THOMPSON BOARD OF EDUCATION

THOMPSON MIDDLE SCHOOL MEDIA CENTER

Monday, December 10, 2007

7:00 p.m.

I. Call to Order and Roll Call

Chairperson Donna Lynch called the meeting to order at 7:03 p.m.

Members Present: Members Absent:

Donna Lynch Josh Cusak,, Student Liaison

Laurence Consiglio

William Witkowski

Jacklyn Bonneau   

Christopher Eichner

Thomas Angelo

Joseph Lindley

Patricia Donnelly

Ellen Corrado-arrived at 8:58 p.m.

Also present was Michael Jolin, Beverly Caparco, Bill Birch, Ronald

Springer,  Penny Hebert, Deb Spinelli, Barbara Lesniewksi, Dan Pisaturo,

members of the public, employees of the Board of Education, members of

the press.

II. Citizens Comments

Mr. Pisaturo stated Midnight Madness will be held Friday, January 4,

2008 and will start at 8:30 p.m. after the basketball game and continue

to 7:00 a.m. the next day.   If anyone wants to volunteer or stop by

during the event they are more than welcome.  

III. Election of Officers

Motion by William Witkowski, seconded by Patricia Donnelly to nominate

Donna Lynch for the position of Chairman.  Nominations were closed and

vote was taken.  Passed-Unanimous.

Motion by Jacklyn Bonneau to nominate Patricia Donnelly for Vice

Chairman.  Patricia Donnelly respectfully declined the nomination

Motion by Laurence Consiglio, seconded by Patricia Donnelly to nominate

William Witkowski for Vice Chairman.  Nominations were closed and a vote

was taken. Passed-Unanimous.

Motion by Laurence Consiglio, seconded by Jacklyn Bonneau to nominate

Patricia Donnelly as Secretary.  Nominations were closed and a vote was

taken.  Passed-Unanimous.  

IV. Recognition of Former Board of Education Members

Donna Lynch presented Jayne Robbins with a plaque in recognition of her

service as a Board member.   Donna Lynch noted Jayne's hard work and

dedication has been appreciated by all.  James Kenney was also

recognized for his efforts and his plaque will be delivered to him as he

was not in attendance.  

V.   Committee Reports   

A. Finance Review

William Witkowski reported on the Finance Review Committee meeting.

Currently the budget shows a surplus but it is very early in the budget

year.  The oil and electricity accounts will be monitored closely as

they are projected to be in deficit.  

B.        Goals Committee

Laurence Consiglio reported the Goals Committee is working on forming a

strategic plan.  Dr. Ladd from Boston College will be assisting the

Goals Committee as they review goals and a mission statement.   

C.       Building Committee

Laurence Consiglio reported the Board participated in a walk through

prior to the meeting.   The project is on schedule and the move into the

Early Childhood Center will take place over Christmas break.  Bill Birch

noted the furniture should start arriving on Thursday, December 13,

2007.  

VI. Educational Up-Date

A. Superintendent's Report

Dr. Jolin recognized Dr. Hebert and her staff for their work during the

recent NAEYC accreditation process.  Dr. Hebert explained what NAEYC

does and how they evaluate based on standards set for early childhood

education centers (Pre-K and K).  Dr. Hebert explained the process and

what the accreditation covers. Dr. Hebert stated she is confident

accreditation will be received and she should know the results of the

review in February.    

Enrollment/Class Sizes

Dr. Jolin presented information concerning the current enrollment

numbers.    The drop out report from Mr. Mitchell was reviewed and

discussed.  Since last summer, seven students dropped out.  Dr. Jolin

noted he has started meeting with students who dropped out to make sure

they are working toward their diplomas or GED by alternative means.

Jacklyn Bonneau asked if there is a follow up done to check if students

received their GED's.  Dr. Jolin stated he follows up on students that

drop out.  Patricia Donnelly suggested looking into night school that

may be offered at NFA or EO Smith as another alternative for students.

Dr. Jolin stated he has recently learned of a program at QVCC where

students can take classes to obtain their GED and also obtain college

credits.  Laurence Consiglio asked what type of counseling is available

to students before they drop out.  Dr. Jolin noted students have to meet

with guidance and either Mr. Pisaturo or Mr. Mitchell and depending on

the circumstances students are encouraged to stay or if that is not an

option they are encouraged to enroll in another program right away.  Dr.

Jolin stated early intervention is needed to try to address these issues

before they become a problem.  Laurence Consiglio asked if Freshman and

Sophomores are being monitored closely to make sure they are receiving

the credits that they need to be on track to graduate.   Dr. Jolin

explained the counseling and guidance program available to students

which is run by Mr. Ciandella.   Donna Lynch asked for an update on the

SAFE program from Mr. Ciandella.  It was suggested that students who

drop out be tracked to determine if they were successful in obtaining

their GED.

