March 18, 2020
Board Members Present (via teleconference): Jenny Emery, Mark Fiorentino, Melissa Migliaccio, David Peling, Sarah Thrall, Rosemarie Weber, Brandon Webster and Dwaritha Ramesh (Student Representative).
Absent Board Members: Jack DeGray (Student Representative)
Melissa Migliaccio stated she is pleased to hold this meeting virtually, and recognized the importance of continuing to move the business of the district forward.
Superintendent’s Announcements
Dr. Jordan Grossman thanked the board and the community at large for their support, stating the Granby Public Schools will move forward with strength. A lot has happened since the last BOE meeting. Schools were shut down for what was thought would be a 14-day closing and following a day or so later, Governor Lamont closed all state schools to at least March 31.
Grossman stated he has been communicating with the Commissioner of Education and by phone with Lamont and is monitoring the Executive Order very closely. The Commissioner of Education told each superintendent to immediately begin a plan of remote learning for students. Grossman shared that the district has been talking about remote learning for about two and a half weeks and we need to put plans into effect immediately. He informed the board that Granby immediately applied for a federal grant to provide meals for students who are in need and starting on Monday the district was able to provide grab-and-go breakfasts and lunches for students.
With the Executive Order shutting down the schools and the commissioner’s order for a remote learning plan, Grossman said he met with his District Leadership Team to discuss roll-out of the plan. A communication was sent to the entire staff, families and the community at large that a distance learning plan will start on March 23. Teachers came forward in strength and said they would do what is needed for the Granby students. Virtual staff meetings will be held March 19. The Special Education Department will reach out to families by the end of the week to discuss plans. A distance learning website has been created for family members, students and staff. Granby is united and many people have reached out to thank us for the work we are doing. Grossman said he will work with his team to move forward with strength every day and that everything the district is doing is in the best interest of all children.
Migliaccio opened up for questions
Jenny Emery inquired about improving the timeliness in sending communications to parents. Grossman stated the technology team is working with the company we use to send communications. All communicated information can be found on the main website and the website created for distance learning. Grossman said principals sent a survey to families yesterday and any individual who is in need of a device can report in small groups to pick one up on Friday at the middle school, Kelly Lane and Wells Road. Additionally, some companies are providing internet access for families who do not have it.
Migliaccio inquired about special education services. Grossman replied that a team is working with our district but also with the Farmington Valley on best practices for our students with IEPs. Aimee Martin, director of pupil services, will be sending a letter to families in the next two days and she has a faculty meeting with her staff on Friday for steps going forward. She will meet with Teaching Assistants on Monday for their role in providing distance learning to students. Grossman said this is a learning curve, especially for the different services that students will need, such as OT, PT and speech.
Dave Peling inquired if this is a day-to-day situation. Grossman said that he has a phone conference tomorrow with the Commissioner of Education. The district is planning for now, the next two weeks as well as months and several years ahead. He hopes the Governor releases his Executive Order but right now there is no time line. If the Governor says it is up to local school districts, he and the BOE will discuss the situation. As soon as he knows, he will let the BOE know.
Rosemarie Weber commented that hopefully district learning will be effective and inquired how the district will address remediation issues based on where students are now to where they will be in June. She asked how the district will assess this and put services in place. Grossman replied that any time students are removed from school they are missing education. Students will be out for 11 days now but if they are out longer, it will be a different issue and it will be looked at student-by-student and case-by-case. A school closure could not only have an academic impact but can have a financial impact as well.
Brandon Webster inquired about the delivery of instruction. Grossman responded that the high school instruction will go on as best we can and teachers will post online. Fortunately, Grades 3–12 use Google Classroom. Videos are being created for families on how to use Google Classroom and resources are on the website. He added that the district needs to be creative with music, art, PE, and technology, and teachers will need to get involved. Kelly Lane will be using SeeSaw and he expects that students will not be on computers or iPads all day long. They will read books, go outside and exercise. Teachers should create professional learning networks with other teachers across the country. The district wants to create as much normalcy as possible.
Business Manager’s Report
Anna Robbins, business manager, presented the February statement of accounts and stated the BOE shows a negative forecast of $129K. Special education expenditures are projected to be unfavorable by $307K and regular education favorable by $178K. The overall forecast is favorable over the previous month by $30K. Salaries and benefits show a favorable forecast of $147K. The over-budget conditions in transportation have been reduced by $30K due to an accounting error in the recording of a credit. The Quality and Diversity Fund continues to show a favorable forecast of $22K due to magnet school tuitions and personnel expenses. Revenues to the town continue to reflect a favorable projection for regular tuition from other towns of $39K. The projection for special education tuition from other towns remains favorable at $21K. Excess Cost Grant funding of $328K was received by the town in February and the rate of reimbursement is 74.7 percent, which is higher than projected. The anticipated 72 percent change reflects full-year forecast for revenue at a favorable $6K compared to budget. This will be a very fluid situation moving forward.
