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July/August 2013

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How districts can utilize data to improve student outcomes Mark D. Benigni Thomas W. Giard III Michael S. Grove Mark A. Hughes

New Britain Public Schools

are my next steps? Meriden collects data from over 75,000 assessments ranging from attendance to grades to school climate. Information is stored in databases that are accessed easily and quickly in order to produce concise student reports.

In addition to CMT/CAPT data and discipline data (suspensions, expulsions, and arrests), Meriden utilizes their online in-district assessments to provide immediate feedback to teachers and students.

This is the information that will help teachers fill in student learning gaps and assure that all students gain the necessary skills to meet district, state, and national standards.

Three new data procedures that have received positive feedbackâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; our Meridenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s teacher and administrator dashboards, school climate surveys, and learning walk protocol. Dashboards utilize the same three gauges we use for our students: attendance, discipline, and academics. Our school climate survey See UTILIZE DATA page 14

Facing data overload, school districts must create a system that allows them to collect, analyze, and use data to drive their continuous improvement efforts. In Meriden, we are guided by the National Forum on Education Statisticsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; questiondriven approach to data use. We ask ourselves: What do I want to know? How will I access relevant data? What does the data tell me? What will I do? What

HALS Academy students open new guitars.

UCONN Capstone Project CABE/CAPSS Convention Study Lisa Steimer Senior Staff Associate for Professional Development, CABE

During the winter of 2013, Bob Rader, Patrice McCarthy and I had the pleasure to work with three graduate students on their Capstone Project for UCONNâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Public Policy Department. Through research and surveying 1,386 individual board members and superintendents, the students examined the influences on participation in the CABE/CAPSS Convention. We thank those who took the time to give thoughtful consideration and responses to the questions contained in the studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; survey. The response rate for the survey was 31.57%, quite good for this type of survey.

There were no surprises in the findings presented by the students. In some cases, it validated what we already knew. In other cases, it validated the work that the Convention Committee and staff put into creating this annual event. Finally, it provided a different lens in which to look at the Convention participation.

The students presented their findings to their faculty, peers and us in early May. Below are their findings and recommendations, extracted from the Executive Summary, as well as some of CABEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s responses.

Research Findings The findings were presented based on

District â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ahead of the Curveâ&#x20AC;? on healthier lunches Chris Seymour Reporter, CABE

This past school year brought sweeping, healthy changes to the menus of school systems across the nation, thanks to alterations â&#x20AC;&#x201C; aimed at reducing childhood obesity and making kids healthier â&#x20AC;&#x201C; to the National School Lunch Program.

But no dramatic menu overhaul was needed in Deep River, home to Regional School District No. 4 (RSD4), which recently completed its third year of serving students healthier and more

wholesome cuisine in 2012-13.

Under the direction of Director of Food Services Thomas Peterlik, Regional School District No. 4, which serves up about 813 lunches a day (and will have a system-wide population of 1,992 students across five schools in 2013-14), began serving its students healthier fare â&#x20AC;&#x201C; including fresh not frozen meats and lower sodium cuisine â&#x20AC;&#x201C; in the 2010-11 school year. â&#x20AC;&#x153;By making those changes, we were See DISTRICT page 4

the concepts of the studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; five research questions: demographics, knowledge, participation, satisfaction, and needs.

Demographics: â&#x20AC;&#x153;The majority of respondents are between 45 and 65 years of age, Caucasian or White, have a bachelorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s degree or higher, and have incomes between $100,000 and $199,000.â&#x20AC;?

Knowledge: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Results of the study indicated that 98.2% of the respondents knew about the annual convention. Overall, the findings indicated that CABE successfully informed their membership of the annual convention and that the top three ways members found out about the convention was through email, mail, and their board of education.â&#x20AC;? It was reassuring that such a high percentage of those surveyed know about the CABE/CAPSS Convention.

See UCONN page 15

INSIDE THIS EDITION President Commentary ........................ 2 Executive Director Commentary ........ 3 Media Message ................................... 4 See You in Court ................................. 5 Policy Corner ...................................... 6 Personalized Learning ........................ 6 Legislative Wrap-up............................ 7 Gautam Mukunda Speaker .................. 8 Collective Impact ................................ 8 21st Century Boards ........................... 9 A Sense of Security ........................... 11 Together, Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll Get Through This .... 12 Legal Briefs ...................................... 13 Perception is Reality ......................... 14

CABE welcomes new members CABE welcomes the Darien, Easton, and Meriden Boards of Education and their superintendents to our 2013-2014 membership.

CABE is your Association and we are here to serve you!

Meriden

â&#x2DC;&#x2026; Easton

â&#x2DC;&#x2026; Darien

â&#x2DC;&#x2026;

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The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education/July-August 2013 PRESIDENT COMMENTARY

Reflection and preparation The dusty, battered book cover caught my attention at a recent tag sale, “School, The Story of the American Public Education.”. The companion volume to the highly acclaimed PBS series aired several years ago.

The tattered pages of history, accompanied by vintage black and white photos intrigued me, so I left with my $1.00 bargain for beach reading.

I randomly opened to page 60, the Section labeled, School: 1770-1900, and read the last paragraph, “America’s public schools were a tremendous achievement with great promise for all. It remained to be seen how that promise would be met, as schools faced enormous challenges of the twentieth century.”

I perused page 119, School: 1900-1950 and read the last sentence, “The goal for the next generation would

“By strengthening and improving public education, our students of today will have opportunities to invest in themselves as they become the productive citizens of tomorrow.” be to ensure equal education for ALL of America’s children.”

I finally glanced at page 213, School: 1980-2000 and again read the last paragraph, “Will we give all students what they need to succeed, or stand by and see their opportunities limited? The choice will determine the future of our children-and nation.”

Today, similar themes are echoed repeatedly, whether the Common Core State Standards of recent Education

Reform; differentiated learning in our classrooms, teacher prep programs, or extended day, the decades have changed, not the educational goals.

Easily located on my own book shelf, is classic favorite, “The Berenstain Bears Go to School”, considered a first-time-book for young children when written in 1978.

Lydia Tedone Brother Bear, is ready to return, while Sister Bear is starting Kindergarten, Children’s curiosities, and feelings are translated into questions of what will it be like?; what if I just don’t like school?; or will I get used to the new teacher’s voice?

Brother assures sister to stop worrying, school is fun.

Upon entering the cheery room, she asks the teacher, what do you DO in Kindergarten? Both teacher and classroom were ready for the storybook curriculum which consisted of reading, singing, building, snack, ABC’s, painting, playing, lunch, recess, nap and story time to quiet commotion time when necessary. Upon returning home, showing parents her painting, is the famous comment, “Look what I DID in school today!”

The K curriculum of 2013 has changed. As board members, we have also. By strengthening and improving public education, our students of today will have opportunities to invest in themselves as they become the productive citizens of tomorrow.

As summer draws to a close, a new school year commences and we are ready.

Mission: To assist local and regional boards of education in providing high quality education for all Connecticut children through effective leadership.

Vision: CABE is passionate about strengthening public education through high-performing, transformative local school board/superintendent leadership teams that inspire success for each child.

CABE Board of Directors EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Lydia Tedone ..................................................... President, Simsbury Richard Murray ................................. First Vice President, Killingly Ann Gruenberg ................. VP for Government Relations, Hampton Stephen Wright ........... VP for Professional Development, Trumbull Robert Mitchell ................................. Secretary/Treasurer, Montville Don Blevins .............................................. Immediate Past President John Prins ............................................................. Member at Large

AREA DIRECTORS Susan Hoffnagle ............................. Area 1 Co-Director, Winchester Mari-Ellen (Mimi) Valyo ............... Area 1 Co-Director, Winchester Daniel Santorso ................................ Area 1 Co-Director, Plymouth Becky Tyrrell .................................... Area 2 Co-Director, Plainville Susan Karp .................................. Area 2 Co-Director, Glasbonbury Don Harris ...................................... Area 2 Co-Director, Bloomfield Laura Bush ................................................. Area 3 Director, Vernon Douglas Smith .................................. Area 4 Co-Director, Plainfield Steve Rosendahl ............................. Area 4 Co-Director, Woodstock Gavin Forrester ................................ Area 6 Co-Director, Stratford Elaine Whitney .................................. Area 6 Co-Director, Westport John Prins ............................................... Area 7 Director, Branford Pamela Meier ........................................... Area 8 Director, Madison Gail MacDonald ................................... Area 9 Director, Stonington

ASSOCIATES Eileen Baker .............................................. Associate, Old Saybrook Sharon Beloin-Saavedra .............................. Associate, New Britain Gary Brochu .......................................................... Associate, Berlin Robert Guthrie .............................................. Associate, West Haven Cal Heminway ..................................................... Associate, Granby COMMITTEE CHAIRS Elizabeth Brown ........................... Chair, State Relations, Montville Beverly Washington ..................... Chair, Federal Relations, Groton Becky Tyrrell ...................................... Chair, Resolutions, Plainville

CITY REPRESENTATIVES

Webinar – 10 Practices to Avoid Liability

Jacqueline Kelleher ....................... City Representative, Bridgeport Matthew Poland ................................ City Representative, Hartford Carlos Torre .................................. City Representative, New Haven Polly Rauh ........................................ City Representative, Stamford Charles Stango ............................... City Representative, Waterbury

STAFF Kelly Moyher, Senior Staff Attorney; Patrice A. McCarthy, Deputy Director and General Counsel; and Robert Rader, Executive Director, CABE, participated in the webinar. The session provided practical tips on developing and implementing best practices to avoid legal liability.

