CABE Journal - January 2017

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Connecticut Association of Boards of Education Vol. 21, No. 1

The Leading Voice for Connecticut Public Education

New Wage and Overtime Rule May Still Affect Districts

Connecticut Association of Boards of Education Inc.

Since May of 2016, when the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced a final new wage and overtime rule, employers have spent a great deal of time assessing employee salaries and duties and adjusting budgets and personnel to comply with the new regulations.

The rule, scheduled to become effective on December 1, 2016, would have raised the threshold salary below which employers are required to pay overtime to employees who work over 40 hours a week.

The threshold would almost double, changing from $23,660/year ($455 per week under Federal law, $475 under Connecticut law) to $47,476 annually or $913 a week, with upward adjustments scheduled every three years.

This meant that all workers, even those performing executive, administrative, or professional jobs, who would otherwise be exempt, earning between $23,660 and $47,475 would automatically become non-exempt, i.e., eligible for overtime pay.

However, the rules never went into effect. When the U.S. Department of Labor published its final rule, twenty states, led by the State of Nevada, filed suit, requesting an injunction to prevent the rule from going into effect and seeking to invalidate the regulation, arguing that the DOL was infringing on states’ rights and that the rule conflicted with the Congressional intent of the underlying law.

On November 22, 2016, U.S. District Court Judge Amos Mazzant, in the Eastern District of Texas, granted the plaintiff ’s request for an injunction, indefinitely postponing implementation of the rule and declaring the decision to be effective nationwide. The U.S. DOL appealed the decision, but the appeal will not be heard during President Obama’s term, and the rule may, in fact never see daylight.

So, what does all this mean for Connecticut school districts?

In many cases, schools have already communicated with employees about impact of the changes, including notification of new eligibility for overtime and issuing raises to currently exempt employees. Now they are faced with a dilemma.

As one school finance officer said, “that makes it hard to put the genie back in the bottle.”

Pursuant to the preliminary injunction, school districts may, for the foreseeable future, maintain their current salary structure for covered employees. Schools should be sure to review all collective bargaining contracts of staff who would be affected by the new rule to determine what action might be necessary both to meet the obligations of the contract and to comply with the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), in case the rule does in fact become law.

On the plus side, a large number of school district personnel are not covered by the rule. Under the FLSA overtime and wage provision, “teachers” are exempt if See SCHOOL DISTRICTS page 2

81 Wolcott Hill Road Wethersfield, CT 06109-1242

Rebecca Adams

SENIOR STAFF ATTORNEY, CABE

January 2017

“Out of the public schools grows the greatness of a nation.” - Mark Twain, Nov. 23,1900

Winter Fun

Can Housing Conversations Help Your Town or City?

Robert Rader

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CABE

Housing is one of the issues that affect school districts in many ways. Whether it’s through school enrollment, ability to attract staff and how people in our local communities vote on budgets, housing, like demography and diversity, is critical to our understanding of the needs of our communities.

While I always believed housing to be important, I was surprised what a good turnout (SRO!) there was for the Trends workshop on housing at the CABE/ CAPSS Convention, especially considering the other great workshops in the Friday morning schedule.

We were lucky to have three excellent presenters: Alex Knopf, Visiting Lecturer See HOUSING page 10

View from the Capitol Patrice A. McCarthy

DEPUTY DIRECTOR AND GENERAL COUNSEL, CABE

With the convening of the General Assembly on January 6, the “long” legislative session begins, with an adjournment scheduled for June 7. The Legislature faces significant challenges in developing the 2017-19 biennial state budget in an era of fiscal constraints and ongoing needs for programs and services to meet the needs of the citizens.

With 30 new members of the House of Representatives and 4 new State Senators, it is an important opportunity to make legislators aware of the successes and challenges in our elementary and secondary public schools.

2016 Convention Recap

See You in Court

The Policy Corner

CABE: Working for You

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Periodical Postage PAID Hartford, CT

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The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education | January 2017

PRESIDENT COMMENTARY

President’s Perspectives Ann Gruenberg PRESIDENT, CABE

With a new year comes new beginnings, the spirit of renewal and many shared wishes. The holiday exchanges may become so routine that we hardly consider a deeper level meaning and the intensity of the holiday season may yield to a refreshing opportunity to begin with a new start.

As board members and educational leaders, we are change agents. We are also the sustainers of support, stewards of commitment and shepherds of many.

Ringing in the new year, with all its festivities, is also a time for bringing in some of what is new, but we need to take pause.

As the song goes: “Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other gold.” We need to be careful regarding the temptation to simply get rid of that which is old, for the sake of novelty.

We could debate the value of continuity over change, and the definitions of some words we may use without thinking, such as “fiscal conservatism.” Many with progressive priorities may also consider themselves fiscally conservative. This is a time when a major part of the process of advocacy may hinge on creating shared definitions and clarifying our meaningful intent.

The decision about whether to re-use,

SCHOOL DISTRICTS

(continued from page 1) their primary duties involve “teaching, tutoring, instruction or lecturing.” The definition of teacher includes certified staff, including those teaching academic courses, kindergarten or pre-kindergarten, gifted and talented students, trades and occupations, music, and in some cases athletics, including coaches and assistant coaches.

District employees who are not exempt (unless paid threshold wages and performing executive, administrative or professional duties) include: • teachers whose primary duty is caring for the physical needs of students; • school nurses who are LPNs; • paraprofessionals; and not require certification.

