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June 2014

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2014 General Assembly Concludes

U.S. Supreme Court rules on

Church and State

Patrice A. McCarthy

Kelly B. Moyher

Deputy Director and General Counsel, CABE

Senior Staff Attorney, CABE

The 2014 Legislative Session concluded with a flurry of actions just before midnight on May 7th. Among the significant actions taken by the General Assembly were to: â&#x20AC;˘ sustain support for the Education Cost Sharing grant â&#x20AC;˘ provide additional bond funds for school security infrastructure improvements â&#x20AC;˘ expand resources for preschool programs The Legislature also acted to create new requirements addressing student health and safety, including legislation regarding concussions, cardiac arrest

The United States Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision, found in favor of a town that was inviting local, and mainly Christian, clergy to say a prayer before the opening of monthly town meetings.

Based on the decision, boards of education in Connecticut which engage in practices similar to the case described below may continue â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;legislative prayerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, and should contact CABE or Board Counsel if further guidance is needed.

In Town of Greece, New York v.

Galloway, monthly town meetings would be opened with a roll call, recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance and a prayer given by a local clergy selected from the congregations listed in a local directory.

Since most of the visiting clergy were Christian, as the make-up of the town was predominantly Christian, the opening prayers were more often than not Christian prayers. The town had been engaging in this practice since 1999.

Two local citizens who would attend the meetings wanted to limit such town prayers to â&#x20AC;&#x153;inclusive and ecumenicalâ&#x20AC;? prayers that only referred to a â&#x20AC;&#x153;generic Godâ&#x20AC;?. The citizens claimed the town violated the First Amendmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Establishment Clause by having mainly Christian prayers and by sponsoring sectarian prayers.

The Supreme Court found no violation of the Establishment Clause and ruled in favor of the town. Justice Kennedy delivered the opinion of the Court, which also included several concurrences and dissents of other Supreme Court judges.

The main opinion found that â&#x20AC;&#x153;prayer See COURT page 12

Executive Director, CABE

A recent report from the Center for American Progress and the National Education Association cast a light on an issue facing school boards across the Nation: the lack of teachers who are members of a minority.

The study concentrated on the issue across the country, but I also looked up the statistics in Connecticut. Not surprisingly, they showed that this is an issue here as well.

Connecticut Association

Follow CABE on Twitter @CTAssocBdsofEd

Robert Rader

of Boards of Education Inc.

NEW!

Minorities Underrepresented in Teacher Ranks

81 Wolcott Hill Road Wethersfield, CT 06109-1242

See GENERAL ASSEMBLY page 2

Enjoy Summer!

We want the best and brightest as our teachers: the most qualified, skilled and knowledgeable. As one of the CABE representatives on the Educator Preparation Advisory Council (EPAC), we have spent many hours discussing what we want in our newest teachers. One of the characteristics is cultural sensitivity and the ability to work and experience teaching in the kind of schools that they will start inâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; rural, urban or suburban.

In Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Leaky Pipeline for Teachers of Color: Getting More Teachers of Color into the Classroom, Farah Z. Ahmad and Ulrich Boser stated that â&#x20AC;&#x153;There is a large demographic mismatch between students and teachers of color. This matters because students of color need teachers who not only set rigorous standards for them but teachers who also can provide models of professional success. Teachers of color have demonstrated success in increasing the academic achievement of students of similar backgrounds.â&#x20AC;?

They noted that â&#x20AC;&#x153;fundamental constraintsâ&#x20AC;? are limiting the potential number of highly effective teachers who are of color. This is due to students of color having significantly lower college enrollment rates than white students; a relatively small number of students of color enrolling in teacher education See MINORITIES page 13

INSIDE THIS EDITION CTCEFâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S Annual Conference ............. 4 The Nutmeg Board .............................. 5 The Policy Corner ............................... 6 CABE/CAPSS Convention .................. 9 The Professional Governance Board . 10 CABE: Working for YOU ................. 11 The Media Message .......................... 12 Launching the Day ............................. 13 Energy Conservation ......................... 14 Good New for Public Education ....... 14 Best Practices: Plainfield ................... 15

Periodical Postage PAID Hartford, CT

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The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education/June 2014 PRESIDENT COMMENTARY

The Importance of a Good Breakfast Connecticut is supposed to be the richest state in our nation. However, there are pockets of poverty in every sector of the State. Obviously, many of our cities have large numbers of people living below the poverty line.

There are 96,893 children living in poverty in our State, according to data provided by “End Hunger Connecticut!”, or EHC! This nearly 100,000 children equates to 12.1% of all children living in Connecticut. How many of these children are arriving to school each morning hungry?

Too many is my guess, particularly when I learned that Connecticut is actually 51st in the nation, including Washington DC in the number of schools with a School Breakfast Program (SBP).

We have been trailing the rest of the Country for seven years! Just 61.5% of schools who participate in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) also participate in SBP. Nationally, 88.1% of all schools participating in NSLP also offer SBP. This data was courtesy of EHC! and www.ctschoolbreakfast.org.

Boards of education can change this paradigm.

We are leaders in our school districts as well as policy makers. Boards of education need to make breakfast a priority in our districts by requiring SBP. We can set goals for each school in our districts and even be competitive in the Connecticut School Breakfast and Innovation Challenges.

Your district would have a chance of winning $1,000 in private funds awarded directly to the district. The Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) has a lot of data on the strong links between school breakfast consumption and favorable dietary, health, and educational outcomes among children and adolescents.

FRAC’s data indicates that children who participate in school breakfast programs are more likely to consume diets that meet standards for vitamins and minerals, greater intake of fiber, and lower intakes of fat and cholesterol.

Children from lower income households who eat school breakfast have a better overall quality of diet than those who eat breakfast elsewhere or skip breakfast.

FRAC also has information about how school breakfast programs may protect against childhood obesity.

There are three types of breakfast programs. “Break-

fast in the Classroom”, students eat breakfast in their classrooms which is brought to the classrooms from the cafeteria by food service staff.

“Grab and Go”, kids can get a Richard Murray bagged breakfast from carts conveniently placed on school grounds. “Second Chance Breakfast”, this program is normally implemented in middle and high schools.

This allows students time after their first period to obtain breakfast at the cafeteria or from carts in the hallways which they can eat in the classroom or cafeteria.

The Food and Nutrition Service of the USDA provides funding for the SBP through meal reimbursements based on free, reduced, and paid meals. The Connecticut State Department of Education then provides reimbursements to local districts.

The Federal government reimbursements in the school year 2011-2012 were: $1.51 each free breakfast served, $1.21 reduced-price breakfast served and $.27 for paid breakfast served. Schools that serve at least 40% free and reduced-price lunches are eligible for an additional $.29 for each breakfast served. Some schools eliminate the $.30 copayment for children eligible for reduced price meals. FRAC advocates for breakfast to be free to all students.

They refer to this as “universal breakfast” and believe that free breakfast for all students helps remove the stigma for low income students and would increase participation in the SBP. If Connecticut’s school participation rate reaches 70% the federal reimbursement would increase by nearly $10,000,000!

Let’s ensure that our kids aren’t coming to school hungry and by doing so I believe we will increase learning and opportunities for all of our children and decrease negative behaviors that maybe caused by empty stomachs.

[Editors Note: See related article on page 13.]

2014 General Assembly Concludes (continued from page 1) awareness, administration of epinephrine, and teen dating violence.

The Legislature extended the implementation date of the regional school calendars to July 2016. They also charged the Office of Early Childhood with developing a plan to move the start date for kindergarten from 5 by January 1st to 5 by October 1st and to provide preschool to students not eligible to start school. The plan must be submitted to the Education Committee by June 2015.

There were numerous issues debated throughout the legislative session, several of which would have imposed new requirements on school districts that were ultimately not acted upon, including legislation dealing with chronic absenteeism, expansion of the ban on pesticide use to

high school athletic fields, and constraints on alternative education programs.

While the next regular session of the General Assembly will not convene until January 2015, the work of numerous task forces is continuing in the interim, including the School Security Infrastructure Council, Common Core Task Force, Municipal Opportunities and Regional Efficiencies (MORE) special education select working group, as well as a State Department of Education special education committee.

Recommendations from these committees and task forces, as well as many of the issues not acted upon in the 2014 session, will likely be on the 2015 legislative agenda.