Scenarios covered were: best practices involving ethics, superintendent search, student discipline, religious issues, the operation of meetings, and board/superintendent relations. This webinar is archived on the CABE website.

This month’s leadership quote: “Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.”

- Helen Keller

Robert Rader ....................................................................... Executive Director Patrice McCarthy .................................. Deputy Director and General Counsel Bonnie Carney ............................................ Sr. Staff Associate for Publications Nicholas Caruso ............................................ Sr. Staff Assoc. for Field Service and Coord. of Technology Sheila McKay ............................. Sr. Staff Associate for Government Relations Kelly Moyher ......................................................................... Sr. Staff Attorney Vincent Mustaro ..................................... Sr. Staff Associate for Policy Service Lisa Steimer .............................. Sr. Staff Assoc. for Professional Development Teresa Costa .................................. Coordinator of Finance and Administration Pamela Brooks ......................... Sr. Admin. Assoc. for Policy Ser. /Search Ser. Terry DeMars ............................................... Admin. Assoc. for Policy Service Melissa Dickinson ............................. Admin. Assist. for Membership Services Gail Heath ........................................ Admin. Assoc. for Government Relations Wilmarie Newton ........................................ Admin. Assoc. for Labor Relations Corliss Ucci .................................. Receptionist/Asst. to the Executive Director

The CABE Journal (ISSN 1092-1818) is published monthly except a combined issue for July/August as a member service of the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education, 81 Wolcott Hill Road, Wethersfield, CT 06109, (860) 571-7446. CABE membership dues include $30 per person for each individual who receives The CABE Journal. The subscription rate for nonmembers is $75.

Association membership dues include a subscription for each board member, superintendent, assistant superintendent and business manager. The companies and advertisements found in The CABE Journal are not necessarily endorsed by CABE. “Periodicals Postage Paid at Hartford, CT.” POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The CABE Journal, CABE, 81 Wolcott Hill Road, Wethersfield, CT 06109-1242. Email: bcarney@cabe.org.

Members can find the CABE Journal online at: www.cabe.org/ userlogin.cfm?pp=84&userrequest=true&keyrequest=false& userpage=84

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The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education/July-August 2013 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR COMMENTARY

CABE Affiliate Members BUSINESS AFFILIATES DIAMOND MEMBER ACT, Inc. - Northeast Region Finalsite GOLD MEMBERS

Berchem, Moses & Devlin Centris Group Pullman & Comley Shipman & Goodwin Siegel, O'Connor, O’Donnell & Beck, P.C

SILVER MEMBERS Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Corporate Cost Control Milone & MacBroom, Inc. Quisenberry Arcari Architects The Segal Company

BRONZE PLUS MEMBERS Brown & Brown Insurance Friar Associates Goldstein & Peck, P.C. Lindburg & Ripple O & G Industries The S/L/A/M Collaborative Trane Whitsons School Nutrition

BRONZE MEMBERS Chinni & Meuser LLC Dattco Inc. Fuller & D’Angelo Architects and Planners Kainen, Escalera & McHale, P.C. The Lexington Group Muschell & Simoncelli Ovations Benefits Group

EDUCATIONAL AFFILIATES American School for the Deaf Area Cooperative Educational Services Capitol Region Education Council The College Board Connecticut Association of School Business Officials Cooperative Educational Services Connecticut Center for School Change Connecticut School Buildings and Grounds Association EASTCONN EDUCATION CONNECTION LEARN Unified School District #1

Women in public education leadership Warren Buffett recently wrote an article for Fortune Magazine on his view that women moving into leadership positions will be “bullish” for America.

I believe that, amidst the churn in public education over so many issues, women have made huge gains in educational leadership and that this will continue.

Buffet first said that the country’s “secret sauce” for our “mind-blowing” progress since 1776 has “been a political and economic system that unleashes human potential to an extraordinary degree… But that’s not the half of it – or, rather, it’s just about the half of it”. For most of our history, women (now, almost 51% of U.S. population, but almost 52% in Connecticut) have been relegated to the sidelines.

Buffett used his personal story to set context for his discussion. As the boy in his family, he was told that he had the world’s opportunities to seize. (You might notice that he did!)

But, his two sisters, from an early age, were taught that the best they could do was “marrying well”. They were “brainy and personable”, but his “floor became [his sisters’] ceiling.”

His thinking on these issues was not confined to his family. He got to know the late Katherine Graham, who was the controlling shareholder and CEO of the Washington Post Company. She had been told throughout her life that the men around her were smarter than her and it took her inner strength to overcome this.

Successful? “Washington Post stock went up more than 4,000 percent – that’s 40 for 1 – during Kay’s 18 years as boss”.

Readers may remember that this included the Watergate period when the Post broke stories day after day and she was under intense pressure. She wrote a wonderful autobiography that I strongly recommend.

Buffett ended the story with a call to males to “get onboard” with helping utilize the female component of the workplace. He said, that “if you visualize what 100% [of our capacity] can do, you’ll join me as an unbridled optimist about America’s future.”

Female Leadership in Public Education So, where is the leadership of public education in Connecticut in terms of gender equality?

There are inspiring examples of female leaders in education, such as Connecticut’s first female Governor, Ella Grasso; former Commissioner Betty Sternberg; Dorothy Goodwin, Co-Chair of the Education Committee in a maledominated era, and present CAS Executive Director Karissa Neihoff. And, I’m lucky to work with both volunteer and staff female leaders at CABE. Let’s look at our schools, starting with principals. We know that three quarters

(76%) of our certified teachers are female and that our principals and superintendents start as teachers. High school principals are now 29% female, middle schools are 46%; and elementary schools are 69%.

While it’s very difficult to find exact figures, 15 years ago in Connecticut, there were a small group of female superintendents.

Today? What would you guess?

Over the last century and before, men were seen to be “take charge”, nononsense managers, who could lead those doing the teaching. In particular, assistant principals and others who had the responsibility for discipline were most often male. It was a stereotype that fit in well with the image of the father in the family.

Because of this, it became very difficult for women who wanted to become assistant principals to move up, since there was a bottleneck at the assistant level.

And rarely did they get to the top position.

“We must ensure that both male and female teachers who show leadership qualities have the encouragement of their district’s leadership to get on the road to an administrative position.”

Today there are 51 female superintendents in our state – about 36 percent of all superintendents. Many have been special education directors, department heads, curriculum leaders and assistant superintendents on the way to their current positions. For the last few years, many of the new hires have been female.

Now, that might not seem like a huge number and it certainly is not precise equality, but it surely indicates that things are changing in a positive manner. And, just looking at the numbers to gauge equality may not mean all that much. It is just one indication of where we are.

What about our school boards? Is there numerical equality in the number of school board members? Why yes – as of this writing, of the approximately 1,282 board members, 635 are female – just under 50 percent.

And, board chairs? Of the 164 or so board chairs, about 45% are female.

So, what does this say about what’s happening in public education in Connecticut?

Luckily, things have changed.

While we have still not reached exact parity between males and females in the

Robert Rader

superintendency, we have moved significantly in the right direction. With the changes in how we view principals and superintendents as education leaders who can bring people together, there is good reason to believe that the trend towards equality will continue.

In terms of gender, boards of education are pretty much there in terms of equality.

Not there in every case, but on our way.

If you believe, as I do, that boards should, for the most part, reflect their communities, in terms of gender, we are very close!

Equal Chances I am not saying that it is necessary that 50 percent or some higher number of superintendents must be female, rather, that they have equal opportunities to men of reaching those heights. This is, as Buffett said, a great way to unleash more potential.

That’s no reason to rest on our laurels or just expect that the trend will continue.

We must ensure that both male and female teachers who show leadership qualities have the encouragement of their district’s leadership to get on the road to an administrative position. They may decide not to get on that path, but, at this time of shortages in high quality leaders everyone must have an equal opportunity and the support, when deserved, of those for whom they work.

Of course, gender equity is only one piece of the puzzle. When we look at race, ethnicity and other factors, we do not see much diversity among our teachers, principals, superintendents and board members. There are many miles to go to reach parity here.

The changes in terms of gender should be recognized and celebrated, without forgetting the obligation we have to others in our communities who also deserve a chance at moving up.

If you would like a copy of the interesting article, “Warrren Buffett Is Bullish…on Women”, go to http:// money.cnn.com/2013/05/02/leadership/ warren-buffett-women.pr.fortune/ index.html.

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The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education/July-August 2013 CABE and Baldwin Media: Partners in Managing Communications

The

Media Message

from Ann Baldwin, Baldwin Media Marketing, LLC

Make communications a priority this school-year Hoperfully, most of us have been able to enjoy a bit of a break this summer.

Now it’s time to start thinking about getting prepared for the new school year.

Summer time is the perfect time to make sure that your public relations, community outreach and crisis communications plans are in good shape and up-todate.

Getting prepared NOW on what, how, and to whom you want to get pertinent information, too, will only make life easier once school has started and you get bogged down with other priorities.

Here are some easy steps that you can begin to do to make sure that your communications vehicles are in place and up-to-date. We all understand the importance of communication to our school community, so why not make sure you have your plan in place with the following five core tasks that can make your job a whole lot easier?

1. Sort through your contacts.

Whether you have a full-time communications person or not (most districts don’t) make sure your

contact information is up-to-date.

People come and people go, especially in the media business, so make sure that if you are going to distribute a press release or a media advisory, you have the latest information on who you are going to send it to. Also, make sure that you have all of the relevant contacts on your list. With online publications popping up more frequently, it is important to stay on top of where your “constituents” are getting their information.

2. Update your community outreach list. As we all know, a good district communications plan goes behind the brick and mortar of the school.

