2026-09-24 - Board of Education

00:00Thank you for your patience. Uh, welcome

00:02to the Southernington Board of Education

00:03meeting for Thursday, September 24th.

00:06Uh, can we all please stand for the

00:08pledge of

00:08>> allegiance?

00:10We'll have our student reps lead us. I

00:13>> aliance to the flag of the United States

00:16of America and to the republic for which

00:19it stands, one nation under God,

00:22indivisible, with liberty and justice

00:25for all.

00:30Okay. And before we get started, um I'd

00:33like to ask for a moment of silence.

00:37After that,

00:37>> what are they doing now?

00:38>> Okay. Well, we'll wait for that. We're

00:40going to ask the uh the coral group to

00:42please sing the national anthem for us

00:45this evening.

00:45>> Thank you, Mr. Ursan. I'm just proud to

00:47introduce the Sington High School

00:49chamber singers, and they have the

00:51anthem for us this evening. If everyone

00:52could stand.

00:57Thank you for having us.

01:08Oh, say can you [singing]

01:11see

01:13by the dawn [music] early

01:17so proud [singing] we

01:21at the twilight

01:24lasting

01:26broad [singing]

01:28and bright stars

01:31through the perilous

01:34[singing]

01:37[music] we

01:40were so [singing] gallently

01:43streaming

01:49[music]

01:50[singing]

01:56through

01:57>> [music]

01:57>> the night [singing]

01:59that our flag was still there.

02:05>> [singing]

02:05>> For say does that star spangled

02:13[music]

02:17for the [singing] land

02:20of the free [music]

02:25and [singing] the home

02:28of love.

02:39>> [music]

02:43>> Wow. [applause]

02:51[applause]

02:56>> That was amazing.

02:57>> Good job, guys.

02:58>> Wow. That was amazing.

03:00>> Awesome. Awesome.

03:02Thank you for bringing your talents here

03:04this evening. That was just spectacular.

03:07>> Yeah, they hit it at the end.

03:16>> Okay. And now I will ask for a moment of

03:18silence. We lost another member of the

03:20Southernington District community. Uh

03:22Miss Klette Lec passed away on September

03:2514th of this year. Mrs. Le served as an

03:28elementary education teacher from

03:30September 1963 until her welldeserved

03:33retirement in August 2002. She taught

03:37third grade at South End Elementary

03:39School for 39 years. Can we please bow

03:42our heads for a moment? Silence.

03:52Thank you very much. Before we move into

03:55our celebration of excellence, which is

03:57going to be very exciting, just want to

03:58make one other point. Uh, for those that

04:01don't know it, tonight is Mrs. Clark's

04:03birthday.

04:04>> So, let's say happy birthday to Mrs.

04:06Clark.

04:08[applause]

04:09>> She chose to spend her birthday with us

04:10this evening. So, that's very nice.

04:12>> Never looks so good. [laughter]

04:14>> Mr. Vidancy, thank you. Do the chamber

04:16singers sing happy birthday?

04:17>> Oh, no, no, no, no. [laughter]

04:22>> I don't want to put him on the spot or

04:23anything. I just say so.

04:25>> Thank you, Mr. Oshana. Um, tonight is is

04:28certainly a celebration of excellence.

04:29We're really excited and I'm proud to

04:32introduce to our community and to this

04:34board uh Southernington's teacher of the

04:36year. And I want to tell a little bit

04:38about Miss Columbus if I can. Chris

04:40Palmary, teacher of the year program

04:41coordinator, stated, "As always, it is

04:44difficult to select only one teacher of

04:45the year due to the outstanding teachers

04:47we have in Southernington. However, Mrs.

04:49Columbus stood out especially because of

04:51the professional impact she makes with

04:53her colleagues and her dedication to her

04:55students. A [snorts] little bit more

04:57about Mrs. Columbus. She has been

04:58teaching in Southernington for the past

05:0017 years and has been in her current

05:02position at Duranoski for the past 13

05:04years. She previously taught for four

05:06years in second grade at Duranoski. She

05:08also taught for four years in other

05:09districts before being hired in

05:11Southernington. Sarah Williams,

05:13Duranowski principal, stated, "Julia

05:14Columbus represents the very best of our

05:16profession. She is masterful,

05:18compassionate, brilliant, humble, and

05:21deeply devoted to children. Julia

05:24readily volunteers for committees and

05:25activities. She serves on the MTSS

05:28school literacy leadership team as the

05:30teacher representative, is a team

05:32trained mentor, and serves on the

05:34district literacy leadership team. In

05:36addition, she serves on the SR SRBI team

05:38and school improvement team at Deronoski

05:40Elementary School. Julia is a strong

05:43advocate for highquality literacy

05:45instruction, consistently promoting

05:47evidence-based practices that foster a

05:49love of reading while helping every

05:50student develop the skills needed to

05:52become successful lifelong learners.

05:55Mrs. Columbus describes her educational

05:57philosophy as being a lifelong learner

05:59who seeks opportunities to strengthen

06:02instructional practice through

06:03collaboration, professional development,

06:05and self-reflection.

06:07As a mentor herself, she values

06:08supporting colleagues because she

06:10believes teaching a continuous process

06:12of learning improving. Please join me in

06:15congratulating Mrs. Columbus as our

06:17teacher of the year.

06:21[applause]

06:25[applause]

06:32[applause]

06:42yet

06:45give you an opportunity to say a few

06:46words but I just wanted to say first of

06:48all just describe a little bit about the

06:50process right so this is a peer

06:52nominated award so what that means is

06:56you were selected by your peers people

06:57that do this with you they see the

06:59talent they see what you bring the

07:00passion that you bring to teaching And I

07:03think any award that is peer- driven is

07:06probably the most important kind of

07:07award because they see what you're

07:08bringing to the school district. But on

07:10top of that, it then goes to the

07:13committee which are the former teachers

07:16of the year. So they're picking it's the

07:18best of the best picking the best. So

07:21they have very high standards as this is

07:22going on. So this is just not a not an

07:24easy type of award to win. So I just

07:26want to on behalf of the board of

07:27education, I just want to say

07:28congratulations to you. That was an

07:29amazing award and thank you for making

07:31this town proud.

07:32>> Thank you.

07:32>> Thank you. Would you like to say a few

07:33words?

07:34>> I would. All right. Good evening. I'm

07:37incredibly honored, deeply humbled, and

07:39grateful to be standing here tonight as

07:41Southernington's teacher of the year.

07:43It's an absolute pleasure to represent

07:45the many dedicated teachers that we have

07:47across our district. When I began my

07:49teaching journey 22 years ago, I never

07:51imagined receiving a recognition like

07:53this. Back then, my vision was

07:55intentional but much more simple, just

07:58to teach with heart and passion and be

08:00the most effective educator possible.

