Board of Education

1. Board of Education Reaccreditation |SBAC Testing | Budget March 12 | 7:30PM BOE meeting

2. Agenda A. CALL TO ORDER, PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE B. APPROVAL OF MINUTES C. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION (2 minute limit) D. POINTS OF INFORMATION E. STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE REPORT - Aiyla Zahid F. SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT • F1. Tolland High School Accreditation - Visiting Committee (30 minutes) • F2. SBAC Testing Schedule: AP Test/UCONN Courses (10 minutes) • F3. 2013/2014 School Calendar - Adjustment Recommendation (10 minutes) • F4. 2014/2015 Board of Education Budget (45 minutes) G. COMMITTEE & LIAISON REPORTS H. CHAIRPERSON'S REPORT I. BOARD ACTION J. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION (2 minute limit), Comments must be limited to items on this agenda. K. POINTS OF INFORMATION L. CORRESPONDENCE M. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS N. EXECUTIVE SESSION O. ADJOURNMENT

3. Correspondence since 3/15/14/ meeting • There have been letters from 6 residents in support of All Day Kindergarten. They have: • offered letters from teachers and administrators in other districts. • offered funding suggestions. • provided articles to show how ADK was implemented in other towns. • One resident has expressed concern that we need to focus on curriculum this year rather than ADK.

4. Prepared by resident Town Data Comparison Full-Day Kindergarten in Connecticut “Public education in America is built on the foundation of equal opportunity for all children” Huffington Post, 11/30/2012 03/11/14

5. Prepared by resident Town Comparison

6. Kindergarten Class Size Comparison Prepared by resident ( ) Total Students

7. Public Participation

8. Points of Information

10. F1. Tolland High School Accreditation - Visiting Committee

11. NEASC Accreditation * Tolland High School * 2014 *

12. Why seek accreditation? • Aligns the school with researched-based standards • Gives credence to the practices of the school • Increases the value of the education given to the students as seen by outside parties (colleges, employers, prospective home buyers) • Gives an outside perspective of the strengths and needs of the school • Calls for an analysis of current practices and gaps between practice and the standards • Initiates planning for the future based on standards

13. What are the Accreditation Standards? • Core Values, Beliefs, and Learning Expectations • Curriculum • Instruction • Assessment of and for Student Learning • School Culture and Leadership • School Resources for Learning • Community Resources for Learning

14. What’s the process? • Every 10 years • Review the standards • Create the committees • Collect and analyze evidence related to each standard • Address the indicators within each standard • Develop an executive summary and rating for each of the standards • Identify strengths and needs related to each of the standards

15. What’s the process? • Present each committee’s report to the professional staff • Professional staff votes to approve each report • Steering Committee analyzes the strengths and needs within each report and develops a prioritized list • Reviewed and approved by professional staff • Building leadership team develops 2 and 5 year plans based on strengths and needs

16. What’s the Role Of The Visiting Team? • 16 educators including administrators, teachers, and specialists • Chair of the Visiting Committee is Don Gates • Assistant Chair will be appointed before the team arrives • Assigned to each standard • Review the reports, meet with parents, BOE, teachers, students, and district administration • Draw conclusions based on the evidence they have reviewed • Evaluate each standard based on rating guides

17. What’s involved in the visit? Sunday, March 23, 2014 • Panel Presentation • Teacher Interviews • Parent Meeting • BOE Meeting • Review Student Work Monday, March 24, 2014 • Tour of the Facilities • Meetings with Teachers, Counseling and Special Education Staff, Library-Media Specialist, District Administration, Building Leadership Team • Students Shadowed • Meetings with Students • Meetings with Parents • Meeting with Sub-Committee Members

18. What’s involved in the visit? Tuesday, March 25, 2014 • Students shadowed • Meetings with Special Education Staff and Secretarial Staff • Reports are written and presented to the Visiting Committee members Wednesday, March 26, 2014 • Reports are finalized • Final reports are presented to the Visiting Committee members • Visiting Committee Chair presents the findings of the team to the staff

19. The Reports… The Self-Study • Produced by the staff • Considered a working document as it is used by the Visiting Team to develop their own report NEASC Findings • Recommendations will be made to the school based on the evidence reviewed during the visit • Sent to the School Principal at the end of June/early July for accuracy check • Final report will be available to the BOE and posted on the school website for public viewing

20. Follow Through and Follow Up… • Expectations are put on the school to address the needs through the 2 and 5 year plans • Recommendations will be made at the time of the formal report • THS will provide the Commission on Public Secondary Schools with an update on the targeted plans and recommendations • Next accreditation review in 10 years

21. What Is the Role of the BOE? • Please join us for the Sunday Panel Presentation, BOE and Visiting Committee meeting, and Reception • Visiting Committee will ask questions regarding: • Building and District Leadership • Core Values, Beliefs, and Learning Expectations • Communication • Community Support for Education • Board Support for Education

22. Questions regarding NEASC Accreditation? http://www.neasc.org/

23. F4. 2014/2015 Board of Education Budget

26. All Day Kindergarten Time line 2014

31. The cost for level service this year to next is $1,241,130, a 3.44% increase. ¾ of the increase is health insurance and salaries, fringes and pension, mostly contractual, as shown here: Work in Process Please support

32. $439

33. Cost saving improvements? Beyond a numbers exercise

34. Nov of each year circled, for example. Increasing past three years. May/June been running as much as $50k/ month

35. What is this? What is the plan? What is this?

36. Don’t use Board Attorney for clarification: No Freedom of Information consultations / memos (we need to have this down by now) Use other sources more: State directly…

37. Budget less? What was $1M payment Jan 2014?

38. Adjust utility underrun to reserve? Breaking the cycle we are trying to sustain, perpetuating carryforward…. but utility reserve getting the money. oops To ESCO?

39. Sourcing of copier? Large equipment charges moved to non-operating fund (capital)? “Surprise” overrun each year

40. Office Supply Spending More environmentally conscious behaviors, even have fun with it? Reduce 15k ? from 44 to 29k Potential for savings: 1. Reduce printing from estimated 500K-750K prints-copies / month 2. Print more on copiers because cost 50% less to operate than a single function laser printer Reduce the number of single function laser printers (HPs) which are expensive to operate (toner, electric, etc). 3. When you need to print, chose B&W when you don’t “need” color. Color printing is 10 times more expensive than B&W printing.

41. $10k in Oct 2013, $2-3k subsequent months $10k in Oct 2013, $2-3k subsequent months Office Supply Spending

42. Collect what’s owed for Special Education Reimbursement $278,000

43. Collect what’s owed for Special Education Reimbursement Sam Belsito Help us? $278,000

44. Different ideas...

45. F2. SBAC Testing Schedule: AP Test/UCONN Courses

46. F3. School Calendar Adjustment Recommendation