MINUTES OF THE CORNWALL BOARD OF EDUCATION
MEETING ON NOVEMBER 16, 2016
A meeting of the Cornwall Board of Education was held on Wednesday, November 16, 2016 at the Cornwall Consolidated School Library. Present were Board members Tom Levine, Rachel Matsudaira, Cay Tyson, David Cadwell, and Tracy Gray. Also in attendance were Region One Board Representative John Sanders, Superintendent Patricia Chamberlain, Assistant Superintendent Pam Vogel, Building Committee Chair Phil Hart, and Principal Mike Croft. The meeting was called to order at 4:15 p.m.
Ms. Gray made a motion to approve the agenda. Ms. Matsudaira seconded and the motion passed unanimously.
Ms. Matsudaira made a motion to approve the minutes of the October 19, 2016 meeting. Ms. Gray seconded and the motion passed unanimously.
Region One Board Report: Mr. Sanders reported for the Region One Board. He said that there would be several assistant superintendent search workshops in the near future, where the Board hoped to get input from the community as to the direction the Region should be taking.
ABC Report: Ms. Chamberlain reported that there would be a Regional Leadership Breakfast on December 7 at 7:30 a.m. at EdAdvance in Litchfield.
Building and Grounds Committee Report: Mr. Hart said that the committee met on Monday and reviewed the energy audit. He said they would look at the specific recommendations and consider applying soon for a grant to cover some of the cost of implementing them.
Board of Finance Report: None
Principal's Report:
a) Mr. Croft said that the scheduled 1:00 dismissals for professional learning time have been successful. He said they are focusing on grading practices, and have had an in depth presentation on autism.
b) Upcoming events were listed: winter concert on December 13th, craft and bake sale by Goal Getters, engineering class presentation on trebuchets, 4th grade tour of Cornwall, and a new reading program that involves students reading aloud to members of the community.
c) Regarding CMT Science testing, Mr. Croft said that the state test would be the "old" test for the next couple of years, and would not reflect the new holistic teaching practices currently being used.
d) Mr. Croft reviewed how the new grading practices were being integrated into the elementary and middle school grades.
Old Business: None
New Business:
a) The upcoming budget preparation season was discussed. Various ideas were voiced about reducing costs. Mr. Croft said that his goal is a 0% budget increase. Mr. Croft circulated a list of tentative dates for budget workshops and meetings, which will be firmed up next month.
b) Ms. Matsudaira made the motion to approve the Developmental Assets Survey. Ms. Gray seconded and the motion was passed unanimously.
Ms. Matsudaira thanked Ms. Chamberlain for the new survey.
c) Mr. Croft reported that he was still working on establishing a new afterschool program. He said he is currently looking at outside entities to manage the program. Mr. Croft reiterated that the Child Center was no longer interested in running the program, as they lacked the necessary staffing and it was not profitable for them.
d) Consideration was given to an out-of- district student request by for Niya Borst. Her mother has moved them out of town and she would like Niya to complete the school year in Cornwall. Her mother requested that the tuition be waived.
Ms. Matsudaira made the motion to approve the out-of -district student request, and to waive the tuition. Ms. Tyson seconded, and the motion was passed unanimously.
Ms. Chamberlain reminded the board that the parents had to provide transportation for the student.
e) Mr. Croft reported that Dan Smith would be the basketball coach for CCS boys, and paid by CCS. The girls coach would be Amy Rice, paid by Falls Village.
f) Mr. Croft circulated a proposed new Video Policy. The new policy requires parental permission, and removes the strict guidelines for minutes, as they are hard to monitor and enforce. After some discussion and minor tinkering, Ms. Matsudaira made the motion to approve the new video policy. Ms. Gray seconded and the motion passed unanimously. The new policy is attached to these minutes.
g) Ms. Kosciusko circulated the proposed meeting schedule for 2017.
Ms. Gray moved to approve the schedule of regular meetings for 2017, with meetings scheduled for the third Wednesday of each month, except for July and August. Motion was seconded by Ms. Tyson and approved unanimously.
Superintendent and Assistant Superintendent Reports: These reports were circulated online to Board members prior to the meeting. Ms. Vogel said she was pleased with the turnout at the Grading Practices workshops.
Additional Comments: None
The meeting was adjourned at 5:46 p.m. with a motion by Ms. Matsudaira, seconded by Mr.
Cadwell, and passed unanimously.
Annie Kosciusko
Board Clerk