Elizabeth Bobrick, Sally Boske, Frederick Chappelle, Marie Derosier, Lloyd Duggan, Daniel Filer, Edward McMillan, Geen Thazhampallath, and Barbara Weiss.

Also Present

Superintendent of Schools Carol Parmelee-Blancato, Associate Superintendent Richard Cormier, Assistant Superintendent John Hennelly, Director of Food Services and Transportation William Pillarella, Director of Facilities Ken Jackson, Assistant to the Superintendent/Board of Education Secretary Kathryn Eyles, MSA President Kim Berry, Student Representative Roisin Wisneski, two representatives from the Middletown Federation of Teachers, one representatives from the Middletown Federation of Paraprofessionals, Hartford Courant Reporter Ken Byron, Middletown Press Reporters John Christie and Laura Kennedy, and seventy visitors.

Mr. Chappelle called the meeting to order at 7:03 p.m., and the pledge of allegiance was recited.

MOTION Ms. Weiss made a motion, seconded by Mr. McMillan and the Board VOTED with seven in favor - Ms. Bobrick, Ms. Boske, Mr. Duggan, Mr. Filer, Mr. McMillan, and Ms. Weiss, and one abstention - Ms. Derosier, to approve the minutes of the January 9, 2001 Regular Meeting.

MOTION Ms. Boske made a motion, seconded by Mr. Duggan and the Board VOTED with four in favor - Ms. Boske, Mr. Chappelle, Mr. Duggan, and Mr. McMillan, and five abstentions - Ms. Bobrick, Ms. Derosier, Mr. Filer, Mr. Thazhampallath, and Ms. Weiss, to approve the minutes of the January 23, 2001 special meeting.

Ms. Derosier asked that the sentence on page 3 read; "She said that the Board does its best to hire the best teachers and administrators who are expected to put students forward in academics." Mr. Thazhampallath asked that the meeting location on the minutes be changed to Middletown High School.

MOTION Ms. Bobrick made a motion, seconded by Mr. Thazhampallath and the Board VOTED unanimously to approve the minutes of the January 23, 2001 special meeting as amended.

MOTION Ms. Derosier made a motion, seconded by Mr. McMillan and the Board VOTED with seven in favor - Ms. Bobrick, Ms. Boske, Mr. Duggan, Mr. Filer, Mr. McMillan, and Ms. Weiss, and one abstention - Ms. Derosier, to approve the minutes of the January 29, 2001 special meeting.

MOTION Ms. Derosier made a motion, seconded by Mr. McMillan and the Board VOTED unanimously to move agenda item #H-1 up to Committee Reports.

 MOTION Ms. Boske made a motion, seconded by Ms. Derosier and the Board VOTED unanimously to add a scholarship donation under New Business as item #H-5.

Mr. Chappelle reviewed with the public the procedures for addressing the Board.

Mr. Lee Smith, 17 Afton Terrace, addressed the Board about his continued concern with a bus driver using the "brakes" to discipline students, and what he felt was the administration's failure to follow federal guidelines. Mr. Chappelle commented that the safety of students is the top priority.

Ms. Sue Peterson, Macdonough School PTA President, 60 Park Place, spoke in support of the options the advisory committee came up with and asked the Board to be sensitive to not redistricting any more students out of Macdonough School.

Ms. Jennifer Alexander, 110 Washington St., spoke in support of keeping Macdonough School open and pursuing a community partnership with Wesleyan University.

Mr. Peter Paton, Vice President and Secretary of Wesleyan University, spoke in support of a community partnership with Macdonough School and Wesleyan University.

Ms. Sherry Thompson, 622 High St., spoke in support of keeping Macdonough School open.

Ms. Lydia Brewster, NEAT Representative, 317 Rock Landing Rd., Haddam Neck, spoke in support of keeping Macdonough School open.

Ms. Marie Tyler, Moody School parent, spoke in support of keeping Macdonough School open because of the effect redistricting has on class sizes at Moody School.

Ms. Faith Jackson, NAACP President, spoke in support of keeping Macdonough School open and expressed support for Policy #6145.2 on behalf of the NAACP.

Ms. Lillie Mae Fitzpatrick, NAACP Education Chair, spoke in support of keeping Macdonough School open and expressed support for Policy #6145.2 on behalf of the NAACP.

Mr. John Bassinger, Lincoln St., spoke in support of keeping Macdonough School open.

Mr. John Bagley, 136 Ridge Road, spoke in support of keeping Macdonough School open and in opposition to Policy #6145.2.