08:02That focus has driven me to create a

08:04classroom that nurtures the whole child

08:06where every child feels safe, loved,

08:08supported, and believed in. I've always

08:10valued the opportunity to collaborate

08:12with my colleagues and to mentor them

08:15because we truly are stronger together

08:16when we learn and work with each other.

08:19I've strived to be a lifelong learner.

08:21I'm constantly reflecting and learning

08:23and evolving because when you know

08:24better, you do better. And if you don't,

08:26you find out. And that commitment really

08:29ignited a passion in me to earn my

08:30six-year degree in literacy, which has

08:33become um a deep passion of mine and as

08:36a way to deepen my knowledge of bringing

08:38highquality research-based instruction

08:40to students. But I've always believed

08:42that the impact we have um we create as

08:45teachers reaches far beyond our

08:46classroom walls. Students will not

08:48remember every lesson that we taught

08:50them, but they will definitely remember

08:52how you made them feel. And for me,

08:54that's always been the goal of putting

08:56children first. But since teaching is

08:58truly a team effort, I have some people

09:00I need to thank. I want to thank the

09:02incredible people who have been part of

09:04my Darinowski team for the 18 years that

09:06I've been in this district. To my

09:08amazing kindergarten team, your

09:10collaboration, support, and friendship

09:11over the years has meant more to me than

09:13you'll ever know.

09:15To my colleague and friend Marcy Tone,

09:19I'm so grateful for the many years we

09:21shared in kindergarten and our

09:22incredible partnership.

09:26I transferred to a new role this year as

09:28literacy coach. So, it's a little

09:29emotional.

09:31Um, [snorts]

09:33I'm grateful to the administrators both

09:34past and present, Sarah Williams, Amy

09:37Pager, and Jan Verram for their

09:39leadership, encouragement, and continued

09:40support.

09:41>> [snorts]

09:41>> and to the literacy coach Jill Chapman

09:43for providing many opportunities to help

09:45me grow in my literacy knowledge and

09:47practice. And to all the other

09:48incredible people that have worked

09:50alongside me over the years. To our

09:52district leaders, Steve Madansky, Fring

09:54Pepe, and the board of education, thank

09:56you so much for your continued

09:58dedication to the children and the

09:59educators of Southernington. And to my

10:02family, thank you for your endless

10:03encouragement and support which allowed

10:05me to dedicate myself so fully to being

10:07an educator. I'm incredibly proud to be

10:10a teacher in Saddington and deeply

10:12grateful for the privilege of helping

10:13shape the educational journey of the

10:16youngest learners. Thank you again for

10:18this tremendous recognition of the

10:20dedication I have to a profession that I

10:22love so much.

10:24[applause]

10:30[applause]

10:37>> [applause]

10:42[applause]

10:45>> Okay, we're going to take a brief recess

10:47so the board members can come down and

10:49say congratulations to you and to thank

10:51the uh group for your wonderful [snorts]

10:53performance.

11:33>> [music]

11:37[music]

12:53[music]

13:18[music]

13:41[music]

13:47[music]

13:59[music]

14:03[music]

14:33[music]

14:55>> I'm like, "Oh, if I do it to someone,

14:56someone's going to do it to me tfold."

14:58And it like freaks me out.

14:59>> I won't even throw garbage out the

15:00window.

15:01>> Mrs. Cardy,

15:04>> where is she?

15:07>> She's over there. She's going to make us

15:10>> 30 minutes.

15:11>> No. No. And if you'd like to stay, you

15:13are more than welcome to join us. Oh my

15:15god. When I was

15:16>> Oh, absolutely. Oh, no. No. Absolutely.

15:20>> But I have a bottle of it.

15:22>> My son's playing football. [cough]

15:24>> You would not see him in my daughter.

15:26>> I love

15:29>> Oh, that's very nice.

15:30>> Oh, that's beautiful.

15:32>> Well, this is forever.

15:37[applause]

15:42>> It doesn't give me the Congratulations,

15:54>> congratulations, Julia.

15:56>> You know,

16:07>> what a good guy.

16:08[clears throat and cough]

16:10>> No, he's not. [laughter]

16:12Wow.

16:14>> So nice. So nice. You got a pass because

16:17it's your birthday.

16:18>> Okay. We are going to reconvene our

16:21meeting and we'll look for a motion for

16:22approval of minutes from our September

16:2410th meeting.

16:26>> Second

16:27>> motion. Mr. Brown second. Mrs. Clark.

16:30>> U all in favor.

16:32>> Opposed. That motion passes. Uh we will

16:34move into public communications and

16:36we'll start with communications from our

16:39student board representative.

16:41Good evening everyone. So we're going to

16:43begin with some of the sports updates.

16:45So the Blue Knights have done a busy job

16:48this fall with the football team has a

16:50game today against Windsor. So good luck

16:52to the Blue Knights. The boys golf team

16:55tied their school record yesterday

16:57against Lewis Mills which is a great

16:58accomplishment for them. Uh the boys

17:01soccer team takes on Plat High School

17:03today and the girls soccer varsity team

17:06came with a win against Eio Smith while

17:08the JV battled to a tie. The girls

17:10volleyball team faced Ram yesterday.

17:13Though they didn't win, they really put

17:15up a great fight. It was a really close

17:16match. The JV field hockey team earned

17:19first their first win yesterday against

17:21Enfield. And the cross country, both

17:24boys and girls team, placed third at the

17:26Wilton Invitational, while the freshman

17:29boys team took the first place in the 1

17:31and a half mile race. The Blue Knights

17:34marching bands is recently won first

17:36place at the competition hosted by

17:38Maloney High School in Meridan. And they

17:40also won best music, best visual, and

17:43best effects. And they're going to be

17:45performing at the music of the night

17:47coming up on October 24th where you can

17:49see our nationally recognized marching

17:52band perform alongside other bands from

17:54across the state. Our athletic

17:56department also brought eight student

17:58athletes to Goodwin College to

18:00participate in the first annual CCC

18:02sportsmanship conference and the

18:04Southernington High School hosted its

18:06annual middle school cross country meet

18:08on campus with both JFK and Apollo

18:11middle schools. A special thank you to

18:13the coaches and athletes that helped

18:15across to help the country or help the

18:18program come true. The high school also

18:21hosted the annual JFK and Depala

18:24volleyball game at the high school. And

18:26a big thank you to the high school

18:27volleyball players for helping set up

18:29the event and supporting the middle

18:30school team. That's it for the sports

18:32section.

18:37>> Thank you, Arshie. I'll be reporting on

18:39the district for tonight. So, first of

18:42all, the Southernington Community

18:43Cultural Arts is providing an

18:45after-school club, the Art Van Go, for

18:48up to 20 students who are not currently

18:49enrolled in an art class. Through a

18:51sponsorship with the Southernington

18:52Rotary, this program will meet on

18:54Thursdays from October through December,

18:56and club members will participate in a

18:58variety of activities, including

18:59drawing, painting, and sculpting with

19:01clay. We are thankful for this

19:02opportunity for our students. Karen

19:05Smith Academy participated in two

19:07community building activities within the

19:09first few weeks of school.

