EASTON BOARD OF EDUCATION AND REDDING BOARD OF EDUCATION
Special Joint Meeting Minutes
October 9, 2018
ATTENDANCE
Easton Board of Education: Parker, Chieda, Bindelglass, Hicks, Reed, Shortt
Redding Board of Education: Irwin, Hoffman, Hoeing, Parkin, Pilato, Reilly, Whaley Administration: McMorran, Pierson Ugol, Reiss, Hammond, Basta, Martin, Wallin, Twiss, Kirby
Others: 5 members of the public/staff
CALL TO ORDER
Easton Chairperson Jeffrey Parker called the meeting to order at 7:35 p.m.
Redding Chairperson Melinda Irwin called the meeting to order at 7:35 p.m.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
The Board discussed the June 12th minutes and Mr. Parkin agreed to correct the spelling of Mr. Reilly’s name.
Motion: move that the Easton Board of Education approve the minutes of the June 12, 2018 Special Joint Meeting, as amended. Bindelglass, Hicks. Approved. Unanimous.
Motion: move that the Redding Board of Education approve the minutes of the June 12, 2018 Special Joint Meeting, as amended. Whaley, Pilato. Approved. Unanimous.
PUBLIC COMMENT
Anne Manusky, Morning Glory Drive, Easton – appreciated that the Boards were working together. She provided feedback on the lack of meeting dates, notice requirements and posting of the Curriculum Committee’s meeting dates on the website.
BOARD MEMBER COMMENT
Ms. Hoeing clarified that the Curriculum Committee met in June and October.
Mrs. Pilato thanked the Easton Board members for hosting the Joint Boards meeting.
DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION: TIER 1 INSTRUCTION/DIFFERENTIATION
Dr. Pierson Ugol referred to the presentation and led a discussion on Tier 1 Instruction/Differentiation. She provided examples and explained Tier 1 Instruction/Differentiation and standards. She reviewed how having a shared focus deepens the understanding of the standards and assessments within the curriculum supports individual student growth.
Dr. Pierson Ugol discussed the importance of ELA in grades K-8, Literacy Specialists and providing targeted instructions in small groups. She described the reporting tools all reading teachers were asked to use to monitor student progress. She remarked that the new user-friendly format was helpful in team meetings because the format was consistent across the board.
She reported on the differences in fluency standards by grade, pre-assessments and the Standards of Focus in Other Areas. Mr. Brownstein reported on reading progression and how students benefit when they are a part of the goal setting process. Mr. Parker remarked that the schools’ performance was due in part to Dr. McMorran’s leadership and guidance. Dr. McMorran concluded the discussion with review of the Climate Plan.
The presenters responded to questions from the Board throughout the discussion.
DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION: CULTURE/CLIMATE INCLUSIVE ENVIRONMENTS
Each administrator and their representative staff members discussed how each school was contributing to more inclusive environments on campus. They discussed, among other things, building-wide outreach efforts, Restorative Practices, certified anti-bias staff training, embracing other cultures and differences, creating communities within the schools, gender differences, Diversity Day and the Wingman Program.
Dr. McMorran and Dr. Pierson Ugol reported on their efforts to increase minority recruitment as demographics in Easton and Redding were shifting and presented statistics regarding demographics of the staff in each district as compared to the student body.
DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION: REVIEW MONTHLY INSURANCE ANALYSIS
Mr. Reiss, Director of Finance & Operations, reviewed in detail the report on the Health Insurance Reserve Analysis for Easton, Redding and the Central Office. He discussed the revised format of the report, the high deductible plan, average claims to date, and employer contributions among other topics. Mr. Reiss responded to questions from the Board throughout his presentation and agreed to provide an update on the state-mandated insurance plan and more detailed information on identifying trends over time. A further discussion of health insurance will be held at the October 23, 2018 Tri-board Meeting.
ADMINISTRATIVE REPORTS
Dr. Pierson Ugol reported that neither Curriculum Committee had a quorum at the start of the October 3rd, 2018 meeting to formally call the meetings to order. She referred to her October board report included in the meeting materials and discussed committee charges, Next Generation Science Standards, Second Step as a resource to the Health curriculum, recent legislative mandates and topics for future meetings.
Dr. Twiss, Interim Director of Special Services, reported that there were no big changes since the date of her last report to the Board. She discussed the number of referrals made for speech and language and a policy change effective January 2019.
BOARD OF EDUCATION COMMITTEE REPORTS
Mr. Hicks reported on the status of the bus contract and advised that the Joint Transportation Committee would likely be in a position to propose a vendor recommendation at the upcoming Tri-Board meeting.
PUBLIC COMMENT
None.
BOARD MEMBER COMMENT
Mr. Parkin thanked both Boards for experimenting with format by holding the three-part meeting and solicited feedback from the members to assist the ongoing work of the Redding Structure and Ways of Working Committee.
ADJOURNMENT: EASTON BOARD OF EDUCATION
Motion: move to adjourn the Easton Board of Education meeting. Shortt, Bindelglass.
Approved. Unanimous.
The Easton Board of Education meeting adjourned at 8:40 pm.
ADJOURNMENT: REDDING BOARD OF EDUCATION
Motion: move to adjourn the Redding Board of Education meeting. Hoffman, Hoeing. Approved. Unanimous.
The Redding Board of Education meeting adjourned at 8:40 pm.
Submitted by,
Chris Parkin, Redding Board of Education Secretary
Jenny Chieda, Easton Board of Education Secretary
Recorded by Stephanie Benton