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 Richard Murray .................................................. President, Killingly Ann Gruenberg ................................. First Vice President, Hampton Robert Mitchell ................ VP for Government Relations, Montville Elaine Whitney ........... VP for Professional Development, Westport John Prins ......................................... Secretary/Treasurer, Branford Lydia Tedone ............................................ Immediate Past President Donald Harris ........................................................ Member at Large

AREA DIRECTORS Susan Hoffnagle ............................. Area 1 Co-Director, Winchester Mari-Ellen (Mimi) Valyo ............... Area 1 Co-Director, Winchester Daniel Gentile ................................... Area 1 Co-Director, Plymouth Jeffrey Currey ............................. Area 2 Co-Director, East Hartford Susan Karp ................................... Area 2 Co-Director, Glastonbury Donald Harris ................................. Area 2 Co-Director, Bloomfield Laura Bush ................................................. Area 3 Director, Vernon Douglas Smith .................................. Area 4 Co-Director, Plainfield Andrea Veilleux ................................ Area 6 Co-Director, Stratford Elaine Whitney .................................. Area 6 Co-Director, Westport Roxane McKay ............................. Area 7 Co-Director, Wallingford John Prins ......................................... Area 7 Co-Director, Branford Lon Seidman ................................................. Area 8 Director, Essex Aaron Daniels ........................................... Area 9 Director, Norwich

ASSOCIATES Eileen Baker .............................................. Associate, Old Saybrook Sharon Beloin-Saavedra .............................. Associate, New Britain Gary Brochu .......................................................... Associate, Berlin Robert Guthrie .............................................. Associate, West Haven Robert Trefry ........... Associate, CT Technical High School System COMMITTEE CHAIRS Elizabeth Brown ......................... Chair, State Relations, Waterbury Donald Harris ......................... Chair, Federal Relations, Bloomfield Becky Tyrrell ...................................... Chair, Resolutions, Plainville

CITY REPRESENTATIVES 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 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 Gail Heath ........................................ Admin. Assoc. for Government Relations Wilmarie Newton ........................................ Admin. Assoc. for Labor Relations Denise Roberts .................................... Admin. Asst. for Membership Services 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

The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education/June

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2014

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR COMMENTARY

CABE Affiliate Members BUSINESS AFFILIATES DIAMOND MEMBER Finalsite GOLD MEMBERS

Advanced Corporate Networking dba. Digital BackOffice Berchem, Moses & Devlin Centris Group Guidance Counselors for Senior Teachers Pullman & Comley Shipman & Goodwin Siegel, O'Connor, O’Donnell & Beck, P.C SILVER MEMBERS Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Corporate Cost Control Milliman, Inc. Milone & MacBroom, Inc. The Segal Company BRONZE PLUS MEMBERS Brown & Brown Insurance Friar Associates Goldstein & Peck, P.C. Guidepost Solutions, LLC Lindburg & Ripple O & G Industries The S/L/A/M Collaborative Trane UltiPlay Parks & Playbrounds 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 Connecticut Center for School Change Connecticut School Buildings and Grounds Association Cooperative Educational Services EASTCONN EDUCATION CONNECTION LEARN Unified School District #1

Communities of Practice for School Boards I have been working with executive directors of state school boards associations on a project we started last year: developing a vision of school boards for the future.

This is an exciting project—we believe that if we can visualize the board of the future while also understanding the challenges we will face, we can help our members better prepare for that future.

While it is difficult to define what future boards will look like, there are some basic characteristics which enable boards to be efficient and effective in carrying out their most important goal: raising student achievement and growth.

One characteristic is ensuring that new and experienced board members learn about their roles and responsibilities.

They also need to know about other issues, such as about recent trends in education, understanding the data that comes their way and how to better communicate better with their communities.

CABE’s work, in collaboration with the Connecticut State Department of Education on the Lighthouse Project is an example of how we can help carry this out. For board members, one-stop professional development (“PD”) is not enough. Effective PD must be ongoing and continuous.

One established way of providing PD, hugely popular across many institutions, is the establishment of “communities of practice”. The seminal article on what was then a new phenomenon was written 15 years ago in the Harvard Business Review by Wenger and Snyder.

It describes communities of practice as “groups of people informally bound together by shared expertise and passion for a joint enterprises… Some communities of practice meet regularly… Others are connected primarily by email networks…”

This was written 15 years ago—now we have LinkedIn and Pinterest and other internet communities of practice. These internet tools contain different groups with varying interests within their ranks.

As the Harvard article states, “people in communities of practice share their experiences and knowledge in freeflowing, creative ways that foster new approaches to problems.” The outcomes of an active community of practice include: helping drive strategy; solving problems quicker; spreading information about best practices; helping develop professional skills; and helping individuals feel more a part of the whole enterprise.

Superintendents Executive Director Andrew Lachman of the Center for School Change established a community of practice for superintendents in Connecticut. This community, in existence since 2001, was initially facilitated by Dr. Richard Elmore of Harvard. Twenty-two superintendents discuss best practices, engage in professional learning, and make site visits to schools.

This enables them to better inform their own work in their respective districts. This community of practice continues and helps superintendents make better decisions and be more effective.

Statewide communities of practice for principals, teachers and others exist to improve their professional practices.

Time to effectively collaborate, share and try new ideas is a critical part of the support needed for our staff if we are to make progress in helping students.

Boards of Education Is your board engaged in actively learning about educational issues? How is such learning organized in order to achieve free-flowing, nonjudgmental dialogue that promotes real sharing?

Many ways exist for boards to organize this work. CABE, for example, is a community of practice.

The annual CABE/CAPSS Convention and its workshops encourage participants to network and discuss best practices and learn how other boards handle similar issues. These discussions are your opportunity to experience, share and bring home great information.

Convention evaluations often reveal that such discussion is the favorite part of our conferences.

In Your District What about the local level? Part of the

Sidebar: The following districts sent at least five members of their leadership teams to the CABE/CAPSS Annual Conference: Berlin, Branford, Bristol, Coventry, East Lyme, Eastford, Ellington, Fairfield, Greenwich, Groton, Killingly, Ledyard, Madison, Milford, Montville, New Britain, Norwich, Old Saybrook, Plainfield, Plymouth, Putnam, Region 17, Region 18, Seymour, Shelton, Stonington, Waterbury, Weston, Westport, Wethersfield, Wilton, Windsor Locks and Windsor.

Robert Rader

idea of communities of practice is the idea that everyone learns together. While it’s great that many districts are represented at CABE functions, boards should permit as many members as possible to be a part of the learning. For example, at last year’s Conference, 33 districts sent five or more members of their leadership teams!

Many ways exist to establish opportunities for your community to learn: do it as part of a regular board meeting; have occasional meetings on specific issues (without making decisions); and do it as part of a retreat. Consider public participation, especially as boards, staff and students struggle with new initiatives like Common Core State Standards or the evaluation and support process.

Who is best to help lead this discussion?

Well, depending on the issue and any special expertise, it probably should be the superintendent.

As Superintendent Sal Menzo (Wallingford) told me when I asked him about his view of the future of boards of education, “superintendents should be the instructional leaders not only for the staff and children, but for the board as well.”

Another example of a community of practice are the boards which ask all members of the community to read a specific book. They then discuss it together and draw ideas that may help the whole community. In at least one district, the author participated in the discussion.

I recently facilitated a retreat in East Hampton, where we discussed issues such as Common Core State Standards and characteristics of a highly performing board of education.

Think about it: wouldn’t establishing a community of practice at the leadership level in your district serve as a great model for others in your district?

Wouldn’t it help your board develop stronger teamwork and deeper relationships and strengthen your knowledge as you make difficult decisions?

Making learning a formal part of the board’s work, even when done informally, could be a real game-changer for your board. I hope you consider this new/old idea that has worked for businesses, nonprofits and others across the country.

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The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education/June

2014

CTCEF’S 15th Annual Conference for Education Foundations to be held September 30 — Save the Date Liz Stokes President, CTCEF

The Connecticut Consortium of Education Foundations (CTCEF) will present its fifteenth annual conference for education foundations, “The Power of Education Foundations: A Strong Foundation for Vibrant Schools and Communities,” on Tuesday, September 30, from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Crowne Plaza Cromwell Hotel in Cromwell.

