2026-10-15 - Board of Education

00:00Southington Board of Education meeting

00:01for Thursday, October 15th, 2026. If we

00:05could all stand for the Pledge of

00:06Allegiance, then I'd like to ask our

00:07scouts to lead us in the pledge this

00:09evening.

00:13>> I pledge allegiance to the flag of the

00:15United States of America, and to the

00:18republic for which it stands, one nation

00:21under God, indivisible, with liberty and

00:24justice for all.

00:26>> Thank you.

00:32Okay, before we get started this

00:34evening, I'd like to

00:36ask for a moment of silence. We lost two

00:38more members of our Southington district

00:40uh family.

00:42Uh Mr. Gary Thompson passed away on

00:44September 14th. Mr. Thompson was hired

00:47in July of 2025 as a full-time custodian

00:50at Plantsville Elementary School.

00:53He moved to Southington High School as a

00:54full-time custodian in September 2013.

00:58Mr. Thompson was promoted to full-time

01:00assistant head custodian in August of

01:032015

01:04and served in this role until his

01:05well-deserved retirement in January

01:082016.

01:10We also lost Catherine Reeves, Katie

01:12Reeves. Mrs. Reeves was the beloved

01:14principal at Thalberg Elementary School

01:17from July 2018 until her resignation in

01:20June 2022.

01:22During her tenure as principal, her

01:24motto was consistently, "Kids come

01:26first." And she embodied that motto in

01:29everything she did.

01:31And in addition, I'd like to ask also uh

01:33for a moment of silence um

01:36for another

01:38I'd call it a tragic event, but it's

01:39it's more than that. There was another

01:40school shooting today, elementary school

01:43shooting in Oregon.

01:45Um may we all please keep those people

01:47in our thoughts and prayers as well. A

01:49moment of silence, please.

01:58Thank you very much.

02:01>> Okay, we're looking for approval Excuse

02:03me, the minutes from our September

02:052024th meeting.

02:06>> So moved.

02:07>> Motion Mrs. Carmody, second Mrs. Clark.

02:10Any discussion?

02:12All in favor?

02:13>> I.

02:13>> I.

02:13>> Opposed? That motion passes. Then we

02:15have a

02:17meeting meeting minutes from September

02:1930th, 2026. This was a special meeting

02:22in which Mrs. Carmody,

02:25Mrs.

02:27Clark, and Mrs. Anastasia were

02:29attending. So, those three would be able

02:30to vote on this. The rest of us would be

02:32abstaining since we were not part of

02:33that meeting.

02:34>> Motion to accept.

02:36>> Second. [clears throat]

02:36>> A motion and a second. Any discussion

02:38for you guys? No? All in favor?

02:41>> I.

02:41>> Any opposed?

02:42>> No.

02:42>> All right, and I'll abstain.

02:44>> Abstain.

02:44>> Any abstentions? Bob.

02:47So, one Motion passes

02:503-0.

02:52Five abstentions. Thank you.

02:55>> Uh Mr. Chair,

02:56>> Yes, ma'am.

02:56>> I'd like to add a

02:58um an item

02:5911 uh I'm sorry, 10G to our agenda

03:04for a student expulsion

03:082026

03:09-27-1.

03:12>> Okay, we have a motion. Is there a

03:13second?

03:14>> I second.

03:14>> Okay, motion and a second. All in favor?

03:16>> I.

03:16>> Opposed? Okay, that is added to the

03:18agenda, item 10

03:20>> G.

03:20>> G. Okay.

03:22Um we will start now with public

03:24communications. We'll look for

03:25communications from our student board

03:27representatives.

03:29>> Good evening everyone. So, to begin with

03:31the district report, Southington will

03:33host its annual Halloween Carnival with

03:36games thanks to high school volunteers

03:38from Key Club and National Honor

03:40Society.

03:41Uh Karen Smith Academy took a field trip

03:43to Southington Bread for Life today and

03:45met

03:46Missy Carpiano, who spoke about what

03:48Bread for Life offers and for our

03:50community and building a partnership

03:52with Bread for Life. So, the students

03:54will volunteer there throughout the

03:55school year.

03:56Uh Southington fifth graders are off to

03:58Sturbridge Village where they're going

04:00to participate in a day of hands-on

04:02learning at the Old Sturbridge Village

04:04where they will walk through historic

04:06homes, a house, and farms, as well as

04:08other historical events with the period.

04:12The JFK eighth graders participated in

04:14Grit and Wit last Friday, a

04:15team-building activity with mental and

04:18physical challenges from September 15th

04:20to October 13th. The morning

04:22announcements also highlighted

04:24influential

04:26Sorry. Influential Hispanic Americans in

04:28honor of National Hispanic Heritage

04:30Month. And unity will be recognized on

04:33October 21st for National Bullying

04:35Prevention Month where students and

04:36staff will wear orange to stand up

04:38against bullying.

04:40Flanders students are looking forward to

04:41the annual PTO Trunk or Treat event

04:44scheduled on Friday, October 23rd, and

04:46the Flanders staff has a surprise in

04:48store for our students on Halloween day.

04:51Students at DePaolo began volunteering

04:53at the Calendar House serving lunch to

04:55senior citizens and enjoying

04:56conversations. And two students each day

04:59are assist as part of the leadership

05:01program.

05:02Students at DePaolo were also busy at

05:04the Apple Harvest Festival. If you know,

05:06you saw them doing the little cheer. And

05:09um they did great job with um donating

05:12and creating money for the Pediatric

05:14Cancer Research. And thank you for

05:16everyone who visited and supported them.

05:18And students from DePaolo were also busy

05:20at Bread for Life with their annual Soup

05:22Night fundraiser. And they had a lot of

05:25attendees, so they're very grateful for

05:26everyone who came. And the community

05:28service volunteers at DePaolo had their

05:30first meeting last week where students

05:32will be completing various projects

05:34throughout the years to support the

05:35Southington Community Services.

05:39>> All right. Hello, everyone. So, I'll be

05:41reporting on Southington High School

05:42tonight. Today, we had juniors and

05:45sophomores take the PSAT. A lot of the

05:48transitions went really smoothly and

05:50kids made sure to get to their rooms on

05:51time. The pep rally was held on October

05:549th, last Friday, and it went very well.

05:56The student body was very involved and

05:58excited. The unified sports teams

06:00received incredible support and immense

06:02cheers as well.

06:03This upcoming Tuesday, October 20th, SHS

06:06will hold its annual fall concert

06:08featuring symphonic band, chamber

06:09singers, and orchestra.

06:11Next Wednesday, the math team will be

06:13competing at Avon High School.

06:15To conclude the more academic based

06:16portion, the first quarter is ending on

06:18October 29th. For more extracurricular

06:20focused events, National Honor Society

06:22and World Language Honor Society have

06:24inductions on the 22nd. There will also

06:27be a first-generation college info

06:29session on how to navigate through the

06:31college process for students to be the

06:33first in their family to attend college.

06:36There is also a robotics competition,

06:38the CyberKnight Invitational, being

06:40hosted at Southington High this weekend

06:41with teams from all over New England

06:44combining with STEM for all with free

06:47activities for kids.

06:50>> Um I will be reporting on the sports.

06:52The Blue Knights are continuing the

06:54continuing their very successful fall

06:56season with wins and achievements across

06:57the board. Last week, the track teams

06:59held their senior meet celebrating their

07:01seniors alongside their families. The

07:03girls volleyball team hosted a pink out

07:05game in support of breast cancer

07:06awareness and came away with a great win

07:08against Maloney. Also, the marching band

07:11continues to impress earning outstanding

07:12results across multiple competitions

07:15these last few weeks. The girl's swim

07:17team also had a successful week

07:18defeating Conard yesterday while

07:20demonstrating their support for breast

07:21cancer survivors. On the soccer field,

07:23the girls team battled to a tie against

07:25Berlin on Tuesday and will look to build

07:27on that performance as they take on

07:29Wethersfield today.

07:31Looking ahead, the boys golf team is

07:32preparing to compete in the CCC

07:34Championship tomorrow and coach Mac Loom

07:37won CCC Golf Coach of the Year.

07:39And finally, the undefeated football

07:41team had another win to their season,

07:43defeating Manchester in their Pink Out

07:45game last Friday. Overall, it's been a

07:47fantastic week for the sports.

07:49>> Awesome. Nice.

07:50>> Thank you very much. Does anybody have

07:51any questions for our student reps?

07:53>> No. Can I just add though, last night at

07:55the soup night, awesome job by the

07:58waiters and waitresses.

08:01Their service was a

08:03You couldn't sit there for 2 seconds

08:05without somebody Can I get you some? Can

08:07I get you some? The kids were amazing.

08:08Absolutely incredible. So Yeah, they

08:10were fabulous.

08:11>> All right.

08:13Thank you guys very much. Thank you for

08:14the information.

08:15>> Thank you.

08:15>> All right. Communications from members

08:18of the Board of Education. Does anybody

08:19like to speak?

08:21Mr. Brown?

08:22>> Yeah, a couple things.

08:23We had a meeting yesterday. We are

08:26forming a new There was a sports Hall of

08:29Fame at the high school, which

08:31stopped in 2015. We have a committee

08:34now. We're restarting that. We're going

08:36to probably go public with it in

08:38December with applications and

08:40bylaws and all that stuff, but we had

08:42another meeting yesterday very

08:43successfully.

08:44Also, the Wall of Honor, again, we're

08:46having a celebration on December 8th.

08:49We're inducting five new people,

08:51terrific class this year, and we're also

08:54honoring because it's our 20th year,

08:56past inductees.