19:10Southernington youth youth services

19:12organized and funded through a state

19:14grant trips to YMCA Camp Slloer and

19:16Apple Valley Bowling. Our students

19:18participated in team building activities

19:20and ziplining at Camp Sloper with the

19:22staff. In addition, we went to bowling

19:24as a school community. These were done

19:26in partnership with youth services to

19:28promote team building [clears throat]

19:29and communication. We would like to

19:30thank John Esmill for organizing this

19:33and the YMCA camper staff for working

19:35with our students. As for the elementary

19:38schools, Flanders Elementary is having

19:40their pie fundraiser starting on Friday

19:42and running through this upcoming week.

19:44Oshana and Darinowski Elementaryaries

19:45are having a kindergarten field trip to

19:47the Indian Rock Nature Reserve to teach

19:49their students about nature. Oshana is

19:52also having their foxtrop fundraiser

19:54today. Darnowski Elementary is hosting

19:57an annual Mums and Pumpkins fundraiser

19:59pickup this Saturday, September 26th, at

20:02Ali's Nursery. On October 2nd, fifth

20:04grade students will attend a field trip

20:06to the Connecticut Old State House to

20:07learn about the history. For JFK Middle

20:10School, the fall sports season is in

20:12full swing, including girls and boys

20:14soccer games, cross country meets, and

20:16volleyball games. We wish a great season

20:18to our athletes. Last week's open house

20:21for sixth grade families was also very

20:23well attended, including this year's

20:25format of meeting with core subject

20:26teachers for the parents. Last but not

20:29least, 267 students are now part of

20:32Depala's leadership program. All of

20:34these 267 students were able to select

20:36the leadership opportunity that is the

20:38most interest of them. Some of the new

20:40opportunities include students

20:42volunteering at the calendar house,

20:44volunteering at Zion Nursery School,

20:46volunteering at Hatton Elementary

20:47School, and [clears throat] taking care

20:48of the chickens in our school coupe. All

20:51Depalo sports teams are off to a good

20:53start. Depalo had its grade six open

20:55house last week. Thank you to all the

20:57parents who attended and be sure to

20:59visit Depalo Middle School at the Apple

21:01Harvest Festival. Students will be

21:03collecting donations for Alex's lemonade

21:05stand to raise funds for pediatric

21:07cancer research. Students will be

21:09manning the booth for sixth days of the

21:11festival and this is Depalo's 21st year

21:13hosting the stand. And Depalo students

21:16have helped raise more than $144,000

21:19to help fight pediatric cancer.

21:21>> That's amazing. Wow.

21:24I will be reporting on the high school.

21:26Uh Sington High School had their annual

21:28college fair with over 90 institutions

21:31of higher learning joining to speak with

21:33over 215 students and families. The

21:35event was a great success and provided

21:37students with valuable opportunities to

21:39explore different colleges and learn

21:40about their future options. Beyond this,

21:43juniors and seniors can take advantage

21:45of college representatives visiting SHS

21:47throughout the year by registering on

21:48Maya Learning. The high school student

21:50council has been working hard to

21:52organize a pep rally for juniors and

21:54seniors on October 9th. The event will

21:56bring students together to celebrate

21:57school spirit and create memorable

21:59experience across the student body. In

22:01terms of student involvement, a variety

22:03of clubs such as DECA, FBLA, Young

22:05Democrats, Students for Progress,

22:07Writers Club, Spanish Club, Bad Mitten

22:10Club, and Best Buddies have been

22:11beginning to start up at the high school

22:13with many students having increasing

22:15opportunities to collaborate with their

22:16peers and make a positive influence on

22:18the Sington community. The marching band

22:20is preparing for the Apple Harvest

22:22Parade on October 4th at 2 p.m. And they

22:24have been sounding great during the

22:26preparation. Everyone is encouraged to

22:27attend and support the band during this

22:29annual community [clears throat] event.

22:30[snorts] The Red Cross Club is hosting a

22:33blood drive at the high school on

22:34October 7th, giving students and staff

22:36the opportunity to contribute to an

22:38important community service effort.

22:40Lastly, SHS students can learn more

22:42about an upcoming international travel

22:44opportunity through the Blue Nights

22:45program, which will offer students the

22:47chance to visit new destinations and

22:49experience different cultures. An

22:50informational meeting is held on October

22:537th, October 7th in order to plan for

22:55the April 2027 trip to Amsterdam,

22:58Brussels, and Paris.

23:01>> Good. Thank you very much. Any questions

23:03for the student reps?

23:05>> No. Okay. Thank you very much.

23:08>> All right. We'll move on to uh

23:09communications from board of education

23:11members.

23:12>> Mr. Brown.

23:13>> Yeah. I got three things. Uh first of

23:15all, we are having a huge celebration

23:18December 8th for the wall of honor. This

23:20is the first time we've celebrated. It's

23:22our 20th year. So we're going to induct

23:24five new people. We're also inviting all

23:26past honores. Mailed out my 49th

23:3159th letter today. So I think we've

23:33actually sent letters to all of the

23:35people we could find were alive. Um we

23:39are accepting donations and tickets are

23:41on sale now if you're interested.

23:43Second of all, we are starting a sports

23:46hall of fame separately. We met

23:48yesterday. We're making progress. An

23:49application should be available uh

23:52probably by the end of November. And

23:54then we're talking a year from now

23:55having some kind of a celebration that

23:58has not had anyone inducted in 11 years.

24:00It was disbanded in 2015.

24:03And last, we're going to gather on

24:06October 13th. This is for retired

24:08teachers at the back nine at 3:00. Um, I

24:11was inspired because a couple of the

24:13people that passed away the last few

24:16meetings were one of them was a very

24:18dear friend of mine, Don Demurs, who was

24:20my mentor and I thought it was a good

24:23time to get everybody together before

24:25more people passed away. And Claudette

24:27was also someone I knew very well. So

24:29that's mine.

24:30>> All right. Thank you, Mr. Brown. Anybody

24:31else?

24:33>> Mr. Bashesky.

24:34>> Um, I had a couple things. Um, I had an

24:36opportunity to drive with my wife over

24:39at the high school where they've done

24:40all the murals um and the the spaces and

24:44some of them are so clever. Um,

24:47absolutely awesome. I I don't know if

24:49they were primarily done by students. I

24:51I think I saw a couple things online

24:52where people were like hiring artists or

24:55what have you, but um again, awesome.

24:59And so what a fun way to I guess

25:03put a little life into the parking lot.

25:05Um which is was absolutely great to see.