Mr. John Robinson, Councilman and Vice President of the NAACP, spoke in support of keeping Macdonough School open and in support of Policy #6145.2.

Mr. Alexander Tucci, Academic Advisor for MHS Football and a member of the MHS teaching staff, 56 Red Road, spoke in opposition to Policy #6145.2 and expressed support for raising standards for all students.

Ms. Parmelee-Blancato reminded Board members that the budget workshop with the Common Council will be held on Tuesday, March 6, 2001, at 7:00 p.m., and the Board of Education Budget will be presented to the Common Council on Thursday, March 22^nd, at 6:00 p.m.

Mr. Chappelle mentioned that Dr. Beverly Tatum, author of "Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? And Other Conversations About Race" would be the guest speaker at the Middletown 2000 meeting on February 15^th.

 D PERSONNEL ACTION

MOTION Ms. Weiss made a motion, seconded by Ms. Derosier and the Board VOTED unanimously to approve the following Personnel Action items:

Resignation:

Janet Evison, a GED Teacher employed since June 1994, has submitted her resignation effective January 1, 2001 for the purpose of retirement.

Kathleen Feegel, a Language Arts Teacher employed since September 1971, has submitted her resignation effective June 30, 2001 for the purpose of retirement.

 E COMMITTEE REPORTS

1) Receipt and Consideration of Report by the Macdonough School Advisory Committee.

Determination of option for future action concerning racial balance issues at Macdonough School

Mr. Boske reported on the Macdonough School Advisory Committee. She thanked committee members for their participation, insightful comments, and frank discussion. Ms. Boske said that research was done on the different options that included searching on the Internet and going out to observe other programs.

MOTION Ms. Boske made a motion, seconded by Ms. Bobrick, not to close Macdonough School and for the Board to consider one of the other options recommended by the Advisory Committee.

Ms. Weiss offered a friendly amendment to the motion that Macdonough School not be closed and the administration be directed to bring back to the Board information concerning a unique school or a magnet school so the Board can consider these options as alternatives to closing the school. Ms. Bobrick seconded the motion.

Ms. Derosier suggested that the administration obtain more information about a unique or magnet school and Special Program Open Choice before the Board gets into a lot of dialogue. She also said that she would not vote to close Macdonough School.

Mr. McMillan asked if the administration had asked for an exception for Macdonough School. Ms. Parmelee-Blancato said she spoke to CT Commissioner of Education Dr. Theodore Sergi, and he said there were no waiver or exception options; however, the law does speak to the Unique School concept. Ms. Parmelee-Blancato said unique school means an inter-district or intra-district magnet, local or state alternative or special education school or other school designated by the Commissioner that offers specialized programs or provides for the voluntary enrollment of students. Mr. McMillan expressed concerns about how long it would take to set up a unique or magnet school and asked if the Board could get an answer from the Commissioner of Education about a waiver or exception for Macdonough School. Ms. Boske said that she also spoke with the commissioner and received the same answer he gave to Ms. Parmelee-Blancato. Mr. Chappelle requested Ms. Parmelee-Blancato officially ask the commissioner about a waiver or exception and ask that he respond in writing.

Through the Chair, Mr. Thazhampallath asked Ms. Boske why the advisory committee did not come up with pros and cons for each of the four options. Ms. Boske said that is not information that the advisory committee was charged to do. Mr. Duggan said that he was not in favor of closing Macdonough School and expressed frustration at not receiving more information about the four options. Mr. Chappelle said that in fairness to the advisory committee, it is the Board's responsibility to explore the options. He said the committee went beyond their scope with field trips; however, from this point, it is the Board's charge. Through the Chair, Ms. Derosier asked Ms. Parmelee-Blancato how long it would take to gather information on unique or magnet school and project choice? Ms. Parmelee-Blancato said two or three months.

At this time, the motion continued and the Board VOTED unanimously not to close Macdonough School and to authorize the Superintendent to seek information on unique and magnet school concept.

Mr. Chappelle thanked the community members who were part of this committee. He also stressed that the Superintendent's recommendation to close a school in the district was made because her charge from the Board was to look at all issues that impact all students in the district. Mr. Chappelle said he is concerned by the sensationalism surrounding this issue because it was never the intention of the Board or the Superintendent to target individuals. They are concerned about every child whether in Pre-school or high school.

 Mr. Chappelle called for a brief recess at 8:10 p.m.

Mr. Chappelle reconvened the meeting at 8:20 p.m.