Emery stated the Finance Subcommittee reviewed this tonight. The credit in transportation is a result of CREC contracting with us to use buses for summer camp services. This has been favorable and the $30K is our share of their profits from that, which was a nice surprise as it helps to shrink the gap with the special education deficit. She stated there was some discussion about the possibility of school being closed and that some expenses will not be expended; however, looking further out, there may be unanticipated expenses in trying to remediate the lost education along the way.
FY21 Board of Education Budget
Approval
The board continued discussion and considered the approval of the FY21 Board of Education Budget. A motion was made by Emery and seconded by Weber that the BOE adopt the FY21 Board of Education Budget. Migliaccio said that at the last budget workshop, Mark Fiorentino stated that he supported the budget because he did not expect to attend this meeting. The budget is under the guideline of 3 percent at 2.92 percent. Fiorentino still supports the budget. Peling echoed Fiorentino’s sentiment. Given the transition of a new superintendent, it is a very good budget for this moment in time. He is looking forward to seeing what comes out next year after new goals are defined and he supports this budget. Weber supports the budget: a phenomenal job always in tight margins to maximize efficiencies and move the district forward while staying under the guidelines. Webster said it would be fantastic in an ideal world to find a way to add in the Math Interventionist and Social Worker but great job. He is interested to see what Grossman can do going forward and he supports the budget. Emery supports the budget but has two issues to raise for the record: Spent a lot of time thinking about and looking at numbers related to the first item on the unfunded list in support of Aimee Martin and special education for the Special Education Supervisor. She was looking at whether there was some way to include this in the budget halfway through the year and stated she cannot imagine that we will not need this resource and it will save the district money. She wants to keep a close eye on it. Secondly, she is very concerned about the budget vote. She supports the budget and the fact that schools have run at less-than-the-cost of doing business for a number of years now. She doesn’t know what the April budget vote will be but when it comes time to vote, all hands need to be on deck for this budget. Migliaccio said she appreciated all the comments. Different proposals have been floating around about the budget time line and she will keep the board apprised. Thrall said she appreciates that Grossman and his team came in below the guideline. It is a solid budget and she supports it. Migliaccio echoed everyone’s comments and added Emery raises a great point about the special education piece that continues to be an issue to attack with the board. She thanked Grossman for presenting this budget on his second day on the job. She is pleased it was brought in under the guideline as well as the special consideration for Kindergarten class sizes. The motion passed unanimously.
Board Reports
Finance/Personnel/Facilities
Emery reported this subcommittee met this evening to discuss the food service contract that is out to bid. The state changed the calendar so this will be pushed to April for a vote. Robbins reported that five companies were interested.
An update on the building projects was also received. The two main issues are the district has the architect and wants to get moving with selecting the contract for the rest of the middle school roof. Ideally this project would be done this summer but no response has been come from the state. Robbins and Grossman will try to get an answer on this. The main issue is, the district is out to bid for an architect for most of the rest of the project. It will depend on what the architect comes up with and the final costs. The deadline was extended an additional three weeks but hope to keep it moving forward.
The other item discussed was that some residents are not getting messages. Webster mentioned the availability of breakfast and lunch. Grossman said that right now the food packages are available 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. daily in the front circle of the middle school parking lot. However, this may change to Monday/Wednesday/Friday or Tuesday/Thursday, but this will be monitored as we go along. Migliaccio noted that the numbers are up to 46. Grossman shared that Hartford students are being served by Hartford Public Schools and Hartland families were informed that they can also pick up food in Granby. He said several people have reached out to him regarding transportation issues but has not heard of any need.
Granby Education Foundation
Emery reported the last meeting was cancelled and the GranBee is also cancelled this year. An event in the fall will partially take its place and a bigger and better GranBee will be held in 2021. Kim Becker said that if there are opportunities for GEF to support the district, they are willing to help. Migliaccio strongly encouraged every board member to support the GEF.
Board Member Announcements
Emery told the board about some wonderful outreach online (#sunshine songs) where students performed their high school musical songs. It made her think about Granby’s Got Talent, Coffeehouse, etc. and if some students want to set up performances, she would love to get those out there to view. Peling thought this is a great point and there may be a way to do them virtually.