25:08Um I did want to comment on the parking

25:12lot situation. Um where the tennis

25:15courts are. That project is coming along

25:18great. Um [clears throat]

25:20it looks awesome. Um I'm really excited

25:22to see how it eventually kind of works

25:25in um you know as it matures. Um

25:29it did bring up a couple of side

25:31conversations uh the past couple weeks

25:33with um residents as far as people keep

25:37going back to well, you know, again,

25:40this is part of the athletic complex uh

25:43that we did the referendum a couple

25:45years ago. Um I don't understand why why

25:47you guys are doing that still. and it

25:51was a teaching opportunity um where

25:56just because you vote no doesn't mean it

26:00still doesn't get done. Um and that

26:03really boiled down to a safety issue. Um

26:06getting students on campus so they're

26:09not crossing streets, also allowing for

26:11neighborhoods to be free and clear of

26:14cars during the school uh school day and

26:16that type of thing. So after having

26:18these conversations um

26:21certainly the folks that I was talk

26:24having a conversation with they felt

26:26sort of validated in the sense that they

26:28brought something forward and then um

26:31you know they found that it was a

26:33reasonable response back. Um with that

26:36being said

26:38we're six weeks away um from a big

26:41referendum. Um and I would like to know

26:45what the plan is. um because I don't

26:48feel that we really have much direction

26:50right now and you know this is important

26:52we have to start educating folks in our

26:54community. So um I know that there was a

26:57Flanders um educational meeting with DTO

26:59[clears throat] that sort of uh you know

27:02sounds like it have a little bit of

27:04misinformation from um some of the

27:07attendees that we were able to provide

27:10the real information to but I' I'd love

27:13to to know more. You want to go over the

27:16schedule?

27:17>> Sure. Um, that's part of my

27:19administrative report, so I can get to

27:20it one.

27:21>> Okay. When you guys get Perfect.

27:26>> Anything else?

27:26>> Okay.

27:29>> Anybody else?

27:31Okay. We'll move to communications from

27:34the administration.

27:36>> Thank you, Mr. Oshana. Um, one item for

27:39the board right now at this point is

27:40justformational, but I think it action

27:42may be coming to you at some point in

27:43the future. Uh at a recent town council

27:46meeting, a resident spoke about concerns

27:48on Edenav and Liberty Street about um

27:51the speed of traffic along that roadway.

27:54As if you don't know where Ednav, that's

27:56the roadway that's adjacent to the lower

27:57Deronowski parking lot. Um and the

28:00concern for along that road and really

28:02around the corner where Liberty is for

28:04we have multiple bus stops for high

28:06school, middle, and elementary along

28:07that roadway. So she asked the police

28:09department um well I think through the

28:11town council to do a traffic study. So,

28:13they conducted a traffic study. Um, the

28:16information that they got from it didn't

28:18necessarily warrant a school zone

28:20enforcement zone parking signs, but you

28:22can do kind of warning signs for school

28:24zones to kind of just give people a

28:26heads up that they're in a school zone.

28:28Um, a lot of people I think some of the

28:29suggestions are people are using that as

28:31a cutthrough to avoid traffic on Route

28:3210 in the morning. And so, you know,

28:35between the traffic when it's at its

28:37peak times, which tends to be the same

28:38time our kids are out there waiting for

28:40the school buses, it was raised as a

28:42concern. So, I'm going to re be

28:44reviewing the traffic study um that was

28:46done and then potentially bringing a

28:48recommendation to this board that you

28:51could direct me at that point if you

28:53wanted to to go back to the town council

28:55or really it would be the police

28:56department and request uh consideration

28:58for a school warning zone sign. But, so

29:01it's different than enforcement. It's

29:02more just notifying um in school zone

29:05parking. As you know, there's certain

29:06fines associated with school zone

29:07parking. So, it's a different type of

29:08enforcement than just warning people

29:10about the existence of a school zone

29:12that that may be in the area. So, more

29:14to come on that. Um, the referendum

29:17community engagement update. So, right

29:18now we've identified several groups. Um,

29:21let me go back to that schedule.

29:25Apologize. you know, um we're talking

29:28the Rotary, Sons of Italy, Unico,

29:31Knights of Columbus, Lions Club, the

29:33Legion, um Early Childhood

29:35Collaborative, um and then some open

29:38forums at various elementary schools,

29:40dates to be confirmed. At this point, we

29:42these are the community groups that have

29:44been identified. We have not locked in

29:46per se um who's going to be speaking at

29:49which of those events. Mr. or Shana has

29:51a pretty cumbersome travel schedule in

29:53October and so we're looking at his

29:55availability. Um Mr. Chaplinsky has also

29:58offered to go out. As you know, one of

30:00the fine lines that we walk here is it's

30:02a non-advocacy period. So when you're

30:04attending these meetings, you're not

30:05necessarily promoting the referendum.

30:07You just can be sharing factual

30:09information. Um but to Mr. Richesky's

30:11point that just that information, people

30:13understanding for a simple example that

30:15if the referendum doesn't pass, that

30:16doesn't mean all the capital

30:17improvements at the schools goes away.

30:19We just have to have a different plan in

30:21terms of how that's going to be funded

30:22and what the timelines associated uh

30:25look like. So, um I would imagine once

30:28we have more definitive, we're also a

30:31few of the groups we haven't heard back

30:32yet in terms of can we be on your agenda

30:33for anformational meeting. Having being

30:36part of a few of these organizations,

30:38they don't want someone coming to their

30:39regular monthly meeting and taking up

30:40the entire meeting, you know, doing a

30:42whole as Mr. Canelan used to call it

30:44ceil production. So, I think something

30:47as simple as like a one page, a front

30:49back page uh flyer that can kind of just

30:51highlight the essential information

30:52that's factual for people just to try

30:54and educate them about, you know, what

30:56is the level of reimbursement from the

30:57state. Um potentially up to 65%.

31:00Obviously, that's conditional upon the

31:02pre-K space being, you know, added on to

31:04the 50% reimbursement rate. Um so,

31:07things like that in terms of what what

31:09are what is the cost to the taxpayers. I

31:11think that's the bottom line for people,

31:12especially those that don't have, you

31:14know, children in our schools. um what

31:16would be the monthly tax increase for

31:17me? And some of the information we had

31:19shared at Flanders is there's no tax

31:21increase in 27. There's no tax increase

31:23in 28. It the tax increase doesn't

31:26really start until you actually start

31:27bonding for the project. Um and so

31:29that's when um it starts to ramp up, but

31:32it it the increase itself depends on the

31:34value of your home. So you can't say

31:35like to everyone it's going to cost you

31:37$6.86. That may be the case if your home

31:39is $300,000, but if your home is

31:42$700,000, it might be $21 a month, you

31:44know, and so it's all relative uh to

31:46what the increase could look like, but

31:48we do have a schedule for that to show

31:49people so that at least if they looked

31:51at the value of their home, they could

31:52see what it what it might amount to. So,

31:54it's important to get the information

31:56out. We also can't use parent square to

31:59push information out. You're not allowed

32:01up to referendum to use only school

32:03district because essentially that's

32:04using district funds to promote the

32:05project by pushing that information out.

