MINUTES OF THE CORNWALL BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING
HELD ON THURSDAY, MAY 20, 2004 AT 5:00 P.M. AT
CORNWALL CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL

Board members present were: Barbara Gold, Chairperson; Becky Hurlburt, Secretary; Phil Hart, Wynne Kavanagh, Catherine Tatge, and Jim Terrall. Others present were John O’Brien, Superintendent of Schools; Sarah Blexrud, Principal Intern; Caroline Marshall, PTA Representative; Ken Keskinen, Selectman; and two members of the press.

Mrs. Gold called the meeting to order at 5:05 p.m.

Board of Finance Meetings: May 20 – Mrs. Gold ; June 17 – Mr. Terrall

On a motion by Ms. Tatge, seconded by Mrs. Hurlburt, the agenda was amended to add both Election of Region One Board Representative and Discussion of Classified Staff Negotiations under New Business.

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On a motion by Ms. Tatge, seconded by Mrs. Hurlburt, the minutes of the April 8 meeting were approved.

Mrs. Gold said that Katherine Gannett had resigned her position as Cornwall Representative to the Region One Board at that board’s May 17 meeting.

Mr. Hart said that a parent had expressed concern about the problems at the high school. Mr. Hart told that person that everything is being dealt with according to regulations.

Mrs. Marshall reported that the PTA plans to purchase a new door and carpet for the principal’s office. The PTA also decided that they would participate in only one Teacher Appreciation event each year.

Expenditures for April are in line with the budget.

Mr. Hart sat in as alternate for Mrs. Gannett at the last Region One Board meeting. Bill Godburn will be acting chair of the board. The Principal Search Committee is in the process of finding a new principal for the high school.

There was no Board of Finance report.

Mr. Terrall reported from the Building Committee that siding is going on and roofs are near completion. Casle Corp. maintains that the building will be ready for the first day of school on September 1.

Dr. O’Brien – Superintendent’s Report

· Hope to have candidate for HVRHS principal chosen by July 1.

· Distributed information from a recent State Board of Education meeting related to factors important in determining what correlates to achievement in schools.

· In the future, if someone has coached a sport in a district for three consecutive years, the legislature is giving rights to appeal if that individual is given notice to terminate employment at the beginning of the season.

· If a teacher is National Board Certified, Connecticut will grant certification immediately

· Congratulations to Cornwall Board and other boards in Region One for their support. A regional board of finance will not be created.

Ms. Blexrud (sitting in for Dr. Kathleen Fitzgibbons who graduates today) – Principal’s Report

· Graduation will take place Tuesday, June 15 at 6:00 p.m., followed by a party at the Town Hall at 7:00 p.m.

· Pupil Services staff Jandi Hanna, John Marsicano, and Sukie Hatcher are being transferred to other positions in Region One. Ms. Tatge asked why the staff was being transferred when they’ve been working with the special education students for so long. Questions should be referred to Dr. Fitzgibbons and Teresa Terry. Mr. Terrall mentioned that the transfers had something to do with qualifications for an open position at the high school.

· $880.40 was deposited in the Educational Trust Fund from Art at the Dump to be used for the CCS Art Department. Thanks to Gail Jacobsen of Cornwall who organizes the event, and CCS Art teacher Kathy Good who works with her.

· $230.40 was received from the Funding Factory for recycling used printer cartridges, etc. Thanks to CCS Technology teacher Suzanne Barber.

· The school received a “Cool School of the Week” designation for the school website from Final Site, a national website design service. “The site truly is impressive by any measure, but especially so for a small K-8 school (fewer than 200 students) in a relatively rural part of Connecticut. The site includes a number of video clips that give a unique glimpse into the school’s life. The site uses very intuitive and clean-looking navigation, with a top navigation bar from which pull-down menus can lead the user to the site’s rich array of content. The CCS website has excellent navigation, beautiful look and feel, and robust site content.”

· Anne Kosciusko will be the graduation speaker

· The First Annual CCS Walk-a-Thon will be held on Monday, May 24 (rain date May 25) beginning at 12:30 p.m. at the corner of Cherry Hill and Cream Hill Roads.

The Board will meet at 3:30 p.m. for a Policy Session prior to the June 17^th regular meeting.

The Budget was adjusted to add $120 per month for the required water systems operator. The teachers line was adjusted down by $13,522.

On a motion by Ms. Tatge, seconded by Mrs. Hurlburt, the Parent Involvement Policy was approved.

On a motion by Mr. Hart, seconded by Mrs. Hurlburt, the Board asked Mrs. Gold to express in a letter to Mrs. Gannett, appreciation for her service to the Town of Cornwall.

Mrs. Kavanagh nominated Mr. Hart to the position of Region One Board Representative from Cornwall through November 2005. Mrs. Hurlburt seconded the nomination. Ms. Tatge moved that nominations be closed. Mrs. Hurlburt seconded the motion. A unanimous ballot was cast.

Mrs. Hurlburt nominated Mrs. Kavanagh as Alternate Region One Board Representative from Cornwall. Ms. Tatge seconded the nomination. Mr. Hart moved that nominations be closed. Mrs. Hurlburt seconded the motion. A unanimous ballot was cast.

On a motion by Mr. Hart, seconded by Mrs. Hurlburt, the Board went into Executive Session at 5:43 p.m. Dr. O’Brien was asked to stay for the session.

Dr. O’Brien left at 6:00 p.m.

The Board came out of Executive Session at 6:28 p.m.

The meeting was adjourned at 6:30 p.m.

Susan F. Gingert

Board Clerk