May 9, 2012 at 7:00 PM - Regular BOE Meeting

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Pam Rodgers and Jeffrey Ethier, it is my pleasure to inform that you have been chosen as Employees of the Month for April 2012.

As music teachers at Killingly High School, you have been chosen to receive this award due to the appreciation from so many people within the Killingly Public Schools family and community.

We thank you for your assiduous effort in making the New England Music Festival an enormous success.  This was, without a doubt, no small accomplishment.  Both of you worked for months in order to pull off this amazing event.  The 3 day festival was an astounding weekend and something that the entire town can be proud of.  You not only showcased our beautiful school, but the talents and hard work of our dedicated music students. 

Both  of you went above and beyond the call of duty to make this festival happen, and you did it with professionalism, thoughtfulness, enthusiasm, and true dedication. This was a fantastic event, and reflected so well on our entire community!

On behalf of the Board of Education, we commend you and thank you for your dedication to the Killingly Public Schools.

Rationale:  CABE has recognized four students to receive the annual Student Leadership Awards. All four students were nominated by their schools' administrator.   Chosen from Killingly Intermediate school are; Joseph Santese and Anna Whalon and chosen from Killingly High School are Aadam Barclay and Emily Klawitter.

Letter from CABE to students:
"Congratulations for being chosen to receive  CABE's Student Leadership Award!

Leadership is a quality that is hard to define, but remains critical to our society. CABE has developed criteria that help to define leadership. Your Principals received a list of these criteria and was asked to name Killingly students who met them. Your Principal considers you such a school leader.

We are pleased to present you, together with other Student Leaders across Connecticut, with the 16th Annual CABE Student Leadership award. You should take pride in the recognition bestowed upon you. We encourage you to continue to think and act like a leader."

Rationale:  National School Nurses Day

May 9, 2012 is School Nurses Day.  We want to acknowledge all the hard work and efforts made on behalf of children by our school nurses and teachers.  Many thanks!
 
See attached Official Statement from Governor Dannel Malloy:

Teacher APPRECIATION Week...

is May 7- May 11.... Teacher Appreciation Day is Tuesday May 8, 2012 

Teacher Appreciation Week is a week long celebration in the United States observed the first full week in May. Teacher Appreciation Day is the Tuesday that falls during Teacher Appreciation Week. Teacher Appreciation Day is a time to honor teachers for the contributions they make to learning, child development and to the community.

See attached resolution.

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Members of the Killingly community are encouraged to share their thoughts with the Board of Education and are invited to do so during this segment of the meeting. When appropriate to do so, members of the Board and the administration may respond to comments. However, in consideration of those in attendance and in an effort to proceed in a timely manner, follow-up discussion may need to take place outside of the meeting setting.

 

Rationale:  Mrs. Oat will introduce Steve Wheeler, our new elementary school assistant principal.  Steve will be splitting his time between KMS and KCS.

Mrs. Oat will also be presenting her Spring KMS report.

Rationale:  Ben and members of the Technology Committee will share the draft District Technology Plan for July 1, 2012 through June 30, 2015.  The district's Technology Committee has been hard at work on revising our current plan since early in the school year (see page 6 of the plan for a list of committee members).  These triennial plans are required by the State Department of Education so that they can qualify for Federal technology funding; they must have approved plans from every district in the state.  Similarly, an approved plan is necessary for us to be eligible for e-rate funding.

The plan (and format) is similar in many ways to the one approved by the Board three years ago, updated for our current status.  The process has three parts:
   - plan development, supported by EASTCONN
   - plan review by EASTCONN for completeness
   - plan approval by the BOE
We are then required to submit the approved plan to SDE no later than June 15.  The Technology Committee voted unanimously at their meeting on May 3rd to submit the plan to the board and recommend approval.

The goal tonight is to introduce the plan to the Board; approval of the plan will be on the June agenda.

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Rationale:  The BOE Curriculum Committee has endorsed the approval of both American Studies and AP Environmental Science curriculum to be a part of the KHS Program of Studies. 

The American Studies curriculum was written by Dave Minikowski and Annice Rockwell and piloted this year.  Part of the new process for adopting new curriculum is for the Board to be provided with a presentation on the new curriculum. 

The AP Environmental Science curriculum is written and provided by the College Board. 

Rationale:  Please find attached a list of activities at all the schools, for your information.  As changes occur we will let you know.

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The year end celebration will be at The Gold Eagle at The Laurel House on Monday, June 11, 2012 from 2:45p.m. to 5:00 p.m. 

If there are any changes, we will keep you posted.

Rationale:  The High School administration and Program Council (composed of administrators, department coordinators and other staff) have been working on adjustments to the block schedule to address several needs.  Key factors included being able to offer more electives and sections of core courses due to increased enrollment and decreased staff, while maintaining the ability to access students during the school day for intervention.  Multiple iterations of various schedules were explored, with faculty giving feedback at various points in the process.  Please see attached report for more detail.

This is an informational item only, and requires no board action.

Rationale:  The Curriculum Committee is recommending that the Board approve the new American Studies curriculum as presented that was piloted this year.  They are also recommending that the Board approve the use of the AP Environmental Science Curriculum at the high school. 

Rationale:  The district employs a number of staff who are not union members. They include several categories such as BASP staff, SCORE staff, and several singleton positions. All have salaries and terms and conditions of employment.  Historically, the Board has approved salary increases consistent with negotiated settlements. A salary recommendation will be made for the Board approval.

Rationale:  At their last presentation to the Board, Whitson's recommended that the Board consider participating in the Healthy Food Certification (HFC) program during the 2012-13 school year, pursuant to CGS 10-215f.  Tim Mugan and John Prunier from Whitson's will be present to detail their recommendation.  Participating will increase the state reimbursement for eligible school breakfasts and lunches (increasing program revenue) while minimally impacting other food-related activities (such as vending machine sales and after school snacks). 

The Board can also approve exemptions that meet the following criteria: "exclude from certification food items that do not meet the Connecticut Nutrition Standards, provided that (1) such food is sold in connection with an event occurring after the end of the regular school day or on the weekend, (2) such sale is at the location of the event, and (3) such food is not sold from a vending machine or school store."  This would allow the sale of food items that do not meet the CT Nutrition Standards, for example, at sporting events, and for fund raising under certain conditions.  We would recommend that the Board approve these exemptions as part of its motion.

Attached are the following documents for your review:
- a map showing CT school districts participating in the HFC
- the HFC Statement that must be submitted to CSDE
- background material on compliance and fundraising

Rationale:  With the changing of the guard, the Board needs to authorize Brian O'Connell to replace Christine Clark as the second signatory for the child nutrition program.  The SDE requires a board motion to affirm the authorization.  Since the primary signatory must be the superintendent, the Board will again need to approve a change after July 1.