32:07if not everybody gets it. So if all

32:10parents get it in the district, but the

32:12residents don't get it, then you can't

32:13use it. And so um the only other tool we

32:17potentially could consider is Everbridge

32:18because that is a town, you know, mass

32:20notification system that goes to

32:22everybody in the community, not just to

32:23one or the other. Um I haven't explored

32:26that as an option yet. I'm not sure if

32:27the town manager would be willing to or

32:30entertain that. We typically don't push

32:31information on there unless it's an

32:33emergency. So, um, not sure about that

32:36avenue, but I think at some point we do

32:38need to think about like who may be

32:39available on certain dates so that, you

32:41know, we can divide and conquer in in in

32:43terms of getting the information out

32:44there. I'll leave that to m, you know,

32:46Mr. Oshana to

32:47>> that's one of the things we wanted to

32:48bring up to see who on the board would

32:50be willing to take part in some of these

32:51events. We just don't have the dates

32:52yet, but to be there as a question

32:54[clears throat] answer uh and someone to

32:57help present that information to these

32:58to these uh organizations and PTO's

33:01>> and I'm I'm perfectly willing to do

33:03that. Excellent.

33:04>> You know, again, like feel like we're a

33:06little bit behind now. [clears throat]

33:08>> I can uh I already have it. I have a

33:10shared Google sheet that has the the

33:12dates of all the meetings and I could

33:14easily share it with folks that you

33:15could plug your names in in terms of

33:17who's got availability. I know you're

33:19all have, you know, your full most of

33:20you work full-time and and or are

33:22traveling. So, it may be one of those

33:24things that it's based on people's

33:25availability. Um, and I can share that

33:27one pager with folks ahead of time, too,

33:29so that you have a chance to look at it

33:30and I can answer any questions you might

33:32have um in advance prior to you going

33:33out and speaking with those groups.

33:36Okay. Um, two other well, three other

33:39items. The referendum uh update we're

33:42done with the United Way men's and boys

33:43fund um at the Main Street Community

33:45Foundation, the 10th anniversary. This

33:47made me think a little bit about the men

33:48and boys fund, about the leading ladies.

33:50you know, they also have, you know, the,

33:52you know, immediate support grants, um,

33:55for, you know, women and daughters. Um,

33:57and so the men and boys fund is, uh, a

33:59worthy cause for sure. It's Thursday

34:01evening, October 1st, uh, at the

34:03Aquaturf $75 per person, but given that

34:06it's their 10th anniversary, I think

34:07they're trying to really put that out

34:09and celebrate. So, if uh, there is a

34:12flyer that I can share with you in my

34:13next update relative to that. Also, the

34:16leading ladies lunchon, um, I will not

34:18be there this year. Um it's it's on

34:20October 16th. Typically I am there

34:22serving tables and they make me do

34:24embarrassing things for for you know

34:25donations. Sad that I'm going to have to

34:27miss that. Um but

34:29>> happy going to be there in your place.

34:31[clears throat]

34:31>> Yeah, that's a good question. I I

34:34typically am there as well.

34:36[clears throat] The challenge is that

34:37it's one of my training days for the raw

34:40screen work. [clears throat]

34:42>> I cannot.

34:43>> He just doesn't want to get up and sing

34:44in front of that.

34:45>> You just don't want to go.

34:47>> Show you my calendar. [laughter]

34:48Hi.

34:50>> So, and lastly, I want to just give an

34:52update for the tennis courts. Um, and so

34:55this is the most recent update. Um,

34:58they've they had been planning to hold

35:00on work until the lights were up.

35:01However, that seems to be an issue. So,

35:03they're going to switch gears. VNF and

35:05the fence guys are back today and have

35:06instructed them to get as much done as

35:07they can with the anticipation of being

35:09substantially complete by the end of

35:10next week. Also, the surfacing team is

35:13planning to be there midweek next week

35:15to begin surfacing. The weather looks

35:16great next week, so thankfully that

35:18lines up. The only real drawback that we

35:20see is that we may have to do some work

35:21twice um because that we have to kind of

35:24go over some of the work once we're

35:25ready to put the lights in, but we don't

35:27want to have that, you know, some of the

35:29unfinished parts just sitting until the

35:30lights are up. And so that's the one

35:32curveball. Um the remainder of the

35:34lighting system is being delivered

35:35Thursday of next week. So they're

35:37looking for majority of completion by

35:38the end of next week. They'll just be at

35:40that point, you know, those those

35:41remaining what typically are called

35:43punch list items that we have to finish

35:44up. A lot of that's based, I think, on

35:46availability of supplies right now is

35:48the only real holdup. And so hopefully

35:50by the end of next week, you'll see

35:51what's close to a finished product. And

35:53that concludes my report for tonight.

35:55>> Any questions for the administration?

35:57>> Just one question, Mr. Chair. Um, uh,

35:59Mr. Superintendent. So, uh, with respect

36:02to the school zones and your

36:04conversations with the police

36:05department. Yep. Um, I I just wonder did

36:08they have an opinion on what would be

36:11the negative impact on making that road

36:15a school zone? So, I I have to do more

36:18of a close read of the traffic study. I

36:20only received it recently, but it it

36:23they make a recommendation, but there's

36:25not a requirement that you could pos you

36:27could potentially, you know, put a

36:29signing up of warning of you're in a

36:30school zone, but not the enforcement one

36:32about the speed limit, reduce speed

36:33limit in that area. There was no

36:35negatives that I saw in terms of

36:36drawback. I think what what I didn't see

36:39in my my first review of it was enough

36:40to say what they what they should do

36:43that like they did see a lot of speeding

36:45or they did see high volume traffic in

36:47their studies. It's a pretty extensive

36:49study. They went through with like what

36:50percentage of drivers were at this

36:51speed, what percentage were at this

36:53speed, what percentage were at this

36:54speed. I mean, they did their due

36:55diligence for sure. Um, but I think, you

36:58know, one of the concerns I heard from

36:59the resident, I listened to the public

37:01comment portion of that town council

37:02meeting was, did you do that study while

37:05during the traffic times that the

37:07students were at the stops? You know, if

37:08you did a study and you got the traffic

37:11patterns you got during the time you

37:12were there, that's one thing. But she

37:13thought it was important that it was

37:15done closer to when the traffic was

37:16there. So, my plan is either myself or

37:18Mr. Romano to spend some time out on

37:20that that those roadways during what

37:22would be our morning commute times

37:24around those stops and kind of observe

37:25myself um and then take that in in

37:28combination with the police report and

37:30come back to you what what would be a

37:32realistic recommendation

37:33>> very good question though I

37:35[clears throat] live on a cut through as

37:36well and in the mornings you know 7 to

37:388:00 it's people are not awake and

37:41they're speeding

37:42>> and so you know I I think it's a it's a

37:45valid thing to look at for sure and you

37:48know again I just wonder why we wouldn't

37:50be able to put up a sign that says

37:52school zone.