In many instances, it is also important that community and business leaders also are kept current on what is happening in your district.

Therefore, this is another list that has to be consistently updated and inclusive to those folks in your community who also have a vested interest in what is happening in your

school system.

3. Review your website. Parents especially get frustrated when they go to a website and the information is outdated. This is where, at the beginning of the school year, they should see a fresh letter from the Superintendent welcoming the students back. Websites are also where people go for key dates and upcoming events, so staying on top of that will only make life easier and alleviate a lot of un-necessary calls to the office with questions that could easily be answered on your website.

4. Dust off your crisis communications plan. Make sure it has the latest information and is still relevant to potential concerns of your district. When working with CABE member districts, my number one piece of advice is: don’t wait until all hell is breaking loose to figure it out! Have a plan. If you never have to use it, great!

5. Take time to actually plan your communications strategy. Before (or near) the beginning of the school year is the perfect time to put together a yearlong PR plan with goals, objectives, strategies, and tactics.

Don’t wait until budget time to share with your community all of the great things that are happening on your district.

Remember that as CABE members, Baldwin Media is available to you for any initial crisis communications advice.

During our nearly seven-year relationship as CABE’s public relations agency, we have assisted many board members and superintendents through some very challenging situations. We have also worked with several districts on assisting them with their communications plans and positive media outreach as well.

For more information on Baldwin Media Marketing, go to our website at: www.baldwinmedia.net

District “Ahead of the Curve on healthier lunches

CABE-Meeting CABE-Meeting is a user-friendly, web-based service specifically designed to assist the board, superintendent and central office staff in preparing for and running board of education meetings.

An exciting feature designed for use by committees, in addtion to boards of education, was recently added to CABE-Meeting. Now all your board work and committee information is conveniently located in one place!

“CABE-Meeting has been a great program for our district. We have saved time and money and increased our ability to disseminate information quickly. I encourage Board members to consider the advantages of CABE-Meeting.”

Becky Tyrrell, Member, Plainville Board of Education

For more information, or to schedule a demonstration for your board, call Lisa Steimer at 800-317-0033 or 860-571-7446 or email lsteimer@cabe.org

(continud from page 1) actually ahead of the federal curve by a few years,” noted Peterlik. The changes that went into effect in 2012-13 in the National School Lunch Program include larger servings of fruits and vegetables, age-appropriate calorie limits, requirements for whole grains, and lower sodium content.

Being ahead of the curve, Regional School District 4 implemented healthier changes to its menu in 2010-11 in order to combat childhood obesity and poor nutrition, according to Superintendent of Schools Dr. Ruth Levy. “It’s been in response to the poor nutrition that we see children coming to school with and the changing demographics and social needs of our children,” explained Levy. “It has to do with childhood obesity and awareness of what people are putting into their bodies, and where foods are coming from and what is contained in some of the processed foods that we eat.”

In the push for healthier food began with a simple proposal from food service staff, recalled Peterlik. “It started with my staff, who came to me when I first started [before the 2010-11 school year], and said they wanted to cook from scratch again,” recalled Peterlik.

The initiative also got a push from the district’s Wellness Committee, explained Levy. “Thomas was a part of the Wellness Committee even before he joined our district and we have a strong component in our Wellness Committee of faculty and family that really supported nutritious meals for kids. And the board [of education] has really embraced it,” said Levy.

Under Peterlik, the district stopped purchasing items such as high sodium

pulled pork and frozen beef patties. “We have roasted chicken on the menu but we get the raw product and cook it ourselves,” explained Peterlik. “With hamburgers, we don’t buy the precooked burgers, which are loaded with sodium, anymore; instead, we serve our own fresh ground beef and grill it at each school.

And, instead of French fries, we get fresh red potatoes and make home fries out of them.”

According to Peterlik, the students have slowly begun to embrace the changes. “The first year we did it, our participation actually went down,” he said. “It takes a little while; this year, for the first time, we saw an increase in the meal participation.”

One item that always seems to be a favorite of students, pizza, has even gotten a healthy makeover. “The pizza is made with a whole wheat crust and the kids love it because it’s fresh,” said Levy, who also praised Peterlik for his work on the school lunch menu. “Thomas has been remarkable in his thought process and in developing menus with wholesome foods,” she said.

Serving homemade and healthier options also makes members of the food service staff feel better about the work they do, said Peterlik. “The food tastes good and we feel proud of what we serve the children,” he said.

Another plus is that students are eating better and that’s rubbing off on their families, noted Levy. “One of the side benefits of all of this is that kids are learning and bringing home ideas so that their families begin to enjoy healthy cooking and it becomes part of the family,” she said.

The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education/July-August 2013

5

See You in Court – The Nutmeg Board of Education

Pincher solicits information on how the administration is doing - FOIA violation?

Thomas B. Mooney, Esq. Shipman & Goodwin

The Nutmeg Board of Education makes many mistakes. The latest imbroglio created by the board will be reported here each issue, followed by an explanation of what the board should have done.

Though not intended as legal advice, these situations may help board members avoid common problems.

Penny Pincher was elected to the Nutmeg Board of Education last fall.

Before serving on the Board of Education, Penny was a PTO member and eventually President of the PTO at the Median Middle School.

When she started as PTO President, she set up a standing appointment on Friday afternoons with Mr. Principal to review school operations and to offer her two cents. After her election to the Board, she resigned as PTO President and her successor was elected.

However, she continued to attend the standing meetings at Median Middle School, now with Mr. Principal and her successor.

Penny has also been an involved parent, and she has always met regularly

with the teachers for her two children, both still in middle school. The meetings usually go well, because Penny’s children are good students and well-behaved. But Penny’s conversations with the teachers often stray into operational issues, because Penny likes to solicit the teachers’ input on how the administration is doing.

Penny was surprised when Mr. Chairperson called her up last week and informed her that he had received an anonymous complaint about her intruding into school affairs. The letter, which was sent to all the Board members, accused her of undermining the administration, supervising teachers and generally being a nuisance.

“You are going to ignore it, right?”

Penny asked. “After all, it is just an anonymous letter and shouldn’t be given any consideration.”

“Well . . . ,” Mr. Chairperson responded, “it isn’t that simple. It is an election year, and your fellow Board member Mal Content has demanded that we investigate your conduct. Think about how you will respond in executive session.”

Seventh Edition Now shipping

A Practical Guide to Connecticut School Law

by Thomas B. Mooney, Esq. Shipman & Goodwin The Guide comes with a CD which provides hyperlinks to many cases and statutes and will permit word searches as a supplement to the Index.

New to the Seventh Edition: Bullying, Background Checks, Child Abuse Reporting, Discrimination Issues, Educational Reform, FERPA, Freedom of Information, State Aid for Education and much, much more The 7th edition is now available from CABE. Call and order your copy TODAY at 860.571.7446 or 800.317.0033

Penny was shocked by Mr. Chairsuch data or information be handwritten, person’s decision, and she steeled herself typed, tape-recorded, printed, photofor a tough meeting. But it was tougher stated, photographed or recorded by any than she had imagined. When the Board other method.” convened into executive session to Clearly, this definition is broad, but an discuss Penny’s essential element of performance as a the definition is that Board member, the recorded informa“However, while it may Mal attacked. tion must relate “to be surprising and may “You have been the conduct of the trying to run business.” If not be fair, even anony- public’s Median Middle Penny’s cellphone School for years. bill shows calls to mous letters are public Your interference school people, that has got to stop! records when they relate part of the cellphone You are giving the bill may be a public Board a black eye.” to the public’s business.” record. Similarly, “I have no idea Penny’s emails that what you are deal with Median talking about,” Penny responded. “I have Middle School or the Nutmeg Public every right to meet with teachers to Schools more generally will likely be discuss my children, and if teachers public records. Otherwise, they are not, volunteer information, it is not my place and neither Mal nor anyone else would to shut them up. I do my best to stay out have the right to see that information. of things.”

There is a nuance in regards to But Mal was undeterred. “I heard that communications with Penny’s teachers. you have been calling the school and Upon election, a Board member doesn’t sending emails to teachers and others, lose his or her rights as a parent. Board telling them what ‘should’ happen at the member emails to teachers and others school. And your votes on PTO matters about his or her children do not relate to are clearly a conflict of interest. I want to the “conduct of the public’s business” and see your cellphone records and your need not be disclosed. Moreover, such personal emails. In fact, consider that a records are exempt from disclosure as request under the Freedom of Information personally-identifiable student records Act. We need to get to the bottom of under FERPA. this!”

Penny had every right to meet with her Penny was in a daze at Mal’s unrelentchildren’s teachers, but there was a ing attacks, and she was shocked by the practical problem in her talking with silence of the other Board members. She teachers about operational issues. Penny asked Mr. Chairperson to end the execushould have kept communications with tive session, but he told her that it was too the teachers focused on her children, and late for her to object. Mal continued his she exercised poor judgment in letting the diatribe against her for another fifteen conversation stray. minutes before the meeting ended.

It is unlikely that the teachers of Does Penny have any recourse here?