08:58Tickets are on sale. They're $60. That

09:00includes roughly $10 to pay for a free

09:03ticket for those who are being inducted.

09:05And also, we're taking donations. If

09:08you're interested in either one of

09:09those, contact K and I will send you

09:11tickets or whatever it is you need for

09:13donations. We just got a couple of great

09:16donations today, in fact, in the mail.

09:18So, that's December 8th. Great event at

09:21the Aquaturf.

09:23>> Thank you, Mr. Brown. Anybody else?

09:27>> No.

09:28>> All right. I have I have a couple of

09:28things I'd like to to mention. First of

09:30all,

09:31Mr. Peppy is not here this evening

09:33because he is at the Principal of the

09:36Year celebration, which is celebrating

09:38our principal of the year, Mr. Chris

09:40Palmieri, principal at DePaolo Middle

09:42School. So, their timing of when they

09:44planned this, we didn't do it. Another

09:46organization did it. We would have all

09:47loved to have been there this evening to

09:48celebrate Chris,

09:50but we're here instead. So, Mr. Peppy

09:52and some other administrators are there

09:55representing the town of Southington.

09:57I want [clears throat] to take a couple

09:58minutes regarding the upcoming

10:01elementary facilities referendum.

10:03There's a lot of information out there

10:05online in the public domain.

10:09Some of it true, some of it not true,

10:10some of it partially true.

10:12So, what I wanted to do was just take a

10:14few minutes. There's a lot of questions

10:15that I've been asked, that I've heard,

10:17that others have heard. And I want to

10:18put some information out there. I'm not

10:20advocating in favor of or

10:22[clears throat] against, but I think

10:24putting fact out there right now is

10:25really, really important. So, I'm going

10:27to take a few minutes and go through

10:29these. I I took

10:30the documentation that we've had. I've

10:33been going through a whole bunch of

10:34materials,

10:36drafted information from that, and

10:37created these along with some of the

10:39questions and answers that have gone in

10:41front of this board and other boards.

10:42So,

10:43first question I want to talk about is

10:45how many meetings has the facilities

10:46committee held on this issue?

10:48So, the

10:50the facilities committee started as an

10:53education the

10:55education committee, and then it turned

10:56into a district-wide facilities

10:58committee. We had 20 meetings

11:01since the beginning of this discussion

11:02regarding the elementary schools.

11:04All these meetings were open to the

11:05public. Some of them were during COVID

11:07time. They were some of them were

11:10virtual, so people could get in.

11:13There were people that were there.

11:14Members of the public were visiting us

11:16during those meetings and observing. We

11:18also had meetings that were in person,

11:21but there were 20 of them held where

11:23members of the community could observe,

11:24and then the members of the community

11:25also had opportunities during

11:27Board of Education meetings to actually

11:29come and speak in favor or against, or

11:32ask questions during the presentations

11:34[clears throat] that were given to us by

11:35the parties that created some of the

11:37information for us, the researchers, and

11:39then during regular board

11:40communications. So, what are the voters

11:42being actually asked to authorize?

11:45The voters are being asked asked whether

11:47the town should appropriate and

11:49authorize up to 86 million 675,560

11:54in bonds and notes

11:56for the elementary facilities plan. And

11:58this authorization covers a new Kelly

12:01Elementary School, completion of the

12:03lower level of South End Elementary

12:04School,

12:06where there are five classrooms that

12:07were roughed out when South End was

12:09built. This would finish those five, and

12:12then the closing and repurposing of

12:14Flanders Elementary School property for

12:16municipal and community use.

12:20Is the ballot authorization the same as

12:23the current project estimate? And the

12:25answer there is not exactly. The ballot

12:27question authorizes 86 million 675,560.

12:32Phase 1 project estimate right now is

12:368

12:37I said 800. It's 86 million 675,560.

12:42Bear with me with my numbers. The

12:44estimate is 86 million 400,000.

12:48So, there's a little bit of a variance

12:50there.

12:51And what does the work include if this

12:53referendum passes? It includes a new

12:55Kelly Elementary School, which will be a

12:57little bit larger than the one that's

12:58there now and have four sections per

13:00grade with approximately 494 students.

13:04South End Elementary School would

13:05complete the lower level with the

13:07addition of five classrooms. Those

13:09classrooms are not underground. Those

13:12classrooms will have windows to the

13:14outside.

13:15Flanders Elementary School, there would

13:18be a closure of Flanders no earlier than

13:20fall of 2030, followed by a repurposing

13:23of the building for the purposes of

13:24municipal and community use.

13:27And then attendance zones,

13:28redistricting. Redistricting associated

13:30with the consolidation with final zones

13:33expected in the fall of 2029 because we

13:36can't do them before the schools are

13:37done and ready to go and we know what

13:39other building is taking a place in town

13:41and the layout of our our community. So

13:44approximately 1 year before

13:45implementation the redistricting would

13:47be done.

13:49How would the referendum affect the

13:51number of elementary classrooms?

13:54So if the referendum passes, the

13:56district net net when it's all over with

13:58would net an increase of three available

14:01elementary school classrooms from where

14:02we are now.

14:04Additionally, we currently have based on

14:07the budget that we completed last year

14:09and the consolidation, there are

14:11currently 10 open classrooms elementary

14:14classrooms in the district right now.

14:16So Flanders currently has 15 classrooms

14:19that would no longer be used as

14:21elementary classrooms and the plan would

14:22be to add six

14:24classrooms additionally at the new Kelly

14:27Elementary School,

14:28five at South End,

14:30and then we would be moving students

14:33children from the childhood centers

14:36to the childhood center at Kelly from

14:38Hatton

14:39and Strong and that would open up seven

14:42more classrooms between Hatton

14:44and Strong Elementary School for a total

14:46gain of 18 classrooms. So when those

14:49classrooms, those 18 are combined with

14:51the 10 open classrooms currently across

14:54the district, and then you subtract the

14:5614 classrooms that Flanders would have,

14:59the district would net 13 more available

15:01classrooms.

15:03Six at Kelly,

15:04five at South End, seven between Strong

15:07and Hatton.

15:09Okay?

15:09>> Yes, sir, Shana. Um you just you said

15:1114. I just want to make sure it's 15

15:14classrooms.

15:15>> I said I'm sorry. I It's 15. I give me a

15:18beer with me with the numbers. It is 15.

15:20Okay?

15:23Let me fix that.

15:25Uh cost

15:26reimbursement and tax impact. How much

15:30is the town currently expected to pay

15:32after state reimbursement? So, the

15:35current estimate, again, the the the the

15:38budget is 86 million sum odd dollars,

15:41the estimated local cost would be 39.7

15:44million after state funds would come in.

15:47However,

15:48if the state approves the full space

15:50standard variance waivers and the

15:53applicable pre-kindergarten

15:54reimbursement, the estimate to the local

15:57town would decline to approximately

15:5933,900,000.

16:02That would be because we're getting

16:03additional funding from the state. The

16:04funding we receive would go up because

16:06of the early childhood center at the new

16:08Kelly Elementary School.

16:10When would taxpayers see an estimated

16:12increase? Well, there would be no

16:14referendum-related tax increase in 2027,

16:17no increase in 2028. The estimated

16:20impact would begin in 2029

16:23and increase in 2030 as borrowing is

16:25phased in.

16:27So, just as an estimate, if you have a

16:29home with a fair market value of

16:31$400,000,

16:33the tax increase in 2029 would be $9.14

16:36a month.

16:38Okay?

16:40There's a $900,000 annual savings

16:43number that's been thrown around. What

16:44does the $900,000 annual savings

16:47estimate mean?

16:49Well,

16:50the approximate $900,000 per year figure

16:53has been described uh

16:55based on estimates in a reduction of the

16:57annual board operating costs if

16:59consolidations occur.

17:01It should be understood that an

17:03estimated gross school district

17:05operating savings, not a verified

17:08taxpayer savings after future costs uh

17:11cost to retain, maintain, or repurpose

17:14Flanders. So, there's a difference

17:16between the school and the overall town.

17:20Flanders Elementary School has a final

17:22use been for Flanders been selected and

17:24the answer is no. Uh, the referendum

17:27states that the building and the

17:28property would be repurposed for

17:30municipal and community use, but no

17:32final program design, operating plan, or

17:35budget has been adopted yet. Preliminary

17:38ideas have been floated and discussed in

17:39correspondence including community

17:41services moving from where they are now

17:44into that building. Election services

17:46moving from town hall into that

17:47building, some storage, recreational

17:50use, temporary swing space for the town,

17:53or uh, limited occupancy, but these are

17:55possibilities. There has not been a

17:56commitment yet. That would not be from

17:58us. That would be something that would

18:00be done by the town council once this

18:02would be completed.

18:05Are the costs of retaining and

18:07repurposing Flanders known?

18:09The answer there is not yet.

18:11Future costs could include utilities,

18:14insurance, security, custodial services,

18:17routine maintenance, repairs,

18:18accessibility and code work, and any

18:21renovations required by uh, what would

18:23be needed for the selected use of that

18:25facility.

18:26These costs will depend heavily on

18:28whether the building is actively

18:29occupied, partially occupied, or kept

18:32largely dormant.

18:34A final net savings calculation cannot

18:36be made until the reuse concept, scope,

18:38and budgets are actually developed. So,

18:41the next question would be, what happens

18:42to the property um, if the referendum is

18:45passed?

18:46The ballot language says

18:48that the building and the property would

18:50be repurposed for municipal and

18:52community use.

