THESE MINUTES ARE SUBJECT TO BOARD APPROVAL AT THENEXT BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING
ESSEX ELEMENTARY SCHOOL BOARD OF EDUCATION
JANUARY 10, 2013
The regular meeting of theEssex Board of Education was held on Thursday, January 10, 2013. In attendance were Lon Seidman, DGFitton, Judie McCann(7:04 Arrival), Loretta McCluskey and Adam Conrad. Also in attendance were Dr. Ruth Levy, Superintendent, Dr. Joanne Beekley, AssistantSuperintendent, Mr. Garth Sawyer, Business Manager, Mr. Scott Jeffrey,Principal, Deborah O’Donnell, Assistant Principal and Kelley Frazier,Clerk. Absent: Jeff Burzin
CALL TO ORDER
The meeting was called toorder by Lon Seidman at 7:00p.m. Themeeting began with the Pledge of Allegiance.
Mr. Seidman asked that thestudent presentation be moved up in the agenda. Mr. Jeffrey introduced the Luisa Wilson who introducedmembers of the Sixth Grade Saxophone, Trumpet and Flute Ensembles. These groups preformed a series of songs. The Board thanked the students forcoming.
CONSENT AGENDA
DG Fitton made a motion toapprove the minutes from the regular meeting of November 2012 and the AccountsPayable report. Loretta McCluskey secondedthe motion. The motion passed by aunanimous vote.
PUBLIC COMMENT
None
REPORTS:
Financial Status Report – Mr. Garth Sawyer
Mr. Sawyer gave a brieffinancial status for Essex Elementary School. Currently the Essex Elementary School is projecting to havea significant deficit based on unanticipated special education needs. The Administration will keep the Boardinformed if the situation changes as we proceed through the year. The Town is aware and will need to decide when theadditional appropriation should take place. Mr. Seidman will contact the Board of Finance and discussfurther with them.
Cafeteria Report – Mr. Sawyer
Mr. Sawyer gave an update onthe status of the Cafeteria Budget Updates. The full day Kindergarten has helped to offset some of theBoard subsidy.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
Finance – L. Seidman
The Finance Committee meetson January 28, 2013.
Policy
No Update
Curriculum
NoUpdate
Joint PK-12 PolicyCommittee – L. Seidman
NoUpdates
Calendar
No Update
Supervision District
DG Fitton updated the Boardon the budget discussions for Supervision District. This budget will be discussed further at meetings in thecoming weeks. The need for two additionalpositions will be explained in detail. This budget is for shared services used district wide and it is verydifficult to find areas to decrease the many mandated expenses.
Sixth Grade Committee
No Update
Preschool Committee
No Update
OTHER ITEMS:
Principal’s Update - S. Jeffrey
Mr. Jeffrey gave a briefupdate on the events at Essex Elementary. We are continuing work on professional development for the Common CoreState Standards. Mr. Jeffrey isworking with the district on procedures for safety which will be discussedlater in the agenda. The BroadcastTeam was presented with an award from the Connecticut Association of Schools forrecognition of excellence.
ASSISTANTSUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT – J. Beekley
General Update
Dr. Beekley noted that thereis an encore presentation for parents on the Common Core State Standards nextweek. She noted that it isimportant for parents to understand this. We continue to move forward on teacher andadministrator evaluations. Dr.Beekley has been working on putting information on the website to give parentsmore information on topics of interest.
SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT - R. Levy
District Update
Information and Communication – School Safety
Dr. Levy sent a letter to allparents explaining the new procedure for visitors in all of our buildings. She explained that we have many goodprocedures and policies in place to provide safety in our schools. She noted that all safety procedureswill be reviewed. Dr. Levy will be trained in the NationalEmergency Management System (NEMS). A security audit will be done. There is a meeting on the 15thwith all three Selectmen and the local law enforcement to discuss this issuefurther. There will be districtwide steering committee made up of law enforcement, educators and people with aspecialty in security. The groupwill look at the physical aspect as well as outside and around the school andwill make recommendations of enhancements. There will be additional education, training and crisismanagement for staff and students. Dr. Levy noted that each school has individual needs. It will be mandatory for all staffmembers to wear ID’s. Dr. Levywould like to avoid having armed guards in our schools. She would like to identify students whoneed help and give parents information to help them. Security measures are now technology based. Being prepared and rehearsing theseskills is beneficial.
Presentation of Proposed2013-14 Essex Elementary School Draft Budget
Thebudget was not available and will be reviewed in the budget workshops.
PUBLIC COMMENT
None
ADJOURNMENT
On a motion dulymade and seconded the Board unanimously VOTEDto adjourn at 8:15p.m.
Respectfully Submitted,
Kelley Frazier, Board Clerk
FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS
8.1 BOE Community Input on2013-14 Budget (Ongoing)
8.2 Review Strategic SchoolProfile (when available from State)-J. Beekley
8.3 EES BOE 2013-14 BudgetWorkshops (Jan31st, Feb 13th, Mar 5th)
8.4 Vote to Adopt EES Budgetfor 2013-14 (Mar)
8.5 Vote on StaffNon-Renewals(Mar)
8.6 Present EES 2013-14Budget at Town Meeting (TBD)