Mr. Chappelle called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. and the pledge of allegiance was recited.

Mr. Chappelle acknowledged and welcomed Student Representative Roisin Wisnieski.

Mr. Chappelle asked if there were any comments on the minutes from the March 16, 29, 30 and April 7, 2000, special meetings and the March 21, 2000 regular meeting.

MOTION
Ms. Bobrick made a motion, seconded by Mr. Thazhampallath, and the Board VOTED unanimously, to approve the minutes of the March 16, 2000 special meeting.

MOTION
Ms. Weiss made a motion, seconded by Ms. Boske, and the Board VOTED unanimously, to approve the minutes of the March 21, 2000 regular meeting.

MOTION
Mr. Thazhampallath made a motion, seconded by Mr. McMillan, and the Board VOTED unanimously, to approve the minutes of the March 29, 2000 special meeting.

MOTION
Ms. Bobrick made a motion, seconded by Mr. McMillan, and the Board VOTED unanimously, to approve the minutes of the March 30, 2000 special meeting.

MOTION
Mr. Thazhampallath made a motion, seconded by Ms. Bobrick, and the Board VOTED unanimously, to approve the minutes of the April 7, 2000 special meeting.
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Mr. Chappelle reviewed the procedures for addressing the Board.

MSA President Kim Berry, 797 Ridge Road told Board members that parents were concerned about what they perceive to be a lack of support shown by the administration by not attending the public hearing for the budget.

Dr. Larson responded that the central office administration does not attend the public hearing on the Budget because the hearing is for the public, and the administration does not want to enter into a debate with the council or anyone else on a particular budget item. This has been a practice of previous administrations, as well as the current administration.

MOTION
Ms. Weiss made a motion, seconded by Ms. Bobrick and the Board VOTED unanimously, to add Policy #5141.3(a) – Health Assessments and Immunizations, to the Agenda.

1) Mr. Chappelle mentioned a card that he received from Marie Derosier, thanking the Board for the flowers they sent to her.

2) Mr. Chappelle mentioned his recent trip to Orlando, Florida to attend the National School Board Association Conference. He said that the NSBA has a web site that can be a tremendous resource for Board members.

MOTION
Ms. Boske made a motion, seconded by Mr. Thazhampallath and the Board VOTED unanimously, to approve the following Personnel Action item:

Leave of Absence:

Kimberly Buckley, a Language Arts Teacher employed since August 1998 for the 2000-2001 school year, extension of child rearing leave, effective October 15, 1999.

Ms. Boske informed Board members that a Budget Subcommittee Meeting has been scheduled for Wednesday, April 26, 2000, at 4:00 p.m.

1) Winter Athletics Report
Dr. Larson said that the winter season has the smallest number of participants with just over 19% of the student body involved in programs. Director of Athletics and Students Activities Henry Koritkoski said that whenever our students perform or go out-of-town, reports always come back saying what a great job they do. Ms. Boske questioned why income for basketball had gone down. Mr. Koritkoski said losing a team to a league this year, creative scheduling and cancellation of Friday night games due to inclement weather were the major reasons. Mr. Thazhampallath asked if there was any information to show how students are doing scholastically who are or are not playing sports. Mr. Koritkoski said that information would be reported at the May 9th Board meeting.

Mr. Chappelle expressed the Board’s thanks and appreciation to Mr. Koritkoski.

2) Financial Statement
Mr. Cormier said that the special education tuition account currently has a deficit of $200,000 and that figure could go up or down slightly. Mr. Chappelle asked about the fuel account. Mr. Cormier said that we currently have a deficit of $51,000 and that figure will probably increase by ten to fifteen thousand dollars.

3) Building Projects
a. Bielefield School
Mr. Jackson mentioned that Haynes Construction Company will try to have the cafeteria ready for the beginning of the 2000-2001 school year, and the project will be substantially complete by then.

b. Vo. Ag. Expansion
Dr. Larson said the project is complete except for the punch list. He also mentioned that the Vo. Ag. Department would be putting in a bid to do the landscaping. Mr. Jackson anticipates bring all change orders before the Board for approval at the May 9th Board meeting and closing out the project in June. The dedication ceremony will be in May.

1) New Policies – Approval

MOTION
Mr. Thazhampallath made a motion, seconded by Ms. Boske, and the Board VOTED unanimously, to vote on each policy separately.

Mr. Thazhampallath made a motion, seconded by Mr. McMillan to add the following language to Policy #5127, Student Representation on the Board of Education:

“All dependents, where dependents are defined as those over whom legal guardianship or parental custody has been established and/or as defined by federal and state tax laws, of serving Middletown Board of Education Members, where a serving member of the Board of Education is defined by the Middletown City Charter and its administrators, where an administrator is defined in accordance with the Middletown Board of Education Regulations and Policies, are deemed ineligible to serve a concurrent term.”