37:53>> Yeah. Yeah. There's an there's a

37:55technical explanation in there in the

37:57report that I will I can certainly share

37:59with the full board. I don't have a

38:00problem with that.

38:01>> It's it's probably I mean it's it's it's

38:03technical in nature, but it's not more

38:04than seven or eight pages. I think the

38:06entire report

38:10anybody else.

38:12Okay. Hearing none. We're looking next

38:14to communications from the public on

38:16items from that are on the agenda. Would

38:17anybody like to speak about an item on

38:19the agenda?

38:22Okay, hearing none, we'll move on to

38:24committee reports and we'll start with

38:25the finance committee. Uh, Miss Kamuso.

38:28>> Thank you, Mr. Chair. U, members of the

38:29board, um, I'm hoping you all had a

38:32chance to read the minutes. Um, but I'm

38:34going to go and summarize each of the

38:36items we discussed at the finance

38:38committee meeting held on September

38:4017th. Um, excuse [clears throat] me, I'm

38:43sorry, my voice seems to be going. We

38:45covered um seven agenda items uh two of

38:48which are before the board for action

38:50tonight. Um the first item is the um

38:53Depalo Middle School water heater

38:55replacement. Uh Depalo Middle School has

38:58two water heaters, one of which is

39:00currently not functioning. So to avoid

39:02interruption to the school, the district

39:05is replacing the unit with an identical

39:06model so that existing connections can

39:08be reused with installation completed by

39:12in-house maintenance staff. A request

39:14was made to wave the bid requirement

39:16under policy 3320 due to timeliness and

39:19cost. Quotes were solicited from vendors

39:23um of the state of Connecticut contract.

39:25Three vendors were unable to replace the

39:28exact existing unit. One state contract

39:30vendor quoted $44,18

39:33while Tower Hill quoted $39,896.93

39:38for the same unit. So Mr. Madansancy

39:41approved the waiver on September 11th,

39:432026, allowing the district to proceed

39:46with tower at $39,896.93

39:50funded through DRIP grant funds, the

39:53district repair and improvement project.

39:55Reusable parts from the broken unit will

39:57also be retained by the district for

39:59future needs.

40:02Any questions on that one?

40:05Okay. Um, item number two is exciting.

40:08We're talking about the barn. Um and the

40:10fencing award. Uh the administration

40:13presented results of the RFP for fencing

40:16at the high school barn facility

40:18covering two pastures, a dry lot, and

40:21leadout fencing from the barn stalls.

40:23So, first uh thank you to those who

40:25volunteered their time and talent to

40:27clear the fields. Uh and I know Mrs.

40:29Clark and I were excited to learn some

40:31new terms. Um thank you to Mark Ramsay

40:33for brush hogging and to Kurt Holist

40:37Hollist. Oh my gosh. uh of HQ at

40:40landscaping uh for rockhounding,

40:42grading, top soiling and hydro seating.

40:45Um very appreciative uh for their their

40:48efforts. Uh five vendors attended the

40:51mandatory walkthrough for this fencing.

40:53Four vendors submitted proposals. WBE

40:56Fence Company, Inc. out of Brewster, New

40:58York was the lowest bidder at $49,400.

41:02References were checked and the

41:04administration recommends awarding this

41:06bid to WBE Fence. This project will be

41:08funded through the AST grant. Um, so

41:12with that, I'm going to move to award

41:14RFP 2027-002

41:17to WBE Fence Company, Inc. of Brewster,

41:20New York in the amount of $49,400

41:22as presented by the administration.

41:25>> Second motion uh by Mr. Muso, second by

41:28Mrs. Clark. Any discussion?

41:30>> Hearing none. All in favor?

41:32>> Opposed? Motion passes.

41:34>> Okay. Um, item number three, the

41:36administration presented a budget

41:38transfer request from the K8 math

41:41coordinator to fund a new math Olympiad

41:43afterchool club at both middle schools.

41:46The $1,400 transfer moves funds from the

41:48math consumables account to cover a $500

41:51teacher stipend and a $200 registration

41:54fee at each middle school. Um, with

41:57that, I am going to move to approve the

41:58budget transfer of $1,400 for the middle

42:01school math Olympiad program.

42:03>> Second. Motion by Miss Muso, second by

42:06Mrs. Clark. Any discussion?

42:08>> All in favor?

42:09>> Opposed? A motion passes.

42:11>> Okay. And then item number four, the

42:13administration presented the report um

42:16on non-lapsing unexpended funds that is

42:19now required under the new Connecticut

42:21state statute uh which must must include

42:23the total account balance, deposits made

42:25in the fiscal year, and an accounting of

42:27expenditures. The report was submitted

42:29to CSTE on August 21st, 2026 for the

42:32period July 1, 2025 through June 30,

42:352026. And the ending balance for

42:38non-lapsing funds as of June 30, 2026

42:41was $116,000167

42:45uh sorry 116, oh my goodness, $167.65.

42:50Uh the two largest expend expenditures

42:52included the self- insurance fund for

42:55$280,27389

42:58and field turf for $140,600.

43:04It's moreformational, but I don't know

43:05if you any questions on that. All the

43:07information is in the packet.

43:12Okay. And moving on to food service. Um

43:15the committee reviewed unawudited

43:17results for 25 20 the 2025 2026 food

43:21service operations and as reported

43:24throughout the year meal counts were

43:26lower than the prior year and student

43:28meal prices in 2526 were based on

43:30eligibility um with no state funding to

43:34provide meals at no cost which impacted

43:36participation.

43:38Um, negative meal debt totaled $17,349

43:42on June 30th, 2026. This was reduced by

43:45a $1,500 private donation, $1,837

43:50donated by graduating senior seniors,

43:52and $182 in um payments made in July for

43:56students. So, the final write off for

43:59the 2025 2026 school year was $13,8306.

44:07Um, looking ahead for 20 26 2027, the

44:11National School Lunch Program has

44:13enacted the readiness in schools every

44:15day program called RISE. Um, where

44:18breakfast will be at no cost to all

44:20students and lunch at no cost to

44:22students eligible for free and reduced

44:24meals. Um, one of the important things

44:27that we learned in this meeting is that

44:28the state is no longer going to allow um

44:32the exemption where um it permitted

44:35districts to use food service surplus

44:37funds to cover student meal uh debt. So,

44:40what this means is that any negative

44:42meal debt accumulated in fiscal year

44:442627 must be paid by the BOE's operating

44:48budget. That's a big change, my

44:51understanding. Um, and the policy and

44:54personnel committee is going to review a

44:56request to add some language to the

44:58district's charging policy to allow the

45:01district to pursue unpaid balances

45:03through a debt collection collection

45:04agency if necessary.