Dwaritha Ramesh, Student Representative, said it is very disappointing that events are being cancelled. She was looking forward to the musical as well as her last season on the robotics team. Events like prom and senior outing are up in the air. She and her peers are hoping for the best. She understands the importance of not spreading the virus and it is unfortunate senior year has to end like this.
Migliaccio shared that the CIAC stated today they are not willing to shut the door on a spring sports season. She thanked board members for their support and coming together tonight. It is a great board and she is proud to serve with everyone.
April 1, 2020
Board Members Present via tele- or video-conference: Jenny Emery, Mark Fiorentino, Melissa Migliaccio, David Peling, Sarah Thrall, Rosemarie Weber, and Brandon Webster.
Absent: Jack DeGray and Dwaritha Ramesh (Student Representatives)
Melissa Migliaccio thanked board members for their flexibility in this environment.
She also commented on a social media post about students having to repeat school next year that went viral. Superintendent Grossman sent out a notice that this was not a real communication. Migliaccio said she received a call from a father who was beside himself saying that he did it as a joke on his kids and he feels sick about it. He said he teaches his kids that when they do something wrong and they know it’s wrong, they need to apologize. He said it was meant to stay in the four walls of his home and to please relay his apologies to the board and to Grossman. Migliaccio said he was an honest, upstanding person and this is a lesson for our kids too.
Superintendent’s Announcements
Grossman introduced Marian Hourigan, the new Interim Assistant Superintendent of Schools.
The Washington, D.C. and Nature’s Classroom trips were cancelled. These were very tough decisions.
For high school seniors, there are many momentous occasions that are very important to them, including graduation, prom and the senior outing. Grossman has asked Principal Dunn to form a committee to discuss senior activities and work with the senior class and advisors. A message was sent to the senior class about these activities. Prom was moved to the latest possible date, Monday, June 15, and the senior outing will be moved as well.
All testing is waived including SATs by the Commissioner of Education. Testing calendars will have to be adjusted. Grossman said school closure communication will be sent by his office; please do not always believe the media. Currently, by Governor’s Executive Order, schools will be closed through at least April 20.
Congratulations to student Brian Rooney, 8th grade, who placed in the Top Three in future problem solving.
The second-round interviews of the Middle School principal search were completed yesterday. One candidate will be introduced to the board on April 22 as the next principal of GMMS.
Completed the Vision, which will be delivered next week with the town budget edition.
Grossman said he appreciates all of the hard work that everyone has done for the budget. The BOF approved a budget for 2.92 percent, which will mean a 0 percent tax increase to Granby taxpayers. The town will use the general fund balance to accomplish this. This will go to the Town Public Hearing on April 13.
Thank you to Anna Robbins for all of her work as we received communication from the state granting approval for funding of the middle school roof referendum project.
Jenny Emery shared the positive feedback of parents saying how seamless the move was to distance learning.
Teaching and Learning
Interim Assistant Superintendent Marian Hourigan reviewed highlights of the District Learning Plan. She said in the 2-1/2 weeks she has been in Granby she has primarily focused on implementing Distance Learning. For PK–5 students who have not had Chrome Books, a lesson template was created and posted on the parent resource page. Hourigan said she also worked with the Summer School Director on what summer school might look like this year. Students may need more intensive summer school. She has attended faculty meetings on distance learning for troubleshooting issues and said a policy will need to be created for distance learning, A resource site for parents, a survey about distance learning and a FAQ document for parents have been created.
Migliaccio inquired specifically about how K–5 students and teachers are doing with Distance Learning. Hourigan said they are doing very well and in Grades 3–5 she has received a lot of positive comments as students are more comfortable with technology and able to access the lessons. PK–2 is moving along and parents are assisting students get on to the SeeSaw platform. Hourigan said it is a learning curve for teachers as well. However, teachers have been phenomenal and rising to the occasion to engage students and keep them learning.
Rosemarie Weber inquired about scenarios for summer school and different levels of remediation that may be needed. She said summer school is fee-based for most students who attend but if summer school will be used for remediation, the district would have to make sure it is not essentially charging for public education. Hourigan said the district is considering it not be fee-based if it were a remedial program. Grossman said this may be an instance where we will go over budget. The district wants to continue the enrichment program for summer school; however, there may be a need to have two and three sections for regular summer school and this could be a funding issue. He said meetings about summer school have begun early and the district is looking at different scenarios for this year.