Richard L. Schwab, Raymond Neag Professor of Educational Leadership at the University of Connecticut and Dean Emeritus of the Neag School of Education, will be the keynote speaker. His topic will be, “A Portrait of the Teaching Profession in the Era of Reform.”

The teaching profession is one of the most rewarding and challenging professions in the world. It is also one of the most scrutinized and has been the center of the education reform movement since the issuance of A Nation at Risk in the late 1980s.

Every aspect of the profession, from the educational preparation of teachers to the way they are evaluated, has been

questioned and changed. Dean Schwab’s keynote address will share current research surrounding the teaching profession, as well as national and international trends in policy making, that has targeted raising standards in the teaching profession.

He will discuss both the intended and unintended impact of these changes. He will conclude with suggestions for the role that community-based education foundations can play in helping to enhance the profession in meaningful ways.

Our conference workshops will include Anthony Allison on Education Foundations’ Role in Collective Impact: Convening the First Conversation and Dianna Roberge-Wentzell talking about standards in general as an investment in our young people.

Superintendent Joe Erardi will moderate a panel of superintendents and foundation board chairs on what every superintendent needs to know about partnering with their local education foundation. They will share with the audience the optimal working relationship

and the finite role that each must take to maximize opportunity for children.

Other workshops will cover donorcentered auction fundraising, branding, why people should give, a legal check-up on bylaws and other organizational matters, and building on successful events for a greater return on investment.

Ninety education foundations are active in Connecticut. Many school superintendents and board of education members have been instrumental in introducing the concept of education foundations to their towns and continue to work closely with the foundations after they are formed.

CTCEF encourages superintendents and board of education members from all towns to attend the conference with members of their communities.

CTCEF is a statewide non-profit organization whose mission is to facilitate the creation, growth, and effectiveness of education foundations in the state and was founded on the principle that community engagement is a key factor in improving schools and that local education foundations can play a lead role.

Save September 30 for the conference.

Watch your mail for the conference brochure in mid-August or visit our website at www.ctcef.org and click on Events/ Annual Conference. For more information, contact CTCEF president, Liz Stokes, at 203-227-9323.

Save the Date!!!

Tuesday, July 22, 2014 CABE Summer Leadership Conference Saybrook Point Inn More information to follow.

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The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education/June 2014 See You in Court – The Nutmeg Board of Education

The Nutmeg Board Deals need training in parliamentary procedures 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.

Mr. Chairperson has his hands full.

The members of the Nutmeg Board of Education mean well, but most nights the Board meetings are chaotic.

Last year Mr. Superintendent even brought in a facilitator to observe the Board in action and then to provide constructive criticism in an executive session post mortem. For a while, the Board members were better behaved, but over time they reverted to their old habits.

The meeting last week was typical.

Per the Board’s request at a previous meeting, Mr. Superintendent reported to the Board on homework expectations at the middle school level.

Mr. Superintendent was not even finished before veteran Board member Bob Bombast was waving his hand, seeking to be recognized. After giving Mr. Superintendent a chance to finish his report, Mr. Chairperson recognized Bob. “I move that we limit homework at the middle school to ten minutes each day,” Bob said solemnly. “Kids should be allowed just to be kids.”

Mr. Chairperson thanked Bob for his uncharacteristically succinct remarks and called for discussion of Bob’s motion.

Mal Content was quick to raise his hand.

“Bob, you’re being stupid!” he said.

“If we let our kids be kids, the Chinese will eat their lunch. No wonder our nation can’t compete in the new world economy!”

“Now, Mal!” chided Penny Pincher.

“We share your frustration with today’s students, but there must be a middle ground here. What if we say that homework at the middle school will be limited to twenty minutes a day? That is a lot of time every day for students to work on their math, reading and writing skills.”

The Board members continued the discussion in their typical, spirited fashion, but as the comments became repetitive, Mr. Chairperson called the question.

“All those in favor of adopting a new guideline limiting homework at the middle school to twenty minutes a day, please signify by saying Aye.” Penny Pincher, Bob Bombast, Red Cent and Mr. Chairperson all voted yes. Mr. Chairperson looked over at Mal Content. “The motion passes. Better luck next time, Mal!” he concluded.

As Mal drove home from the meeting that evening and thought further about how the meeting had gone, he smiled and started planning for the next meeting.

As the beginning of the next Board

meeting, Mal immediately demanded to be recognized. When Mr. Chairperson called on him, Mal intoned “Point of order,” and Mal then proceeded to claim that the vote on middle school homework guidelines was deficient because it had not been seconded.

Mr. Chairperson smiled. “Mal, if that was true, it wasn’t the first time and it will not be the last time that we mess up. We are not great with procedures here. But the Board voted to approve the guidelines, and technicalities don’t change the result.”

Mal responded. “Procedures are important. How else do we even know what we did? But given your unreasonable position, I move that the Board reconsider the action it took at the last meeting. I have a lot more to say on the subject. A lot.”

Mr. Chairperson was ready for that.

“Too bad, so sad. As you know, you were on the losing end of that vote, Mal. You can’t ask the Board to reconsider the vote.

Only someone who voted with the majority can do that. Now just drop it!”

Should Bob drop it? Was the vote valid?

The Nutmeg Board of Education needs training in parliamentary procedure.

However, such procedures are meant to facilitate decision-making, and objections to procedures must be raised immediately, or they will be waived.

Here, there were a number of problems with the procedures that the Board followed. Mal correctly noted that the motion was not seconded. But the problems were larger than that. Specifically, the Board should have dealt with Penny’s suggestion to change the proposed limitation on homework from ten minutes to twenty minutes in a more formal way.

In essence, Penny was offering an amendment to the motion, and when Penny had her bright idea, Mr. Chairperson should have asked her if she was offering an amendment to the motion.

Such an amendment would have been proper because it related directly to the purpose of the motion and, as such, was germane.

When Penny answered affirmatively, as she assuredly would have done, Mr. Chairperson should have asked for a second to the amendment (as he should have done with Bob’s motion in the first place). Once the proposed amendment was offered and seconded, the Board should have voted on the amendment. If Penny’s amendment passed, Bob’s original motion would thereby be amended, and the Board would then vote on the amended motion.

Procedures should not be overly formal, but Mal’s point is well-taken – without some formality, how does the Board know what it has done?

When Mal tried to raise the issue again

through a request to reconsider, Mr. Chairperson correctly shut him down, but for the wrong reason. Under Robert’s Rules, organizations can revisit action previously taken in one of two ways.

A motion to reconsider is limited to persons who voted with the majority, but it is also limited to the same session.

Once the session (meeting) has concluded, such action at a subsequent meeting must be taken by a motion to rescind or amend.

Such motions are subject to special rules to assure that any such action reflects the will of the body. The wording of any motion to rescind or amend must be set forth in the agenda so that all have fair notice, and if it is not so stated in the agenda, its approval requires a two-thirds majority or an absolute majority of the body (e.g., at least five of nine members).

These rules are a means to facilitate decision-making, and they are not an end in themselves. Therefore, any objections to parliamentary procedures must be raised at the time the action is taken, and Mr. Chairperson correctly ruled Mal’s after-the-fact objection out of order. Mr. Chairperson should have also ruled Mal

out of order when he described Bob as “being stupid.” Personal attacks are also a violation of procedure.

This situation raises two other legal issues. First, whatever procedures are used, under the Freedom of Information Act, boards of education can take action only if the posted agenda fairly apprises the public of the action to be taken.

Second, an executive session to review performance, as was tried here, is permissible.

However, the executive session would be based on “discussion concerning . . . the performance, evaluation . . . of a public officer or employee.” Boards cannot discuss overall board goals or operation in executive session, but they can privately discuss the performance of individual board members.

As with employees, however, the individual being discussed as the right to require that such discussion be held in an open meeting.

Attorney Thomas B. Mooney is a partner in the Hartford law firm of Shipman & Goodwin who works frequently with boards of education. Mooney is a regular contributor to the CABE Journal.

Seventh Edition

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

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The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education/June

CABEMeeting CABE-Meeting is a userfriendly, 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 CABEMeeting. Now all your board work and committee information is conveniently located in one place!

“CABE meeting has been a terrific investment for the Region #18 Schools.