45:08>> Questions on food services?

45:13>> I just had a quick question.

45:14>> Um, I know that we're talking about the

45:18the um debt or unpaid balances What what

45:22was the final number for how profitable

45:25or

45:27or nonprofitable the service?

45:30[clears throat]

45:31>> Sure. The income statement is part of

45:33the packet for the finan of for the

45:35finance committee. Um I believe the

45:38ending

45:41um we did have a net loss of about

45:43$89,000.

45:45Included in that net loss figure is the

45:48$13,000 of negative debt and it also

45:52includes the dishwasher that we

45:53purchased at Darinowski which was

45:55approximately $90,000.

45:57So we were able to um sustain operations

46:02while improving some of the um equipment

46:05at Duranowski and the $13,000 was

46:09expensed on our income statement. So

46:11about $89,000

46:15$89,000

46:17loss.

46:18>> The dishwasher

46:19>> $90,000 was 90.

46:21>> Y

46:22>> that was um one of the action items

46:24[clears throat] by the finance committee

46:25earlier this year. We went out to bid um

46:28and the unit is quite large. Uh so it's

46:32not

46:33>> for again my own understanding of the

46:36math here. So had we not done the

46:38$90,000 for the dishwasher then

46:41ultimately we would have been flush.

46:44Okay.

46:47>> Yeah.

46:47>> Right.

46:48>> Um have we looked at the potential of

46:52trying to get more enticement of

46:55students wanting to purchase lunches um

46:58by looking at other

47:01other offerings? Um,

47:04you know, are we still kind of stuck

47:06because of this the national

47:09um the vote that we do every year to be

47:12part of the national or state program

47:15>> for the healthy food certification? Is

47:16that what you're referring to?

47:17>> Which isn't healthy food. I just want

47:19you know again I want to stress that um

47:23you know after looking at the caloric

47:26and um you know what is in some of the

47:29foods that we're eating. I mean the

47:31Domino's Pizza. I don't understand how

47:34that's part of the healthy food

47:36initiative or whatever the government

47:38think is calling healthy food. But I'm

47:39not upset with you guys. It's just more

47:42of again another thing rammed down our

47:44throats that we almost feel enticed to

47:48do because we're getting federal funding

47:49for it, but it's not the best thing that

47:52we're to do for our students.

47:55So, just to be clear, the Domino's pizza

47:58that that is served at the schools is

48:00not the Domino's pizza that you buy as a

48:03um as a family going on a Friday night

48:05to pick up your pizza. There's a a

48:08different crust combination

48:11that is meets the standard of the

48:14healthy food certification. Um, so

48:17obviously I'm not the best person to

48:19speak to it. Um,

48:21>> so highly processed. Again, I'm not mad

48:23that like it's not you, Jen. It's more

48:26I'm frustrated at the at the situation.

48:28If we were again, if we were offering a

48:31salad bar, if we're offering more of a

48:33home-cooked meal, we have so many

48:35awesome restaurants. We have a a place

48:37literally down the street that is

48:39accustomed to feeding thousands of

48:41people at a time. And this is what we

48:45feed our kids. And you know, again, like

48:49if we built something better and we're

48:52essentially running flush right now,

48:54then I think that we can do something

48:56better, not take those state, state or

48:58federal funding and we could still run

49:00it flush. Again, I'm not looking to make

49:02a profit with our food service program,

49:04but it's how do we deliver higher

49:06quality food to kids as as well as

49:10educating them on, you know, what it is

49:13to have a balanced diet and what it is

49:14to be eating eating healthy and well.

49:19So I I I don't mean to soap box on it,

49:21but you know this is especially when

49:23we're starting to run deficits,

49:25especially when we have lower engagement

49:27because it's not free. You know, again,

49:29kids don't want it if they have to pay

49:31for it. That should be a testament to

49:34the quality of what we're what we're

49:36prepare preparing for our kids.

49:38[clears throat]

49:40>> Mr. person.

49:42>> Um, and I and I just want to follow up

49:44to um,

49:47you know, what you're saying, Joe. We

49:50actually entertained a conversation in

49:55the finance committee meeting about what

49:58would it look like and what would it

50:00mean financially if we didn't

50:03participate

50:04um you know at at the state and federal

50:08level in the food service program,

50:11right? if we truly did an independent

50:15assessment and menu and offering just

50:18within our district without financial

50:21support from those state and federal

50:23programs. And just looking at it at

50:26surface level,

50:29it would mean

50:31the the gap or the difference is well

50:35over a million dollars.

50:37And so

50:39in unfortunately in our current economic

50:43and environment and budget constraints

50:48that we're currently dealing with across

50:50the board, um I'm in full support of

50:54what you're saying and I believe in what

50:57you're saying. I I do think that

51:01offering our kids healthier alternatives

51:05is is an absolute must

51:08financially.

51:11being able to do that by exiting

51:15the subsidy programs at the state and

51:17federal level. Um, financially we just

51:21can't do it as a district right now

51:23unless we find

51:26another funding source to make up that

51:29million plus dollars. Um, that's going

51:32to result in in that gap by exiting,

51:36you know, that food service program. So

51:39just a a little additional information.

51:43It is something that we're looking at.

51:44Correct.

51:45>> Yeah.

51:47>> Okay, Miss Musa.

51:49>> Um, no. I I was just going to also

51:50state, yeah, we did review some of that

51:52information and also my understanding is

51:54that that is something that was tried

51:56years ago. Historically speaking, I

51:58can't speak to that, but um I think that

52:01is something that happened in

52:02Southernington. Can anyone confirm that

52:05>> years years ago? Yeah. Yeah. So I I

52:09don't know the context or the history

52:10behind that, but it is something that we

52:12discussed too. [clears throat]

52:13>> And and it's all or nothing. So

52:15essentially, yeah,

52:16>> it's not like the high school could drop

52:18off and still engage with the

52:22whole district.

52:24[snorts]

52:28>> All right. Thank you. So, um, item

52:30number six, um, the administration

52:32reviewed the award for a Gravely Access

52:35200DT utility utility load or track

52:38loader. Um, the original, uh, bid

52:412027-03,

52:43received no submissions, resulting in a

52:45failed bid. The district then mailed

52:48quote requests directly to equipment

52:49distributors and received two quotes.

52:52Um, so it is recommended to it was

52:54recommended, excuse me, to award the

52:56lowest bid received, which was Superior

52:58Equipment and Supplies for the loader

53:00and heavy duty 42-in bucket at

53:02$19,870.25.

53:06This was submitted to the superintendent

53:08as it falls under the $25,000 award

53:10threshold, and this is also funded by

53:12the AST grant.