Administration, Operations and Maintenance

Dr. Jolin reported a recent evacuation due to the fire alarm was not a

drill and was an unfortunate occurrence which may have been due to the

Building project.   Dr. Jolin also reported the building was without

water for about an hour this afternoon.  Disruption to the school day is

held to a minimum whenever possible.  

Jacklyn Bonneau asked about the changes proposed in the graduation

requirements.  Dr. Jolin noted these recommendations have not been

approved yet by the State and these recommendations are just a tentative

proposal from Mr. Mitchell.  It was noted these suggestions were

presented to the Board but they have not been finalized yet and the

Board is not endorsing this proposal until further clarification is

obtained.

Donna Lynch stated she recently attended the recent Middle School

homework night and noted it was a wonderful evening and was presented in

a very positive light

BOE Meeting Calendar-Revised Copy

A revised copy of the Board of Education Meeting schedule for 2008 was

distributed.

2008-2009 Budget Calendar

The proposed 2008-2009 budget calendar was distributed. Discussion was

held.    Laurence Consiglio stated he would like to see the budget

presentations presented over a period of days to allow the Board to

review each department in depth.    Donna Lynch suggested trying to

invite the Board of Finance to attend a workshop early in the process.

Laurence Consiglio expressed concern that the Board is only reviewing

the budget two times, with one time being a presentation and one time

being a workshop.  Mr. Consiglio feels there needs to be more time to

review the budget to set priorities.  Joseph Lindley suggested a process

be discussed to involve the public more especially in the early stages

of the budget process.  It was noted the budget needs to be in place by

March 6, 2008.  Suggestion was given to organize small focus groups to

go out to meet the public to explain the budget process and the needs of

the school system.  It was suggested two board members attend each focus

group meeting and that the meetings be an informal conversational type

session with community members.  Patricia Donnelly suggested forming an

outreach committee to organize the meetings.  Dr. Jolin has made notes

of the suggestions and will provide a summary and email it to the Board

members.  Donna Lynch suggested adding some talking points to address

during the meetings such as explanations of the budget process, the cost

of electricity and other hot topics to better inform the public.

Joseph Lindley stated he will contact Rex Santerre who did a similar

presentation and ask if he would be willing to help with the

organization of the meetings.   Discussion was held regarding adding

additional workshop dates to the budget calendar.  January 23 and

January 28 at 6:30 p.m. will be added to the calendar.  

Updated Newsletter

Dr. Jolin distributed the updated newsletter.  Dr. Jolin indicated the

newsletter will be distributed in the Villager next Thursday.    

District Discipline Oversight Committee Minutes   

The minutes from the District Discipline Oversight Committee was

included in the Board's packets for their information.  

Elementary Reading Program Update

Dr. Hebert presented an update on the reading program in the Elementary

School. Dr. Hebert explained the PACT program and how it involves

parents and students who are struggling with reading.  The first level

incorporates phonemic awareness while the second level incorporates

comprehension skills.  Dr. Hebert stated she hopes to expand and start

with another group of parents in January.  Dr. Hebert reported 17

families participated in the recent literacy night event.  

William Witkowski stated he is concerned about the reading programs in

the Elementary School and asked what staff members are certified in OG

and Wilson programs.  Dr. Hebert stated one teacher has gone through the

certification process for OG and two teachers are certified in Wilson.

Dr. Hebert stated she would be happy to explain the certification

process but cannot give out individual teacher's names due to

confidentiality reasons.  

Update of Board of Education Members and Standing Committees

Policy, Curriculum, Transportation

Laurence Consiglio

Jacklyn Bonneau

William Witkowski

Negotiations

Patricia Donnelly

Thomas Angelo

Joseph Lindley

Finance Review

William Witkowski

Jacklyn Bonneau

Christopher Eichner

Goals

Laurence Consiglio

Joseph Lindley

Patricia Donnelly

Grants

Jacklyn Bonneau

Patricia Donnelly

Building Project Update

Dr. Jolin noted the Board toured the new facility this evening.  The

project is moving along well and the move will take place on schedule

over the Christmas break and will be completed as of January 2.

Students will come in late to school on that day to give teachers a

chance to set up their classrooms.  A meeting was held with Pre-K and

Kindergarten teachers regarding the move.  It was noted only employees

will be allowed to assist with the move.  Laurence Consiglio stated he

is concerned about teachers unpacking on January 2, 2008 as students

will be coming back to school the same day.  Thomas Angelo asked if

there is a possibility of not having school at all on January 2, 2008.