We have saved money by eliminating the need for paper packets as well as the cost of mailing those packets. As an added benefit, we now have the ability to allow board members to follow along in “real time” with our monthly education presentations. This tool is a must have in today’s digital world.”

Ian Neviaser Superintendent, Region 18 Public Schools

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

2014

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

Keep Your Policies Current As the conclusion of another school year rapidly approaches, it is important to note that the policy responsibilities of boards of education are ongoing. Remember that the board’s policy is a living document. High functioning school boards are always working on policy, even during the summer, as it is the backbone of the district and one of the board’s core responsibilities.

School boards are by definition policymaking bodies. Policy is the key work of boards of education. The board policy manual is the place where the policy decisions of the board are collected and published. Through policy, boards establish the “ends” for the district, identifying who receives what benefits and how resources are prioritized.

The staff implements board policy, establishing the “means” and identifying how to best proceed to reach the ends established by the board.

In its basic form, the policy manual is a legal compliance document. There are state and federal statutes and regulations that require certain topics to be covered in the board policy manual. Other topics, while not expressly required, are recommended or desired in order to protect the board from potential liability. These are considered “good practice” policies.

Beyond mere legal compliance, the policy manual is also the governing document of the school district. This is the place that staff, students, parents and community members should be able to look to hear the voice of the board. The policy manual is the document that allows the board to make clear its leadership and direction for the district.

Time to Review?

How long has it been since you took a good look at your policy manual? Some boards are doing a complete update of their manual at the present time. Others may not have taken a close look at their manual in quite some time. Even if a policy manual revision project was recently completed, the need still exists to consider policy revision or new additions, especially in light of the last session of the General Assembly. Policy revision and updates must be viewed as a year-round ongoing task, for all boards of education.

An in-depth, thorough analysis of the board policy manual should be periodically undertaken. This in-depth review process should involve the entire board, administrators and selected staff mem-

bers. The services of CABE can be used to accomplish this major task. Annual reviews, however, using CABE Policy Service materials, such as The Policy Update Service and Policy Highlights will go a long way toward keeping the board’s present policy manual current and viable, lessening or even eliminating the need for major revision projects.

This annual review process need not be complicated but should be recognized as important for the board to do and appropriately scheduled as a viable annual board activity. Putting such an activity on the annual board calendar of responsibilities helps to insure that it will take place.

Policy must always be responsive to community needs and influences internal and external to the school system. Major reasons dictate the need to annually review, revise or adopt new policies. The passage of new federal and state laws, coupled with new regulations constantly impact policies.

Judicial decisions of federal and state courts also influence policy. Negotiation of new contracts with staff bargaining groups also affects policy.

If the board can’t make decisions for lack of information or the superintendent and board are confused about each other’s responsibilities, then it is time to review the district’s policy statements. Actually, virtually any school system function that isn’t functioning smoothly may indicate a need for policy review.

Annual Review Process The annual policy review process can take many forms. One method is to plan a special board meeting, or a portion of a regular meeting, for this purpose annually.

This process involves individual board members and administrators and/or the board’s policy subcommittee to prepare specific recommendations in advance of the board meeting as to what policy revisions or new policies are needed. The annual policy meeting is then used to identify and list a practical number of policies in priority order that can be addressed in the coming months with timelines established and responsibilities assigned.

Also, policy revision frequently is initiated when the superintendent brings the need to review particular policy statements to the board’s attention or indicates the need for policy where it does not exist. Moreover, in addition to the superintendent, suggestions for review or for new policy statements may come from anyone within the school community: administrators, teachers, parents, students or community members.

Keep in mind that a crisis is no time to

undertake a review or revision of any policy statement. It is another worthwhile practice for the board to review each section of the manual at appropriate times during the school year. For example, fiscal policies can be reviewed before the budget is formulated; personnel policies studied against statements made in staff negotiated agreements in advance of renegotiating with the bargaining unit.

In the review of a policy, consider if the statement complies with state and federal laws and regulations and negotiated agreements and that the policy serves the educational purposes of the school system. Also, consider if the policy can be effectively administered, and whether it is consistent with the school system’s philosophy, goals and objectives as well as with the other policies of the school system. Policies not meeting these criteria can become liabilities leading to possible litigation.

Update/New Policies If it is determined that the district needs to create new policies or to revise existing ones, it is prudent to take advantage of the work that’s already been done by others. CABE can provide model policies that the local district can adapt.

Sample policies are also available in CABE’s publication, The Connecticut Reference Manual of School Board Policies, Regulations, and Bylaws, available on the CABE website, and through subscribing to The Policy Update Service.

It is also necessary, yearly, to make sure that the district’s student and employee handbooks reflect current district policy. Student handbooks deserve the attention of board members and administrators because they represent one of the most direct means of implementing board policies and administrative regulations.

An in-depth, thorough analysis of the board policy manual should be conducted periodically by board members and the staff, as previously stated, preferably using the assistance of CABE’s policy services. Annual reviews, however, will go a long way toward keeping the board’s policy manual current and viable between major revision projects. With a pattern of continued review, a board can be reasonably certain that its policies are legal, workable and current. It is necessary to recognize this review process as important—not continually postponed as other matters arise.

The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education/June

2014

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The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education/June

2014

CABE: Meeting Members Needs through Policy Update Service, Policy Audits, Custom Policy work and updates, and C.O.P.S. To learn more about any of these services contact CABE at 860-571-7446.

Policy Update Service subscribers 2013-2014 Policy Audits performed Custom Policy Service C.O.P.S. Districts Policy Custom Update Also subscribing to Policy Servies are: ACES, CREC, Gilbert School, Norwich Free Adademy and Woodstock Academy.

Available from the CABE Bookstore!

CABE Search Services is recruiting for For an update or more information on vacancies go to our website:

www.cabe.org

Portland Public Schools Superintendent of Schools 1,402 PK-12 Students

For more information contact, CABE Search Services, 860-539-7594 Jacqueline V. Jacoby, Senior Search Consultant Paul Gagliarducci • Associate Consultant Mary Broderick - Associate Consultant Bob King • Associate Consultant P.O. Box 290252, Wethersfield, CT 06129-0252 www.cabe.org/support Equal Opportunity Employers

Understanding the Connecticut Freedom of Information Act and Access to Public Meetings and Records - Fourth Edition Written by: Mark J. Sommaruga, Esq. Pullman & Comley, LLC

to order the FOIA book go to the CABE Online Bookstore at www.cabe.org/page.cfm?p=749

The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education/June 2014

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Save the date – November 14-15, 2014 CABE/CAPSS Convention Were you at the CABE/CAPSS Convention last November? Did you hear our Friday night speaker, Azure Antoinette, deliver the poem she was commissioned to write for this event? If you were, you know what a great session it was. If you weren’t, you don’t want to miss out on the 2014 CABE/CAPSS Convention, so mark your calendar – Friday and Saturday, November 14-15 at the Mystic Marriott Hotel in Groton.

Read Ms. Antoinette’s poem below to see what you missed or to simply relive it!

CAPES, BOARDS, & POLICY Commissioned for CABE/CAPSS 2013 Annual Conference by Azure Antoinette

It is almost pre-requisite for a childhood, you are taught to look into the sky for flying men and women in tight lycra suits accessorized with insignia, flashy capes and partial or whole face masks to identify superheroes. That is what we all believe to be true, and then there is Santa Claus with the magic sleigh that has the capacity to carry presents for every kid in the world, and who can forget about the tooth fairy, the small woman who sneaks in your bedroom, albeit while your parents are asleep to reach under your pillow to take your newly separated tooth and leave you coins or small bills. Even our parents knew the importance of imagination, they were never concerned about these childhood heroes coming into their homes, in the middle of the night – it was never about safety, just about youthful glistening eyes and believing in fairies and white haired bearded men that they knew didn’t exist.

As I have gotten older, it seems that the real superheroes are volunteers. When you think of a school or education, most minds fondly visit their lower grade teachers, or that one middle school proctor who finally broke the stigma that adults can be hip too. But you never think about the parents, citizens of the city and state you reside in giving up their time that was never free to ensure that funds got allocated the correct way. You tend to think that too many funds are being placed in department of superintendents. The supers don’t work 9 to 5, they don’t spend their time on lofty ideals that only affect the upper echelons, they focus on the nitty gritty, they focus on the bottom line, they focus on the actionable complaints and that cannot be done in 8 hours. There is no sparkle in that. It is not easy to be at odds behind the scenes, sometimes; the arts must be cut in order to ensure that arithmetic gets taught the correct way. Sometimes, the value of a marching band does not exceed the need for better desk, chairs with proper back support in the science labs. Sometimes, the school board is due for a citywide parade for the changes and additions they make, and some days, it feels like a dirge just to carry on in the way we all are supposed to.