53:16Okay. And finally, um the committee

53:19reviewed the 2025 2026 uh un audited

53:24financial report. Um the administration

53:26presented a memo along with two

53:28financial summaries of the fiscal year

53:302526 operating budget. Closing the year,

53:34the BOE um requested an appropriation

53:37from the board of finance at the June

53:3917th meeting. Um however, the board of

53:42finance advised the BOE to use

53:43non-lapsing funds instead. So, the final

53:46shortfall for 2526 was $333,000.

53:50Uh 30 333,223.

53:55I'm not sure why I'm having issues with

53:56numbers tonight. Um closed using 61,

54:01uh $99 of open choice grant funds and

54:04$280,274

54:07of non-lapsing funds to make final

54:09payments into the town of Southernington

54:11self- insurance fund. Um, as discussed

54:13in previous meetings, primary drivers of

54:16the shortfall include teaching

54:17substitutes, purchase services out of

54:20district tuition, retirement

54:22compensation, utilities, and

54:24transportation. Um, and some of the

54:26mitigation measures that were taken

54:29include the district implementing a

54:30district-wide spending freeze early in

54:32the year and holding back previously

54:34budgeted purchases, including um 170,000

54:38for Chromebook replacements were

54:39cancelled, 107,000 for math consumables.

54:43Um, that was held until July 1, but

54:45purchased and available for the students

54:46for this year. um $75,569

54:50for budgeted professional development

54:52was held and $44,000 for um unspent

54:57across school supply lines. School and

55:00maintenance department spending was

55:01closely monitored while continuing to

55:03fund curriculum safety and hygiene

55:05needs.

55:07Um, and additionally, the district

55:08appropriated $870,484

55:12back to the budget, including $525,8351

55:16for CRE prior professional purchase

55:19services, $24,382

55:22for special education services built to

55:24other districts, $126,420

55:27in preschool tuition, and $14,330

55:31in regular education [clears throat]

55:32tuition.

55:35Mrs. Mrs. Mela, is there anything you

55:37want to add for that

55:40>> busy meeting questions? Yes, we had a

55:42lot.

55:42>> It was a lot.

55:43>> Any other questions for Miss Kamusho or

55:45committee?

55:46>> All right. Thank you. That was a that

55:47was a lot of work.

55:48>> Thank you very much.

55:50>> Okay. We'll move into uh old business uh

55:53town government communications. The only

55:55thing I'll mention is earlier today or

55:57right before this meeting, the ordinance

55:58committee met and discussed an ordinance

56:01about ebikes. That's been there's been a

56:02lot of talk about that in in the public.

56:04Uh that ordinance uh was uh

56:08the the the framework of that was

56:10approved tonight. It goes next to the um

56:14town council. Town council will hold

56:16public hearings so the public has

56:17another opportunity to give more input

56:18into that. Uh they I don't have the date

56:21yet of when that public hearing is going

56:22to be. They haven't said it yet, but

56:23that's the next step. [clears throat]

56:26Okay.

56:28Uh next on the agenda, new business. Uh

56:30we're looking for an approval of the

56:31superintendent's proposed goals for 2026

56:342027.

56:35>> Move to approve the Oh, sorry, Jeff.

56:38>> We have a motion.

56:38>> Yes.

56:39>> And a second.

56:40>> Second.

56:41>> Okay. Any discussion?

56:44>> Mr. Bashesky,

56:44>> if I may. U Mr. Mansancy, thank you for

56:48your continued service to this u to our

56:50district here. Um I'm very pleased with,

56:55you know, as Mr. Darinowski would say,

56:58how um

57:01big of a list you sometimes put

57:02together. Um, and certainly your ability

57:06to really click it off and continue to

57:09be a go-between of this board, town

57:13council, finance board, all the hours

57:15that you put in that people don't

57:17necessarily see. Um and again the the

57:20teaching staff that continue to really

57:23um floor me as far as um you know what

57:27we're doing here. We're building a good

57:29um good environment for our staff, our

57:32kids um and our residents. So you know

57:34thank you what you do.

57:37>> Anybody else?

57:39>> I just want to echo what what Joe just

57:41said. I mean you you a lot of what you

57:43do people don't see. Um you're out in

57:44the community all the time. You do a lot

57:46of work. You never take the credit. You

57:48say the credit goes to the people that

57:49work for the district, but the district

57:52doesn't run without a good leader. So,

57:54thank you for all you do and all the

57:55time and effort you put in, the team

57:56that you built, uh the fantastic team

57:59that you built. So, it's a testament to

58:00the town of Sington that you've uh and

58:02the work that you've done.

58:04>> Um, let's take a roll call.

58:06>> Mr.

58:08>> Yes.

58:09>> Mr. Brown,

58:10>> yes.

58:10>> Misso,

58:11>> yes.

58:12>> Mrs.

58:14>> Mr. Carson,

58:15>> yes.

58:16>> Mrs. Clark.

58:16>> Yes.

58:17>> Mrs.

58:19>> Yes.

58:21>> Mr. Whitehead.

58:22>> Yes.

58:22>> Mr.

58:23>> Yes. Motion passes unanimously.

58:26Get to work. Time to get to work. Uh,

58:29next on the agenda, approval for the

58:31tees roof plan for submission to the

58:33Department of Administrative Services.

58:36>> [clears throat]

58:36>> move that the board of education

58:37authorize the chair of the

58:38Southernington Board of Education and

58:40the superintendent of Southernington

58:41Public Schools to sign form SCG-042,

58:46request for review of final plans for

58:48Connecticut Department of Administrative

58:50Services, DAS, project number 131-0134R,

58:55so that Southernington Public Schools

58:57may submit the final plans and

58:58professional cost estimate to the

59:00Connecticut DAS Office of Grants

59:02Administration for their approval prior

59:04to commencement of the roof replacement

59:06project at Thalberg Elementary School.

59:08>> Second.

59:09>> We have a motion. Uh Miss Kamuso, second

59:11by Mrs. Clark. Any discussion?

59:14>> Hearing none. All in favor?

59:15>> I

59:16>> opposed. The motion passes unanimously.

59:18>> Uh and now we'll move into public

59:21communications on items that are not on

59:23the agenda this evening. Is there any

59:25that like to speak this evening to a

59:26non-aggenda item?

59:30>> Okay. Hearing none, we are looking for a

59:32motion to adjurnn.

59:33>> So move. Second

59:35>> motion and a second.

59:36>> All in favor? [clears throat]

59:37>> We are adjourned.

59:40>> 759.

59:47>> I asked Trisha to go out, but she was

59:49watching Ricky to me.

59:56>> Hello.

59:58Haven't seen you in a while.

1:00:01[laughter]

1:00:03Where's that?

1:00:13Yes. the mentality

1:00:17or

1:00:17>> something.

1:00:25How do we find

1:00:28Wait.