Emery inquired about how students take advantage of off-campus schools like Asnuntuck and magnet schools and how that is being filled at this time as well as feedback he has received from the PTO especially after their specific outreach to parents. Regarding magnet schools, Grossman said that is CREC’s responsibility. He assumes that the Asnuntuck is still working with students, since it is college courses and students have already spoken to their teachers and they would have work to do. With regard to K–5 parents he said, Grossman said it is a difficult situation for them right now and a survey about Distance Learning will be sent to parents tomorrow. He informed the board the PTO is doing exciting morale boosters for teachers, students and families. Grossman will continue discussions with the PTO board to make sure the district is serving children to the highest level. He said he will also be reaching out to the SEPTO (Special Education PTO) Board. Brandon Webster inquired if there has been feedback from the Special Education Department and Grossman said some parents are very excited with the services they are receiving because case managers have reached out to them via phone and Google Hangout.
Consent Agenda
A motion was made by Weber and seconded by Emery to adopt the minutes from the March 18 meeting. An amendment to add Mark Fiorentino as present will be made. This motion passed with the noted amendment unanimously.
FY21 Budget Update
Grossman provided an update on the FY21 Board of Education Budget, stating the BOF held a Special Meeting on Monday night and all BOE members attended virtually. Migliaccio said she was pleased with comments from BOF to the BOE and that the standing-still number was close to the actual budget moved forward. She said it is still unclear to her, given the Governor’s Executive Order, whether there will be a referendum vote because the Governor has empowered towns to pass budgets without a referendum or town meeting vote. Grossman said Migliaccio did a phenomenal job presenting the budget. He said it is a fiscally responsible budget. The Town Public Hearing will be held via Zoom and Migliaccio will be present virtually on Monday, April 13.
Policy 6172.6—Distance Learning
Sarah Thrall said the Curriculum/Policy/Technology/Communications Subcommittee met this evening and reviewed this policy. Given the nature of day-to-day changes, there may be other things that need to be added, so it was decided to keep the policy in subcommittee and discuss it at the next meeting in May. Thrall said great questions were posed on the policy and there is no rush to adopt it at this time as the Governor’s waiver is in place.
Board Reports
Curriculum/Policy/Technology/Communication
Thrall said this subcommittee had a robust agenda. Marian Hourigan was introduced to the subcommittee and started her position as Interim Assistant Superintendent with no school in session on her first day. Hourigan presented her monthly report which mostly highlighted Distance Learning, preparing teachers and getting curriculum ready; summer school; Teacher of the Year; two policies were reviewed and sent to the full board for approval; a policy on Distance Learning was reviewed but will stay in subcommittee; approved a new online vocabulary text; update on the work of the Granby Equity Team that has not been able to meet in person but are putting a plan in place to continue to meet.
Granby Education Foundation
Kim Becker reached out to Emery and herself offering the foundation’s help especially with distance learning. Migliaccio said she made a donation to GEF and she encouraged all board members to do the same.
Board Member Announcements
Peling inquired how the board Zoom meetings are advertised. Migliaccio said directions are posted on the website as well as on the invite when the agenda is sent out.
Migliaccio thanked Grossman for his videos to the students stating they have been well received. She also asked Grossman to pass on to the technology team how grateful the board is for their service during this time.
Executive Session
A motion was made by Migliaccio and seconded by Peling to adjourn the meeting and enter into an executive session to discuss a collective bargaining agreement. This motion passed unanimously. The Executive Session adjourned, and the board meeting adjourned immediately after.
April 22, 2020
Board Members Present via Zoom: Jenny Emery, Mark Fiorentino, Melissa Migliaccio, David Peling, Sarah Thrall, Rosemarie Weber, Brandon Webster and Dwaritha Ramesh and Jack DeGray (Student Representatives).
Melissa Migliaccio called the meeting to order.
Superintendent’s Announcements
Committed to looking at graduation and end-of-year activities. Included students on a meeting that occurred today and creative ideas are being discussed. Would love to have graduation on a normal date outside. Mr. Dunn, high school principal, has been asked to update the board and community where we are with graduation at a future board meeting. This will not be a rushed decision.
Communication has been sent to high school families about grading students with a Pass/Fail or letter grade. K–8 administrators are currently in discussion with staff for the last trimester for K–5 and last quarter for 6–8 students.
Our hearts go out to our student athletes and musicians who are normally recognized this time of year. CIAC will hold a meeting tomorrow to discuss the future of athletics. Grossman will report back to board what the CIAC decides.