Sometimes, languages of the world stay unspoken, and children cannot speak the dialects of their lineage, and that saddens those who love to hear a native tongue from the mouths of the next generation. No acronym, just assimilation of a culture outside of our own. But policy has to be forefront, and the district has to ensure that order is kept, so sometimes, the programs that bring joy have to take a middle seat and wait for their time to dance in the sun. That will come, do not lose heart.

The thing about this board that governs funds and policy, is that they were children too, they looked up and checked under pillows, their eyes swelled on holidays, eager for tradition and presents and treats that were reserved for colder temperatures. And if you really broke it down, they decided to not only look up to these caped crusaders, but they were bold enough to follow in tow. So the next time you wonder about the sustenance that errs on the side of healthy living, food without gluten but still taste as good, or the new computer system in your library, don’t wonder, look up and gaze for the superheroes that are improving your district. You won’t find them in a suit that only befits a mannequin, you will probably see them in the drop off line at school, behind a desk where people file their taxes, in the front yard, deconstructing the fort that someone forgot to disassemble after seeing Thor in the movies. You may never recognize them at all, because they live among us, do as we do, and at night they take off to the same sky we all see and rid the world of poor budgets, frivolous spending and programs that need a place that they can really flourish. It’s funny, because I thought I was too old to look up anymore, turns out these volunteers don’t have to change in a phone booth anymore, times have changed, the stealth is so good, you can’t even see it.

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The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education/June

2014

The Professional Governance Board Gary Brochu, Chair, Berlin Board of Education

Why a Professional Governance Board?

I regularly utilize this space to write about the characteristics of a professional governance board and how a board of education can take steps to become such a board. But I have not yet addressed the fundamental question - why a board of education would invest the time and work necessary to become a professional governance board.

The decision to commit to being a professional governance board is not a simple or trivial one. It is not accomplished with one vote, or with one meeting, or by one member. It is a collective commitment, repeatedly made. Nor is it a decision without consequence, as the commitment required to function as a professional governance board is not insignificant, involving a collective focus, sustained effort and continual improvement.

Given the commitment and work required to create and sustain a professional governance board, it is understandable if board members ask whether functioning as a professional board is worth the effort.

After all, board work and meetings already take up so much time and, realistically, how much can reasonably be asked of a volunteer board of education?

This question then becomes, as it always does, what is the purpose of a board of education? As board members, what is it that we wish to accomplish; and what realistically can we expect our influence on our school district and students to be? In short, why did we choose to serve as members of a board of education?

I suspect that for many board of education members, the reason for their service is to improve the education received by the children in their community. Fortunately, research has demonstrated that the work of boards of education can have a positive impact on the performance of school districts and student achievement. For example, a recent study conducted by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute found that school districts that are more successful academically have board members who assign a high priority to improving student learning.

Perhaps one way to illustrate the importance and value of functioning as a professional governance board is through a story. One day a woman came upon a man who was working very hard to chop

down a large tree. The work was going very slowly, as the axe that the man was using was dull and glancing off the tree’s trunk. The woman asked the man, “Why don’t you sharpen your axe? The work would go easier.” The man replied, “No time to sharpen the axe, I’m busy trying to chop down this tree.”

And so it is with the work of a board of education. Every month, every meeting, the demands faced by boards of education can seem overwhelming. After all, given that meetings may already go into the late night or early morning, how can board members be asked to commit to the work necessary to function as a professional governance board? The response is the same as might be offered to the man who doesn’t have time to sharpen his axe – you can’t afford not to.

One benefit of functioning as a professional governance board is the ability to focus on that work which is most important to the school district.

Instead of spending time on work that does not improve or impact student learning, or can be better performed at a level other than the board level, a professional governance board leverages the

time and talents of its members by focusing on the work necessary to lead the school district. A professional governance board chooses what is vital over what is immediate, sees the future and not just the present, and represents the greater good over the individual interest.

Just as it is not a good idea to attempt to chop down a large tree with a dull axe, allowing the ongoing demands of leading a public school district to crowd out the necessary commitment and focus required to become and function as a professional governance board is to favor the urgent over the important, and often to address neither.

Working to become a professionally functioning board of education does not mean ignoring or foregoing the work of the board, but instead, means approaching this work with an enhanced focus and a collective resolve - confident in the understanding that by focusing on how the board itself operates, the board will be better able to lead school and student improvement. Understanding that a board’s work is best accomplished with a sharpened edge.

The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education/June

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2014

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:

➤ By promoting

public education:

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Met with staff at planetarium at Glastonbury-East Hartford Magnet School with regard to a potential staff event.

Answered questions about the current legal issues facing boards of education. “HOT” topics this month were: student expulsion hearings, executive session privilege, committee meetings, student transportation and truancy.• Met with a representative of the University of New Haven on our endorsement for a grant concerning school safety and security.

Attended meetings of the Child Emergency Preparedness Committee and the CAPSS Board of Directors

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Spoke with potential sponsor of CABE/CAPSS Convention.

Met with Convention workshop presenter.

Planned and implemented School Governance Council training for Maple Street School in Vernon.

Attended and provided support to CABE’s Legislative Wrap-Up workshop.

Continued working on CABE/CAPSS revisions to our joint Governance Statement and Team Assessment document, including holding a focus group and meeting with a possible writer for the project.

Hosted and participated in meeting of Big Six Partnership (CABE, CAPSS, CAS, CBIA, CCER and ConnCAN) on the Legislative Session.

Participated in LEAD Connecticut teleconference on its work going forward.

Hosted and participated in meeting of the WhatWillOurChildrenLose Coalition (CABE, CAPSS, CAS, CASBO) debriefing on the Legislative Session.

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cut school boards on the state or national level:

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Presented CABE Communications Award for an internal staff newsletter (“News and Notes”) at Glastonbury High School.

Provided Legislative Update to Hartford area superintendents.

As part of the development of new policy manuals utilizing the Custom Policy Service, materials were prepared for Avon, Derby, Ellington, Stamford Thomaston, Wethersfield, and Woodbridge Boards of Education.

Working on the necessary policy revisions and/or needed new policies as a result of recently passed state legislation.

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to increase student achievement

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

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Exhibited CABE-Meeting at CASBO’s Vendor Day. Provided CABE-Meeting training to the new secretary to the superintendent of Bloomfield.

Met with representative of Hartford

CABE Webinar on E-Meeting Lisa Steimer, Senior Staff Associate for Professional Development, presented a webinar on Archiving Agendas and Reports for CABE-Meeting.

Foundation for Public Giving on diversity on school boards.

Facilitated discussion on roles and responsibilities in Region 17 (Haddam/Killingworth) and Region 15 (Middlebury/Southbury).

Facilitated superintendent search process workshop for the Tolland Board of Education Facilitated board retreat for the New Haven Board of Education.

Provided policy information to 26 districts,the State Department of Education and one out-of-state school board associaiton, through 32 answered requests for information or sample policies, on 29 topics.

Further, districts continue to access CABE’s online Core Policy Reference Manual and/or online manuals posted by CABE for policy samples.

The topics of greatest interest pertain to pool safety, distribution of materials by students and nondiscrimination.

➤ By helping school boards

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CABE BUILDS LEADERS! A leader takes people where they want to go.

A great leader takes people where they don’t necessarily want to go, but ought to be.

– Rosalynn Carter

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receive the most up-todate communications:

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Participated in conference call with Massachusetts Association of School Committees (MASC) staff to begin planning the 2015 NSBA Trainers conference, being hosted by Connecticut and Massachusetts.

Visited the Pequot Museum as a potential offsite venue for the 2014 NSBA Northeast Regional meeting being hosted by Connecticut.

Participated in meeting of the Professional Educators Advisory Council (PEAC) on evaluations and support.

Met with Connecticut Association of Schools’ (CAS) Board of Directors on CABE and CAS working together.

Attended Connecticut Mirror’s Conference on the “Big Debate”.