18:53It will be used for municipal use, not

18:56for sale for residential development as

18:59part of a referendum plan.

19:01Decisions about the specific municipal

19:03or community use would occur later when

19:05the uh, town goes through their process

19:07of what they want to do with that

19:08building.

19:11Needs, alternatives, and processes. What

19:14is the project Why is the project being

19:16proposed now?

19:18So, the planning process was intended to

19:20modernize the remaining three older

19:23schools

19:24while considering enrollment, capacity,

19:27educational needs, existing building

19:29conditions, state reimbursement, and the

19:32town's ability to schedule major capital

19:35projects and debt.

19:37The reviewed materials

19:39identify prior enrollment studies,

19:42capacity and utilization analysis,

19:45planning options, site due diligence,

19:48facility conditions assessments, cost

19:50estimates, and these selections were

19:53used in the preferred scenario

19:54selection. All of those were done by

19:58outside firms that were contracted to

20:00come in. They were not done by the Board

20:01of Education. They were not done by the

20:03facilities group here for the for the

20:05district or for the town. It was an

20:07impartial third group that came in and

20:09did those analyses.

20:11So,

20:12>> [clears throat]

20:12>> what do the district materials say would

20:14occur if the rent referendum does not

20:17pass?

20:18The district sites, and we've said this

20:20a few times, that the approximate

20:23105.8 million to 116.4

20:26million of identified capital

20:28improvements would need to be done for

20:30Kelly, Flanders, and Darenosky. And that

20:33is based on the 2025

20:35facilities conditions assessment report.

20:38This would be repair work alone. It

20:40would not resolve educational programmal

20:42pro- programmatic needs, low

20:45district-wide utilization, enrollment

20:46imbalances, satellite attendance zones,

20:49or large differences in the schools'

20:52capacities. And this range represents

20:55um identified capital needs across the

20:57three schools. It is not presented as a

21:00direct like-for-like price quote for the

21:02referendum project.

21:05Does the proposal address every

21:07elementary school need? The answer is

21:09no.

21:10The referendum is described as phase one

21:13and focuses on Kelly, South End, and the

21:15consolidation associated with Flanders.

21:18There are other long-term capital needs

21:20including Darenosky and future work at

21:23other town and school facilities.

21:26Approval would be

21:27uh would not eliminate the need to move

21:29forward on some of these other things. I

21:30mean, just a reminder, our high school's

21:3250 years old

21:33this year.

21:34So, work is going to be needed there at

21:36some point as well.

21:38If the referendum does not pass, would

21:41the district still move forward with

21:42redistricting or closing an elementary

21:45school?

21:46The board would need to address the

21:48question at the time and determine the

21:50timing and format through formal action

21:52at public meetings. To date, the only

21:55redistricting approved by the board is

21:58tied to the current project proposal.

22:01And that redistricting, what it's going

22:03to actually be, we would not know until

22:05a year out before the the the new school

22:08would open and Flanders would close.

22:10However, the imbalance in school

22:12utilization rates would continue if the

22:14referendum does not pass. And we would

22:17need to uh address that at some point.

22:19Rebalancing of students among schools

22:22would also result in transportation

22:23savings. And currently, each bus

22:26that runs in the district costs us

22:28approximately $80,000 a year. By putting

22:30students closer to the schools in which

22:32they would be going to and living at,

22:34that would be a cost savings to the

22:36district.

22:37So,

22:38there's a few more to go. Why was

22:40Flanders chosen as the school to close?

22:44So, among the three remaining elementary

22:46buildings identified as needing

22:48significant capital work, Flanders,

22:50Kelly, and Darenosky, Flanders was the

22:53most underutilized based on the

22:54facilities and enrollment studies.

22:57Flanders is geographically close to

22:59Hatton. Kelly

23:00uh Kelly is on the west side of town and

23:03is not close to another elementary

23:04school while Dziarnoski is centrally

23:06located in an area with high population

23:08density.

23:10The Kelly parcel was determined to be

23:12highly suitable for new construction

23:15because it would allow the existing

23:16Kelly building to remain open and

23:19operating as an elementary school while

23:20the new building was being built on

23:22another part of that property. Would not

23:24impact the students at Kelly

23:27during construction.

23:29If the town still plans to use Flanders,

23:32how does closing it lead to capital

23:35improvement savings?

23:37So, beyond addressing underutilization

23:40across the elementary schools,

23:42completing a new or fully renovated

23:44Flanders as a school would require major

23:46work at once and could cause debt

23:49services to exceed the town's 9.5 policy

23:52limit, 9.5% policy limit.

23:55If Flanders is used as a municipal

23:57building, capital improvements could be

23:59phased in over several years.

24:01And some of the work agency, work

24:03required for the school modernization

24:05may not be necessary because they would

24:08if they were going to be putting

24:10pieces in there, they could do it

24:11bit-by-bit for renovation versus if it

24:13were a school, you'd have to do it all

24:15at once.

24:16The town could also consolidate agencies

24:18now located in other buildings

24:20in the town, potentially taking those

24:21properties offline, potentially selling

24:23them, and avoiding future capital needs

24:26for those buildings. Any proceeds or

24:28savings would depend on future

24:30decisions, costs, and the property

24:32sales.

24:34Are class sizes in the district going to

24:36increase if Flanders closes?

24:40Class sizes are expected to remain

24:42within the Board of Education's

24:43guidelines as they are now.

24:45Flanders currently houses 15 sections

24:47across K through 5.

24:49The proposal would add six classrooms at

24:51Kelly and five at South End, relocating

24:54preschool classes to the new pre-K wing

24:56at Kelly.

24:58Uh we would also uh make five additional

25:00classrooms at uh

25:03uh that would make five additional

25:04classrooms available at Strong and two

25:06at Hatton for a total of seven.

25:08So, a total of 18 classrooms.

25:11Will taxes increase if the project is

25:14approved?

25:16Uh there will be no project-related, I

25:17mentioned earlier, tax increases in '27

25:19or '28 while the project remains in

25:22design and development phase. The first

25:24estimated tax increase would be in 2029.

25:30Is there enough capacity in the

25:32remaining schools to close one without

25:35the proposed additions to Kelly and

25:37South End?

25:39Well, that answer is not uh

25:41definite yet.

25:43The enrollment projections used peak

25:45enrollment assumptions. While current

25:48enrollment is

25:492,599

25:51students, 164 fewer than the projected

25:552,763.

25:58At 25 students per classroom, that

26:00difference is equivalent to at least six

26:03classrooms.

26:05In addition, 10 elementary classrooms

26:07were eliminated through last spring's

26:09budget, meaning there are theoretically

26:1110 open classrooms across the district

26:13without new construction.

26:16The actual ability to close a school

26:18would still depend on grade level

26:20distribution, school locations, program

26:22needs, attendance boundaries, and formal

26:25Board of Education action.

26:28Timeline and accountability. So, what is

26:31the expected timeline if voters approve

26:33the referendum?

26:35In 2027 through 2028, the project

26:38development and construction period,

26:39there would be no estimated

26:41referendum-related tax increases because

26:43the planning and development would be

26:45going into place at that point.

26:472029, estimated tax impact begins.

26:51The attendance zones expected to be

26:54finalized by fall of 2029. Attendance

26:57zones is the redistricting process.

26:59In the fall of 2030, anticipated opening

27:02of the new Kelly facility,

27:04the completion of South ends additional

27:06five classrooms,

27:08and Flanders would close no earlier than

27:10this point and consolidation would then

27:12be implemented.

27:14>> [clears throat]

27:15>> Two more.

27:16What facts are settled and which still

27:20remain

27:21uh as estimates or future decisions? So,

27:23there's there's a bunch of things,

27:24right? But settled by the ballot

27:26question, the maximum appropriation is

27:29is settled. That's a decision that the

27:31town council made when they drafted that

27:34uh referendum question. The amount and

27:37the borrowing authorization. The

27:38inclusion of a new Kelly, South end fill

27:40out, and the Flanders closure and reuse

27:43of the Flanders property as municipal

27:45and community purposes. That is what the

27:48referendum question is asking.

27:50Current estimates, the total project

27:52cost, state reimbursement, local share,

27:56tax impact, opening dates, capital needs

27:59under the status quo, and annual school

28:02operating savings. We know those

28:05estimates. The future decisions are

28:07final design and eligible costs,

28:11final attendance boundaries,

28:13the specific use of Flanders to be

28:15determined by the town council,

28:17renovations and operating costs for that

28:19reuse, and the resulting

28:21net taxpayer savings.

28:25So, last lastly, is the what information

28:27should be updated publicly as the

28:29project advances? We need to keep people

28:31informed on the final state

28:32reimbursement and cost

28:34uh eligible cost determinations as this

28:37thing goes forward.

28:39Updated total and local share estimates

28:41after design milestones and bidding is

28:44done.

28:45Changes to the borrowing schedule and

28:47taxpayer impact, that is a finance

28:49department issue for the town of

28:51Southington.

28:52Uh the public process and criteria for

28:54final attendance boundaries, how would

28:56we go about doing redistricting?

29:00Um the documented Flanders reuse plan,

29:04one-time capital costs, annual operating

29:07costs, and expected offsets or savings,

29:10that is a plan that the town council

29:12would be putting together and voting on.

29:15And a reconciliation of estimated gross

29:18school savings with municipal costs to

29:21show projected and net taxpayer savings.

29:26So that's a lot and I I apologize for

29:27talking for that long and thank you for

29:29picking up on on an error that I made in

29:32in reading my my own document here. The

29:35purpose of doing that is I you see a lot

29:38of facts being put out there, but not

29:40all of them are true.