 MOTION Ms. Bobrick made a motion, seconded by Ms. Weiss and the Board VOTED unanimously to move up agenda item G-1.

 G OLD BUSINESS

1) Policy #5145.2 - Athletic/Extracurricular Activities - Second Reading

MOTION Ms. Weiss made a motion to adopt Policy #6145.2, Athletic/Extracurricular Activities, as amended, seconded by Ms. Derosier, and Mr. Chappelle called for discussion.

Ms. Weiss said that she thinks the point is well taken that the whole high school needs to be involved in this policy and said that she would work toward that. Ms. Derosier recommended looking at the ramifications of putting a 70 GPA as a requirement at the high school and stressed the need to look at all schools. Ms. Bobrick supports raising standards for all students and hopes that constructive suggestions can be incorporated into the policy. Mr. McMillan said he did not feel students did any better by being kept off extracurricular activities. He also felt that it should be left to parents or responsible adults to bring about effective schoolwork. Mr. Duggan agreed with Mr. McMillan. He feels that this policy rewards mediocrity. Mr. Filer said that his viewpoint has not changed. He suggested using Wesleyan students as tutors and setting higher standards at the elementary level.

Ms. Boske said she would be voting yes on this motion. She felt it was just one of the things the Board has been doing to raise standards. Ms. Boske also said that when this policy was developed coaches and parents were included in the discussion. Ms. Bobrick echoed Ms. Boske's sentiments. Ms. Wisneski expressed her opposition to the policy and said that the majority of students on the Student Council and newspaper staff agree with her. Mr. Thazhampallath said he would be voting against the policy and urged the administration to start compiling student data the Board could receive on a yearly basis.

Mr. Chappelle called the vote on the motion to approve the second reading of Policy #6145.2, Athletic/Extracurricular Activities, as amended.

At this time, the motion continued and the Board VOTED with five in favor - Ms. Bobrick, Ms. Boske, Mr. Chappelle, Ms. Derosier, and Ms. Weiss, and four opposed - Mr. Duggan, Mr. Filer, Mr. McMillan, and Mr. Thazhampallath, to approve the second reading of Policy #65145.2 as amended.

Mr. Chappelle asked the Superintendent to track information provided by the Director of Athletics and Student Activities and provide updates to the Board on the possible impact of this policy. Mr. Filer also asked that if a legal opinion is sought when reviewing or amending a policy, that it be made available to the Board. 

Food Services Financial Report

Mr. Pillarella referred to the Food Services Report for the 1999-2000 School Year which showed a revenue surplus of $13,000. He said that this was the first time in thirteen years the Food Services Department had not received a subsidy from the Board of Education. Mr. McMillan asked how much of the $1,284,000 was from junk food? Mr. Pillarella said $181,000 was from ala carte items. Mr. McMillan asked what type of items are sold? Mr. Pillarella said hot dogs, hamburgers, etc. He also said that the items sold are approved by the State of Connecticut.

Financial Statement

Ms. Parmelee-Blancato said that we will have a balanced budget. Some items with projected deficits are lower, and we are requesting reimbursement from Medicaid for special education costs.

Building Projects

Ms. Parmelee-Blancato said that based on the Board of Education recommendation not to close Macdonough School, she will notify the CT School Facilities Unit and building committee chairs that we will not be proceeding with the five classroom additions to both Lawrence and Wesley Schools.

Ms. Parmelee-Blancato said the schematic designs for both projects will be completed close to the March 5^th Council meeting, and said the Board would receive the schematic designs prior to March 5^th. Ms. Boske asked if these would be separate referendum items? Ms. Parmelee-Blancato and Mr. Jackson said to the best of their knowledge they will be separate.

Report on Proposed New High School Feasibility Study Process

Ms. Parmelee-Blancato asked if this item could be deferred until after item H-2. A consensus of the Board agreed.

Proposed New High School - (a) Land Acquisition / Site Assessment

MOTION Ms. Bobrick made a motion that the Board consider a review of two sites, the Woodrow Wilson Middle School site and the existing high school site for the proposed new high school. The motion was seconded by Ms. Weiss and Mr. Chappelle called for discussion.

