GRANBY BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING HIGHLIGHTS

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September 1, 2021

Board Members Present: Jenny Emery (via Zoom), Mark Fiorentino, Melissa Migliaccio, David Peling, Sarah Thrall, Rosemarie Weber, Brandon Webster, and Tess Bajek and Jacob Scotto (Student Representatives)

Chairman’s Corner

Thrall reminded all present at the meeting that we are under an Executive Order per Governor Lamont to wear masks in school buildings and stated there were plenty of masks available if you do not have one. 

Superintendent’s Announcements

• Grossman welcomed Tess Bajek, a junior at the high school, as the new Student Representative.

• It has been a busy hiring season, hiring approximately 50 new staff members. 

• Congratulations to the Granby BOE for the Award of Excellence for Communication for our Stronger Together Plan. 

• Curriculum nights (formerly known as Open Houses) will be held in person with the guidance of the Farmington Valley Health District. 

Assistant Superintendent’s Report

Jennifer Parsons commented that Granby Public Schools is always overjoyed to welcome new teachers. The district welcomed back over 1,750 excited students and is 100 percent full in-person learning. Regarding COVID, many of the mitigation strategies that worked well last year are still in place. However, the district is relying less on cohorting, and some barriers from last year have been removed; they are no longer recommended as mitigation strategies. 

Student Representative Reports

• Tess Bajek said she manages the football and wrestling team and is involved in choir and Chamber Singers. She is also the Secretary on the Executive Board of Student Government. She stated she wanted to be student representative so she can be a voice for students.

• Jacob Scotto said he is a senior and manages the boys’ soccer team and is a member of the Granby Drama Club and State Championship Tennis Team as well as enjoys singing and is part of chorus and chamber singers with Tess.

Public Comment

Dave Emery, 71 Loomis Street, North Granby, stated he is a 40-year resident in town and expressed his gratitude to Grossman and members of the BOE and teachers for an extraordinarily difficult year last year. He was impressed with the frequent and high-quality communications sent to the community which provided a great source of information.

Brett Barbee is relatively new to the area and is starting his second year in Granby and is also appreciative for the leadership Grossman and his staff demonstrated last year. He requested the board consider the level of risk that might exist for faculty members who choose not to vaccinate and the potential loss of those faculty members.

Old Business

Vision of the Graduate Approval

The board discussed the approval of the Vision of the Graduate for the Granby Public Schools. The board voted to adopt the Vision of the Graduate.

New Business

Summer School Programming

Director of the Summer School Program Katie Busbey reviewed this past summer’s programming. She summarized the various camps that were held in-person and remotely. Moving forward, summer school session time programming can be set now for families to pre-plan for the summer and will also help with staffing and programming. 

Parsons mentioned the AP Boot Camp, which will be brought to a future board meeting. She said that about 30 students had the opportunity for summer school programming with funding available through grants. 

Strategic Plan for 2021-2025

The board discussed the draft Strategic Plan for 2021-2025.  

Board Standing Committee Reports

Curriculum/Policy/Technology/Communication

Weber stated this subcommittee discussed activity from the end of the school year until the beginning of this year including summer school; credit recovery; AP boot camp; GMHS news studio; testing in Grades K-2; community engagement in the 21-Day Equity Challenge; work being done to showcase our district to potential Open Choice students; and, the onboarding of many new teachers. 

Executive Session/Non-Meeting

A motion was made by Migliaccio and seconded by Peling to enter into an Executive Session to discuss a school safety matter with Parsons and the district’s attorney. This motion passed unanimously at 8:14 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Rosemarie Weber Board Secretary