29:41So by putting out some of this stuff, I

29:44I'm going to I'm going to publicize this

29:46just so people can see it and read it

29:47and and if there's questions cuz just

29:49hearing it is hard to

29:51to digest. I wanted to put the facts out

29:53there.

29:55People need to make an educated

29:56decision. You can't make an educated

29:58decision without the facts.

30:00The actual facts. So, thank you for

30:03giving me more than an allotted amount

30:05of time, but I thought that was a very

30:06important thing to do.

30:08>> Thank you.

30:08>> Thank you for doing that.

30:09>> Thank you.

30:10>> And Mr. Carson?

30:11>> Yeah, if

30:13just just a little bit of clarification.

30:16Um

30:18So the numbers the numbers I heard

30:21um

30:22as far as the the borrowing

30:24authorization, which is what the

30:26referendum is, correct? Um is just over

30:2986 million.

30:31Um

30:33reimbursement

30:35rate through the state

30:38um provided that

30:41um our early childhood

30:43um um reimbursement comes through.

30:47Um you quoted a figure of 33.9

30:51million as the local share.

30:54>> Yes.

30:54>> Right? And that's

30:56the maximum reimbursement rate

30:59through the state. And um [snorts]

31:01superintendent, correct me if I'm wrong.

31:05That maximum reimbursement rate, as we

31:08know it today, is 65%, correct?

31:12>> Yes.

31:12>> It's a combination of it's 50

31:14>> Right.

31:15>> plus 15.

31:16>> Correct.

31:17>> 65.

31:17>> Right. So,

31:18right. So, 65 total. So,

31:22unless [clears throat] my math is

31:24incorrect,

31:2765%

31:28of just over 86 million is 56 million.

31:37>> That the state pays.

31:39>> Yeah.

31:39>> Yeah.

31:40>> It would be

31:42>> That's what we would

31:43>> 56 million. So,

31:4656 million minus 86 million is 30

31:50million, not 34 million.

31:54>> So, there are some There are

31:56There are some ineligible costs when

31:58you're doing

31:58>> Okay.

31:59>> school construction projects. So, you

32:01don't Not every single part of the

32:03project is eligible for reimbursement.

32:06>> Okay. Perfect.

32:07>> and Mr. Chairman, that's why we hire

32:09these outside firms to come in and do

32:10this. This is their thing. They

32:12understand which parts are, which is why

32:13we quote the numbers.

32:15We would not want to quote a lower

32:17number, right? And say it's it's it's 30

32:19when it's actually higher than that,

32:21because that would be wrong.

32:22>> Right. I just I just don't want people

32:24at home

32:25>> Okay. Yeah. Well, that's a good point.

32:27That's a very good point.

32:28>> doing the math and being like, where is

32:29that $4 million going? Or

32:32are we not getting it? Et cetera, et

32:34cetera. So,

32:35>> Thank you.

32:36>> Yeah. Thanks.

32:36>> good point.

32:37>> Yep.

32:38>> Mr. Chair.

32:38>> Mr. Wright.

32:39>> Um thank you very much for that very

32:41concise um

32:43articulation of the facts. We really

32:45appreciate that.

32:48A question or maybe just for uh us to

32:51speak about a little bit. So,

32:54if we don't if the referendum doesn't

32:56pass, and I see that number out there

32:59that's 110 million to let's say to fix

33:03everything.

33:06What does that actually really look like

33:09because if in essence

33:12we we wouldn't have the money to fix

33:15everything, so to speak.

33:17>> Well, I think so

33:20and out on the website there's the the

33:22the documents that these people did the

33:242025 the the facilities assessment for

33:26those three schools, and it shows you

33:27the capital assessments, the capital

33:29needs. The problem is is that we may not

33:31have the money, but we'd have to find

33:32the money. We'd have to tax We'd have to

33:33get that money from the community.

33:35And that's a that's a that's an

33:36interesting point because if And again,

33:38this is this is this is factual. This is

33:41not pro

33:43con anything, but we would have a 100

33:45and

33:4610 I'm picking that cuz it's kind of in

33:48the middle million dollars that we'd

33:49have to find. And that would come from I

33:52mean, it's not like a company where if

33:54in my company if we needed 110 million,

33:55we go out there and sell more. Right?

33:57Here we would have to get that from the

33:59community, and that's a a tax issue.

34:01>> And so, in reality

34:04we wouldn't get that. And we would be

34:05left with

34:07Derenovsky still with issues,

34:11Kelly still with issues,

34:13and Flanders still with issues just just

34:15based on the capital expenditures that

34:18are are needed that we wouldn't be able

34:20to re- resolve.

34:22>> Well, the problem is in in some of these

34:23cases if these are

34:25catastrophic capital failures

34:27we have to. Like if we don't have a

34:29boiler to to put heat in our schools

34:32If

34:32>> our electrical system fails, we can't

34:35not do that. So, we would have to find a

34:37way to get that money. And there's

34:39there's there's there's really one way a

34:41municipality to get that is to is to get

34:44>> There there there could be an instance

34:46could be an instance where

34:49if the referendum doesn't pass

34:52this could effectuate an increase

34:55greater than

34:56what the referendum is asking for.

34:59>> Correct.

35:00Correct.

35:00>> Thank you.

35:03>> Anybody else?

35:06Good?

35:07>> I'm good.

35:07>> Thank you.

35:07>> Good. Okay. All right. Um

35:12Communications from the administration.

35:15>> Thank you, Mr. Chair. Uh a few

35:17announcements this evening. Last

35:18Thursday, I had an an opportunity to go

35:21to up to the Connecticut Science Center

35:24and the governor's uh

35:26Blue Ribbon Commission on Connecticut

35:28Career Way Pathway Connecticut Career

35:31Pathways um brought in a very dynamic

35:34speaker. Um

35:35what they're doing right now is they're

35:37trying to connect college and career and

35:39get kids workforce ready based on

35:40occupations that we know in Connecticut

35:42will be extreme shortage areas in the

35:44next several years. Um some already are.

35:47And so, a lot of the the presentation

35:50wasn't only geared to educators. Um

35:52although there were educators in the

35:53room, there was higher ed in the room as

35:55well in terms of college and what kids

35:57are leaving with in terms of in the

35:58return on investment. There were a lot

36:00of trades uh associations that were

36:03there. The Department of Labor was

36:04there. And it was kind of a uh

36:06a wake-up call, if you will, about, you

36:08know, what the current state of things

36:09versus where we need to start shifting

36:11to. In many ways, we've started to

36:13develop our pathways, but they're not

36:15necessarily as articulated as a formal

36:17pathway process that leads to um

36:20institutional

36:21credentials or industry credentials.

36:24Couple stats that he shared that I just

36:25took that I figure I would share

36:27tonight. Um

36:29around the smart machine age, right? AI.

36:31Gen Z unemployment rate is 8.3% right

36:35now. It's double the national average.

36:38Only 30% of 2025's college graduates

36:42have landed a full-time employment.

36:45Among HR respondents concerned about

36:47AI's impact on early career positions,

36:5076 76% believe it will significantly

36:54reduce hiring.

36:5768% of Gen Z says AI has made the job

37:00search more competitive.

37:03He talked about ghost jobs.

37:05There are companies that are using bots

37:07and posting jobs that don't actually

37:09exist, but it gives the appearance that

37:11their company is highly competitive if

37:13they're always looking for more people.

37:14>> Mhm.

37:15>> [clears throat]

37:15>> Um

37:1740% of employees are aiming to reduce

37:19their staff by 40%.

37:22Around 60%, possibly up to 80% of jobs

37:26are expected to be automated or

37:27significantly transformed by AI by 2050.

37:33Oxford predicts that 20 million

37:34manufacturing jobs will be lost by 2030.

37:39According to the World Economic Forum,

37:4175% of companies globally are predict

37:43are projected to adopt AI usage by 2027.

37:49That's I mean that's right there.

37:51From Georgetown University Center for

37:52Education Workforce,

37:54it's an estimate of 1/3 of the nation's

37:56top performing high school students,

37:58students that score over 1,000 on the

37:59SAT, do not obtain a college degree.

38:03And yet nearly all of them attempt

38:05college.

38:07The future of skills, up to 40% of core

38:10job skills are expected to change and

38:1250% of employees will need to learn new

38:15skills.

38:17375 million workers globally might have

38:20to change occupations in the next decade

38:22to meet companies' needs.

38:2466% of workers in Australia, UK, and US

38:28said L&D opportunities make or break

38:31their decision to take a job or stay at

38:33a company.

38:38The Gallup education survey, only 34% of

38:41students believe they will will graduate

38:43with the skills and knowledge to be

38:45successful in the job market workplace.

38:49Only 50% believe their major will lead

38:51to a good job.

38:54So,

38:55eye-opening in terms of what do we do?

38:56The The The central message is what are

38:59we doing to give our kids a competitive

39:01advantage?

39:02Um in ways that they're going to be able

39:05to pivot and be flexible because the

39:08world will be changing as fast as their

39:09occupations are. And so, it was It was a

39:13an eye-opener on college right now, and

39:14I've been saying this forever. Um you

39:17know, return on investment with the cost

39:19of higher education and the amount of

39:22kids that are getting full-time

39:23employment, you can see where that's

39:24becoming a real uh friction point for

39:27for kids right now.