Penny’s children will be able to separate Penny as parent from Penny as Board While Penny may have exercised poor member. Therefore it fell to Penny to judgment here, it is clear her rights were maintain that separation, which she failed violated. Under the Freedom of Informato do. tion Act, the Board may convene into By contrast, there is no merit to Mal’s executive session to discuss the perforclaim that Penny had a conflict of interest. mance of a Board member, here Penny, Conflicts of interest typically arise when a but there is an important caveat. board member or school official has a While a public agency can generally personal financial interest in a matter that discuss the “appointment, employment, could impair or give the appearance of performance, evaluation, health or impairing the person’s ability to decide a dismissal of a public officer or employee” matter impartially on behalf of the public. in executive session, that individual may A personal interest, however, whether it require that the discussion be held in open be the PTO, youth athletics or whatever, session. As soon as Penny objected, the is not a conflict of interest and Penny has Board should have ended the session. every right to weigh in and vote on such The other FOIA issue here is more matters. complicated. Mal made a request to see Finally, Penny’s problems began with Penny’s cellphone records and personal an anonymous letter, and she thought the emails. Under the FOIA, any person has Board should ignore it. Penny may well the right to inspect public records unless have been right about that. However, there is an exemption from disclosure. while it may be surprising and may not be The question here is whether and to fair, even anonymous letters are public what extent Penny’s cellphone records or records when they relate to the public’s personal emails are public records. The business.

FOIA defines “public records or files” as Attorney Thomas B. Mooney is a part“any recorded data or information relating ner in the Hartford law firm of Shipman & to the conduct of the public’s business Goodwin who works frequently with prepared, owned, used, received or boards of education. Mooney is a regular retained by a public agency . . . whether contributor to the CABE Journal.

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The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education/July-August 2013

The Policy Corner Vincent A. Mustaro, Senior Staff Associate for Policy Service, CABE

Responding to board member requests for information Superintendents of schools believe board members should have a deep knowledge of their school districts.

Such knowledge helps the board to support the superintendent’s agenda.

The foundation for effective policymaking is an informed board.

The Superintendent Therefore, superintendent reports are an important part of every board meeting. It is also necessary for superintendents to keep board members informed of the important issues facing the school district. In addition, superintendents should respond in good faith to responsible and reasonable requests for information.

However, some individual board members have a seemingly insatiable appetite for information, seeing themselves as watchdogs for the public or to satisfy their curiosity.

Unfortunately, board members may make many requests for information which can hamper the activities of the central office. Some board members may request documents pertaining to the status of contract negotiations, personnel performance or pending management decisions.

In short, the superintendent is faced with the dilemma of how to respond to those board members who may disrupt the flow of district activities with difficult or even inappropriate requests for information. The superintendent should be able to screen such requests through the board chairperson.

A failure to respond or simply rejecting such requests may create the appearance that the administration has something to hide. Moreover, it is not wise to question the motives of a board member, as some requests are legitimate and helpful. The superintendent is faced with the problem of determining how to respond to some board members and not to others.

The superintendent needs to place the responsibility for managing board member requests on the full board. As with other issues, the instrument of choice for regulating board behavior is board policy and bylaws.

The Board A bylaw pertaining to information requests makes it clear that board members, subject to the policies that apply to all citizens, have access to public documents. They are also welcome to request information, subject to some safeguards.

The board, through its bylaw, accepts responsibility for checking unreasonable requests for information.

In addition, the board goes on record respecting executive privilege. Such a bylaw is based upon the principle that the board must accept responsibility for policing itself.

It is difficult, on many issues, for a superintendent to challenge the inappropriate behavior of individual board members. Unless appropriate behavior is agreed upon in advance and defined in policy and bylaws, boards will find it difficult to hold in check inappropriate behaviors of many kinds.

Board members who abuse the requests for information is not at the top of major governance challenges.

However, such behaviors can present an unneeded problem for the superintendent. A bylaw pertaining to this issue reflects the responsible actions of the board.

A new bylaw, #9325.5, “Requests for Information by Board Members,” has been prepared and is available upon request from the CABE Policy Department. This is considered an optional bylaw for inclusion in a district’s policy manual.

Personalized learning: A student’s perspective Cody Semmelrock CABE Intern, Williams College ‘14

My opinion may be shrugged off, and I may be dismissed as a naïve and idealistic college student; but I wish to offer my two cents on the newly debated issue of personalized learning.

Having sat in on several meetings regarding this topic, it is painfully clear how much work needs to be done in order to fully define, comprehend and implement this type of educational process.

But what is equally as apparent are the potential benefits that exist in utilizing a system that is capable of addressing the educational needs of every student.

Having had my eyes set on attending a “good college,” I fully bought into and embraced my district’s pre-determined track put forth to assure not only acceptance by, but choice in my undergraduate institution. This track did open doors, and contributed to my acceptance, but it did not allow much flexibility.

And yet, it was this little amount of flexibility my peers and I were granted, that provided for our most crowning educational moment.

I had no real role in designing my course work - until senior year.

As a high school student in Connecticut, I was fortunate enough to utilize, albeit limited, some semblance of personalized learning. Although I attended Woodstock Academy, a quasipublic institution, it served as my public high school and with their embrace of personalized learning, I was able to more appropriately direct my educational experience.

My junior year, a group of students and I took an after school pursuit in community engagement and transformed it into an independent study for senior year titled “Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) Development.” With the guidance of a passionate social studies teacher, willingness on behalf of the administration and board of trustees and

tremendous community enthusiasm, we not only had the course approved and incorporated into our class schedule, but our work culminated in the founding of our own community-based NGO. Family Related Effective Solutions for Humanity (FRESH) illustrates the potential benefits that lie in personalized learning. Our NGO embodies the benefits found in collaboration and community engagement within the educational process, as well as the culmination of continual individual student preparation.

I would urge all school board members, educational advocates, school administrators and community members at large to look to this example, and try to take away from it not the specific result, but rather, the educational benefits that were reaped of all those involved.

The students who had their educational desires and demands met, the teachers and administrators who helped to facilitate the educational process, the Board of Trustees that approved and promoted this example of personalized learning, and the community at large all helped strengthen increasingly invested and informed citizens. Also gained was a highly effective NGO that furthers the connection that should exist between educational institutions and their respective communities.

It goes without saying that this topic has myriad issues including but not limited to; a clear definition, comprehensive and universal understanding, and effective implementation.

Nevertheless, the discussion should not stagnate, and I hope that the lessons gleaned from this anecdote will help to fuel the desire to better serve your students, your school and your community.

Remember, it is the power vested in the school boards, and the policies that ensue which drive examples like this. I was fortunate enough to have this type of opportunity provided for me; and every student deserves that same privilege.

Like Us On Facebook – Join Our Community We are trying to increase our Facebook presence and would like to encourage you to ”LIKE” us on Facebook. Please share this link with other members of your Board of Education and have them “LIKE” us.

Benefits of “LIKING” us are: early announcements of upcoming work-shops

to assist you in your planning, access to some articles before they are published in the CABE Journal, weekly communications tips, photos from workshop and events, plus much more. Join us as we grow! www.facebook.com/ ConnecticutAssociationBoardsEducation

A CABE-facilitated workshop for the North Haven Board of Education and administrative team conducting a SWOT Analysis of the district as part of a process to review the Vision, Mission and Goals of the district.

7

The Journal â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Connecticut Association of Boards of Education/July-August 2013 Highlights from

2013 Legislative Wrap-Up What Happened and What Are the Implicaitons for Your School District?

Patrice A. McCarthy, Deputy Director and General Counsel and Sheila McKay, Senior Staff Associate for Government Relations discussed the legislation passed by the General Assembly that will affect board of education.

Elaine Whitney, Westport, asking a question of Patrice and Sheila.

Cal Heminway, Granby, asking a question at the workshop.

Lawrence Craybas, Board Chair, Bethel

Richard Murray, Killingly and other participants at the Legislative Wrap-Up.

Ian Neviaser, Superintendent, Region #18

David Kennedy, former member, Stratford Board of Education; and former member of CABEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Board of Directors; COO, United Way of Coastal Fairfield County, gave participants an update on the Achievement Gap Task Force.

Receiving a briefing on the new laws and regulations that will require action by local and regional boards of education were school board members, administrators and others interested in how the laws will affect their district.

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The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education/July-August 2013

Saturday morning speaker Gautam Mukunda Lisa Steimer Senior Staff Associate for Professional Development, CABE

The CABE/CAPSS Conference Committee is pleased to announce that Dr. Guatam Mukunda is our Saturday morning speaker.

Gautam Mukunda is an Assistant Professor in the Organizational Behavior Unit of Harvard Business School. Before joining the business school he was the National Science Foundation Synthetic Biology ERC Postdoctoral Fellow resident at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Center for International Studies.

He received his PhD from MIT in Political Science and an A.B. in Government from Harvard, magna cum laude. His research focuses on leadership, international relations, and the social and political implications of technological change. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and MIT’s Security Studies Program and Program on Emerging Technologies.

Before graduate school he was a consultant with McKinsey & Company, where he focused on the pharmaceutical sector. He is Founding Managing Director of The Two Rivers Group, a strategy consulting firm

focusing on applying insights from academic to private and public sector problems.

He is a member of the Board of Directors and Chair of the Mentorship Committee of The Upakar Foundation, a national non-profit devoted to providing college scholarships to underprivileged students of South Asian descent.

He is a Paul & Daisy Soros New American Fellow, an NSF IGERT Fellow, and a Next Generation Fellow of The American Assembly. He has published articles on leadership, military innovation, network-centric warfare, and the security and economic implications of synthetic biology in Security Studies, Parameters, Politics and the Life Sciences, Systems and Synthetic Biology, and the Washington Post.

His first book, Indispensable: When Leaders Really Matter, was published in September 2012 by Harvard Business Review Press.

Dr. Mukunda will talk about leadership and will be available for a book signing immediately following his session. His book, Indispensable: When Leaders Really Matter, will be available in the Convention Bookstore.

