BOARD OF EDUCATION MINUTES FEBRUARY 5, 2020

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Present Board Members: Mark Fiorentino, Lynn Guelzow, Melissa Migliaccio, Sarah Thrall, Rosemarie Weber, and Brandon Webster and Dwaritha Ramesh (Student Representative).

Absent Board Members: Jenny Emery and Jack DeGray (Student Representative)

Administrative Reports

Superintendent’s Announcements

Dr. Jordan Grossman, Superintendent announced that test results came in last week and Granby scored tremendously well.

Melissa Migliaccio stated Granby is celebrating two women’s state sports championships in one season. Granby’s student athletes are musicians, NHS members, mathematicians and all-around great kids. She congratulated the teams and thanked them for what they have brought to the town. Mark Fiorentino stated he has had the privilege of coaching some of the girls here tonight in other sports and their work goes way beyond what they have done on the athletic fields. Rosemarie Weber stated the teams make the Board proud on how they display themselves on and off the field. Thank you for being great role models. Championship jackets were awarded to each player.

Student Representative Reports

A Food for Thought program is being run by Student Council. Various snacks are available for all students and donations are accepted to keep the program going.

Teaching and Learning

Ms. Julie Groene, Director of Guidance and High School Assistant Principal, provided a school counseling update for the Board. Groene stated the report looks into the program and is an overview of where things are and where the department will be moving forward. She outlined the current staffing levels at the middle school and the high school and stated ASCA guidelines are not- to-exceed 250 students per counselor. The Guidance Department recently welcomed Ms. Mara Henze as the College and Career Center (CCC) Assistant and also mentioned Mr. Stanwood CTE Coordinator who collaborates with Ms. Henze. Ms. Groene informed the Board of the three domains of school counseling: 1) Personal/Social; 2) Academic; and, 3) College/Career. She reviewed “guaranteed points of contacts for Grades 6-12” and in the middle school, for 6th grade students, there are small group meetings with counselors as well as classroom lessons throughout the year for 6th, 7th and 8th grade and individual high school transition meetings for 8th grade students. During the high school years, there are individual course registration meetings for Grades 9-12; Wellness classes for Grades 9 and 10; and, junior planning. Other contacts are individual meetings with students of concern who are identified through developmental guidance lessons; student- generated meeting requests; and individual appointments referred by staff/administration/ peers/parents. Ms. Groene spoke about academic assistance at the middle school and high school, such as, student intervention team; homework club and peer tutoring. She explained to the Board that personal/social support ties in to academic support and how there is a lot of anxiety for students to get good grades. With regard to the CCC and future directions, the Guidance Department will work to ensure increased systemic use of the CCC throughout Grades 9-12 for college planning as well as collaborating with the CTE Coordinator to increase internships and job shadow experiences. Ms. Groene shared a strategic success plan for school counseling to include a strategic improvement plan for the department; increased integration of Naviance at the middle school; and, a pilot workshop model for the CCC in 2020-2021. Ms. Groene thanked Christopher Tranberg for allocating time for curriculum revision for the Department this summer. The Board asked questions regarding current caseload, the balance of personal/social issues with academic and career issues, Job Shadow Day, and CTE programming.

Public Comment

Susan Patricelli Regan and her husband Bill Regan reminded the board of the Sylvia Davis Patricelli Fine Arts Scholarship given in memory of her mother, a famous artist. It is an award given to a graduating senior pursuing a major in fine arts. The Regans stated they have always been supportive of the Board of Education, a very talented, professional, capable dedicated group of people. 

Minutes

A motion was made by Mark Fiorentino and seconded by Sarah Thrall to adopt the consent agenda. This motion passed at 8:13 p.m. with one abstention (Brandon Webster).

New Business

FY21 Quality and Diversity Budget

Dr. Jordan Grossman, Superintendent, presented the FY21 Quality and Diversity (Q and D) Budget to the Board and stated he is looking forward to working with the Board of Finance (BOF) on Monday to find out the budget guideline and he is confident that the Superintendent’s Budget will come within this guideline. Dr. Grossman stated the Q and D fund helps the Board to meet the requirements for students to interact with students and teachers from diverse racial, ethnic and economic backgrounds. Granby Public Schools has been a part of the Open Choice for over 40 years. Funds are deposited into a revolving account managed by the BOF. The District receives $12,500 for every student in Kindergarten if the District meets the 4 percent threshold and gets an additional $8K per student. Granby has fulfilled those requirements for the past several years. Dr. Grossman stated the Open Choice Academic and Social Support Grant is not part of the Q and D Budget and Granby will receive approximately $87K for the 2020-21 school year. The Q and D Budget includes magnet and vocational school tuition; summer enrichment academy; clubs (Robotics and DECA) and club stipends; enrichment programs (Bridges/Homework Club); UConn Gifted and Talented Program; and the Granby Equity Team. The District is slated to receive the bonus money again next year projecting 88 students with a 4.71 percent participation rate. The enrollment for magnet/vocational schools was reviewed and it was noted the trend for an increase in vocational/agricultural and a decrease in magnet school tuition. Brandon Webster inquired how many Open Choice students participate in clubs. Mr. Christopher Tranberg stated 100 percent of elementary students, 80 percent of middle school students and mid-70 percent for high school students participate.

Board Standing Committee Reports

Curriculum/Policy/Technology/
Communication

Sarah Thrall reported this Subcommittee met this evening to discuss the school counseling presentation; school garden – teachers are incorporating into the curriculum; mid-year meeting for new teachers; 2020/21 Panorama Survey to be sent out in March; Policy 5114; Internal Review Board for AP Capstone – parents are notified of surveys; approved new text for French; undergoing review of online vocabulary software.

Calendar of Events

The budget will be presented on March 4. Linda Powell will send a refresher email for budget dates. Mark Fiorentino will run the meeting on March 4 due to Melissa Migliaccio’ s absence.

Respectfully submitted,
Rosemarie Weber Board Secretary


To read the Jan. 2 and 15, 2020, BOE meeting minutes, please visit the Granby Public Schools website:
granby.k12.ct.us/o/gps/browse/56689