39:28And so, that's an area that they're

39:31looking at very closely. But, at the end

39:32of this commission, I'm I'll be

39:33following them closely. I'm not a member

39:35of this commission. I just happened to

39:36be invited because I'm a part of a

39:37different career pathways community of

39:39practice, so we were invited to go up

39:41and listen. Very dynamic speaker, his

39:43name is Mark Perna. Uh he he wrote a

39:46book called Asking Why.

39:48Um I was able to get a copy of the book.

39:50Haven't read it. Started to read it yet,

39:51but um really just uh writes He's

39:54written

39:56literally thousands of articles for

39:57Forbes magazine and has is, you know,

40:00many shows, public TV appearances,

40:01things like that. He's He's one of the

40:03few people that that is at the

40:05intersection of economics and and

40:06education. Usually, it's one or the

40:08other, and I think that's where That was

40:11a unique um presentation.

40:13So, I will keep following that and keep

40:15you updated. Also, uh

40:17just happy but randomly I was invited to

40:20serve the State Department of Education

40:21reached out and asked if I would serve

40:23for an engagement focus group for the

40:25Connecticut Seal for Civics Education.

40:27[clears throat]

40:28So, we have the Seal of Biliteracy and a

40:29couple years ago they also endorsed that

40:32kids can get a seal for civics

40:33education. And it's if you're taking

40:35certain civics course or in a certain

40:36civics grade and then you do the civic

40:38engagement work associated with the

40:40class. As you know, we have our CIA

40:42class at the high school which is

40:43already longer than the half your state

40:45requirement. We require a year. And the

40:47students are always engaging in their

40:50citizenship in action projects. I know

40:52every year when they're doing them cuz I

40:53start to get letters about various

40:55things. Um

40:57and so I'll keep you

40:59up to date on that but I'm excited to to

41:00learn more about that work. Um also

41:03following very closely as we head into

41:05the education set session, the

41:06Governor's Blue Ribbon Commission on

41:08Education Funding and Accountability. Um

41:11we've all had this conversation now for

41:13several years that the state needs to

41:15contribute more than they currently do.

41:18Um something something as simple as the

41:19base aid formula uh that they use to

41:22calculate the per pupil expenditures

41:25that are coming to towns hasn't changed

41:27in over a decade and yet we know costs

41:28haven't stayed the same in a decade. And

41:30so I've always said that they right now

41:32the burden continually gets passed on to

41:34the local taxpayer because the state

41:36isn't funding its share. It's not It's

41:39not um It's not keeping up with the rate

41:41of inflation and the cost of of of doing

41:44education. So right now they have four

41:46focus groups. They have an education

41:47cost share focus group which is our

41:49largest grant. Um Are the components of

41:52the formula working as we intend to

41:54direct resources to the communities who

41:55need it most? I would argue that's

41:58debatable.

41:59Um

42:01Some wealthy communities get very little

42:03ECS and some not so wealthy communities

42:05get a lot of ECS and then there are many

42:07in between.

42:09Um Is the total set of education revenue

42:11and formulas directing resources to the

42:13communities who need it most and I would

42:15say absolutely not. The formula they use

42:17if you have students if you have a high

42:19multilingual population high free

42:21reduced lunch population high special

42:23needs population

42:24there should be weight associated to in

42:26the formula to those students to carry

42:28more funding with it. There's a special

42:30education working group

42:32through what approach and mechanism

42:33should the state fund special special

42:35education right now we know excess cost

42:38isn't the answer they've were

42:39underfunded consistently regardless of

42:42the legislation we're supposed to be

42:44getting 88%

42:46we've never got more than 74%

42:49and and even there it's based on four

42:52and a half times the per pupil

42:53expenditure so you think if you think

42:54about it like just how broken of a

42:56structural system it is if our

42:59per pupil expenditure goes up every year

43:01then the cost that it

43:03to get to reach that threshold of four

43:05and a half times per pupil expenditure

43:07goes up that much higher

43:09you get that much less reimbursement.

43:11So it's just just doesn't makes any

43:13sense. Can how can the state support

43:15districts in creative creating effective

43:17and efficient service delivery models

43:19and I think you know that high quality

43:20special ed grant that is one of the

43:22steps that they're doing trying to see

43:23what districts can stand up

43:26for special services and can see where

43:28it can be duplicated if it's effective.

43:31Choice who should bear the different

43:33costs and responsibilities of the choice

43:35system

43:36across sending school systems receiving

43:38school systems and the state. So things

43:41like magnet schools you know right now

43:42they're capped at 58%

43:45and then the towns get built 42% and

43:48there's no increase allowed by statute

43:50so since 20 for 24 they've not been able

43:52to raise their tuition even though

43:54they're not public schools as magnet

43:55schools

43:56they still have increased cost year over

43:57year too and so they're struggling and

44:00yet they can't increase the tuition

44:02to the local as

44:04you know or

44:05they don't get more than the 58% doesn't

44:07go up either. Lastly, the

44:09accountability. How can the state

44:11support districts to create operational

44:12efficiencies that free up resources?

44:15Stop passing mandates. Maybe just an

44:17idea.

44:18How can the state support and hold

44:20districts accountable for using

44:22resources in highest impact ways? And I

44:24think that's a very fair question and I

44:26feel like for example, they have the

44:27next generation accountability index

44:30where states are you know you are

44:32formulas that are associated to student

44:34performance, chronic absenteeism, access

44:36to arts courses,

44:38dual enrollment, ECE, AP credits, things

44:41like that. I think that's an area that

44:43they can put together something that's

44:44comprehensive that districts can you

44:46know, respond to. To show where the

44:48funds are going

44:49and how they're working. So, definitely

44:52going to keep following that. They have

44:53several more meetings over the next

44:54couple months. The goal is to have it

44:55wrapped up by January 17th. I'm sure

44:58it's to bring a set of recommendations

45:00to the governor's budget team so that he

45:02can consider what that may cost in the

45:04development and roll out of his budget

45:06in February.

45:08Next Saturday, we have music of the

45:10night. It's always a great time. I'm

45:12excited to see if it flows a little more

45:14smoothly with the additional parking

45:15now. And

45:17you know, I will be giving awards there

45:19at 4:45 and I know several of you signed

45:21up for the late evening awards around

45:228:30 I believe. So, thank you for that.

45:25And then lastly, the tennis court

45:26update. We're getting very close. The

45:28light poles are in. They Now we have to

45:30connect to the electrical system if you

45:32will to get that all activated. The top

45:34coat has been poured, the new fencing is

45:36down. A lot is fully finished. Just some

45:39cleanup areas around the drainage

45:41ravines and whatnot and then we should

45:42be just about complete. So, I would say

45:44we're probably about 95% there, but very

45:47excited about that project. It's really

45:48helped as you can you can tell the lot's

45:51already half full.

45:53>> [clears throat]

45:53>> And it only will fill up more as the

45:54juniors get their licenses throughout

45:56the course of the year. In fact,

45:57somebody got a license today I believe.

46:01>> [laughter]

46:02>> So, there may be another car coming to

46:04the high school.

46:05And she has a spot.

46:07>> [laughter]

46:07>> That concludes my report for this

46:09evening. Thank you.

46:09>> Any questions for the administration,

46:10Mr. Brown?

46:11>> Yeah, um I think one of our jobs is to

46:13be forward-thinking.

46:15And and this numbers you gave us about

46:18jobs in the future are frightening.

46:21Is

46:22have you had discussions about what we

46:24can do about that?

46:26>> So, that community of prac uh practice

46:28that I'm a

46:29uh part of with CAPS, that's the group

46:31we're working with right now. Um that's

46:33why I was able to get invited to this uh

46:35forum. And so, it is very much about

46:37that. One of the words right now, like

46:39the it's a buzzword, but it's an actual

46:40thing in industry-recognized

46:42credentials. So, what can kids come get

46:44out with that make them employable right

46:46away? The EMT course that we're offering

46:48at the high school right now, kids

46:49graduate and can be an EMT. You know,

46:52employable right out of school.

46:53>> Right.

46:53>> Uh that's an in-demand position. So,

46:55that's kind of what we've been trying to

46:57do is tee up certain avenues for kids.

47:00Um in the tech advisory group, they've

47:02talked about certain levels of OSHA

47:03certifications that the kids can earn

47:05and and uh test for so that when they're

47:07able to go right out onto job sites,

47:08they have some of that already in place.

47:11That makes them, you know, more

47:12appealing as well to uh to to employers

47:15and versus somebody just, you know, that

47:16they got to bring on board and

47:17apprentice for. Um obviously, there is

47:19college route and there there can be

47:21productive avenues for college. It's

47:23just I think it's a caution to not just

47:25enter be to enter, um

47:27given what we're starting to learn about

47:28the job force, the cost, the

47:29>> student debt associated with it and all

47:31that.

47:33>> Can I just follow up? I, you know, as

47:35the curriculum chair,

47:36um

47:37I think our teachers do a terrific job

47:39of being forward-looking in the

47:41curriculum. However,

47:43I think we need to do more of that. Take

47:45a look at overall to curriculum. Are

47:46there things that are not useful anymore

47:49and are there things we don't offer?

47:51And that's a huge thing to do, but

47:54the world's changing rapidly,

47:55>> Yeah.

47:56>> Yep.

47:56>> and our job is to get them ready for

47:58that world, so.

47:59>> I agree.

47:59>> Yeah.

48:00>> Mr. Bashewski.

48:01>> Um so,

48:02two points I want to make. Um

48:04it looks great. The tennis courts and

48:06everything else, like it's

48:08I'm I'm

48:10I wish it had been finished sooner, but

48:12it's I was driving by the other day,

48:14like it it looks awesome.