Talented Student Showcase 2013 CABE/CAPSS Conference November 15-16 Keeping Focus on Student Growth in a Time of Rapid Change Lisa Steimer Senior Staff Associate for Professional Development, CABE

Thanks to the good work of the CABE/ CAPSS Conference Committee the pieces of the Conference puzzle are coming together.

The Conference Committee has selected two student musical groups to perform on Friday and Saturday mornings. The selection process is always an enjoyable experience where the selection committee has the opportunity to review each entry and see on a large scale the many talented students that attend public schools in Connecticut. At

the same time, it is also a difficult meeting because the Committee cannot accept every group that submits an entry.

The Conference Committee is pleased to announce the two student groups that will be performing at the CABE/CAPSS Conference. The selected groups are the Ashford Jazz Band who will perform on Friday morning and the Weston Middle School Chamber Orchestra who will perform on Saturday morning. They will be a great way to kick off the Conference each morning!

Watch your email and The Journal for more Conference news.

Collective Impact: A strategy for school boards?

Robert Rader Executive Director, CABE

The Stanford Social Innovation Review recently published an article on Collective Impact, which is broad-based collaboration to create change. The idea here is the social sector, including the public schools and the nonprofit world, and has long focused on attempting to reform one particular area at a time, usually using only one organization to carry out the change.

An example of this may be focusing solely on admittedly beneficial ideas, such as preschool education, without examining other initiatives, like afterschool programs – each of which might support the other.

What the article points out is that using cross-collaboration across government, nonprofits, foundations, and businesses, all focused on a single agenda can be much more effective in bringing change.

What really piqued my interest was the example that was given by the authors.

In Cincinnati, a group called “Strive”, “a nonprofit subsidiary of KnowledgeWorks, has brought together local leaders to tackle the student achievement crisis and improve education throughout great Cincinnati and northern Kentucky.”

According to the authors, in the four years since the effort was launched, “Strive partners have improved student success in dozens of key areas across three large public school districts, in spite of the recession and budget cuts.”

Success came about in 34 of 53 indicators of success, “including high school graduation rates, fourth-grade reading and math scores, and the number of preschool children prepared for kindergarten”.

How did this happen when so many other attempts failed?

According to the article, a core group of community leaders decided to “abandon their individual agendas in favor of a collective approach to improving student achievement. More than 300 leaders of local organizations agreed to participate” from a wide spectrum of foundations, government officials, universities and community colleges and education-related nonprofit and advocacy groups.

These leaders understood that “fixing one point on the educational continuum – such as better after-school programs – wouldn’t make much difference unless all parts of the continuum improved at the same time… No single organization, however innovative and powerful could accomplish this alone.”

So, Strive didn’t create a new educational program or look for more donations. Instead, they got the entire school community “focused on a single set of goals, measured in the same way.” They developed 15 different “Student Success Networks” by type of activity, such as “early childhood education or tutoring.”

Each of the 15 groups met over the with coaches and facilitators every two weeks over the last few years, for two hours at a

time, where they developed “shared performance indicators, discussing their progress, and most important, learning from each other and aligning their efforts to support each other.”

Collective Impact is different from the types of collaborations that we have seen in the past. “unlike most collaborations, collective impact initiatives involve a centralized infrastructure, a dedicated staff, and a shared process that leads to a common agenda, shared measurement, continuous communication and mutually reinforcing activities among all participants.”

Here are the “Five Conditions of Collective Success”: • Common Agenda – all participants have a shared vision for change, one that includes “a common understanding of the problem and a joint approach to solving it” through agreed upon actions.

• Shared Measurement Systems – there must be shared agreement on how success will be measured and reported.

• Mutually Reinforcing Activities – “the power of collective action comes not from the sheer number of participants or the uniformity of their efforts, but from the coordination of their differentiated activities” through these actions.

• Continuous Communication – developing trust takes much time together and, with Strive, skipping meetings is not acceptable. And, there is much communication between meetings, using technology.

• Backbone Support Organizations – there is a need for an infrastructure in support of all of this work, with a dedicated staff, which can manage and support the work.

Strive worked with General Electric, using a Six Sigma process (which includes tools and training that helps each network define its agenda, measures and the plan of action.

Collective Impact is not without its difficulties. Getting funders to remain true to a long-range plan without any particular solution in advance, is not easy, as Strive has learned. But, certainly the idea of going big, with multiple groups agreeing on a common agenda can be a game-changer. But, we have seen this work in Connecticut, with examples including boards in an area or Statewide, pulling together on an issue. A common school calendar in Southeast Connecticut, transportation consolidation and other issues bring together some terrific actions that not only save money, but provide increased opportunities for our children.

Individual districts also face very difficult obstacles, like underperforming schools and students. They may want to look at collective impact for its holistic approach. Rather than gather the “usual See COLLECTIVE page 13

The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education/July-August 2013

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The 21st Century board of education Robert Rader Executive Director, CABE

Over the Summer and, we expect, into the Fall, I have been working with two other executive directors of state school boards associations, Tammy Grissom of Tennessee and Rick Lewis of Ohio, to begin a conversation with other executive directors, NSBA and state association presidents on the issue of the future of boards of education.

As all school boards associations struggle with how to help boards at a time of much more decentralized governance, we believe that most, if not all, boards will have to adapt if they are to survive.

They face perceived threats from an intrusive federal government, the proliferation of charter schools, magnets, mayoral takeovers, vouchers and other trends. We also believe that opportunities exist to help boards deal with these concerns and that boards still represent a cornerstone of democracy that must be protected.

A report entitled Moving Beyond the Killer B’s: The Role of School Boards in School Accountability and Transformation was recently published by the Academic Development Institute (ADI). The Institute works with “families, schools, and communities so that all children may become self-directed learners, avid readers, and responsible citizens, respecting

themselves and those around them. ADI’s vision is of an American landscape filled with distinct school communities reflecting the hopes and dreams of the people intimately attached to them.”

After a description of boards and the challenges they face, the Executive Summary included the following “Key Recommendations”:

National Level • Integrate funding to support highly focused school board training related to superintendent relations, roles and responsibilities, and governance into existing federal funding programs.

• Encourage board engagement in applications, and related guidance, for federal initiatives such as Race to the Top State and District, School Improvement Grants, 21st Century Schools, and Promise Neighborhoods.

• Incubate innovative school board capacity building strategies through federal programs such as the Investing in Innovation Fund (i.e., “I3”).

• Offer grants or develop competitions to spur on entrepreneurial approaches to board capacity building.

• Foster partnerships between national organizations that support superintendents and school boards (e.g., American Association of School Administra-

tors and National School Boards Association) to develop model school board evaluation rubrics and hold local school boards accountable for their performance through public disclosure of board evaluations.

• Establish state interventions to address serious board mismanagement and inattention to low district performance.

Regional Level (Across States and Within States) • Encourage federally funded technical assistance centers – Regional Comprehensive Centers (RCCs) – to advocate for school board training and engagement as essential to successful implementation of bold change initiatives on an accelerated timeline.

• Incorporate school board training, coaching, support, and self-evaluation in state technical assistance plans developed by RCCs.

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State Level • Establish a state-level school board liaison charged with developing a statewide strategy for building local board capacity.

• Allocate funding to support school-

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board coaches to work with lowperforming districts.

Develop baseline training requirements for new and experienced school board members focused on process as well as substantive issues critical to establishing conditions for district and school success. These requirements should be coupled with clear accountability structures to ensure meaningful implementation.

Provide experienced board members, and especially board chairpersons, access to high quality, relevant, and timely leadership training to ensure it adds value to their practice.

Maintain a separate budget line item for board training to ensure it is preserved, even in difficult financial climates, and leverage the funds to hold training providers accountable for providing relevant and high quality training opportunities. This may include online training options.

Develop tools to track and publish board training and capacity building efforts to inform school board elections. These data could be incorporated into district report cards (e.g., create a board capacity index).

Create intentional collaborative training opportunities between national and state school board associations and See 21ST CENTURY page 12

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The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education/July-August 2013

CABE: working for YOU Individualized Workshops • Professional Development Opportunities Legal Services • Policy Services • Representing You Statewide and Nationally Below are the highlights of activities that the CABE staff has undertaken on your behalf over the last month. We did this:

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➤ By providing opportunities for members to learn how to better govern their districts: •

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Attended LEAD Connecticut Summit as well as meetings of the full LEAD Board and subgroups.

Presented webinar on 10 Practices to Avoid Liability (archived on CABE website).

Attended meeting on superintendent search in Newtown.

Facilitated discussion on vision setting and the goal setting process with the North Haven Board of Education.

Provided Lighthouse Training for the Killingly Board of Education.

Facilitated Roles and Responsibilities workshop for the Groton Board of Education.

Held successful Collective Bargaining and Legislative Wrap-Up workshops.

Provided policy information to 48 districts, one RESC, the State Department of Education, one education nonprofit organization, two newspapers, and two out-of-state school board association through 68 answered requests for information or sample policies, on 70 topics. In addition, districts continue to accessed CABE’s online Core Policy Reference Manual and/or online manuals posted by CABE for policy samples. The topics of greatest interest pertained to parental involvement, graduation requirements, student handbooks, safety and security, grading and health issues.

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➤ By representing Connecticut school boards on the state or national level: •

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Attended Connecticut Association of Schools Annual Governor’s Scholars Luncheon.

Attended Governor’s Prevention Partnership Board of Directors

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meetings and reception at Governor’s Mansion.

Attended officer swearing in including CABE’s Gail Heath as President, Connecticut Association of Educational Office Professionals, (CAEOP).

Met with representatives of Teach for America, on working in school districts.

Attended meetings of the Connecticut Coalition for Public Education.

