May 3, 2017 at 7:00 PM - Regular Meeting

Rationale: 

National Anthem Performed By: Bristol Eastern Band - Directed By: Amy Dauphinais

Moment of Silence:

Lester Bagley  – History, Geography & Civic Teacher – Bristol Central - 1959 to 1994

Christopher Fortier – Facilities - BOE- 1991 to 2008

Rita Gerzanick - Teacher - Bristol Central - 1949 to 1997

Rationale: 

1. CT School Counselor Administrator of the Year – Megan Rheiner

2. CABE Award Winners

3. West Bristol School - Sandy Hook Award

Rationale: 

1. April 5, 2017  – Regular Meeting Minutes

Rationale: 

Communications & Community Relations	Finance	Operations	Personnel	Student Achievement	Policy Committee
Jeff Caggiano, Chair	Karen Vibert, Chair	Karen Hintz, Chair	Thomas O’Brien, Chair	Jennifer Dube, Chair	Tina Taylor, Chair
Joseph Grabowski	Karen Hintz	Jeff Caggiano	Jeff Caggiano	Joseph Grabowski	Jennifer Dube
Tina Taylor	David Scott	Thomas O’Brien	Karen Vibert	Tina Taylor	Karen Hintz
					David Scott
Alternates:
Jennifer Dube	Joseph Grabowski	Karen Vibert	Jennifer Dube	David Scott

Rationale: 

Chairman Wilson will update the Board and the public on:

1. Legislative Update

2. Board Professional Development - June 29, 2017 (tentative)

Rationale: 

Student Representatives from Bristol Central (Colin Savino) and Bristol Eastern (Alexandra Allen) will update the board on recent activities at each of their schools.

Rationale: 

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

1. School Accountability Reports:

    Bristol Central High School – Pete Wininger

    Bristol Prep Academy – Larry Covino

Rationale:  Debra Cawley – GH – Social Studies - Grade 6

Rationale:  Brianna Flaherty – GH – Grade 3

Rationale:  Deborah Linke – BEHS – Assistant Principal – Effective September 2, 2017 through June 30, 2018

Rationale: 

Bristol FRCs has completed a grant for $25,000 to the Stocker Foundation to fund RRT Grant to be implemented at West Bristol And Greene-Hills school by the FRC.This is a continuation of the Stocker grant awarded to the FRCs in 2016-17 school year. The RRT program brings children who are significantly behind their peers up to grade level performance by end of first grade. This grant will provide (1) certified teachers aligning their instructional practice with that of the classroom teacher, tutoring students’ afterschool 2x week. In addition the parents must participate in the Raising Reader’s Parent Classes (6) taught by certified FRC Parent Educators along with agreeing to read with their children daily. The Raising Readers Parent classes teach parents how to support their child’s emerging literacy skills at home. The teachers, children, and parents will become literacy partners to ensure that children who are struggling to learn how to read, keep up with their peers and become joyful and competent readers.

Rationale: 

The FRC is applying for a grant to cover the cost of PEP program offered at Bristol Family Resource Center's school sites (WB, GH, SSS). The FRC will submit a grant to the Main Street Foundation requesting $5,000 to cover the cost of these PEP parent leadership training.  People Empowering People Program is a twelve week curriculum designed to train parents in advocacy skills including setting goals along with devising and implementing an action plan that increases parent involvement in the schools and the community. PEP is designed to build on parent strengths and recognizes the unique life experiences and capacities of each person.  The ultimate purpose of this training is to encourage parent involvement in the school and work towards the elimination of the achievement gap. This is a one year grant (September 2017 - May 2018).

Rationale:  The Quality Enhancement Grant is being submitted to the Bristol School Readiness Council (BSRC) for the purpose of enhancing the services provided by the Family Resource Centers (FRC) at Greene-Hills, South Side and West Bristol Schools.  The FRCs are charged with the responsibility of providing comprehensive family support services and building a strong school-family-community partnership that strengthens healthy family living.   This grant request supports the Kith and Kin Services program.   Kith & Kin refers to families using informal childcare arrangements between or among relatives, friends and neighbors.  The Comprehensive Family Services program supports parent leadership workshops, health fair activities and the Road to Reading program which distributes free books to preschoolers enrolled in BSRC programs.  The grant funds assist in the continuation of these programs that are consistent with the basic goals of the FRCs.  The FRC has been fortunate to receive these funds, yearly for the past eleven years.

Rationale:  The WOW bookmobile received a grant from the Stocker Foundation to support the WOW bookmobile. The Stocker Foundation has made this important literacy program possible for the neediest children in Bristol.

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: 

Midterm exams at the high schools have been administered during full days of instruction, contrary to the half-day schedule used during final exams. Both sets of exams count the same weight in students’ grades and cover material from the same period of time, each reflecting a semester’s worth of learning. Supporters of a full-day schedule in the past have noted that it preserves instructional time in that students attend two classes after taking two exams. However, student representatives to the BOE as well as administrators and faculty have argued that the remaining class periods have proven ineffective due to test fatigue. Students would be better served to be dismissed early to further prepare for their next set of exams. 

To honor the efforts generated by students and staff for the midterms as well as the assessments’ high-stakes significance, the Student Achievement Committee unanimously agreed to recommend adopting a half-day schedule over the four days of midterm exam administration, effective in the 2017-18 school year. This followed a unanimous recommendation by the High School Council, a body of secondary school and Central Office administrators.   

Rationale: 

Preliminary calendars for 2017-18 and 2018-19 were brought to the Board of Education in January and have now been revised to include dates for parent-teacher conferences, selected with input from the Bristol Teachers Federation and administrative councils at the elementary, middle and high school levels.

The Board will also consider looking at 2018 April vacation dates for possible revision.

Rationale: 

The Board of Education has previously voted to participate in the Healthy Food Certification Compliance Act. Each year the district must certify full compliance with the program. This year, we will receive approximately $60,000 in reimbursements from the State of Connecticut as a result of our participation in this program.

Requested approval by the Board of Education is for the 2017-18 school year. The Food Services budget for 2017-2018 includes anticipated revenue of $60,000 from the State.  

Rationale:  The West Bristol School Building Committee met on April 27, 2017 to accept the project as complete and refer it to the full board for final approval.

Rationale: 

The State of Connecticut standards for Career and Technical Education have been revised and updated, and Bristol curricula, therefore, needed to be revised. 

Rationale: 

The State of Connecticut standards for Career and Technical Education have been revised and updated, and Bristol curricula, therefore, needed to be revised. This course builds upon the foundation of the newly revised Introduction to Foods and Nutrition to allow students to pursue a career pathway.

Rationale: 

The State of Connecticut standards for Career and Technical Education have been revised and updated, and Bristol curricula, therefore, needed to be revised. In doing so, the department revised the Advanced Food and Nutrition curriculum. It needs to be supported with a textbook, which was reviewed by teachers in the Career and Technology Education department who teach the course.

Rationale: 

The State of Connecticut standards for Career and Technical Education have been revised and updated, and Bristol curricula, therefore, needed to be revised. In doing so, the department created a course, called Introduction to Marketing, to replace a course in advertising, It needs to be supported with a textbook, which was reviewed by several members of the Career and Technology Education department

*Waive second reading requested.

Rationale: 

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

Rationale: 

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

Rationale:  Any communications received or any questions by Board members concerning items not on the agenda.

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