Board of Education Meeting Notes

Samir Qureshi was publicly welcomed to the Board of Education (BOE) on Wednesday night by Board Chair Mike Fenton, who stated that he feels "certain he will hit the ground running." Qureshi is filling the board seat left open by Bruce MacDonald, who resigned last month following a move to Rochester, NY.

Qureshi has four children, two of which are school age, and has been a resident of Brookfield since 2007. He was a candidate for a vacant seat on the board last fall, which was filled by Victor Katz.

Additional topics covered at the meeting:

• Art Colley, Director of Business and Technology, gave an update regarding transportation issues for the coming school year. He recently met with the administrators from Christian Life Academy and St. Joseph's School to coordinate services.  Buses will no longer be able to be routed around the back of St. Joseph's school during drop off, as the school has added additional pre-school classes and they are concerned about the safety of their students. Instead, starting in September, the buses will go around the back of Center Elementary School (CES). Parent drop off for CES will be moved to the front of the building.
• After 40 years of teaching in Brookfield, CES Librarian Sharon Santi will be retiring. CES Principal Carrie Killian called CES's library "the epitome of a welcoming place," and credits Santi with creating the warm environment for students. "We owe her a huge thank you for building that in our school."
• The Board received an update from Collette Strum, the President of the Brookfield Education Foundation. Strum thanked the generous donors and supporters of the Foundation and reviewed several of the programs they have provided this year, including Rachel's Challenge and the interactive response system for the Smart Boards at CES to increase student engagement.
• The Teacher of the Year finalists were recognized by the board. They are: Barry Huber of Huckleberry Hill Elementary School (HHES); Alison Fitzpatrick of Whisconier Middle School (WMS); Andrew Hill of Brookfield High School (BHS) and Megan Tembeck of CES. The winner will be announced at the annual Teacher Recognition dinner on June 10 at Danbury's Amber Room.
• The school budget for 2010-2011 received final approval by the board, confirming the addition of three teaching positions to the district.