Middle School Principal Announcement
Grossman introduced the new Granby Memorial Middle School Principal. He also wished Susan Henneberry the best in her retirement and thanked her for her leadership and guidance saying she would be missed in the community.
There were approximately 65 applicants for the principal position. Grossman expressed it a pleasure to introduce Taylor Wrye. Wrye is the current principal of Westbrook Middle School. He brings a tremendous amount of experience in middle school education. Wrye stated he is grateful to Superintendent Grossman and the board and that it was an amazing and very thorough process. He is excited to be here with his wife Caitlyn and sons, Jack and Charlie, who attend Kelly Lane Primary School. Wrye stated it is a dream opportunity to live in this town and be part of the Granby community.
Student Representative Reports
Dwaritha Ramesh and Jack DeGray, student representatives, reported on learning online and adjustments to student life. Dwaritha stated there are a lot of successes and with every week it is getting much smoother. Teachers are very supportive offering live meets and office hours. She stated it is as close as it could get to a regular classroom environment and she cannot think of any outstanding issues. Dwaritha stated she has been especially glad of the support she received from the Guidance Dept. She has officially accepted to go to UConn in the fall and it has been a good resource to have her guidance counselor available through email as well as access to the College and Career Center. She is currently applying for scholarships. Migliaccio inquired if there were any surprises with the distance learning platform. Dwaritha stated it takes a lot more motivation to get things done without a teacher in front of you and peers around you. It is not the same as doing homework on a regular school day. Migliaccio also inquired about the robotics program that Dwaritha is heavily involved in. Dwaritha said she connects with the group through a regular group chat and is trying to keep updated with everything; however, there is not too much going on except for planning, preparing for next season and training for underclassmen. Sarah Thrall asked Dwaritha for feedback on the Google platform. Dwaritha stated she thinks Schoology is better but the Google platform, which took a while to get used to, is getting better as she gets used to it; however, it is not as organized as Schoology.
Jack stated it was helpful that the teachers and students had to launch distance learning at the same time because teachers were very understanding about this new territory. Migliaccio inquired about the cancellation of SATs and what might happen with the College Board. Jack stated he and his classmates are certainly disappointed. College Board is saying the next test available is in August and October. Jack said he likes that everything is on Google Classroom even though it was an adjustment and distance learning is much easier using that platform. Migliaccio inquired how he and his classmates are keeping in touch. He said some teachers have made it easier than others in having conversations with other students and it has been very easy to communicate with other students. Jenny Emery inquired if there is a sense that a lot of Granby kids are disengaged and if there is anything the board can do differently with that problem. Jack stated he thinks some students are disengaging; however, there are many students who want to do the work and get good grades. Dwaritha said she is aware of one or two students she has not seen on the online platform but all other students have been accounted for in her classes.
Kate Hollister, sophomore at the high school, is working on her Eagle Scout project and one of the merit badges is citizenship. Kate stated she spoke with Grossman about distance learning and issues for students. She also attended the April 1 BOE meeting and has been doing research. It is much harder to obtain information but it is going as well as can be expected, and now getting easier. She feels she is missing out when other students ask questions of teachers because she does not hear the teachers’ answers.
Business Manager’s Report
Anna Robbins, business manager, presented the March statement of accounts. The March report is an unusual one with a prediction as of the end of March but also a forecast with no school for the rest of the year.
If school resumes on May 20, there will only be 16 days left. The projection is assuming no expenses for the remainder of the year. The forecast was ($90K) if you look at March in the former capacity, which is almost $40K better than last month due to purchase orders starting to close. Going forward with distance learning, there are some savings and some increases, i.e., savings in expenses such as nursing services, transportation, supplies, substitute services, utilities, and conferences. There is a slight increase in software purchases. Some assumptions were made in the Q and D fund regarding enrichment activities, bus monitoring and support services. For revenues to the town, there is a reduction in building rentals and pay-for-participation fees. The Excess Cost Grant will likely be lower due to transportation savings.
Assuming school resumes, the deficit created by special education will likely continue to shrink and is currently at ($90K). The projection if school does not recommence is built on a lot of variables and while there may be short-term savings due to programs not running, etc., there are also likely to be increased expenses related to coming back. None of this was built into the budget for next year. If the BOE ends up with savings from this year, the town needs to know there will likely be increased expenditures next year.