Mr. Chappelle called for discussion. Mr. Thazhampallath said he brought forth this motion to avoid hints of nepotism. Ms. Boske said she did not see anything wrong with one of her children sitting on the Board as a student representative. Mr. Filer said that he tended to agree with Mr. Thazhampallath. Ms. Bobrick said that she did not think it mattered one way or the other because nepotism involves power and this is a non-voting position. Ms. Boske said the position was created because the Board wants student input. Ms. Wisnieski said that she did not think the student representative should have a parent on the Board; however, she said that they were elected by Student Council and no one said there were restrictions as to who could serve. Mr. Chappelle said that if the motion passed, Mr. Charles would not be eligible to serve because his mother is an administrator. Ms. Weiss said that she felt comfortable with the fact that students have their own focus and opinion.

At this time the motion continued, and the Board voted with three in favor – Mr. Filer, Mr. McMillan and Mr. Thazhampallath, and four against – Ms. Bobrick, Ms. Boske, Mr. Chappelle and Ms. Weiss, to defeat the motion.

MOTION
Ms. Boske made a motion, seconded by Mr. McMillan, and the Board VOTED unanimously, to approve Policy #6147 – Weighted Grading.

MOTION
Ms. Bobrick made a motion, seconded by Ms. Boske, and the Board VOTED unanimously, to approve Policy #5123 – Promotion/Acceleration/Retention.

MOTION
Mr. Thazhampallath made a motion, seconded by Mr. Filer, and the Board VOTED unanimously, to approve Policy #3518 – Pest Management/Pesticide Application.

MOTION
Ms. Boske made a motion, seconded by Ms. Weiss, and the Board VOTED with four in favor – Ms. Bobrick, Ms. Boske, Mr. Chappelle and Ms. Weiss, and three against – Mr. Filer, Mr. McMillan and Mr. Thazhampallath, to approve Policy #5127 – Student Representation on the Board of Education.

2) Health Insurance for 2000-2001

Dr. Larson said that we have a recommendation from Mr. Robert Lindberg, from the firm of Lindberg and Ripple, who made a brief presentation at the March 21, 2000 Board meeting, to award our health insurance contract to CIGNA.

MOTION
Mr. McMillan made a motion, seconded by Ms. Bobrick and Mr. Chappelle asked for discussion. Mr. Thazhampallath asked if we were moving to save the cost of switching over to another plan. Dr. Larson said yes, and Mr. Lindberg mentioned that costs with other carriers (i.e., Blue Cross) could fluctuate much more that with CIGNA. Ms. Weiss asked if this was just a one-year extension. Dr. Larson said yes. Mr. Cormier said that if the Board approves CIGNA, he will set up a meeting at Central Office for people in the district to come in with their concerns. Mr. Thazhampallath asked if the Board would deal with CIGNA exclusively. Dr. Larson said the certified and paraprofessional staff would be covered by CIGNA.

At this time the motion continued, and the Board VOTED unanimously, to approve CIGNA Health Insurance as the vendor of choice beginning July 1, 2000 through June 30, 2001.

1) Graduation Date – 2000
Dr. Larson said that graduation must be scheduled on the 180th day of school. State Statute mandates that this only be done in April. Once the Board has established the date in April, if school has to be cancelled because of inclement weather, the graduation date does not have to be changed.

MOTION
Ms. Bobrick made a motion, seconded by Ms. Boske, and the Board VOTED unanimously, to establish Monday, June 19, 2000, as the last day for the 1999-2000 school year and the date for the Middletown High School graduation.

3) Professional Improvement Fund
Ms. Parmelee-Blancato distributed an addendum for this item. She reported that a meeting was held on April 6th and four proposals were reviewed and recommended for funding. They are: Healing, Education, Laughter and Play Institute; Technology Academy in Middletown; ER&D: Beginning Year Teaching Strategies, and National Board Certification Application Fee Funding.

MOTION
Ms. Boske made a motion, seconded by Mr. McMillan, and the Board VOTED unanimously, to approve the Professional Improvement Fund recommendations.

At this time, Dr. Larson recommended that the Board consider Grant Agenda Items H-4 through H-10 as a package.

MOTION
Ms. Bobrick made a motion, seconded by Mr. McMillan, and the Board VOTED unanimously, to accept the administration’s recommendations for Board action on items #H-4 Consolidated Application for Federal and State Grants; #H-5 Even Start Grant; #H-6 IDEA – Sliver Grant; #H-7 Nellie Mae Foundation Grant; #H-8 Primary Mental Health Grant; #H-9 School to Career Grant, and #H-10 Young Parents Program Grant.

4) Consolidated Application for Federal and State Grants
The motion was made and unanimously approved, to authorize the administration to apply for the grants under the Consolidated Application for Federal and State Grants.

5) Even Start Grant
The motion was made and unanimously approved, to authorize the administration to submit the Even Grant application.

6) IDEA – Sliver Grant
The motion was made and unanimously approved, to authorize the administration to apply for funds under the IDEA Sliver Grant program.