Discussion was held.  It was noted the schedule has already been changed

and letters have been sent home regarding the schedule on this day.

Revised Tenure List

Dr. Jolin distributed the revised tenure list.  Laurence Consiglio asked

about the process of evaluating teachers prior to tenure.   Dr. Jolin

noted all teachers and administrators are on evaluation cycles and have

goals in place to insure they are making progress.   Laurence Consiglio

stated the tenure list can be used to make sure that teachers are

appropriately evaluated prior to reaching tenure so that any issues can

be addressed in a timely manner.    The timing of the evaluations should

be modified if necessary to coordinate with the date of tenure.

Ellen Corrado arrived at 8:48 p.m.

Jacklyn Bonneau asked about some of the calculations for tenure on the

list and questions the accuracy of some of the dates.  Dr. Jolin will

check on this.

Donna Lynch noted at the last meeting the Board discussed adding another

High School student liaison to the Board.  The consensus was to add

another liaison for a total of two High School student liaisons.   

VII. Action Items

Motion by Jacklyn Bonneau, seconded by Ellen Corrado to approve the

minutes of the November 13, 2007 Regular Board of Education Meeting.

Patricia Donnelly noted a typographical error on page 2, in the third

paragraph the word "tile" should be "title". In addition in the motion

on page 5, Patricia Donnelly's name is spelled wrong.  The motion was

revised to include these changes. Motion-Passed.

VIII. CITIZENS COMMENTS

Pamela Pudsey asked if Thompson's drop out rates reflects students who

attend Killingly VoAg and then drop out.  It was noted if a student

attends Killingly VoAg and drops out they would be referred back to

Thompson.  

Pamela Pudsey noted she is an advocate for kids that have reading

problems. She indicated she recently called the Wilson program looking

for tutors in Thompson and they sent her a list of certified teachers

but none of the teachers listed were from Thompson.  She stated she was

told some teachers in Thompson had gone through the training but did not

go on to become certified.   Mrs. Pudsey expressed concern regarding

Thompson using the Wilson program but not having certified Wilson

teachers on staff.  Dr. Jolin stated he would look into this and provide

an update as to the status of staff certified in Wilson.    

Barbara Mulligan stated is looking forward to having the budget process

explained in greater detail during the community meetings being

contemplated by the Board.    

Pamela Pudsey stated at last month's meeting she asked Marna Hasz about

the issue of having a school psychologist involved in PPT's.  Mrs.

Pudsey stated Mrs. Hasz indicated she was licensed as a school

psychologist but the minutes reflected that Mrs. Hasz stated she was

certified.   The tape from the meeting will be reviewed to determine

whether Mrs. Hasz stated she was licensed or certified.

IX. Board of Education Comments

Donna Lynch asked if a policy should be developed regarding ipods.  It

was noted ipods are addressed in the handbook under the term electronic

devices.   

Joseph Lindley asked about land available adjacent to the baseball field

and if the Board should consider purchasing this land for future

expansion.  It was noted the Town purchases land for school use and Dr.

Jolin will discuss this issue with Larry Groh.   

Laurence Consiglio asked about the status of the Board's discussions

regarding taping of PPT's.   Mr. Consiglio would like to see this placed

on the agenda at the next Board meeting for further discussion.

Donna Lynch noted her displeasure in that the High School concert was

scheduled this evening causing a conflict with the regularly schedule

Board meeting.  It was noted the Board's meetings are always on the

second Monday of every month except when the Monday is a holiday, and

the schedule is posted at the beginning of each year.  

Next month's agenda:

* SAFE Grant

* Mentoring Program

* Middle School Reading Program/Wilson Training

* Tenure List

* Taping of PPT's

* Drug survey

Ellen Corrado asked if anything regarding a student's objection to

content of subject matter being taught would be coming before the Board

for discussion.  Dr. Jolin stated he has handled this issue in-house and

the parent would have to file an objection to the mediation for it to

come before the Board.  A process for students to follow regarding these

types of issues is addressed in the handbook.  Ellen Corrado expressed

concern that this process is not being followed.

X. Executive Session-Collective Bargaining/Personnel Litigation

None needed.

XI. Action as a Result of Executive Session

None.

X. Adjournment.

Motion by Jacklyn Bonneau, seconded by Patricia Donnelly to adjourn the

meeting.  Motion-Passed--Unanimous.

There being no further business the meeting was adjourned at 9:16 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Roberta Baublitz

Recording Secretary

:rjb