Assistant Superintendent’s Report
Marian Hourigan, interim assistant superintendent, provided an update on Distance Learning. Teachers have done an amazing job during this time period using an online format. The district sent out a parent survey a few weeks ago and received very positive survey results with parents noting they appreciated the amount of personal contact the students have with their teacher via class meetings, co-teaching and special interest clubs in off hours. There is built-in time for students to do their work and teachers to correct their work. She told the board that Kelly Lane has a “Bucket Filling Day” and Wells Road has a “Wellsness Day” once a week to try new and different activities for learning.
At the middle school there is a “Feedback Day” where one department per day will post new assignments so students can catch up on their past work and respond to their teacher’s feedback.
At the high school teachers slow the pace and extend assignments over longer periods where appropriate. The district continues to update and refine the work it is doing at all levels to provide the best possible education at this time. Sarah Thrall commented her son, in 5th grade at Wells, was excited that today was Wellsness Wednesday. He baked cookies with his sister and from a parent’s perspective it was a nice break from a lot of time in front of the screen, so she applauds those efforts. Emery inquired if the district is reaching out to parents about technology. Hourigan stated the middle school will continue to reach out virtually to give lessons on Google Classroom.
Migliaccio inquired if there is anything the board can do to help teachers find ways to improve this experience. Hourigan stated she feels Granby is way ahead of the curve as the district has been using technology with Chrome Books and that teachers work with one another and feel the board has been very supportive.
Consent Agenda
A motion was made by Weber and seconded by Emery that the Granby Board of Education adopt the minutes of the April 1 meeting. This motion passed unanimously.
Revision to 2020-21 School Calendar
The board discussed adding Friday, May 28, 2021 as a professional development day to the 2020-21 school calendar and move the last day of school to Wednesday, June 9, 2021. A motion was made by Migliaccio and seconded by Emery that the Granby Board of Education revise the 2020-21 school calendar to add a professional development day on Friday, May 28, 2021 and move the last day of school to Wednesday, June 9, 2021. The motion passed unanimously.
New Food Service Contract
The board discussed the approval of a new food service contract as recommended by the Finance/Personnel/Facilities Subcommittee. A motion was made by Migliaccio and seconded by Peling that the Granby Board of Education accept the food service management company that was selected using the State of Connecticut mandated procedure and recommended by the Finance/Personnel/Facilities Subcommittee. Emery stated Granby was up for a new contract and has been with Sodexo for a while. The process is heavily scripted by the state. The rubric that was used to evaluate was reviewed in subcommittee. There were four bidders, one of which was disqualified. The administration made its recommendation and will move toward finalizing a contract. The high scoring vendor is Fresh Picks Café out of Vermont. They have been around since the 1990s and have impressed the administration as being innovative and energized. The motion passed unanimously.
Board Reports
Finance/Personnel/Facilities
Emery reported this subcommittee met this evening. Reviewed states of the building projects. The building committee meets tomorrow for the first time in a while. If everything falls into place properly including state requirements, etc. we have the architect and hope to engage a contractor to work on the middle school this summer. High school still subject to review before architect can be selected. Unlikely that work would be undertaken before next year. In addition, the committee has gone out to bid for the rest of the projects, which will include some tradeoffs and will be talking about that tomorrow night as well. Makes sense to have a project manager to move the pieces along with the bidding, selection and state approvals needed every step of the way.
CREC/CABE
Fiorentino reported CREC met last week and stated a couple of labor agreements were ratified with the administrators for CREC and one with the teachers’ bargaining unit. He forwarded details on to Robbins and Grossman to help inform us as we go through the process. He stated although the Education Commission got a fair amount of work done, they do not expect to take any action on any of the bills they worked on this session.
Granby Education Foundation
Emery stated she was pleased to see the email about soliciting artwork from students. It is a great opportunity for the GEF to get more of the students’ art and music shared with the community. Grossman stated he attended the meeting on Monday and the district is also trying to partner with the Senior Center and help seniors during this time and respecting social distancing. Emery mentioned the GEF Tribute Program which honors staff members and stated the program may take on new urgency this year due to the cancellation of the GranBee.
Board Member Announcements
Migliaccio thanked the entire board, teachers, administrators, and the community for being supportive during this time and she hopes Granby will be back in session soon. Weber thanked Henneberry for her service and stated how much she appreciates her leadership at the middle school as well as her quiet confidence and digging into data to understand the school and students to make improvements. Migliaccio said the board should invite retirees to a board meeting via Zoom to recognize them. Dwaritha commented she received an email about the grading options for the high school and thinks it is fantastic for students to have the pass/fail option and happy that other students can get rewarded for the work they are doing.
Respectfully submitted,
Rosemarie Weber, Board Secretary