Board of Education Meeting Notes

Huckleberry Hill Elementary School (HHES) students held the spotlight at Wednesday's Board of Education (BOE) meeting. Representatives from Odyssey of the Mind and the Student Council made presentations to the Board showcasing their work and accomplishments this year.

Coach Cindy Carroll introduced the Odyssey of the Mind Teams, who placed first and second in the state competition earlier this month. Students explained how the competition works and how they found a winning solution for the problem they were given. "Team members apply their creativity to solve problems that range from building mechanical devices to presenting their own interpretation of literary classics," according to their website. Each team of six students is given a different problem. Students meet twice during the school week and for four hours every Saturday to develop ideas and prepare for their competitions. 

The BOE approved the trip for the two winning Odyssey of the Mind teams to attend the NASA-sponsored World's Championship, held at Michigan State University May 26 through 29.

HHES Teacher and Student Council moderator Gary Huber introduced two fourth grade members of the Student Council. Kiera Frame and Molly Capalla demonstrated how a meeting is conducted and shared with the BOE what the council has been working on this year.  The group raised over $500 in their Hats for Haiti project. They will soon vote on how to allocate the funds raised through school store sales, which is operated by student council members. Last year they gave $50 to each classroom to replenish supplies and larger donations to other school facilities for improvements. Additionally, they have donated to the Danbury Soup Kitchen and given a "campership" for a needy student to attend summer camp.

Also covered at the meeting:

• Budget Update: The BOE will present their budget at the Town Meeting to be held Tuesday, May 4 at Brookfield High School (BHS).  At a meeting of the BOF and Selectmen last week, it was determined that the school budget would be presented differently (at the higher 4.3 percent increase) and that the change due to health care cost savings would be reflected from the bottom line.  The change does not affect the proposed tax rate; it's an accounting procedure that will have a "neutral impact on the tax payers" according to Business Administrator Art Colley.    
• Capital Improvements Update: Work on the roof at BHS will take place in five phases and is set to start this summer. All the bids are in for the work, but a vendor has not yet been chosen. Next up will be a lighting improvement project, also at BHS, which could potentially provide the district with a savings of $20,000 annually in electricity costs.
• The Board approved a policy regarding student administered prescription and non-prescription medications. It represents changes in accordance to new laws effecting student use of inhalers, epipens and treatment for diabetes.
• BOE Chairman Mike Fenton urged the Policy Committee to take a look at the policy on field trips brought to the board for approval. Currently, the information presented is often incomplete or coming before the board for a last minute decision. Rob Gianazza requested that the policies required for changing the itinerary of a trip after approval be clarified as well.
•  The Board acknowledged and thanked two teachers who are retiring at the end of this school year.  Jeff Foster has taught science for 36 years and Jacqueline Ormiston, a math teacher is retiring following 37 years of teaching in Brookfield. "We are sorry to see them go, but are grateful to them for their work," Fenton said.

• HHES parent Maureen Sharkey addressed the Board regarding the recent issue with the fire alarm system needing repair at the school.  She said there was a "lack of timely communication," for days while the district struggled to repair the system. She felt that it was irresponsible to hold classes and endanger students and teachers.

  A  fire guard was used to patrol the hallways of HHES in place of working alarms.  The fire guard was assisted in keeping watch by the janitorial staff and teachers.  Sharkey stated that she thought it was unsafe to make employees responsible in an area where they are not trained professionals and posed several "what if" scenarios where the system could have failed. Board members supported Superintendent Bivona's decision and did not address any of Sharkey's concerns specifically. Fenton stated that "the safety of our students is our main concern." 

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