School Board Enthusiastic

About CABE Membership

By Larissa Lytwyn

At a first-year cost of approximately $8,000, the Board of Education has accepted membership into the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education (CABE) for the first time in six years.

Membership in subsequent years will cost $16,000.

According to its mission statement, CABE’s mission is to “assist local and regional boards of education in providing high quality public education for all Connecticut children through effective leadership.”

CABE is a board of education advocate, lobbying at the state legislature in support of education budgets, as well as maintaining a clearinghouse of current changes in education-related state and federal laws to “complement,” according to its website, the work of the board attorney.

“We also want to make sure that the board members understand their roles with respect to each other and their community,” said Robert Rader, president of CABE. “We want our boards of education to be as effective as possible.”

During its August 17 meeting, the Board of Education approved a transfer of $8,752 saved from medical and dental insurance negotiations with the district’s custodial workers to its 2004-05 membership budget to cover the trial CABE membership.

Other transfers approved during the August 17 meeting included approximately $165,140 in administrative salary adjustments to salaries in departments including continuing education, custodial and maintenance and clerical and secretarial.

About $6,064 was transferred from the 2004-05 Newtown High School instructional supplies budget to purchase an LCD projector for the math and science departments, as well as replace an old telescope.

The board approved membership to CABE during its July 6 board meeting.

Board member Paul Mangiafico had praised the organization for seminars he had privately attended that he described as “motivating.”

During the same July 6 meeting, Chairman Elaine McClure said a key component of joining CABE membership could be the benefit of its legal assistance.

“It would always be of great benefit to have a clearer understanding of the legal considerations surrounding some of the issues we face,” she noted.

A CABE representative will be doing an introductory presentation on the organization’s services and capabilities during the next school board meeting on September 7 at 7:30 at Reed Intermediate School, Room 122.

Visit the CABE website at www.cabe.org or contact the Board of Education office at 426-7621.