School Board To Hold Community Discussions

By Eliza Hallabeck

Along with electing Republican Andrew Buzzi to fill departing Republican Board of Education member Kathryn Fetchick’s seat (see related story, “Andrew Buzzi Returns To The School Board, Takes Fetchick’s Seat”) at its meeting on Tuesday, October 6, the school board also discussed community outreach ideas and events that will be executed in the near future.

“We do want to have the chance to reach out broadly to the community,” said board Chairman William Hart to his fellow members, after announcing the idea to hold several coffee with the school board meetings at each school in the district.

While member Debbie Leidlein said she thought it was a fantastic idea to hold the meetings, she also checked with Superintendent of Schools Janet Robinson to make sure the meetings will not incur costs to the school board’s budget. Dr Robinson said they would not.

“The intent is to make it a conversation,” said Mr Hart. “Literally, coffee with the board.”

The first coffee with the board event is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, October 26, at 7 pm, at Newtown Middle School. The event will be posted on the school district’s website closer to the date.

The community discussions may be limited to a designated time length for each meeting, according to Mr Hart. He also said the board plans to start making monthly announcements to the public, to be sent to the press and posted on the school district’s website, www.newtown.12.ct.us.

“My attempt in writing these will be to reflect the consensus of the board, and not my personal opinion,” said Mr Hart.

During the meeting, the board also discussed goals that will be put in place for the 2010-2011 school year. Different goal leaders, to be determined either by volunteered or appointed positions, will oversee the implementation of the goals, which include “establish a continuous improvement process focused on education achievement” and “evaluate and decide on implementation of full-day kindergarten.”

On Wednesday, Mr Hart said the school board’s new goals will be fit in to work with the board’s already existing subcommittees, set up by former Board of Education chair Lillian Bittman.

“As we head into budget season,” Mr Hart said at the meeting, “I think it is very clear that we have an understanding of what our objectives are.”

Ms Bittman clarified the Strategic Plan put goals in place for the district; the new goals will apply to the school board.

Member David Nanavaty said he would like to see the goals as a “living document” that can be revisited during the year.

Newly seated board member Andrew Buzzi suggested the board take time to look over the goals, because they will reflect each member of the school board.

“I think a lot of these goals are worthy goals, and should be looked at as a Board of Education,” he said.

After Mr Nanavaty made the motion to accept the new Board of Education goals, the board passed the goals unanimously.

The school board also discussed having its Policy Subcommittee members, Lillian Bittman and Andrew Buzzi, examine the board’s recent move to an encumbrance-based financial reporting system from a transfer-based system. The examination, as Mr Nanavaty described it, shows the school board is doing its “due diligence” to a recent request by the Board of Finance to switch back to the transfer-based system.