March 4, 2015 at 7:00 PM - Regular Meeting

Rationale:  Chippens Hill Middle School Instrumental - Directed by Lisa LaDone

Moment of Silence:
John Borg - Principal Patterson and West Woods Schools - 7/1/65 to 6/30/86
Maureen Colbert – Special Education Teacher – Memorial Boulevard and Bristol Eastern – 1/26/76 - 6/30/02

Rationale:  February 4, 2015 Regular Meeting Minutes

Rationale: 

BACKGROUND: This agenda item will address any reports from Board committees to the full Board.   Communication & Community Relations Finance Operations Personnel Student Achievement Karen Vibert, Chair Jill Fitzgerald, Chair Karen Hintz, Chair Genard Dolan, Chair Jennifer Dube, Chair Jeffrey Morgan Jeffrey Morgan Karen Vibert Thomas O’Brien Jeffrey Morgan Jennifer Dube Christopher Wilson Thomas O’Brien Jill Fitzgerald Karen Hintz Alternates: Christopher Wilson Karen Hintz Genard Dolan Jennifer Dube Jill Fitzgerald

Rationale:  Student Representatives Nick Savino (Bristol Central) and Sophia Dtikas (Bristol Eastern) will give updates on activities at their respective schools.

Rationale:  Dr. Solek will report/update the Board on district topics:

1. Budget Presentation
2. Middle School Programming

Rationale:  Amy Martino - BOE - Supervisor, Special Education - Effective Date To Be Determined

Rationale:  Anne-Marie Bissonette - WB - Special Education - Effective June 30, 2015

Rationale:  Kimberly DiVergilio – EPH – School Psychologist – Effective March 6, 2015
Teresa Veenstra – EPH/STAF – Special Education – Effective June 30, 2015
Bethany Willard – BEHS – Special Education – Effective April 1, 2015

Rationale:  Shelly Nocera – BEHS – English – Effective February 9, 2015
Nicole Redman – BECC – Speech Language Pathologist – Effective March 2, 2015

Rationale:  Kathleen Archibald - BCHS - Spanish

Rationale: 

The following coaches have submitted a letter of resignation: 

Mario Marrero – Assistant Track and Field Coach .5 Boys - .5 Girls - BCHS, effective 1/30/15
Tim Hamel  – Assistant Lacrosse Coach  – BCHS, effective 2/17/15
Kyle Fuller - Assistant Girls Track Coach  – BEHS, effective 2/17/15

Rationale:  Kyle Fuller – Head Boys Track Coach – BEHS, effective 3/23/15
Timothy Hamel - Head Boys Lacrosse Coach – BEHS, effective 3/23/15
Barbara Lessard – Head Girls Tennis Coach – BEHS, effective 3/23/15
Monica Hayes – Head Softball Coach – BCHS, effective 3/23/15
Paul Philippon – Head Football Coach – BEHS, effective 3/4/15
Michael Cassin – Volunteer Wrestling Coach – BEHS, effective 1/5/15
Jason Wyrebek - Volunteer Boys Basketball Coach – BCHS, effective 1/5/15
Vincent Guarda - Volunteer Boys Basketball Coach – BCHS, effective 1/5/15

Rationale:  The Bilingual Education Grant is submitted for approval. This grant award is in the amount of $10,060.00 and will be used of offset the cost of educating Bilingual students in Bristol. This year – three schools have 20 or more identified ELL students of the same dominant language (Spanish) – Bristol Central, West Bristol and Greene Hills.

Rationale:  The Bristol Board of Education received a grant for $4,009 from the Stocker Foundation to purchase books and support the director’s salary for the bookmobile.

Rationale: 

Bristol FRC’s in collaboration with The Bristol Community Organization is requesting funds for an Ages & Stages Screening (ASQ) grant for the United Way funding cycle 2015-18 (3 year grant). This grant from United Way will provide Ages & Stages Screenings (ASQ) to approximately 150 children ages birth to five served by the FRCs and BCO.  FRC Staff will conduct Ages & Stages screenings at the FRC and at BCO.  The ASQ is designed to screen children for developmental delays during the critical first 5 years of life. The ASQ has high reliability and validity with strong evidence supporting it as an effective early detection tool.

The grant total  request is for $25,00  (per year) which will be divided between the agencies as 70% to FRCs ($17,500) and 30% ($7,500) to BCO.  United Way disburses fund to BCO as the official 501(c)3 agency partner.  Upon approval of the grant, BCO will remit payment to the BOE, on a monthly basis to cover the FRC responsibilities/cost under this grant for fiscal year July 1, 2015 – June 30, 2016. 

Rationale: 

BACKGROUND:   Members of the public are invited to comment to the Board on any topic related to school business.

Items requiring consideration by the Board must be approved as an agenda item by a 2/3ds vote of the Board members present.  Such items may be referred for further study and not necessarily acted upon at this meeting. 

Anyone wishing to address the Board should adhere to the following procedures: 

1. Sign in on the Public Comment sign-in roster.
2. Wait to be recognized by the Board Chair.
3. Proceed to the speaker’s microphone.
4. Preface your remarks by stating your name and address.
5. Direct your comments to the Board Chairman.
6. Please limit your comments to three minutes.
7. Any comments should be made in an appropriate manner, particularly if concerning a personnel matter.

 Board Policy #1120(a)

Rationale:  The Italian I curriculum has been updated and revised to reflect changes in modern culture, the addition of Common Core Standards, and a shifting emphasis in the Connecticut World Language Frameworks.  The new curriculum features increased rigor in grammatical concepts, greater emphasis on authentic speaking and learning, rich opportunities for meaningful reading and writing, and updated cultural connections.

Rationale:  A team of world language teachers has selected a new textbook for use in Italian courses. The book, Sentieri, presents vocabulary in meaningful contexts, allows for the practice of vocabulary and grammatical concepts through communication activities, explores cultural themes, develops reading skills in the context of unit themes, and includes online supporting materials such as an electronic textbook, videos, MP3s, and interactive activities. Sentieri will effectively support the Italian curriculum and its alignment to both state and national standards. This is the first reading.

Rationale:  A team of social studies teachers has selected a new textbook for use in the AP US History course. The book, The American Pageant: AP Edition, presents a balanced survey of U.S. History spanning Native American civilizations before European exploration to major events during President Obama’s first term in office. There is a strong emphasis on preparation for the AP test, including test-taking strategies, review questions, sample document-based questions and free-response questions, and a wide range of historical texts. Supplementary texts, Voices of Freedom: A Documentary History (Volumes I and II), trace the development of American freedom over the last 250 years through diverse primary sources. An online book companion site provides a variety of resources to help students more deeply understand historical content. This is the first reading

Rationale: 

1. On the first page, the sentence “Such suspensions shall be served in any school building under the jurisdiction of the Board of Education” has been added.
2. On page 5114 (i) the sentences: However, the Board may retain a Hearing Officer to act on its behalf. (In reference to Expulsion Hearings, the term “Hearing Officer” may be substituted for “Board of Education”). The phrase ‘impartial hearing panel’ is stated in the regulation, but has been expanded for clarity.

Rationale: 

The Board of Education will discuss any new business proper to come before the Board.

Rationale:  1. Discussion of Local 2267 Negotiations

Rationale:  The being no other business to come before the Board of Education the meeting should adjourn.