Attended New Haven Superintendent Reggie Mayo’s retirement dinner.

Attended professional development committee meeting.

Attended MORE Committee meeting.

Attended State Board of Education meetings.

Attended United Way event honoring George Coleman.

Responded to media requests for information on Legislative issues.

Attended Connecticut Public Employers Labor Relations Association conference.

Appeared on Fox 61 “The Real Story” to discuss Legislative issues.

Attended CAPSS personalized learning committee meeting.

Attended Connecticut Coalition for Justice in Education Funding Steering Committee meeting.

Attended NEASC Commission American International Schools Abroad training session.

Attended School Safety Infrastructure Council meeting.

Participated in Performance Evaluation Advisory Council calls and meeting.

Attended NSBA Council of School Attorneys officers meeting.

Attended and presented at the NSBA Trainers and Conference Planners Conference in Austin, TX.

➤ By helping school boards to increase student achievement •

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Attended meeting of the CABE/ CAPSS Committee on District Capacity.

Met with CABE/CAPSS Conference Talented Student Subcommittee for selection of students performers and displays at Conference.

Held CABE/CAPSS Conference Committee meeting.

Sent four issues of Policy Highlights via email listserv covering topics that affect student achievement. This included issues pertaining to graduation rates, ability grouping, test oversight, school climate, religion in schools, school safety, cyberbullying, guidlines for excused and unexcused absences, nepotism, class size, and required parental and student notifications.

➤ By promoting public education: •

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Hosted and attended meetings of the Big 6 Partnership (CABE, CAPSS, CAS, CBIA, CCER, ConnCAN).

Hosted and attended meetings of the WhatWillOurChildrenLose Coalition.

Participated in television programming in Hartford on importance of boards of education.

Answered questions about the current legal issues facing boards of education. “HOT” topics this month were: Reasons for executive sesion, board agenda, referendum, board vacancy, and conflict of interest.

➤ By providing services to meet members needs: • •

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Provided Annual Legislative Update workshop.

Provided Legislative Update to CREC Council and Hartford Area Superintendents.

Received applications for personal finance course grants.

Completed as part of the Custom Update Service packets of new and/or revised policies for: New Fairfield, New Hartford, Putnam, Region #6 and Stafford Boards of Education.

Completed Policy Update Service publication #4, the annual legislative issues, to be mailed to subscribing districts during mid-July.

Entered into agreement to do an audit of the policy manual for Bolton.

Completed an audit of the policy manual for Region #12.

Currently in the process of auditing the policy manuals of Stratford and Wethersfield.

➤ By ensuring members receive the most up-todate communications: •

• •

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Met with Chairman James Witkins and Superintendent Ian Neviaser (Region #18) to speak about CABE programs, services and activities.

Compiled Education Law Summaries.

Prepared Custom Policy Service materials for Avon, Brooklyn, Columbia, Derby, Griswold, North Haven, Sherman, Watertown and Woodbridge.

A contract was entered into with Ellington to develop a new policy manual for the district.

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The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education/July-August 2013

A sense of security: Building a safe school environment Joey Barbera

CIRMA Risk Management Consultant

School buildings and grounds are designed to be welcoming environments for students and to advance the educational mission of the school. School buildings are, in fact, very safe environments for students and staff.

Although shooting incidents grab headlines, incidents of gun violence in schools are rare: less than 1% of student homicides and suicides take place at school, on the way to or from school, or at a schoolsponsored event (Robers, Zhang, & Truman, 2012). The most frequently occurring incidents that threaten the school environment involve child-custody disputes, student bullying, or natural perils.

Building a truly secure school environment requires taking a holistic Enterprise Risk Management approach. School leaders should first establish a collaborative building security committee with local safety officials to develop the goals and initiatives of the school district security plan.

School districts and individual schools within the districts should develop their own school crisis plans and school emergency guidelines. They should not “cut and paste” or template approach using other schools’ emergency plans.

Then, by following the complete Six-

Step Risk Management process, the security team should conduct a comprehensive safety and security assessment to help identify and analyze exposures with the committee and safety officials.

The physical assessment of the facility looks at each school building and its surrounding green space and grounds in a way that focuses on potential security gaps. These may include: • The ability of an individual to enter a building undetected.

• The ability of an individual to drive (and/or park) a vehicle immediately adjacent to a door or window of the school building.

• The ability of an individual to drive a vehicle into an entrance area of the school building by breaking through any security measures in place.

• General security along walking paths to/from the school building.

• Access control and keying strategies used for door systems.

• Intruder detection systems.

• Effectiveness/coverage of closed circuit monitoring for the school building, parking lots, and walking paths.

• Appropriateness of door hardware.

• Areas of seclusion near doors or windows to hide items for future retrieval.

• Secluded areas near doors, windows, or walkways that may hide potential intruders.

• Exterior lighting coverage/limitations.

• Resilience/functionality of communication systems immediately after an incident.

• Potential for intruders to establish barricades inside a school building.

A Sense of Security: Building a Safe School Environment Once a physical assessment of the facility is made, the team should identify and analyze exposures, assess risks, then begin to develop a tailored program with practical solutions. That solution should address the human element not just the physical aspects, of building security.

Social-skill development programs geared toward the elimination of bullying, appreciating diversity, peer acceptance, and learning how to get along with others are every bit as important to the general welfare of the student population as technical security measures for the building.

Remember, plans that are not communicated, exercised, or critiqued, will not be owned by the school community they should protect. During a crisis, when there is no time to think, training and preparedness are crucial.

For information: Joey Barbera, CIRMA Senior Risk Management Consultant; 203.946.3745; jbarbera@ccm-ct.org

CABE Mobile Website We’d like to introduce you to the new CABE Mobile Website.

You can visit the website on your smart phone by typing www.cabe.org.

Currently available is a listing of CABE Staff, Directions to Workshops and Events Calendar.

You can also go to our full website with one click of a button.

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12

The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education/July-August

2013

Together, We’ll Get Through This!

Karen L. Carney, RN, LCSW, FT D’Esopo Resource Center and Safe Place to Grieve Foundation

As professionals, we typically are able to handle most issues that come to our attention. But every now and then, life throws us a curve. Marbles are thrown in our path. Every now and then we don’t have a ready-made outline, policy, or procedure to follow. Every now and then, we can’t find a colleague who has had experience with the issue at-hand.

One of the most memorable of such events was September 11, 2001. Just after the second tower collapsed, the phone at the D’Esopo Resource Center began ringing. The Center and the Safe Place to Grieve Foundation are nonprofit organizations that aim to help children and adults when grief strikes. They are located near the CABE Office in Wethersfield, but work statewide.

Among the many callers 12 years ago were school professionals, TV and print media reporters as well as parents, asking me how to talk to children about the crisis. There was no ready-made outline that would address panic of this proportion. We were all grappling with the unthinkable. We were all in uncharted territory.

The unthinkable happened again in Newtown on December 14, 2012. How do we handle these extraordinary events?

Here are some suggestions: On the large gathering table in the community room at our Resource Center, there is a Friendship Candle. The figures are standing in a circle, holding onto each others’ backs. It’s a powerful symbol of unity and interdependence. Remember that there are others available to offer support and guidance. You aren’t alone, even though during times of overwhelming odds it may feel that way.

Several years ago there was a television program called, “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” One of the options for contestants was to “phone a friend” when the contestant didn’t know the answer.

We all can’t possibly know everything.

Before a crisis hits, think of who you might want to call, and for what issues.

Drawing on the wisdom of others, especially others who may be a bit removed from the direct impact of the crisis, may fortify you with the energy and courage you will need to address the situation. Having someone you trust, someone you can call on, is priceless.

The next thing we have to do is to get focused. Our bodies are designed to go into a state of alarm when our brain perceives that we’re under attack. While there are life-saving benefits to this function, this stress response may get in the way of our critical thinking and problem-solving.

The stress response may cause us to be forgetful and out-of-focus, as our frontal lobes go off-line while our amygdala is firing away. We need to learn to turn off the alarm and get our higher order brain functions in gear.

During my nursing education, I was fortunate to have a wonderful instructor named Miss Schilkin. She said something that I’ll never forget and it has helped to calm me down, focus, reach-in and find the courage, strength and stamina to deal with a crisis. She said, “The minute you stop worrying about yourselves and just focus on what your patients need, you’ll be fine.” That simple message has stayed with me for over 30 years and I’ve shared it during many lectures.

Putting our attention where it matters, in this case on vulnerable children, keeps us on-track. It helps us to do the right thing. It helps us to put aside bureaucratic politics or other distractions that could derail our better judgment.

The next step is to breathe. Not short, shallow breaths that are the hallmark of a stress response where our primitive brain alarm is firing, but deliberate breaths that will change our brainwaves from a state of chaos to calm. One of my favorite breathing techniques is like smoking a cigarette but without the cigarette. Even if you’ve never even tried one, most of us have seen someone smoking.

Mimic the smoker for a few “drags,” and you should find that you feel calmer.

Millie Grenough, author of the book, Oasis in the Overwhelm, teaches breath-

The 21st Century board of education (continued from page 9) their counterpart superintendent associations related to building productive relationships and targeted school change efforts (e.g., school turnaround).

• Create school board member recruitment pipelines that introduce community members to board service and provide basic training related to board member responsibilities.

• Incubate executive education opportunities with local institutions of higher education (e.g., colleges of education and colleges of business) to secure leadership-training opportunities for new and experienced board members.

It is interesting to note that many of the

recommendations are already being done by state associations. For example, CABE and CAPSS have had a team assessment document (available on both associations’ websites), that provides a comprehensive evaluation system for both the Board and the Superintendent.