48:16Um

48:17my other comment that I wanted to say,

48:20and I I literally just had this

48:21conversation with my son, and

48:24I I don't think this is scary.

48:27You know, it's it's staggering

48:29as far as hiring and and what's coming,

48:32but um one of the things that I was

48:34talking about with my son, again,

48:36loving to look at history. So, the labor

48:39force in the United States was 52%

48:42agriculture in 1870,

48:4540% in 1900, 21% in 1930.

48:50Today in the 2000s, it's less than 2%.

48:53Now,

48:54that look at where

48:57we were,

48:58look at where we've come. Look at the

49:01what a car looks like from 1906 to 2026.

49:06Look at the fact that we can call people

49:09and immediately connect with them.

49:12>> [clears throat]

49:13>> This is going to be such a huge

49:14opportunity for our students, especially

49:17you know, from the DECA perspective,

49:19FBLA.

49:21>> All that.

49:21>> You're you're getting away from it

49:26All right, this is sort of a weird

49:28likeness, but um again, 30 years ago it

49:31was

49:32Anheuser-Busch, Budweiser, you know,

49:35like all these big

49:37beer brands. And then all of a sudden,

49:38now it turned into these like smaller

49:41smaller companies, right?

49:44That's what's going to happen to the

49:45corporate landscape pretty soon. And and

49:48I I really do believe that, because now

49:51one person, a kid could a business and

49:54now they have six employees and their

49:57little AI module that is doing the work

50:00of those six employees and now they're

50:02they're running a business. They're able

50:04to sell something. They're able to

50:05potentially then start manufacturing

50:07something by using CNC and programming

50:11things into

50:12how to build something out. So,

50:14>> One of the stats he gave was 84% of Gen

50:16Z students plan to own their own

50:18business.

50:19>> Yeah.

50:19>> Wow.

50:19>> Wow.

50:20>> And

50:21And And this is where, you know, again,

50:22like

50:23we have to change, guys. Like, the

50:26setting up a bunch of

50:28And again, I I relish in the amazing

50:31work that our teachers do, but again,

50:34like, we're going to be moving away

50:36from,

50:37you know, just desks in front of a

50:38classroom. Like, there's

50:42We have to get the kids out there. We

50:43have to get these experiences. You know,

50:45again, like, this is where I

50:47I am really excited

50:50>> Mhm.

50:50>> over the next decade. Like,

50:52these kids are going to have

50:53opportunities that

50:56I I I got my I'm excited for you guys.

50:59Just stay positive. You're going to get

51:01through it. There's a lot of people to

51:04to be able to help you along the way.

51:06So, this is

51:07>> for us is how do we help the students?

51:10>> And that's where we need the feedback.

51:11>> Yeah.

51:12>> You know, what are you guys seeing out

51:13in the real world? What are you guys

51:15starting to see in the high school

51:16setting? You know, what could be useful

51:18for curriculum?

51:20So, not to go off on a tangent, but, you

51:23know, this is

51:24>> Exciting time.

51:25>> It's a lot.

51:26>> Mr. Anastasia?

51:27>> I too had a question about the tennis

51:28courts. Are we on budget

51:30for the tennis courts?

51:32>> I believe so.

51:32>> You do?

51:33Is there a way

51:34>> I'd have to follow up to make sure.

51:36>> following up? Yeah, I'm just curious cuz

51:37we're How much we were supposed to be

51:38done how long ago?

51:40>> [clears throat]

51:40>> Uh it was we we would thought it would

51:42be mid to late September.

51:44>> Mid to late. And we're at almost mid

51:46October. So, could you get back to the

51:48board and find out for me there? Thank

51:49you.

51:50>> Can I just I just want to pick up on

51:52what what Joe said? I So, I'm one of

51:54those HR guys, right? I've been doing HR

51:56for a really, really long time.

51:59And watching, it seems like every few

52:01years the jobs that

52:03people are moving into didn't exist a

52:05few years before that. And I think it is

52:07an exciting time. It's So, don't get

52:09nervous, but be prepared. Think about

52:12what it is you want to do

52:13and long-term. One of the advantages of

52:15AI, and it is it it does take away you

52:18know there's there's risks of taking

52:19away some of the jobs, but it also does

52:21it takes away some of the stuff that

52:23takes a lot of time to get done and is

52:25not all that value-added, which gives

52:27people more time to do more creative,

52:29more exciting

52:31things. So, it is a little scary, um but

52:35but I also think it's not much different

52:37than every generation where every few

52:39years the jobs that are out there didn't

52:40exist

52:41just a few years before that. And and

52:44you talked about manufacturing.

52:46Manufacturing is not what manufacturing

52:47was. I I work for a company that has a

52:50ton of manufacturing sites, which is why

52:52I travel all the time. We have a lot of

52:53manufacturing sites around the US,

52:55Canada, Mexico, and will be around the

52:57world. And manufacturing is exciting,

53:00it's technological, it's high-tech. Uh

53:04people visualize manufacturing

53:05facilities as dark and dirty and oily

53:07and greasy. And there's still some of

53:08that, which is actually fun cuz that's

53:10where I started cuz it's kind of neat to

53:11actually walk in there and see that. But

53:13you're also now seeing guys that are

53:14running the machines and women that are

53:16running the machines, they're running

53:17programs. They're programming and

53:18they're putting out some really exciting

53:20technology in manufacturing, advanced

53:22manufacturing. So, exciting times,

53:25really exciting times. Take advantage of

53:27it, stay on top of it, and I think

53:28you'll go far.

53:30>> Yeah.

53:30>> Mrs. Carmody?

53:31>> Yes. Joe, I just would like to mention

53:34um

53:36being on curriculum for 100 years, okay?

53:39Uh

53:40And Bob can tell you and Don and Colleen

53:42[clears throat]

53:43>> Yeah. what they do at the high school.

53:45What they are offering

53:47>> I know you're not criticizing that. I

53:48know you weren't. I cuz I understand

53:50that. But the courses that they are

53:53offering these kids are

53:55as you know, unbelievable. Trying to

53:57meet the needs of society like the

54:00medical field.

54:02And I mean, cuz think of all the courses

54:04that they've come since we've been

54:05there.

54:06Unbelievable. So, they are really

54:09I think they are attuned to what the

54:11needs of the kids are.

54:12They're doing a great job at the high

54:14school. Trust me. They really are.

54:16>> All right.

54:17All right. We'll move on now to

54:19communications from the public on items

54:21that are agenda related. Is there

54:23anybody who'd like to speak on an agenda

54:24item this evening?

54:28Okay, seeing none, we will move on to

54:31committee reports. Mrs. Anastasia, you

54:32have the policy and personnel committee

54:34meeting.

54:34>> I think I'm the filling. Yeah, okay. Um

54:36revisions policy 3542.1,

54:40purposes and facilities food service

54:42were reviewed. Language was added to

54:44allow the board the right to send

54:45parental information information of any

54:48bad debt to a debt collection agency

54:49after June 30th

54:51of the current school year to collect

54:52any unpaid meal changes charges.

54:55In addition,

54:56all this language is in response to as

54:58of July 1st of this year 2026, the food

55:00service department can no longer cover

55:02bad debt and instead any negative

55:04balance must be paid by the Board of

55:06Education.

55:08Policy 4215, emergency action plan for

55:10athletic events was presented as a new

55:12policy. This plan delineates roles and

55:14responsibilities if a student sustains a

55:16serious injury or illness while

55:18participating in an interscholastic or

55:20intramural athletic event.

55:22Revisions to policy 5114,

55:26student discipline was reviewed.

55:28Two changes were

55:31uh additions of language. The first was

55:33found on page four and the word serious

55:35is in reference to physical harm. The

55:37second is found on page 18

55:39and is the addition of the words or

55:41second. This qualifier prompts the board

55:43to provide tutoring for a student

55:45expelled twice. This is historically

55:47consistent with Board of Ed practice.

55:51Revisions to policy 5123 and R 5123

55:54promotion and retention were reviewed.

55:56Adjustments to the policy [snorts]

55:58sustained collaboration with parents

56:00regarding placement or retention of a

56:01student. Um the final decision of a

56:03teacher grade and/or team lies with the

56:05principal. Associated regulations were

56:07updated to reflect the 25 credit

56:09requirement for graduation.

56:11Policy 5132 dress and grooming was

56:13reviewed with no changes noted. However,

56:15the regulations were updated based on

56:17work conducted by the high school

56:19administration

56:20and established constituent groups which

56:22began last year. New regulations clearly

56:24define acceptable attire for students.

56:28Policy 5141.8

56:30students with special health care needs

56:32was presented as a new policy.

56:35Although practices captured within are

56:36not new.

56:38This evidenced um was reviewed with

56:40regulation which is current working form

56:42used by nurses across the district at

56:44each level. No changes were made.

56:47Policy 5144.1

56:50physical restraint and seclusion of

56:51students and use of exclusionary timeout

56:54was reviewed and no changes were

56:55offered.

56:56The associated regulations were updated

56:58with slight language modification

57:00because of current legislation. The

57:02change shifts the attempt to contact a

57:04parent because of student restraint or

57:06seclusion from within 24 hours to an

57:08attempt immediately on the same day.

57:12Policy 6163 instructional resources for

57:14teachers live animals in classrooms was

57:17reviewed with no suggested changes.

57:19However, associated regulations are all

57:21new and define the role of service

57:23animals and service animal handlers

57:25within the school setting.

57:27An updated job description for high

57:29school department facilitator was

57:31reviewed. This role already exists in

57:33the teacher contract and is restricted

57:34to three departments, special education,

57:36math, and English. The descriptions

57:38offered accurately capture the current

57:40roles and responsibilities.

