REGION 9 BOARD OF EDUCATION
November 16, 2017
Regular Meeting Minutes
Attendance: Region 9 Board of Education Members: Coppinger, D’Agostino, Gombos, Hancock, Hocker, Johnston, King
Administration: McMorran, Pierson Ugol, Reiss, Pin
Student Representative: Maha Ulhaq
Others: Six members of the staff and community and the videographer
Mr. Hancock called the meeting to order at 7:35 p.m.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Motion: move that the Region 9 Board of Education approve the minutes of the October 17, 2017, regular meeting and the minutes of the October 24, 2017, joint meeting of the Easton, Redding Region 9 Boards of Education. Gombos, D’Agostino. Approved. Unanimous.
STUDENT COMMENT
Mala Ulhaq reported on student events that included sports, homecoming dance and bonfire.
PUBLIC COMMENT
None.
Dr. McMorran recognized Catherine Gombos and Wally King whose terms have ended for their exemplary service on the Region 9 Board of Education. He presented them with gifts.
BOARD MEMBER COMMENT
Each member of the Board thanked Mrs. Gombos for her 18 years of service on the Board and also thanked Mr. King for his service to the Board.
DISCUSSION: NEXT GENERATION SCIENCE STANDARDS
Dr. Pierson Ugol, Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction, and J.T. Schemm, STEM Department Chair, provided an overview of the Next Generation Science Standards that included content and instructional shifts related to these standards. They shared a multi-year plan for implementation.
DISCUSSION AND ACTION: ACCEPTANCE OF GRANTS
Dr. Pin asked for approval of various grants offered to Joel Barlow High School.
Motion: move that the Region 9 Board of Education accept with gratitude the following grants:
a) $2,000 from Lockheed Martin for the Robotics Team
b) $1,000 from Sierentz North America, LLC for the Robotics Team
c) $758 from the Weller Foundation for 40 books for the Youth Mental Health First Aid Group
d) $500 from the Weller Foundation for the purchase of equipment and tools for the Robotics Team
e) $500 from the Weller Foundation for the purchase of three battery-powered drills
f) $100 from L. Thomas and Phyllis Osterman for the student activities club, Operation Smile
Gombos, Johnston. Approved. Unanimous.
ADMINISTRATIVE REPORTS
Head of School Report: Dr. Pin provided updates on Joel Barlow’s Teacher of the Year (Catherine Chen) ceremony held on November 15, 2017, the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence RULER seminar and the data on substance related discipline over the past 5 years as outlined in the handout. Mr. D’Agostino recommended that substance abuse, in particular vape use, become a future agenda item. Mr. Hancock agreed. Mrs. Gombos noted that the data presented indicated that the discipline related incidents show that there is a significant decrease in drug and alcohol related incidents as nearly all events in the data for the last 2 years involve vaping. Dr. Pin confirmed that as the case and further indicated that none of the school incidents of vaping involved THC.
Finance and Operations: Mr. Reiss reported that there was no significant change in current budget from last month. He discussed overspent object codes and requested transfers from various budget lines. He also reported on the progress of the state’s audit of the Building Project. Additionally, Mr. Reiss reported that the audit of the building project is complete and that further discussions with the State are on-going in relation to $1.1 million in potential exposure as it relates to invoices that were not available and therefore not eligible for reimbursement.
Motion: move that the Region 9 Board of Education approve a budget transfer for unemployment payment in the amount of $18,638.28, as submitted by the Director of Finance & Operations. Johnston, Hocker. Approved. Unanimous.
BOARD OF EDUCATION COMMITTEE REPORTS
Pension Committee: Mr. King reported on bonds, stocks, and their performance.
Facilities and Fields Committee: Mr. D’Agostino reported that the carpeting in the music room, band room, and choir room need replacing. He also reported the Capital Plan report will be updated and posted be on the website.
Motion: move that the Region 9 Board of Education update the Capital Plan to include $26,993 for carpet replacement in the band, choir and music rooms. D’Agostino, Gombos. Approved. Unanimous.
Motion: move approve the expenditure for carpet replacement in the music, choir and band rooms at $26,993, reflecting the low bid. D’Agostino, Coppinger. Approved. Unanimous.
PUBLIC COMMENT
Dana Gray, Lamppost Drive, Redding: Expressed concerns about students vaping in the bathrooms at JBHS. She also expressed concerns about the results of the state audit of the building project which could possibly result in more than $1 million owed to the State and questioned the raises given to the last director of finance.
BOARD MEMBER COMMENT
Mr. Coppinger stated the need for all bathrooms to be safe at JBHS.
Mrs. Gombos thanked Mr. Reiss for moving along the state audit of the Building Project.
Motion: move that the meeting be adjourned. Gombos, King. Approved. Unanimous.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:50 p.m.
Submitted by Catherine Gombos, Region 9 Board of Education Secretary
Recorded by Deborah DeLorenzo