Attended Alliance District Convening presented by the State Department of Education.

Continued work on NSBA’s School Boards of the Future initiative.

Participated in Connecticut Coalition for Public Education meeting and debriefing on the Legislative Session.

Participated in Financial Literacy Coalition meeting.

Attended CREC Council meeting.

Attended Achievement Gap Task Force meeting.

Participated in CAPSS Personalized Learning Committee meeting.

Attended State Department of

Education Special Education meeting.

Attended School Governance Advisory Council meetings.

Attended Common Core Task Force meeting.

Participated in Governor’s press conference on NAEP scores.

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

Attended Connecticut Bar Association Labor and Employment Executive Committee meeting.

➤ By ensuring members

➤ By representing Connecti-

➤ By providing services

to meet members needs:

Attended UCONN Capstone presentation of findings concerning obstacles to school board members getting more involved with advocacy issues.

Completed the audit of the Clinton Public Schools Policy Manual.

Entered into agreements to do an audit of the policy manual of the Bloomfield Boards of Education.

Completed the placement of the Derby Policy Manual policy manual online utilizing CABE’s Connecticut Online Policy Service.

As part of the Custom Update Service, sent revised/new policies to East Windsor, Marlborough, and Newington Boards of Education.

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Participated in State Department of Social Services work on a Children’s Behavioral Health Plan.

Attended ADL workshop for Berlin High School freshman concerning bullying.

Provided Lighthouse training for the Shelton and Vernon Boards of Education.

Sent out two issues of Policy Highlights via email listserv covering topics that affect student achievement. This included graduation issues, student data privacy concerns, food allergies at school, and copyright protection.

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The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education/June 2014

The

Media Message

from Codie Landsman, Baldwin Media Marketing, LLC CABE and Baldwin Media: Partners in Managing Communications

Best Practices: Public Relations and Perseverance Prevail for East Granby School District Like most communities, East Granby Public Schools have the same issue as others when it comes to passing their school budget. However, this year, they decided to try a different approach. As a member of CABE, East Granby Public School Superintendent Dr. Christine Mahoney enlisted the services of Baldwin Media to assist her and the Board of Education in finding ways to communicate their educational accomplishments. They also needed to relay their budget information to their school community, the East Granby community, and other decision makers.

This all began with a strategic meeting with the Superintendent and the Board to determine where the gaps in communications were and what “tools” could be utilized to better communicate the budget message.

During a few working sessions with the Board, we were able to develop “key messages” or talking points as they applied to the budget, and address some of the criticisms that had been voiced in the past.

Let’s face it- vocal minorities always seem to be the loudest voices heard when it comes to school budgets. East Granby schools wanted to strategically get out in front of that, and that’s what we did together.

The good news is that East Granby was already doing a lot of what they needed to do. They were already getting the word out in their town newspaper, “Let’s Talk Turkey”, which goes out to all East Granby residents. The school district also had EdLines, which is their monthly school newsletter- but the district and Baldwin Media wanted to do more.

That’s when we made the strategic decision to utilize their cable access station, GCTV, and explain the budget, step by step. Ann was the facilitator of the half-hour program with my two guests, Superintendent Dr. Christine Mahoney and the Board Chair, Trevor Sandford. To answer your question, yes, people actually watch public access television.

Not only did this program air numerous times prior to the budget vote (as was le-gally allowed), it was also made available on the district’s website.

Did all of this help? It didn’t hurt.

That is because for the first time in several years, East Granby’s school budget passed in the first referendum!

While they were asking for a 3.09% increase, the general public and voters needed to understand where the majority of the dollars were going: to programs like special education and personnel contracts. This was a bare bones budget.

U.S. Supreme Court rules on Church and State (continued from page 1) opportunity is evaluated against the backdrop of the Nation’s heritage and tradition. It is presumed that the reasonable observer is acquainted with this tradition and understands that its purposes are to lend gravity to the public proceedings and to acknowledge the place religion holds in the lives of many private citizens”.

The opinion went on to say that “the principal audience for these invocations is not the public, but the lawmakers themselves.” The citizens claimed that the prayers offended them, making them feel excluded and disrespected; however, the Court found that “offense does not equate to coercion”.

The Court went on to look at Legislative prayer in the United States and found that while religious in nature, it has long been understood as compatible with the Establishment Clause. The Court looked to the very First Congress which voted to appoint and pay official chaplains shortly after approving language for the First

Amendment and both houses have maintained the office “virtually uninterrupted since then”. Likewise, the Court looked to the individual States, finding they too had a “consistent practice of legislative prayer”. The Court found that any test of a situation like the one in Greece, “must acknowledge a practice that was accepted by the Framers and has withstood the critical scrutiny of time and political change”.

Based on a long history and tradition of legislative prayer in this country, the Court found no violation of the Establishment Clause. The Court also found that the town was not required to look beyond its borders to achieve religious diversity and rejected the idea that legislative prayer must be nonsectarian.

The Court found that the Christian identity of most of the prayer givers reflected the predominantly Christian character of the town’s congregations, not an official town policy or practice of discriminating against minority faiths.

Todd Piro from NBC Connecticut interviews a student on the East Granby/Asnuntuck Community College 5th year Associate’s degree program.

They weren’t asking for a lot of money to keep the business of excellence in education. People needed to understand why an increased budget for education is so important. They needed to hear it straight from the folks advocating for the budget.

As a result of putting a positive message out, we were also able to utilize the news media. NBC Connecticut’s Todd Piro did a story at East Granby High School for his “Making the Grade” segment on the East Granby/Asnuntuck Community College 5th year Associate’s

degree program.

Students can participate in the articulated courses, including courses in manufacturing and the courses at Asnuntuck Community College. The students can complete one additional year post-high school in the program and earn an Associate’s degree in Science.

So the bottom line is, for East Granby Public Schools, a good solid communications strategy and perseverance really worked!

Upcoming Awards!

CABE Awards of Excellence in Educational Communication (applications will be mailed to Board Chairs and Superintendents in July)

CABE Board Recognition Awards Level I - CABE Board Leadership Award Level II - CABE Board of Distinction Award (applications will be mailed to Board Chairs and Superintendents in August)

Mark your calendar and watch your mail for more information.

Make sure your district receives the honor it deserves.

The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education/June Minorities Underrepresented in Teacher Ranks (continued from page 1) programs each year; and teacher trainees who are of color scoring lower on licensure exams for teaching careers.

Additionally, teachers of color leave the profession at much higher rates than their white peers, noting “a perceived lack of respect for teaching as a profession, lagging salary levels, and difficult working conditions.”

The report had some national recommendations, but, for our reference, those for states and districts are more relevant: • “Provide generous scholarship support to future teachers that are tied to the effectiveness of the training program and of the teacher candidate, especially those in fiveyear programs.

• Improve articulation relationships between two year and four-year post-secondary institutions, given the number of students of color at two-year schools.

• Attract the brightest, most resilient people of color into the teaching profession by changing the compensation packages so that teachers of color are paid comparable to other professions requiring similar knowledge, skills, and responsibilities.

• Support and encourage local and state efforts to attract and place effective teachers of color.”

An Associated Press article stated that there were approximately 3.3 million teachers in the nation’s public elementary and secondary schools in 2012, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. 82 percent are white, 8 percent Hispanic, 7 percent black and 2 percent Asian.

The State Department of Education’s statistics state that in 2010-11, there were about 37,000 “General Education” teachers. Of these, 34,146 (approximately 85%) were white, 1106 (3%) were African American and 1,263 (3%) were Hispanic.

Our 554,000 public school students today are 319,100 (57%) white, 70,600 (13%) black and 115,546 (20%) Hispanic.

As demographic trends indicate that the nation will have a minority majority in the not-too-distant future, it is critical that we ensure that we have teachers who are excellent role models for all of our students and, one can argue, for those of our students who are of color, in particular. There is no reason to believe that this will be different in Connecticut.

It is incumbent that we begin to take action to support not only current teachers who are of color, but also teacher candidates who are members of minority groups.

The Center/NEA report is available at http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/ race/report/2014/05/04/88960/americasleaky-pipeline-for-teachers-of-color/

2014

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Launching the Day – Lift off with School Breakfast!

Jim Crawford End Hunger Connecticut!

