April 27, 2017 at 7:00 PM - Bethel Board of Education Regular Meeting

• Email - CT stays on the wrong course for seven years and counting - J. Gangi
• Email - Please evaluate the common core and SBAC - J. Gangi
  
• Email - SBAC is educational malpractice - J. Gangi            

• BPS Annual Awards Dinner, May 25, 2017 at 5 PM at Amber Room.  Please submit your RSVP No later then May 19th.

STEM Update

Personalized Learning-Summer Instruction-Cromebooks:

Renovation Update:

1. Milone and McBroom have begun all hazardous materials and wetlands assessments. They began last week. They are working to finish the assessments and provide a report to Perkins Eastman.
2. Four (4) Construction Management (SM) firms participated in the walk throughs of the buildings last week. Quotes for pre-referendum services are due today.
3. We held out first community forum on April 5th. The purpose was to get community/parent input towards design. Unfortunately, it was not well attended. None-the-less, I have had the opportunity to speak to several parent groups to keep them updated on the project.
4. Perkins Eastman and the BPS team have met with first responders to determine safety and security needs with the project and aligned to the requirements of the state guidelines on school safety (attached). Capitan Pugner, Mr. Galliford and our SRO Matt DiRago all participated in the session.
5. Perkins Eastman and the BPS team also met to discuss our food service and custodial/facilities needs.
6. Perkins Eastman will be submitting a copy of the Education Specifications to the administration by the end of the week for initial review. It will need to be submitted to the BOE in the May (11th) regular meeting for review/approval. If there are needed revisions, we will also have the June regular meeting for final approval. We will also provide a copy of the Educational Specifications to the Ad-Hoc Committee for their review and input.
7. Dr. Brooks, Mrs. Yonsky and I will be attending our first meeting with the Office Of School Construction (with our Perkins Eastman Team) on May 9th. We wanted to proactively meet with the group to ensure that our application meets all state requirements and/or make revisions prior to the June 30th deadline.  

At the October and December Curriculum Committee meetings the committee heard presentations regarding the Agriscience Programs that will be offered in Region 12 and Region 14. The committee discussed recommending a maximum number of students who can attend such program to the Board.

Committee discussed current and future tuition and/or transportation commitments.

Committee will discuss the core components of both programs, pros/cons, and determine the program that will best serve our students to recommend to the Board when Region 12 gets approval from the State for their program.

It was the consensus of the committee to recommend to the Board capping the number of students an agriscience program at eight (8) students.

Per the district’s Strategic Plan, our goal is to expand opportunities for personalized learning. Personalized learning embodies several essential elements such as:

1. Flexible, anytime, everywhere learning
2. Redefine teacher role and expand "teacher" to facilitator
3. Project-based, authentic learning
4. Student-driven learning path
5. Mastery-based progression

We want to expand pathway programs at Bethel High School, including building relationships with business and industry partners in order to personalize learning opportunities for our students.

Currently we offer an Education Pathway and a Global Studies Pathway. We are proposing 3 more Pathway Programs at Bethel High School including:

• Career and Technical Readiness Pathway for students interested in pursuing
  careers in the fields of science, technology, the trades, and engineering
  disciplines;
  
• Health Care Pathway for students interested in careers such as nursing,
  physician’s assistant, veterinary medicine, dental lab technician, CNA;
  
• Business Pathway for students interested in business or entrepreneurship

This policy has two essential components, use of drones by the public and by our students as part of the instructional program.  The administration has worked on one policy which addresses student/staff use for instructional purposes and drone use on campus by the general public.  We have received and incorporated input from the Bethel Police Department. 

Pursuant to Board of Education Policy, the following tuition rates for non-resident students attending Bethel Public Schools are recommended:

                                    2014/2015       2015/2016       2016/2017       2017/2018       % Increase

Elem/Middle                $11,923           $12,165           $12,342           $12,543           1.63%

High School                $13,756           $14,035           $14,240           $14,472           1.63%

These tuition rates do not include transportation.  Additionally, Special Education rates will be calculated as needed based on the costs of a specific program with related services.

Importance of this topic to the Board: Important

Key Points of the Briefing:

* Raising student lunch prices a modest amount at all schools ($.05).  Elementary will be $2.80 insuring that the district meets the minimum required Paid Equity by the USDA and Middle School and High School will be $3.20.  All student lunch prices include milk.

* Raising all school breakfast prices by $.05 to $2.25.

* Bethel’s prices are very similar to other school districts in this area and across the state.

Summary of the Briefing:

1. To raise the school meal prices at slightly less than inflation rates to cover increases in labor and food costs and continue to have the school lunch program run at or above break-even. 
2. To set the price for reduced priced breakfast at $0.00 instead of 30 cents for the year 2017-2018.  This will continue to encourage participation in the breakfast program and insure that our neediest students are fed each morning.  The cost to the board should be less than $2,000.  This year we are on pace to serve 5,900 reduced-priced breakfasts.

Certification Program for many years.  By participating, Bethel can only serve snacks and a la carte items that specifically have been approved by the CSDE Bureau of Health & Nutrition.  Each year we report to the CSDE each and every a la carte/snack item that we serve in our schools and it is checked against the approved list.  The CSDE has been pleased with our adherence to the law.

For participation the District receives an additional 10 cents reimbursement from the State on each meal served.  This is important as with the choices of snack items limited, the revenue has dipped. The additional 10 cents has kept us on track.

First the BOE must choose whether to renew its participation in this program and second, the BOE has to choose to renew its allowance of the exception of items not on the CSDE list when sold after school at events.

Public Act 14-38 requires that school districts, by region, adopt a regional calendar.  The state of Connecticut is divided into five regions.  Bethel is part of the region connected with EdAdvance.   The regional calendar began with the 16-17 school year.   There is a lot of misinformation being circulated about the regional calendar.   I would like to share with you the purpose of the calendar and specific requirements of individual school districts regarding the calendar. 

The purpose of the regional calendar is to create economic efficiencies regionally and common professional learning days to regionalize opportunities and costs.   It can create increased efficiencies in transportation, particularly in communities that send their students to vo-ag schools, magnet schools and voc-tech schools.  If schools are all on similar calendars, then you do not have to run your buses when the district is not in session, thereby reducing transportation costs.  For parents who are educators, it also creates a consistent schedule.   

In the regional calendar, there are only a few requirements. 

• The first is a common first day of school (the last Wednesday of August).   The law does give districts flexibility to move that day up to three student days before and three after that date. 
• The second requirement is a similar winter or holiday recess. 
• The third is a common April vacation. 
• Lastly, there are two designated regional professional learning days.  One has to be Election Day.  The other is scheduled by the region.  Even in these parameters, district do have additional flexibility. 
• Half days and conference days are not impacted by the regional calendar.