Ms. Bobrick said that in her review of the material and information received from P & Z, those seem to be the most appropriate sites. Ms. Weiss said that the motion speaks to sites that already have buildings on them. She said she wanted to add the Long Hill Road site, which was her #1 choice, to the sites being evaluated. Ms. Boske said that the Long Hill Road site was her #1 choice too. Ms. Derosier expressed her support for building the proposed new high school on the Woodrow Wilson Middle School site and using the current high school site for the middle school. Ms. Boske said that she had spoken to our state representatives, and, unless there is an uproar from the neighborhood against it, the Long Hill Road site can be deeded to the city from the state and will not cost additional funds and mentioned its close proximity to Wesleyan. Mr. Filer agreed with Ms. Boske saying that for the future of our flagship school we need to align ourselves with a greater partnership with Wesleyan University.

Mr. Thazhampallath asked about the connection of agenda items F-4 and H-2. Ms. Parmelee-Blancato said since the Board of Education approved the proposed new high school and is proceeding to conduct land acquisition/site assessment it is necessary that the Board begin the feasibility study process. This would not only require site review but that the educational specifications for the proposed new high school be developed. She also mentioned that $50,000 was in the budget for the feasibility process.

Ms. Weiss asked that the motion be amended to include three sites and incorporate the cost issue. Ms. Boske seconded the motion.

Mr. Duggan asked if the site assessment was necessary in view of the information received from P & Z. Mr. Jackson said this would be more thorough and include soil analysis, wetlands mapping, full review of city maps, and a Phase I environmental study. Ms. Bobrick asked if we have already done a feasibility study of the existing high school building? Mr. Jackson said that was a small study for current utilization.

At this time, the motion continued and the Board VOTED with eight in favor - Ms. Bobrick, Ms. Boske, Mr. Chappelle, Ms. Derosier, Mr. Duggan, Mr. Filer, Mr. McMillan, Mr. Thazhampallath, and Ms. Weiss, and one opposed - Ms. Derosier, to recommend the Woodrow Wilson Middle School site, the existing high school site, and the Long Hill Road site for further study and direct the administration to prepare and publicize the architectural/engineering services RFQ/RFP for a full scale feasibility study.

2001-02 and 2002-03 School Calendars

MOTION Ms. Derosier made a motion, seconded by Ms. Boske and a brief discussion followed.

Mr. Thazhampallath expressed his opposition to February and April breaks of a week in length. He said that by shortening breaks students could get out earlier and this would be helpful with the Lawrence building project and the need for air conditioning. Ms. Bobrick agreed with Mr. Thazhampallath and said these vacations are a hardship for working parents.

At this time the motion continued and the Board VOTED with five in favor - Ms. Boske, Mr. Chappelle, Mr. Filer, Mr. McMillan, and Ms. Weiss, and four opposed - Ms. Bobrick, Ms. Derosier, Mr. Duggan, and Mr. Thazhampallath, to approve the 2001-02 and 2002-03 school calendars, including one-session days, as recommended.

Middle School Drug Prevention and School Safety Program Coordinator Grant

MOTION Ms. Weiss made a motion, seconded by Ms. Boske and a brief discussion followed.

Ms. Weiss asked if this would eliminate the Rushford Program. Dr. Hennelly said no. Ms. Weiss asked if this position was renewable after one year and would be evaluated. Dr. Hennelly said this position is funded for one year with the option of two additional years, contingent upon substantial progress, and it would be evaluated after one year. Mr. Chappelle expressed his concern that the person hired, in addition to a four year degree, should have some certification in prevention and drug or alcohol treatment, and demonstrated cultural competence.

At this time, the motion continued and the Board VOTED unanimously to authorize the administration to apply for funding under the Middle School Drug Prevention and School Safety Program Coordinator Grant.

$250 Donation

MOTION Ms. Weiss made a motion, seconded by Ms. Derosier and the Board VOTED unanimously to accept a check in the amount of $250.00 from the excess campaign funds of Representative Joseph Serra to be used as a scholarship for a current high school senior.

MOTION Ms. Bobrick made a motion, seconded by Ms. Boske and the Board VOTED unanimously to go into Executive Session for the purpose of discussing pending claims and litigation of employees of the Middletown Board of Education, Pursuant to Connecticut General Statutes, Section 1-18a(e)(1).

Time: 9:30 p.m.

All Board members and the Superintendent remained for executive session.

MOTION Mr. McMillan made a motion, seconded by Mr. Thazhampallath and the Board VOTED unanimously to return to public session.

With no further discussion, Mr. Chappelle adjourned the meeting.

Time: 10:10 p.m.

Respectfully submitted, 

Barbara M. Weiss

Secretary

/kce

REMINDER The next Board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, March 13, 2001, at 7:00 P.M.

Return to Board of Education Minutes Menu