The facts speak for themselves. The positive outcomes continue to be bolstered by the continuing research. The evidence witnessed firsthand by teachers overwhelmingly reinforces the benefits.

When students begin their learning day with a school breakfast, a host of significant results follows.

Eating breakfast at school reduces hunger, tardiness, nurse visits, and improves nutrition and achievement.

According to a study published in the “School Breakfast Scorecard” in January, 2014 by the Food and Research Action Center, children’s test scores, attentiveness, attendance, and behavior all have shown marked improvement as a result of participating in school breakfast.

Connecticut has the worst rate in the nation when measuring the percentage of schools that participate in the National School Lunch Program and also offer a School Breakfast Program.

Currently, 89.8 % of schools nationally provide both programs. In our state, the total is 68.3%. Less than 50 % of children eating school lunch are also eating school breakfast. Increasing participation by creating strong school breakfast programs can help transform schools and support the entire school community — students, parents, teachers, and administrators.

Studies conducted and published in

scholarly journals over the past fourteen years through Massachusetts General Hospital, reveal that children who skip breakfast are less able to master the tasks necessary to do well in school.

They have more difficulty distinguishing among similar images, show increased errors, and have slower memory recall.

Math scores are particularly affected when children have not eaten breakfast.

Data from Maryland has shown that children eating school breakfast score 17.5 % higher on standardized mathematics tests.

These results were released in 2008 in the “Journal of Current Nutrition and Food Science” by J. Michael Murphy in the article “The Relationship of School Breakfast to Psychosocial and Academic Functioning”.

Teenagers experiencing hunger are more likely to be suspended, and to have difficulty getting along with others and establishing friendships. Students who participate in school breakfast exhibit decreased behavioral and psychological problems and have lower rates of absence and tardiness along with a 20% higher graduation rate.

These, and other findings, were released in 2013 by APCO Insight for the Share Our Strength/No Kid Hungry Campaign which also polled classroom teachers about their perceptions. An overwhelming 88 % of teachers identified hunger as the major component in compromising concentration, while 67 %

saw it as a cause of disciplinary problems.

What do these findings mean for Connecticut? We all know the diversity our small state possesses. There are hungry children in all our communities.

There are ever increasing demands on parents and students.

Often, the need to be properly fueled for a morning of learning takes a backseat to other priorities. Schedules are tight for many, eating at very early waking hours can be counter to the way our teens wish to begin their day, and bus runs don’t arrive in time for a cafeteria stop before the bell.

Clearly, this situation must change.

There are breakfast delivery options to fit each and every school. Helping your school choose the best options and qualify for the federally funded reimbursements can be obtained by contacting the Connecticut Breakfast Expansion Team(CBET). Jackie Schipke is the coordinator and can be reached at (860) 807-2123 or Jackie.Schipke@ct.gov

Legislative Wrap-Up Workshop

Kelly B. Moyher, Senior Staff Attorney, briefed participants on several recent court decisions that have an effect on boards of education.

CABE President Richard Murray (Killingly) welcomed everyone to the Legislative Office Building.

Patrice A. McCarthy, Deputy Director and General Counsel and Sheila McKay, Senior Staff Associate for Government Relations, briefed participants on legislation that passed the General Assembly this year.

Participants from around the state gathered at the Legislative Office Building for a briefing on how legislation will impact their school district.

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The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education/June 2014

Five Ideas to Enhance Energy Conservation and Stewardship Via Net Zero Energy Sean O’Donnell, AIA, LEED-AP Jana Silsby, AIA, LEED-AP Joseph Costa, AIA, LEED-AP Perkins Eastman

The growing interest in achieving Net Zero Energy (NZE) in our schools, provides us with an opportunity to enhance both energy conservation and the learning of the community, and teach students how to address the most pressing issues facing their world.

Conceptually, achieving net-zero energy is simple — reduce energy consumption and generate power to provide for the remaining demand.

However, in reality this can be more challenging, but as we have found the pursuit alone is worthwhile.

Here are five NZE ideas that can help every school conserve energy and educate the next generation.

1.Pursue daylight autonomy Research has shown the benefits of natural light in the learning environment, and representing 20 percent or more of a school’s

energy load, daylight is also key to reducing energy consumption. With daylight modeling, we can design to achieve daylight autonomy – a measure of how many hours a space can be appropriately lit using just daylight.

Properly orienting the building, using clerestory windows, sunshades and reflectors, and occupancy sensors and dimmable switching we can optimize for daylight, reduce energy consumption dramatically, enhance views, and reduce glare.

2.Organize the program to support conservation and community use Many schools also serve as community centers. By organizing the plans to define areas of the building available to the community after hours, relative to other spaces that can be closed off (i.e., most classrooms and labs), we can create discrete HVAC zones that provide heating and cooling only where it is needed.

3.Reduce plug loads and enhance education

further enhancing performance.

Since NZE performance is measured by actual utility bills, it can inspire students and teachers to conserve energy and use the building differently. Today’s building systems can provide real-time energy usage feedback, allowing users to understand how their actions influence conservation.

Students can actively monitor energy use and conserve, for example, by turning off lights and opening the shades, and by engaging users in design workshops. Teachers can help reduce plug-loads by centralizing printers, coffee machines, and other powered devices in convenient teacher workrooms.

4.Tap the earth’s energy for heating and cooling In many locations, combining a ground source heat pump system (geothermal) with an energy efficient HVAC system can enhance thermal comfort, while conserving energy. This system can also integrate kitchen equipment and pool equipment –

5.Generate energy After all of the efforts have been taken to reduce consumption, a NZE building needs to generate power to balance the energy demand. Photovoltaic panels can be provided through a power purchase agreement (PPA), or capital expenditure. With a smart power meter, the building’s systems can be configured to draw power from the grid during the winter months, and provide energy to the grid during the balance of the year.

Even if your goals are not Net Zero Energy, by working collaboratively with teachers, students, facilities personnel, architects, and engineers, these five ideas can help every school reduce energy consumption and educate the next generation of environmental stewards.

Sean O’Donnell, Jana Silsby, and Joseph Costa are principals with Perkins Eastman, an architectural practice specializing in school design.

State announces good news for public education Connecticut Leads the Nation on High School Assessment The State recently announced that Connecticut high school seniors lead the nation and are “in a class of their own” in reading, according to the results released by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). In math, the Class of 2013 remained in the top tier along with seniors from only four other states.

In addition, Connecticut’s results show definitive progress in narrowing the achievement gap between black and white students in reading. This is the first time that, in Connecticut, the black-white gap narrowed by a statistically significant amount in any grade across two consecutive NAEP administrations. And when compared to 2009, student performance remained either steady or increased for black, Hispanic, economically disadvantaged, and special needs students in both tested subjects.

Connecticut boards of education, superintendents, other administrators, teachers and students were commended for their efforts and making progress towards closure of the achievement gaps.

Connecticut high school seniors performed in the top most tier of performance at the national level based on average scale scores and the percent of students at/above proficient in math and

reading.

According to the press release from Governor Danell Malloy’s Office, “though the increase in academic rigor, funding, and accountability are all contributing factors to Connecticut’s improved performance, the achievement gaps remain wide among sub-groups of the student population. In every area of comparison among racial and eco-nomic comparisons, there are participating states (often many) with smaller achievement gaps than Connecticut.”

Known as the “Nation’s Report Card,” NAEP is the largest nationally representative and continuing assessment of students’ knowledge in reading and math on a state-by-state basis.

Graduation Rate Increases for Fourth Consecutive Year The State also announced that Connecticut’s high school graduation rate increased for the fourth consecutive year and that several persistent graduation rate gaps are closing.

“The Connecticut Association of Boards of Educations (CABE) is pleased that the hard work of school boards, superintendents of schools, principals, teachers and others have helped to raise our graduation rates. Our students have

Table 1: Comparison of Performance in all Grade 12 NAEP States to Connecticut in 2013



Average Scale Score Percentage At/Above Proficient Comparison Comparison Mathematics Reading Mathematics Reading No states higher No states higher No states higher No states higher than CT than CT than CT than CT

=

MA, NH, NJ, SD

None

MA, NH, NJ

None



AR, FL, ID, IL, IA, MI, TN, WV

All states lower than CT

AR, FL, ID, IL, IA, MI, SD, TN, WV

All states lower than CT

better success in life when they graduate — and continue their education, join the military or begin a career,” First Vice President Ann Gruenberg said. “We need to keep building on this success for our students, our communities, our state and the nation.”

