October 18, 2023
Present: Kristina Gilton, Katharine Leenders, Monica Logan, Donna Nolan, David Peling, Whitney Sanzo, Rosemarie Weber, and Student Representative Chase Alexander.
Superintendent’s Report
A summary of all of the Communication Focus Groups is posted on a special page on the website. There are also comments gathered on the surveys and data. Next steps in the process are to develop a District Communications Plan that will be presented to the board next month for its approval.
Business Manager’s Report
Business Manager Anna Robbins presented the September 2023 statement of accounts and stated there is an unfavorable forecast of $248K for FY24, which is $31K better than the previous month.
Public Comment
Kathy Kudish, Granby, would like to see higher salaries for Granby teachers. She is watching the exodus at the high school of great teachers this year. Salaries need to be competitive for this area.
Julie Haefner, 286 Simsbury Road, reviewed teacher salary scales for the Hartford area and was very surprised to learn that the only district that pays teachers lower than Granby is Hartford. She supports educators receiving competitive salaries.
Mike Kramarenko, Granby, is disappointed in the school rankings posted on the website, believes handbooks should be updated to address cell phone usage, said bullying happens in front of teachers but are resolved quickly, defended bus drivers who are late due to traffic in town center, and inquired what will happen for students who opt out of sex education.
Susan Regan, Granby, via a series of texts and emails asked if the Granby BOE would address a parents’ bill of rights. Weber said that the matter is not appropriate for individual BOEs but rather for the state legislature.
Beth Carroll, Quail Lane, would like to see timeframes and activities in the communications plan. She has viewed the curriculums online and now has a lot of detailed questions, and cited several. She noted that we are told repeatedly that the special education program’s budget is blown out of the water—if this is a state-wide issue then it should be addressed as such.
Ali Zafar, Granby, also advocates for teachers earning competitive salaries, extended accolades on an email sent by Mike Dunn/Cheri Burke providing resources for people with regard to some recent events, stated there needs to be a balance for diversity and inclusion and books being read in the school system that raise awareness of other cultures and people and their walks of life.
Phase I School Building Project
On Oct. 11, the Granby School Projects Building Committee accepted the Phase 1 building project at Granby Memorial High School as complete. The board unanimously approved the completion of Phase 1 of the project. The business manager is authorized to pay the last invoice on this project—the district can now seek state reimbursement.
Continuous Improvement Plans
Heather Tanis, middle school principal, and Michael Dunn, high school principal, presented their respective 2023-24 Continuous Improvement Plans. Please visit the BOE meeting minutes, online, for the details.
Finance/Personnel/Facilities
Nolan spoke about the repairs made to the baseball/softball fields irrigation system—a new sprinkler company will maintain the system. Staff say they need an additional half-time maintenance person to help with the grounds. There is not enough storage and they requested a small capital expenditure for a storage shed. Two new shot clocks were installed at the high school and two scoreboards will be installed at the middle school. New physical fitness equipment was purchased. The high school track dipped and was repaired but other dips have been noticed in the track.
Granby Education Foundation
The GranBee will be held April 19. A grant was awarded to the Granby Grunt Robotics Team.