57:42Supervisor of deaf and education and

57:45audiology services were presented as a

57:47new job description. This is a role of a

57:50shift to contracted services, which

57:51created a gap in calibrating equipment,

57:53and it is more cost-effective to perform

57:56with related tasks in-house. The new job

57:58description captures the role and

58:00responsibilities which have evolved.

58:03The new job description for ag

58:05agriculture facilities assistant was

58:06presented. This additional position is

58:09directly linked to the new barn on

58:10Pleasant Street. The associated costs

58:12for the position were funded directly

58:14through the ag science grant. The

58:16committee also introduced to shipments

58:17policy model the use of private

58:19technology devices by student cab's

58:22model policy 5131.81

58:25personal technology use in schools.

58:27Joshua public school sample policy and

58:30Wallingford public school policy use the

58:32same 5131.81

58:34cellular phones electronic communication

58:36devices.

58:37The common thread for all these policies

58:39is to aim to mitigate the negative

58:40impact of unrestricted access to

58:42personal technology in school. The

58:45current practice including expectations

58:46process and associated discipline for

58:48each level in Southington was presented

58:50and discussed. The middle level practice

58:52has been in place for the last 3 years

58:54and the high school began a pilot

58:56program last year with full

58:58implementation this year.

59:00Essentially students cell phones pre-K

59:01through 8 are powered down during the

59:04entire school day including lunch and

59:05are out of sight. The high school allows

59:08cell phone usage during passing time,

59:10the second half of an 88-minute study

59:12hall block, and during lunch. Otherwise,

59:14cell phones are completely restricted.

59:16And the committee agreed to forward all

59:18of the agenda items to the full BOA for

59:20review.

59:21>> Okay. Thank you. Is there any Mrs.

59:24Clark?

59:24>> Yeah, I I just have a a question. I have

59:27a comment and a question.

59:29Um and

59:31thank you for the report.

59:32>> You're welcome.

59:32>> Um as Mrs. Carmody indicated earlier,

59:35she and I have been on the board you

59:36said 100 years?

59:38>> 100 about.

59:38>> Okay.

59:39>> Give or take.

59:40>> 80 years, but that's besides the point.

59:43Um

59:44and

59:45all the time that I have been on the

59:46board, there have been committees that

59:50people have been assigned to

59:52and we all have jobs or some of us work

59:55full-time, some of us own businesses and

59:57whatnot.

59:58And sometimes we can't get to meetings

1:00:02at a particular time. So, we show up.

1:00:04When we have a regular board meeting, it

1:00:06shows when we've arrived. So, or if we

1:00:10left early, it's noted in the minutes.

1:00:12So, I was just a little surprised when I

1:00:16saw these minutes and we have a new

1:00:19practice that I was unaware of. And it

1:00:22says members tardy.

1:00:24So, what got me thinking? Are we going

1:00:27to get

1:00:29a tardy notice? Are we going to get sent

1:00:32to the superintendent's office?

1:00:35I to me it sound a little uh I don't

1:00:38know, pejorative and I was just curious.

1:00:40Are we changing our practice? Are we

1:00:42showing tardies now? Is this what we're

1:00:44doing? Cuz I've never seen this on any

1:00:47in the 100 years I've been on the well,

1:00:4920 years. Yeah, that I've been on the

1:00:51board 100 years. I've never seen member

1:00:54tardy. And it just brought me back to

1:00:56high school and when I saw my children's

1:00:58report cards and there was, you know, if

1:01:00you get x amount of tardies, you get

1:01:02something. So, I'm just asking, is this

1:01:04a new practice that we have?

1:01:06>> Let me take a look at this, all right?

1:01:07And I'll get back to you on that.

1:01:08>> it just sounded a little bit, you know,

1:01:10we're all adults. We're all trying to do

1:01:12the best we can and it just it struck me

1:01:14as odd. So,

1:01:15>> Yeah.

1:01:15>> I just thought I'd bring it to your

1:01:16attention.

1:01:16>> look at that.

1:01:17>> Thank you. Appreciate that.

1:01:19>> Anybody else have any questions?

1:01:21Oh, Mr. Carson.

1:01:24>> I just have a question about the new

1:01:27agricultural facilities assistant. Um,

1:01:31obviously that's a brand new job

1:01:33description based on the barn.

1:01:36Um, the building of the barn over at

1:01:39DePalo.

1:01:40Um, on the agenda reporting form, um,

1:01:45the funding source

1:01:47is blank.

1:01:49And you indicated that it's part of

1:01:53that's being funded by the grant.

1:01:56>> Perkins is yes. Perkins.

1:01:58>> Okay. Okay. And then the second part of

1:02:00that question would be it's a non-union

1:02:03position. So do we have an assigned pay

1:02:07rate as part of that job description?

1:02:12>> Mr. Madancy, do you

1:02:14>> Grant source?

1:02:17>> The grant source, I believe maybe you

1:02:19said Perkins grant, but it's actually

1:02:21the agriculture science grant.

1:02:22>> AST, yeah.

1:02:23>> Science and technology grant, the AST

1:02:24grant.

1:02:25>> Okay. Okay. And

1:02:27And so do we know, um, a

1:02:31an FTE or a pay rate for

1:02:35that new role?

1:02:39>> It's not here.

1:02:40>> And for the job description that's going

1:02:42to be

1:02:42>> Oh, okay. Job description. Hang on. Let

1:02:44me get that.

1:02:45>> Because I don't see it as part of the

1:02:48reporting form. That's why I'm asking.

1:02:52>> No.

1:02:52>> Yeah.

1:02:52>> It is actually not. Approval of job

1:02:54description agriculture facility

1:02:55assistant.

1:02:56>> Yeah.

1:02:57>> on. Maybe it's on the second page.

1:02:59Whoops.

1:03:04It is a new position. It's a non-union

1:03:07>> Right.

1:03:08>> most likely hourly position. I It's

1:03:11mainly to work on the weekends and,

1:03:14um, after hours when the, um, teachers

1:03:18are not around and it would be targeting

1:03:21somebody who is interested in getting

1:03:23into that type of employment and like a

1:03:27stepping

1:03:28stepping stone.

1:03:29>> Yeah, I'm

1:03:30>> I can talk to Mr. McLaughlin to get that

1:03:31for you.

1:03:32>> Okay. Yeah, my concern is just kind of

1:03:34especially you know, one to to make sure

1:03:38that it's secured by grant funding and

1:03:41then obviously if we don't know the

1:03:45amount of hours or the hourly pay rate,

1:03:47how do we know that we have that funding

1:03:50secured by the grant?

1:03:53Thank you.

1:03:56>> All right, we'll get you that

1:03:57information.

1:04:00Anything else?

1:04:01>> Mr. Pischelsky?

1:04:02>> I just had a quick comment about the um

1:04:05the cell phone use and everything else.

1:04:06It was great to hear from the

1:04:08administration. Um as far as what

1:04:11they've been sort of in the lab testing

1:04:13out. Um

1:04:14and it's also been interesting to hear

1:04:17at this point the kids that have been uh

1:04:22having some level of uh I guess

1:04:24controlled use if you will um at the

1:04:27middle school levels and now that

1:04:28they're getting to high school um

1:04:30it was kind of neat to hear

1:04:33uh Mr. Arroyo and sort of weigh in on

1:04:35how that is. Well, you were at the

1:04:36meeting of course.

1:04:37Um but it was

1:04:39it was kind of nice. You know,

1:04:41even though

1:04:43it's

1:04:44there's a sort of like this demand for

1:04:46like well, you have to have like

1:04:47something in place just like anything

1:04:49else. It's changing, right? So, it's um

1:04:52I'm very pleased with the reports from

1:04:54them what we're currently doing.

1:04:57Interested to see how it continues to

1:04:59evolve.

1:04:59>> Yeah, I I thought it was a really good

1:05:00thing. The reason I wanted it on the

1:05:02agenda was so that the committee could

1:05:03talk. It's a it's a it's a big deal.

1:05:05>> Mhm.

1:05:05>> Right now, cell phones, technology, it's

1:05:07a big deal. Um but our district has been

1:05:10dealing with the big deal and I think

1:05:12it's really exciting that in elementary,

1:05:13they're gone.

1:05:14>> Mhm. In middle school, they're gone. But

1:05:16as you're getting into high school,

1:05:17you're now

1:05:19young adults. You're getting into that

1:05:20and it's that learning the progressive

1:05:22learning, as you said. Right? So, I know

1:05:24that in middle school I can't have it,

1:05:25but in high school, I have to learn how

1:05:27to use it. I I

1:05:28We're teaching

1:05:29>> responsibly.

1:05:30>> young adults to become responsible

1:05:32adults. So, I think that the way that

1:05:34Sue McCavage and then into Richard

1:05:35Royan, it they feed each other and it

1:05:37was it was a I thought it was a very

1:05:39good meeting and we agreed we were going

1:05:40to look at it, let it reevaluate it 6

1:05:43months, 8 months, see how it works. But

1:05:45so far, knock on wood, it's been working

1:05:47really well.

1:05:47>> Yeah, it has been working well, right?

1:05:50>> Yeah.

1:05:50>> And I'd like to thank Mr. O'Shaughnessy,

1:05:52who I invited to attend the meeting cuz,

1:05:53you know, it was a little bit of a

1:05:54controversial topic and I wanted to make

1:05:56sure we were all

1:05:57comfortable with it. And it went very

1:05:59nice. I think, you know, we all had very

1:06:00open and honest

1:06:01>> of great discussion.