CABE also provides professional development opportunities for all board members and even a specialized Leadership Institute for those who want to learn more about education across the State.

While we might not agree with all of the recommendations, these are the type of recommendations that executive directors believe will help all boards as they plan for the future.

For a copy of the entire document, go to www.adi.org.

ing strategies that can help us to change our brain waves from “haywire” to “I can cope,” in just a minute or two. She recommends practicing these strategies daily, so that you become proficient. That way, when you need to settle down and think, you’ll know what to do.

Now that we’ve got our priorities straight and our frontal lobes are on-line so that we can think rationally, it’s time to develop, or implement, a plan. Most schools now have multidisciplinary crisis teams and community supports.

Drawing on the wisdom and expertise of others during extraordinary events is helpful, but it’s important to keep in mind that you know your staff and student population better than any outsider. What might work in one district might not work in another. What might work in one setting might not work in another.

Gather ideas, stay focused, and do what you think might be right. If it doesn’t work, be courageous enough to admit it. Go back to the drawing board and develop another plan, always keeping in mind that together, we’ll get through this!

The Connecticut School Counselor Association, CSCA, requested 400 of Karen’s children’s book, “Together, We’ll Get Through This!” to be distributed to school psychologists and parents in response to the 12/14/12 school

tragedy. She was the moderator of a professional workshop in response to this tragedy, and has consulted with many districts during crisis events. Karen will be honored by CSCA at the 2013 Professional Recognition Gala. Contact information: Karen L. Carney, D’Esopo Resource Center and Safe Place to Grieve Foundation, Inc. 109 Main Street, Wethersfield, CT 06109, phone (860) 563-5677, www.safeplacetogrieve foundation.org

CABE’s Model Student and Parent/Guardian Handbook 2012-2013 Available on CD with accompanying hard copy!

Check out the advantages of the Handbook on a CD: 4 FREES up staff’s time — no need for staff to do the research.

4 All essential legal areas are covered. Provides listing of mandatory, recommended and optional topics for a handbook.

4 Contains information that meets requirements for student and parent notification.

4 References are made to appropriate existing policies, as well as to Connecticut General Statutes.

4 Modify the material on the diskette to fit your school district’s needs.

Major additions added this year are: Bullying, Lunch Charging, Use of Restraints/Seculsion, Social Networking Sites Plus many other changes that will bring your handbook up-to-date.

The handbook is available to member districts for $200, plus $20 for additional copies of the CD. The cost to nonmember boards is $500, plus $40 per extra CD. To order, please go to the CABE website www.cabe.org/ page.cfm?p=773.

The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education/July-August 2013

Legal Briefs Kelly B. Moyher, First Amendment retaliation claim fails The Oglesbys repeatedly discussed with school staff sexual behaviors of one of their adopted twin daughters, resulting from abuse she had suffered in her biological home and previous adoptive homes. After consultation with the school attorney the school staff, as mandated reporters under the state’s child abuse reporting statute, communicated to the Child Protective Service (CPS) their concern that the parents’ preoccupation with these issues, and their actions in response to the sexual behaviors, might constitute abuse.

CPS investigated and determined that the report was unfounded. The Oglesbys alleged the report was made to CPS as retaliation for their complaints about the treatment of their children in school, in violation of their First Amendment free speech rights, and their Fourteenth Amendment substantive due process right to intimate association.

Although the parents’ complaints about their children’s treatment were protected speech under the First Amendment, their retaliation claim fails because they did not show that the CPS report was made in retaliation for those complaints.

District employees reasonably suspected abuse and neglect of the children; given the legal obligation to report such suspicions the decision to call CPS is entitled to unusual deference. Because they never lost custody of any of the children even temporarily, the claim for loss of intimate association under the Fourteenth Amendment also fails. Source: The School Law Reporter, June 2013

Arming employees could increase insurance premiums School districts considering arming employees are facing a formidable economic

Collective Impact: A strategy for school boards? (continued from page 8) group of suspects”, bringing together new and distinctly different players may make a difference. Like Strive used, a “cradle to career” agenda could be very successful.

By looking beyond the contours of your district and the resources available within the district, you may find others eager to provide assistance, a helpful perspective and good ideas. Using ideas from collective effort and Strive can be a very positive and powerful tool.

Strive’s website can be found at http:// www.strivetogether.org/.

13

Senior Staff Attorney, CABE

obstacle: insurance carriers who are threatening to increase premiums or cancel coverage completely, says The New York Times.

During legislative sessions in 2013, seven states enacted laws permitting teachers or administrators to carry guns in schools.

For example, EMC Insurance Companies, which provides liability insurance for about 90% of school districts in Kansas, one of the states to pass such a concealed carry law, sent a letter informing its agents that schools permitting employees to carry concealed handguns would be declined coverage. “We are making this underwriting decision simply to protect the financial security of or company,” the letter said.

The Oregon School Boards Association, which manages liability coverage for all but a handful of the state’s school districts, recently announced a new pricing structure that would make districts pay an extra $2,500 annual premium for every staff member carrying a weapon on the job.

Scott Whitman, an administrator at the Jackson County school district in southern Oregon, where a committee is looking at arming school staff members next year, said costs would be a factor in the decision. With 10 buildings, the expense of arming and training more than one staff member at each school would easily exceed $50,000 a year.

“Pretty much every last bit of our money is budgeted,” he said, adding, “To me, that could be quite an impediment to putting this forward.”

In northeast Indiana, Douglas A. Harp, the sheriff of Noble County, offered to deputize teachers to carry handguns in their classrooms less than a week after 26 children and educators were killed in a school shooting in Newtown, Conn. A community member donated $27,000 in firearms to the effort.

School officials from three districts seemed ready to sign off. But the plan fell apart after an insurer refused to provide workers’ compensation to schools with gun-carrying staff members.

Jenny Emery, head of the Association of Governmental Risk Pools, said none of her members plan to withhold coverage like EMC. But many are strongly recommending other security alternatives, she said, noting that cooperatives provide some form of risk financing to about 80 percent of public entities across the country. “I haven’t seen evidence yet that suggests people are determining that arming teachers is a recommended way to manage risk,” she said. “Far from it.”

After the Kansas law passed, more than a dozen school administrators across the state were mulling a move to arm their staffs, according to David Shriver, who oversees insurance programs at the Kansas Association of School Boards. He stopped getting calls about it as soon as EMC made its policy clear, he said. “If there’s no insurance available,” he added, “it’s difficult to do anything.”

Advocates for arming teachers point to evidence that some insurance providers are willing to stomach the risk, should K-12 schools in Kansas decide to shop around.

“What will happen is the market will take care of this,” said Forrest Knox, a Kansas state senator who helped pass the concealed carry legislation. “Other companies are going to do the dollars and cents.”

That theory is certainly true in states like Texas, where strong tort protections have made it easier for about 30 districts to arm their employees this year. Dubravka Romano, who oversees a cooperative that insures about half of the state’s 1,035 districts, said schools there were not charged extra for having guns on campus.

Source: The New York Times, 7/7/13,

by Steven Yaccino Editor’s Note: In April 2013, NSBA Legal Clips summarized an article in the Huffington Post reporting that following the National Rifle Association’s call for armed individuals in every school nationwide, the push to put guns in schools stalled in many traditionally gun-friendly states after encountering opposition from educators, reluctance from some governors, and ambivalence from legislative leaders more focused on economic initiatives.

Running a district is hard Lighten your load with an updated policy manual

People in the News At the Annual meeting of the Connecticut Asssociation of Educational Office Professionals (CAEOP) Gail Heath, Administrative Associate for Government Relations, CABE, was elected President of the Association. Congratulations Gail!

You need an up-to-date policy manual to run your district effectively. CABE can help. Our policy specialists will assist in updating your manual, ensuring your district’s policies are current and up-to-date with the Connecticut statutes.

Call Vincent Mustaro, Senior Staff Associate for Policy Service (860) 571-7446 or (800) 317-0033 to begin updating your manual today.

14

The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education/July-August 2013

Perception is reality Nicholas Caruso

their boards with selective data to avoid too many questions of their recommendations.

Senior Staff Associate for Field Service and Coordinator of Technology

We all know the importance of professional development (PD) in our work on improving student achievement. At CABE we also think it’s important that boards of education receive quality PD to help them excel at their job as a District Governance Team.

At the recent 25th National School Boards Association Federation of Trainers and Conference Planners annual conference, I attended Board-Superintendent Perceptions of Each Other, presented by Bill Nemir, the Division Director for Leadership Team Services with the Texas Association of School Boards.

This workshop reported on a survey involving a number of board of education members and superintendents on a variety of “Perception” questions.

Four hundred board members and 75 superintendents took the survey at different times; all were done anonymously using automatic response devices.

As part of the work we did that day, our group of about 20 experienced board trainers were asked to predict what the responses would be by both superintendents and board members. We then compared our predictions to the results of the survey. The discussion that followed helped us better understand how the dynamics of the leadership team can be influenced greatly by perceptions – sometimes not based on facts, but only on a “feeling”.

Some of the multiple choice questions in the survey were (Scores were Strongly Agree, Agree, Disagree or Strongly Disagree): • Most board members don’t realize or appreciate how complicated running a school district is.

•

Superintendents, even those who communicate well, tend to discount information that does not support their recommendations and to provide

•

Board members often care more about how a personnel decision will be received by the community than by whether or not it’s the best choice from an educational standpoint.

•

Superintendents are reluctant openly to discuss bad news or news that will reflect badly on the district. They tend to “explain away” bad news rather than confront it head on.