Since 2010, the black-white gap in graduation rates was reduced by 4.3 percentage points (21.5 percent) and the Hispanic-white gap reduced by 3.5 percentage points (14 percent). Over the same time, the graduation gap between economically disadvantaged students and their more affluent peers reduced by 4.5 percentage points (17.5 percent).

The statewide average increased by 0.7

percent in 2013 as compared to 2012, representing a cumulative increase of 3.7 percent over the 2010 graduation rate.

In 2013, black, Hispanic, and freelunch-eligible students substantially outpaced the statewide average increase at 2.7 percent, 1.6 percent, and 2 percent, respectively. The 2013 graduation rate for students in the Alliance Districts, 30 of the state’s lowest performing districts, is up by 1.3 percent. Among the 10 lowest performing districts in the state, there was a 2.8 percentage-point increase — from 66.3 percent in 2012 to 69.1 percent in 2013.

Robert Rader Executive Director, CABE (from recent State press releases)

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The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education/June 2014

Best Practices: Plainfield Universal Preschool Program (P.U.P.S.) Kenneth DiPietro, Superintendent Plainfield Public Schools

The Plainfield Board of Education identified in its Strategic Plan a goal to improve early childhood education. Within its goal was a target of implementing universal preschool at no cost for residents. In August 2013, Plainfield opened its PUPS – Plainfield Universal Preschool Program offering two half-days per week at no cost to residents including transportation.

This program extended the existing preschool program for identified student (Special Education) and typical peers.

The program was implemented when lower enrollments allowed for additional staff to be assigned to the preschool program.

Using a limited (two-day) model, the cost to initiate the program was limited. Staff were re-assigned, facilities were available and only costs for supplies and materials were needed.

Although Plainfield has experienced an increase in poverty from 26% to 46% over the past four years based on the indicator of students receiving free or reduced lunch, and as a district ranks among the ten poorest districts in Connecticut, we are proud to have found a way to offer a preschools instructional program that allows our district to prepare students for a more successful educational experience over fourteen (14) years.

Below are testimonials from families who identify the benefits of this early start for students.

“I love that Gavin has had this opportunity he has learned so many things. Gavin has learned to share, take turns and to be respectful of others. On top of all that academically he has also learned so many letters and the sounds they make, how to spell his name. I could keep going on. He is just a whole new kid at home because of this opportunity and most important to us is that he is not so shy and afraid to talk to new kids and to try new things. Thank you for this.”

– Michelle

Ellamae has benefited in a number of ways from this universal preschool program. In the months leading up to the beginning of the school year, I was concerned that she was not getting enough peer interaction, as her grandmother was her primary caregiver during the day. This concerned me because I was afraid that she would not be prepared for kindergar-

ten if she didn’t get more exposure to children her age. If she was not given this opportunity, I do not think she would have been ready for kindergarten socially.

Being an educator myself, even I did not fully grasp all that was expected of kindergartners academically. I believe it is imperative for all parents to understand this, so that they can assess their children’s ability at home, and have it reinforced by professionals in the classroom setting. Getting this early exposure to the expectations of the classroom has benefited Ellamae in that she has learned to “love learning” in the classroom, and therefore she has been able to excel - I think that if she did not have this opportunity, and was “dropped” into the classroom as a kindergartner she may have been put off by the social aspect of it, and not been able to focus on her learning. In the past five months, her teacher Mrs. Barber has been able to instill what I hope to be a life-long love of learning in Ellamae. She looks forward to the days she goes to school with boundless excitement.

If this program was not available, Ellamae would not have gone to preschool elsewhere. I could not hang my hopes on her getting into the program via the “lottery” system, and having two children, I could not justify paying for preschool and daycare at the same time.

Additionally, what I particularly found beneficial in this program was that it was only held twice a week. This meant Ellamae could transition into the idea of school, rather than being sent “head-first” into the classroom setting five days a week. It not only helped her, but I believe it helped her little brother, who at first was devastated that his sister would not be with him full time, but eventually got accustomed to it over time without it having a drastic effect on him. In fact, our whole family has benefited from the experience.

– Thank you, Nina Bumpus Attention Mr. Kenneth DiPietro: I am writing on behalf of my three young children that the Plainfield School district continues to adopt and promote universal preschool programming.

Their future is in our hands and it is our responsibility to be certain they have access to as many learning opportunities as possible and as early as possible.

Currently, my 3-year-old son attends the Plainfield preschool program on an IEP. However, my older son started kindergarten in the fall without the opportunity to attend our public preschool. Before becoming a stay-at-home mother, I taught preschool and then special education kindergarten for 8 years. I saw first-hand the benefits of early teaching and the consequences

when children lack exposure to key academic principles. In our particular situation, despite having parents with college educations, our oldest son was held out of school because of a lack of funding as a single income family. He was fortunate enough to have a mother with a teaching background and who was familiar with the academic programs taught in the Plainfield kindergarten. Had there been a universal preschool program offered at no cost to families, we would have welcomed the opportunity to send our oldest son to foster his social skills and support his acquisition of letters, numbers and early writing.

Universal preschool benefits not only teachers and parents, it most importantly helps ensure that the proper foundations are being taught to each individual student. It provides an opportunity that com-mon language and techniques are being introduced early to aid in learning during future grades. It allows staff to identify and address areas of concern that are not only academic in nature, but also social concerns and can begin to support fami-lies of a variety of backgrounds and needs.

It is my hope that the Plainfield Schools will continue to support universal preschool programming in the future and find the funding within the academic budget so that our youngest daughter will have the opportunity to attend preschool to help develop and refine her academic abilities. It is not only essential for my children, but the countless other children in our community who may not have the same resources to advocate on their behalf.

– Sincerely, Jennie Kapszukiewicz Parent of a 6, 3, and 2 year old Dear Mr. DiPierto, Thank you for giving me the opportunity to give my opinion on the importance of an early start in my daughter’s education through the availability of a Pre-K program. My daughter Sadie, who turned 4 in the beginning of the 2013 - 2014 school year has benefited greatly from being enrolled in the 4 day Pre-K program at Shepard Hill Elementary. Initially we had signed our daughter up for the lottery process with hopes that she would be picked, but were delighted to hear that we now had the option on going for free for 2 days a week or for 4 days for a reasonable fee.

We have been fortunate to not have the expense of child care but with that comes a lack of opportunity for daily socialization that the Pre K program brings. Sadie was going to play groups and playing with her cousins but that socialization is minimal compared to the time she gets to

spend interacting with other students and staff on a daily basis while at school.

She has been able to build friendships with her classmates and children on the bus and become more independent without us being with her at all times. I have been to one of the after school movie events where a few of her classmates were and they were all so happy to see each

other. Sadie was excited to introduce us to her new friends that we have heard so much about.

We also have also been quite impressed with Sadie’s improvement in her cognitive skills when we are reading to her. If we ask her what will happen next, or if she knew what the moral of the story was, she is able to tell us! We have read to Sadie ever since she was a baby but it is just within the last year that she has really started to embrace the story and grasp details that she had over looked before.

She is able to tell us what all the letters and numbers are and has even started spelling words!

Another benefit to giving our daughter and early start with the Pre-K program is that she gets to become familiar with the structured environment of a classroom schedule. She knows that there is a series of events that will happen every day and has learned to be able to transition into the next task with ease. There is also plenty of opportunity for Sadie to explore and use her imagination at the different learning and play stations that are set up around the classroom. They also do a variety of projects that coincide with either a theme or letter of the week that gives her the chance to practice her fine motor skills. She has become much better at staying in the lines when coloring and her cutting skills have been improving too . . . thumbs to the sky! :) It is apparent that this motor control will help Sadie with her writing as well.

Being her mother, I am amazed by my daughter every day, but she has definitely taken huge strides academically and socially since she has been enrolled in the Pre-K program in Mrs. Barber’s class. It was a big step for us to send her off on her own to learn and explore without us being there, but we knew she was in capable and nurturing hands. I thank you for listening and hope you take us into consideration as a success story when it comes to having a Pre-K program at the Shepard Hill Elementary School.

– Thank you, Suzanne Lamontagne

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The Journal â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Connecticut Association of Boards of Education/June

2014