement" according to CMT scores (but note that 2009-10 scores placed Middletown in the "adequate yearly progress category). Asst. Superintendent Barbara Senges was asked specifically about how "differentiation" is taking root in the district. Senges replied, "Everyone is in a different place regarding differentiation....By the end of this year, everyone will be technically proficient, but I don't think that will actually be the case....I would be overjoyed if that was the case, but I don't think so. We don't have enough professional development time or materials to get this done any faster." [Author's note: differentiation is teaching students at their level of understanding, not just a generic plan for the whole class. So, using the same subject, more advanced students are given different materials/assignments than students who are struggling with the material. All the student, though, are still in the same class together. Given the fact that the District is systemically eliminating leveling (that's classes grouped by ability) ) because teachers are supposed to be able to differentiate their instruction, hearing that "everyone is in a different place" isn't exactly confidence inspiring in the decision to eliminate leveling."]

The rest of the meeting was mostly devoted to Facilities Director Ken Jackson's status updates on snow clearing and structural integrity: "Our buildings are in fine condition....At no time was there any danger of structural failure or collapse in any structure in our schools." Here's a quick timeline of what's been happening:

• Prior to last week, snow clearing was done by in-house staff.
• On February 3rd, Michael J. Turner Enterprises, LLC was retained to clear snow from roofs. The company freed all of its crews to attend to snow removal and 40-60 men each days worked to clear snow.
• On Friday night (2/4), 2 structural engineers were retained to evaluate all buildings. The official report is available here.
• The intention of snow removal is to keep the amount of roof snow below the maximum load amount, not "to remove every snowflake." Every school roof is designed with a 20-30% safety cushion above what code requires, so as long as drains are clear and major drifts are removed, all snow doesn't have to be removed.
• Friday (2/4) was the worst day of stress on roofs, and the cracks noted in the drywall at Moody, Bielefield and Macdonough were a sign of the roofs flexing as they were designed to. The decision to evacuate Moody and Bielefield was made by each principal as a precaution for student safety. Jackson stated, "I ultimately think we could have been in school all day with no problems, but I won't criticize the decision each administrator made given their circumstances."
• On Monday, 2/7, at about 1:30pm, Laurence School was evacuated due to the smell of gas. The supply of gas to the school was turned off, and it was determined by the fire department that students could return to school and finish the day normally. The snow cover on the gas pipes on the roof had to be cleared to reveal a crack in one of the pipes, and once that was repaired, a system check was done and everything was restored to normal.
• Farm Hill School had minor flooding on Tuesday, 2/8. Superintendent Michael Frechette commented, "Our buildings are going to leak. They're old. If your house is leaking, we have a million square ft. of roof and it's probably going to leak."

Ken Jackson was asked about the National Guard and if Middletown would be getting any additional help: "That request has been made, but the National Guard isn't free. Towns have to reimburse the state for National Guard assistance." Jackson also thanked Middletown's Public Works Department for all the help it has provided in snow removal, noting that "the equipment we use for snow removal, well, it's tired folks....and we don't have the heavy machinery that Public Works does, so their big snow plows have really helped us out." Jackson plans to use this upcoming week of vacation to work on additional snow removal in parking lots (especially Farm Hill), and he thanked his workers for the amazing effort they've put in so far.

Business Manager Nancy Haynes told the BOE that without all the bills in yet, her estimated costs for snow removal, over-time for maintenance crews, and the structural engineers is roughly $250,000. She hopes that there may be some grant money eventually available since all school districts are facing similar unexpected costs, but she's not counting on it.

There was a discussion of the Honeywell Alert System and when and how that system gets activated. Jackson said he doesn't deal with putting the alert out, but that he's often the one providing the information that goes into the alert:

"We've had more crises in a month than in the entire year, and the first concern is for the students' safety. We are not thinking about talking to parents. We have to mobilize resources and assets and come up with a plan of action to deal with the situation. We think about parents last, and so a Honeywell Alert can't be in the first 1/2 hour of a crisis. I can't afford to give out the wrong information and then have to explain to parents how I got it wrong."

Superintendent Michael Frechette then commented, "We'd love to have a full time press position, but that ain't going to happen." BOE Member Corrine Gill expressed her concern over the communication process between the BOE and the Administration the public, and noted that perhaps the BOE should evaluate if there is a more efficient way to communicate what's happening: "There are so many kids with cell phones who are texting their parents in the middle of a crisis. We can't let 5th graders decide what's happening because this passes mis-information along. But, perhaps we can use the PTOs or something more effective."

Other BOE members asked about what kids did once they were evacuated to another school and why some schools with cracks were evacuated when others were not. BOE Chairman Ted Raczka commented, "It's been an unprecedented winter with unprecedented situations. We need to spend some time over the summer thinking about how to do this better in the future. I'd like to know what the kids did after they got to their evacuation point and if we need to think about that some more." Frechette replied that the four principals involved in Moody and Bielefield's evacuation have been asked to put together a report for the next meeting: "I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at all that went on." BOE Member Sheila Daniels asked why Macdonough wasn't evacuated if it also had cracks, and Ken Jackson replied that it was really the call of the principal based on the information he or she had at the time: "In retrospect, it probably wasn't necessary to evacuate, but those were individual calls and I won't criticize them."

The BOE has a workshop scheduled for February 22, 2011 to discuss its District Improvement plan and the Redistricting Committee.