7) Nellie Mae Foundation Grant
The motion was made and unanimously approved, to authorize the administration to apply for grant funding through the Nellie Mae Foundation with Wesleyan University.

8) Primary Mental Health Grant
The motion was made and unanimously approved, to authorize the administration to apply for funds under the Primary Mental Health Grant program.

9) School-to-Career Grant
The motion was made and unanimously approved, to authorize the administration to apply for funds under the School-to-Career Grant with the Cromwell Public Schools.

10) Young Parents Program Grant
The motion was made and unanimously approved, to authorize the administration to participate in the Young Parents Program Grant.

11) Textbook Adoptions – First Reading
Dr. Larson said that this is the first reading of this motion to adopt textbooks recommended for the 2000-2001 school year. There must be a second reading of this motion before it can be adopted. He also said that their purchase is predicated on available funding. Copies of these textbooks are available in the Curriculum Library. Mr. Thazhampallath asked if this list was generated by teacher request. Dr. Larson said yes.

MOTION
Mr. Thazhampallath made a motion, seconded by Ms. Boske, and the Board VOTED unanimously, to approve the first reading of the following textbook adoptions:

English
Ferguson, Patten, Wilson; Journalism Today, National Textbook Company, Lincolnwood, Illinois, 1998.

Mathematics
Smith, Robert D.; Technical Mathematics, 3rd Ed., Delmar Publishers, 1996.

Larson, Ron, Boswell, Laurie, Kanold, Timothy, and Stiff, Lee; Algebra I,
McDougal Littell, 2001.

Swokowski, Earl W. and Cole, Jeffery A.; Pre-calculus: Functions and Graphs,
Brooks, Cole Publishing Company, 1998.

Foerster, Paul A.; Algebra I, Expressions, Equations, and Applications,
Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, 1999.

Bass, Laurie and Johnson, Art; Geometry Tools for a Changing World,
Prentice Hall, 2001.

Stewart, James; Calculus, Fourth Edition, Thompson Learning, 1999.

Science
Spaulding, Nancy; Earth Science, McDougal Littell, 1999.

Physical Science, Glencoe McGraw-Hill, 1997.

Dobson, Ken, Holman, John, and Roberts, Michael; Science Spectrum, A Physical Approach; Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 2001.

Social Studies
Bednarz, Sarah; Clinton, Catherine; Hartoonian, Michael; Hernandez, Arthur; Marshall, Patricia L.; and Nickell, Pat; Build Our Nation, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1997.

Ritchie, Donald A. and Broussard, Albert S.; American History, The Early Years to 1877, Glencoe McGraw-Hill, 2001.

Hine, Darlene, Clark, William C., and Harrold Stanley; The African-American Odyssey, Prentice-Hall, Inc., 2000.

Spielvogel, Jackson J.; World History, The Human Odyssey, West Educational Publishing; 1998.

Ellis, Elisabeth Gaynor, and Esler, Anthony; World History, Connections to Today, Prentice Hall, Inc., 2001.

12) Student Policy #5141.3(a), Health Assessments and Immunizations

Ms. Weiss said that the State has mandated additional immunizations for students; therefore, we have to change the Policy effective August 2000.

MOTION
Ms. Weiss made a motion, seconded by Ms. Boske, and Mr. Chappelle asked for discussion. Ms. Weiss said that, at the next Policy Subcommittee Meeting, she would ask that State mandates not be required to go through the two readings we have for policies. Ms. Bobrick mentioned that she knew of some children that have had an adverse reaction to immunizations. Dr. Larson said that if there is a medical reason, a physician’s note will excuse the student.

At this time the motion continued, and the Board VOTED unanimously, to approve the first reading of Student Policy #5141.3(a), Health Assessments and Immunizations.

Mr. Chappelle asked Board members to look at their calendars to set a date for an in-district Board retreat for two or three hours in the evening. May 12th and 19th, at 6:30 p.m., were suggested as possible dates.

Student representative Roisin Wisnieski said that she asked other students if they had any issues they wanted her to address with the Board. The parking situation was a main concern. She asked if the large parking lot could be designated for students only; however, the parking needs of central office employees make that impossible. Dr. Larson suggest that this topic should be discussed with the high school administration and said that it would be looked at by the High School Building Committee. Ms. Bobrick asked if students share rides. Ms. Wisnieski said yes. Mr. Thazhampallath asked how starting at 7:30 a.m. was working out. Ms. Wisnieski said that perhaps Mr. Charles could report on that at the next meeting, as well as other issues students want mentioned. Mr. Cormier said that in other towns, student representatives are put at the beginning of the agenda so they can leave if they have exams, etc. Mr. Chappelle asked that items for discussion be submitted through the Superintendent’s Office two weeks prior to the Board meeting.

With no further discussion, Mr. Chappelle adjourned the meeting.
Time: 8:05 p.m.