•

Superintendents and boards are both conflictadverse and will avoid confronting each other, even at the expense of the larger district good.

•

Most superintendents believe districts could be run as well, if not better, in the absence of a school board.

•

Board members often take positions in public before they know much about the issue or the ramifications of the position they’ve taken – and are then resistant to information suggesting the problems with their position.

•

Board meetings are often filled with lengthy staff reports and presentations that wear down the board so that they are not inclined to engage in meaningful deliberation on action items.

•

Board members don’t appreciate the impact their squabbles have on the morale of the district staff.

The responses were fascinating. Several samples are included here:

How districts can utilize data to improve student outcomes (continued from page 1) features two trigger questions that provide an immediate email alert if students are potentially in crisis. Our learning walk protocol, developed with the support of the Connecticut Center for School Change, are descriptive observations that are tied to the instructional core and grounded in evidence, not judgment.

So now that we have collected all this data, how, where, and when will we analyze it? Indistrict benchmark assessments are administered three to four times throughout the year. Our matched vertical score growth models are completed by the Research and Evaluation Office and provided to the teaching staff, building administrator, and central office team. Data is compared by class, grade, school, district, and state averages. A collaborative partnership with our teachers’ union allowed us to increase instructional time as we launched our PLC/DATA team weekly meetings. We also began a true peer-coaching model that allows teachers to observe one another, collaborate, provide feedback, share classroom strategies, and reflect. The error analysis tool reports to teachers why students made the errors.

Now that we have collected and analyzed the data, it is time for us to utilize it. We look at our “Golden Band” students, those on the cusp of reaching the next level, and we provide intervention and support. We also review our students’ growth by looking at how our students performed by fifths. We want to be sure we are providing support to those students who are struggling most, but we also want to be sure we challenge our highest per-

forming students as well. Our three-year student growth models provide comparative data so teachers can be provided with the coaching and support they need to assure that their students are not falling be-hind.

By sharing this data openly and by creating supportive programs of assistance, we are assuring that our teachers get the attention they need and that our students get the instruction they deserve. While many educational leaders are concerned that we have become too enamored with data-driven decision making and that we are losing sight of the health and well-being of our students, our teacher leaders get training and access to the big picture. With technology continuing to expand the access to data, data is here to stay. Have you created a data system that values all students, provides immediate feedback and is understood by staff, students, and parents?

About the authors: Mark D. Benigni (mark.benigni@ meridenk12.org) superintendent , Meriden; adjunct professor, Southern Connecticut State University’s Educational Leadership Program. Thomas W. Giard III (thomas.giard@meridenk12.org) assistant superintendent for personnel and staff development, Meriden; ad-junct professor at Sacred Heart University. Michael S. Grove (michael.grove@meridenk12.org) assistant superintendent for finance and administration, Meriden; and Mark A. Hughes (mark.hughes@meriden k12.org) president, Meriden Board of Education, is a school social worker, and holds his Connecticut administrator certification.

I believe this tool is a great way for boards and superintendents to work better together. By having a session with board members and the superintendent responding to several of the 23 questions it can lead to a very positive discussion which I think could lead to a better, more solid relationship between the board and superintendent.

I look forward to working with boards who would like to try this. If any board/superintendent team would like to set up a workshop to look more carefully at perceptions, please contact me at CABE (860-571-7446).

The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education/July-August 2013

15

UCONN Capstone Project - CABE/CAPSS Convention Study (continued from page 1) Participation: “Overall, the results indicated that requests made by school boards to attend the convention and interests in convention activities were influential in members’ decision to attend.

On the other hand, personal barriers, which include work and activities unrelated to the board member role, tended to influence members’ decision not to attend the convention.” Of those surveyed, 48.2% indicated that they did attend the CABE/CAPSS Convention, while 51.8% indicated that they did not.

Satisfaction: “On average, respondents indicated that they were satisfied with a number of difference aspects of the 2012 annual convention. On average, the majority of respondents indicated they were satisfied with each of the convention’s keynote speakers. Additionally, respondents identified a number of workshops and exhibits that they enjoyed.”

Needs: “Overall, the majority of members were interested in attending future conventions. However, members felt that CABE could make some improvements at the convention, such as holding the event in a more central location, offering a lower registration fee, and changing when the event is held.”

Recommendations The students made four recommendations to assist us in better understanding and addressing your needs in relation to the CABE/CAPSS Convention.

Recommendation 1: “CABE should consider providing a member incentive or discount to help more members afford to

participate in the convention.”

Response: CABE offers reduced pricing to CABE member boards of education and CAPSS members. We continue to look at ways to make the convention as cost effective as possible.

Recommendation 2: “CABE should consider reaching out to boards, year round, to stress: how members can be involved in the convention planning; why members should be involved in the planning; what benefits participants gain by attending the convention ; and how participation can benefit the board. CABE should also continue to gather input from members.”

Response: We will continue to include articles about the convention planning process in the CABE Journal, and will also include more of a focus on participating in the planning, as well as better promote the benefits of attending the convention. If you are interested in serving on the CABE/CAPSS Convention Committee, please contact me at lsteimer@cabe. org or 860-571-7446.

Recommendation 3: “CABE may want to consider conducting additional research to explore alternative times and venues for the annual convention.”

Response: This is a subject that the Convention Committee has grappled with over the years and therefore merits the most detailed response. CABE staff has investigated numerous sites throughout the state of Connecticut, only to discover that when strictly looking at space, very few venues in the state of Connecticut are able to accommodate our group – concurrent exhibit hall, general session, workshops and talented student display.

Those venues which have adequate space for us are not necessarily the right “fit” for our group. We have outgrown sites used prior to the Mystic Marriott, namely the Waterbury Holiday Inn (formerly the Sheraton) and the Cromwell Crowne Plaza (formerly the Radisson).

Both CABE and CAPSS have surveyed their memberships about holding the Convention at one of Connecticut’s casinos, only to find the majority of both organizations are against moving the Convention to either of the casinos in the state.

This is based on the belief that the public and the media would criticize using public funds to hold a Convention in a casino area and the negative perception of public officials at a gaming facility. In a time when every dollar spent is scrutinized more than ever, we want to protect our members from unnecessary criticism.

While the Connecticut Convention Center is centrally located, we heard a number of concerns from participants in the two years we were there. The Convention Center is not available to us for the next several years due to previous bookings.

While at times crowded, we are the only group in the Mystic Marriott and “take over” all the meeting space at the Marriott. This allows all of us the opportunity to run into one another during the course of the Convention and encourages networking. If we were in a larger facility or shared space with another group, this opportunity would be greatly diminished.

We recognize that the current space is not 100% ideal, but it provides the best possible solution to a good prob-

CABE Board holds June meeting

The CABE Board of Directors met and adopted a budget for 2013-14. Board members in attendance were: President Lydia Tedone, Simsbury; First Vice President Richard Murray, Killingly; Secretary/Treasurer Robert Mitchell, Montville; Vice President for Government Relations Ann Gruenberg, Hampton; Vice President for Professional Development Stephen Wright, Trumbull; Member-at-Large John Prins, Branford; MariEllen Valyo, and Susan Hoffnagle, Area 1 Co-Directors, Winchester; Daniel Santorso, Area 1 Co-Director, Plymouth; Don Harris, Area 2 CoDirector, Bloomfield; Douglas Smith, Area 4 Co-Director, Plainfield; Elaine Whitney, Area 6 Co-Director, Westport; Eileen Baker, Associate, Old Saybrook.

lem – too many people for the given space.

In recent years we have surveyed Convention attendees about the days the Convention is held in recent years and found that the majority of attendees prefer to attend Friday and Saturday because Saturday sessions still allow the option to attend for those who are unable to get time off from work to attend during the work week. The survey conducted by the UCONN students cites inability to take time off from work as one of the top reasons for not attending the Convention.

The Convention Committee has also discussed the time of year the Convention is held. Since 1998, the Convention has been held in November. Previous to that, the Convention was held in December or January. The Convention was moved to November in hopes of avoiding winter weather that might interfere with individual’s attendance or the outright postponement or cancellation of the event.

The Convention Committee discussed holding the Convention earlier in the fall, but felt with opening school and elections in November, after elections was still a better option. The Committee looked at holding the Convention in the spring and felt that the budget process and end-ofyear activities would make this a less than reasonable alternative.

Finally, the Committee looked at holding the Convention on a college campus during the summer, but felt that this is the only time of year that presents the opportunity to get away and recognizing the importance of “down time”, did not want to interfere with that.

With all that said, we will continue to survey our members and to have discussions with the Convention Committee about this challenge.

Recommendation 4: “CABE should continue to recruit a range of workshop presenters and guest speakers that offer the most current information relevant to boards of education.”

Response: All those involved in the CABE/CAPSS Convention take great pride in the professional development that is offered at this event. We welcome suggestions from all board members and superintendents for speakers and workshop topics that would be beneficial to all Convention participants. We will continue to work hard to find speakers and content that will be relevant.

We have met with staff, the Convention Committee and the CABE Board of Directors to discuss the findings and recommendations and devise additional ways to better meet the needs of current AND future CABE/CAPSS Convention participants.

One immediate change, albeit small, is that the CABE/CAPSS Convention will now be known as the CABE/CAPSS Conference. The reasoning behind this change is to eliminate the potential negative perception of a “Convention”. In discussions it was determined that “Conference” is more in line with the nature of this annual professional development program.

So, watch the CABE Journal, your email and mail for information about the 2013 CABE/CAPSS Conference!

16

The Journal â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Connecticut Association of Boards of Education/July-August 2013

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