1:06:02>> And it was a lot of great discussion.

1:06:03And it was it was nice hearing from Mr.

1:06:04Royan that it's not an issue and you

1:06:06guys can speak to it. It's not an issue

1:06:07at the high school.

1:06:08And everyone you know, pays attention to

1:06:10teachers, they listen to what they're

1:06:12being told. It's not an issue. And he

1:06:14said even at lunchtime, when you can

1:06:15have it, a lot of kids are intermingling

1:06:17with each other and you're not even on

1:06:19your cell phones, he was saying,

1:06:20correct? You guys are all catching up

1:06:22with the day and not on your phones. Is

1:06:24that that's the that's correct?

1:06:26>> And it's like nice that it's not bell to

1:06:28bell because then kids aren't tempted to

1:06:30think about it all class. So, even if

1:06:33like some kids aren't turning in,

1:06:34there's no there hasn't been any issues

1:06:36with kids going on their phone. So, it's

1:06:38virtually like good so far. Like what

1:06:40Mr. Royan was saying, there were no

1:06:41issues, so yeah.

1:06:43Good.

1:06:43>> Excellent. All right.

1:06:45>> Just one follow-up. We do have some

1:06:47numbers. It It is an hourly job, 15 to

1:06:4920 hours and the pay range is 20 to 25

1:06:52dollars per hour.

1:06:53>> Thank you, Mr. O'Shaughnessy.

1:06:54>> Thank you. That's what we have right

1:06:56now, even though it's not there. So, if

1:06:57for some reason it's different than what

1:06:59we have, then I'll follow up with you

1:07:00and let you know. But if not, then

1:07:01that's what it is.

1:07:03>> Thank you.

1:07:04>> All All Uh next we move on to the

1:07:06superintendent's report, the personnel

1:07:07report.

1:07:08>> Move to recommend the Board of Education

1:07:11approve the personnel report as uh

1:07:14submitted by the Human Resources

1:07:16Department.

1:07:16>> Second.

1:07:17>> Motion Mrs. Carmody, second by Mr.

1:07:19Rzepczynski. Any discussion?

1:07:21All in favor?

1:07:22>> Aye.

1:07:22>> Opposed? The motion passes unanimously.

1:07:25Old business, town government

1:07:26communications.

1:07:27>> I've none.

1:07:28>> Okay, neither do I. So, we will move on

1:07:29to new business. So, we have a couple of

1:07:32first reads.

1:07:33>> Mhm.

1:07:33>> Uh review of policy 35 42.1, purpose and

1:07:36facilities, uh food services. It's a

1:07:39revised first read. Review policy 4215,

1:07:43emergency action plan for athletic

1:07:44events. This is a new first read.

1:07:47Um review of policy 5114, student

1:07:50discipline, revised first read.

1:07:53Policy 5123, promotion and retention,

1:07:55revised first read.

1:07:57Revise uh review policy 5141.8,

1:08:00students with special health care needs.

1:08:01This is a new first read. So, if there's

1:08:04any as you're reading them, if there's

1:08:05any questions, reach out to Mrs.

1:08:06Anastasio and we will get some answers.

1:08:09And then we have some uh job

1:08:10descriptions for action this evening.

1:08:12>> Yes. Move that the Board of Education

1:08:13approve the job description presented by

1:08:15the administration as presented by the

1:08:17Policy and Personnel Committee.

1:08:19>> Second.

1:08:20>> Motion and a second, Mr. Rzepczynski.

1:08:21All in favor?

1:08:22>> Aye.

1:08:23>> Opposed?

1:08:24Motion passes.

1:08:26>> Move that the Board of Education approve

1:08:28job description for this um I messed up

1:08:31the first one, sorry. Uh supervisor of

1:08:32uh deaf education and audiology

1:08:34services.

1:08:35>> Second.

1:08:35>> As presented by the Policy and Personnel

1:08:37Committee.

1:08:38>> Second.

1:08:38>> Motion second by Mr. Brown. Um any

1:08:41discussion?

1:08:42All in favor?

1:08:43>> Aye.

1:08:43>> Opposed? Motion passes.

1:08:45>> Move that the Board of Education approve

1:08:47job description agriculture facilities

1:08:48assistant as presented by the Policy and

1:08:50Personnel Committee.

1:08:51>> Second.

1:08:52>> Motion second by Mr. Rzepczynski. Any

1:08:54discussion? All in favor?

1:08:56>> Aye.

1:08:57>> Opposed? Motion passes.

1:09:01>> We have a motion

1:09:02>> Motion added to the

1:09:03>> added to the agenda.

1:09:04>> Yeah, it was added to the agenda. Um

1:09:07>> student

1:09:07>> move uh

1:09:10for the expulsion of student 26 uh

1:09:132026-27-1

1:09:17uh

1:09:18for the calendar for the school year.

1:09:21>> Second.

1:09:22>> Can we have a motion uh for the student

1:09:24expulsion? Second by Mrs. uh motion by

1:09:27Mrs. Clark, second by Mrs. Carberry. Any

1:09:29discussion?

1:09:30All in favor?

1:09:31>> Aye.

1:09:32>> Opposed? The motion passes.

1:09:34>> Yeah.

1:09:34>> Um

1:09:368

1:09:370 with one abstention.

1:09:39Do the math in my head. All right, then

1:09:41we have public communications from the

1:09:43public on any item that is not agenda

1:09:45related. Is there anybody like to speak

1:09:47this evening on non-agenda related

1:09:49items?

1:09:50If you would come forward, state your

1:09:51name and address for the record.

1:10:05>> Hi.

1:10:06Um good evening. My name is Sheema Green

1:10:08and I live at 67 Memorial Drive.

1:10:11Um I want to begin by acknowledging the

1:10:13Board of Education member who publicly

1:10:15clarified his comments that were at the

1:10:17Flanders PTO meeting last week. I

1:10:19appreciate him taking the time to do

1:10:20that.

1:10:21However, a parent left that meeting with

1:10:23the understanding that Flanders had to

1:10:24close and that tells me there was a

1:10:26disconnect between what was communicated

1:10:28and what was understood. My concern is

1:10:30about the message families are taking

1:10:31away from those discussions.

1:10:33I'm also concerned about a statement

1:10:34another board member made on social

1:10:36media about the potential for a school

1:10:37to fall in such disrepair that the

1:10:39school closes with or without a new

1:10:41school. And that's a serious statement

1:10:43and I've not seen evidence presented to

1:10:44the community in any elementary school

1:10:46that any elementary school is at risk of

1:10:48closing

1:10:49due to disrepair regardless of this

1:10:51referendum.

1:10:52If that's a legitimate concern, the

1:10:54community needs to see the evidence.

1:10:55Statements like this can create fear and

1:10:57uncertainty when we what we are trying

1:10:59to look for are facts.

1:11:01I've not seen a clearly defined

1:11:02alternative plan with specific details,

1:11:04a timeline, an explanation of what

1:11:06happens if voters reject this proposal.

1:11:08I've seen numbers and financial

1:11:09projections, but those are not the same

1:11:11as a clear plan.

1:11:12The sheer number of unanswered questions

1:11:14in our community is concerning.

1:11:16Questions are expected with a decision

1:11:17this important, but families should not

1:11:18be left wondering what the future of

1:11:20their schools will look like under

1:11:21different scenarios. We need a clear

1:11:23comparison between what we have today

1:11:25and what our schools would look like if

1:11:26this referendum passes versus if it

1:11:27fails, including alternatives and the

1:11:29consequences of each outcome.

1:11:31Unfortunately, right now I don't feel

1:11:32that's happening.

1:11:34What's been most disappointing to me is

1:11:35not simply that we may disagree about

1:11:37the best plan for our schools.

1:11:38Disagreement is part of the process.

1:11:40What concerns me is that families still

1:11:42have important unanswered questions

1:11:44about the future of our schools. I

1:11:46support improving our school buildings,

1:11:47but supporting improvements does not

1:11:49mean we should stop questioning the

1:11:50plan.

1:11:51Until my questions remain unanswered

1:11:52about the future of our elementary

1:11:53schools, I believe we have a

1:11:55responsibility to keep asking until we

1:11:56understand the choices before us and

1:11:58their long-term consequences.

1:12:00As stated many times, I don't spend my

1:12:02evenings at these meetings because I

1:12:03have nothing else to do.

1:12:05I have a job and other responsibilities.

1:12:06I'm here because I do I do care about

1:12:08our schools and our children. Our

1:12:09elected officials have a responsibility

1:12:11to do more than present a plan and move

1:12:13forward. They must be willing to listen

1:12:15to the concerns of the families they

1:12:16represent, take those concerns

1:12:18seriously, and be open to considering

1:12:20whether there is a better way forward

1:12:21that truly serves the entire Southington

1:12:23community. We're watching and we're

1:12:25paying attention. We're listening,

1:12:26asking questions, and remembering how

1:12:28this process is being handled. And when

1:12:30it comes time to vote next year, we're

1:12:31going to remember who we believe truly

1:12:33put the best interests of our children

1:12:34first. Thank you.

1:12:36>> Thank you.

1:12:37Is there anybody else that would like to

1:12:38speak this evening?

1:12:42Okay, hearing none. Um we're looking for

1:12:44a motion to adjourn.

1:12:45>> So moved.

1:12:46>> Second.

1:12:47>> Motion and a second to adjourn. All in

1:12:48favor?

1:12:48>> Aye.

1:12:49>> Opposed? Motion passes.

1:12:54Um

1:13:00So