Current speculation regarding the fate of the new rule, under the Trump administration, centers around the following possibilities: • The appeal will be heard and decided as scheduled; • The DOL will drop the appeal and the regulations will take effect as of a future date or; • The administration will broker a compromise, pursuant to which the threshold will increase but not under the current level of $47,475.

CABE advises districts to address the potential for a rule change by reviewing

re-cycle or toss wrapping paper for most occurs without much deliberation. We just do it. The decisions, however, regarding what to do with our educational systems are different.

A few years ago, after attending a college reunion and hearing Coretta Scott King speak at the alma mater we shared, albeit at different times, I found myself appreciating the progressive tradition. That may sound like an oxymoron - a contradiction of terms.

It succeeded, however, in describing a shared commitment to educational values that included understanding of the importance of experiential learning, real-life problem-solving, social justice integrated into the curriculum and ongoing advocacy. The progressive values of Horace Mann and other thought leaders are as important now as they were over one hundred years ago.

Hence, the progressive tradition lives on. Throwing out old systems and practices as we toss out old wrapping paper is neither necessary or advantageous.

New beginnings based on a disregard for what has been established and recognized as recommended practice is not efficient nor effective. We do not need change just for the sake of novelty.

We need change that is based on careful consideration to serve children well, offering optimal opportunities for all. It is job descriptions and duties carefully, reviewing collective bargaining contracts, and analyzing increases in salaries and communicating the potential budget

Upcoming Professional Development

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.

Board of Directors

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

imperative that we maintain a clear vision of shared goals and that we work together to be effective.

We can continue to support that which is meaningful and motivating, moving past negative polarization, unifying rather that dividing. With limited resources, our commitment to support access to quality educational experiences for all children needs to be paramount.

We can remember and cherish the quilts made by our grandmothers, stitch by stitch, valuing our diversity. We can sustain that which is great and support that which reflects and respects our finest values. We can maintain our equilibrium, sense of purpose and possibility.

“Wishing you all a happy, healthy and productive 2017!”

impact to district stakeholders and voters in the current budget cycle.

Please stay tuned for updates from the policy and legal departments.

If you have questions, please call me • January 23, 2017 | 7:00 am CABE Area 4 Legislative Breakfast Brooklyn Middle School 119 Gorman Road, Brooklyn To register call Denise Geeza 860-774-9153

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January 11, 2017 | 7:30 am CABE Area 7 Legislative Breakfast Derby High School Commons Area 8 Nutmeg Avenue, Derby To register call CABE - 860-571-7446

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January 25, 2017 | 7:30 am CABE Area 8 Legislative Breakfast John Winthrop Middle School 1 Winthrop Road, Deep River To register call CABE - 860-571-7446

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January 17, 2017 | 7:45 am CABE Area 6 Legislative Breakfast Staples High School Media Center 70 North Avenue, Westport To register call CABE - 860-571-7446

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January 26, 2017 | 8:00 am CABE/CREC Area 2 Legislative Breakfast State Capitol, Room 310, Hartford To register call CREC - 860-247-2732

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January 18, 2017 | 9 - 11 am Board Chair Roundtable CABE Office, Wethersfield To register call CABE - 860-571-7446

• January 23, 2017 | 7:30 am CABE Area 3 Legislative Breakfast Skinner School 90 Skinner Road, Vernon To register call Trish Buchanan 860-870-6000

• January 28, 2017 NSBA Equity Conference Washington, DC To register contact NSBA 703-838-6722 • January 29-31 NSBA Advocacy Institute Washington, DC To register contact NSBA 703-838-6722

Ann Gruenberg | President, Hampton Robert Mitchell | First Vice President, Montville Donald Harris | Vice President for Government Relations, Bloomfield Elizabeth Brown | Vice President for Professional Development, Waterbury Bob Trefry | Secretary/Treasurer, CT Technical High School System Richard Murray | Immediate Past President, Killingly John Prins | Member at Large, Branford Lydia Tedone | NSBA Director, Simsbury

AREA DIRECTORS

Jonathan Moore | Area 1 Co-Director, Region 1 Michelle Lucian | Area 1 Co-Director, Plymouth Byran Hall | Area 2 Director, East Hartford Michael Purcaro | Area 3 Co-Director, Ellington Michele Arn | Area 3 Co-Director, Vernon Joan Trivella | Area 4 Director, Brooklyn Michelle Embree Ku | Area 5 Director, Newtown Jennifer Dayton | Area 6 Co-Director, Greenwich Karen Kleine | Area 6 Co-Director, Westport Roxane McKay | Area 7 Director, Wallingford Lon Seidman | Area 8 Director, Essex Andrea Ackerman | Area 9 Director, Groton

ASSOCIATES

Eileen Baker | Associate, Old Saybrook Sharon Beloin-Saavedra | Associate, New Britain Robert Guthrie | Associate, West Haven Douglas Smith | Associate, Plainfield Robert Trefry | Associate, CT Technical High School System

COMMITTEE CHAIRS

Becky Tyrrell | Chair, Federal Relations, Plainville Bryan Hall | Chair, Resolutions, East Hartford Christopher Wilson | Chair, State Relations, Bristol

CITY REPRESENTATIVES

Richard Wareing | City Representative, Hartford Carlos Torre | City Representative, New Haven Jacqueline Heftman | City Representative, Stamford Charles Stango | City Representative, Waterbury

STAFF Robert Rader | Executive Director Patrice McCarthy | Deputy Director and General Counsel Rebecca Adams | Senior Staff Attorney Bonnie Carney | Senior Staff Associate for Publications Nicholas Caruso | Senior Staff Associate for Field Service and Coordinator of Technology Sheila McKay | Senior Staff Associate for Government Relations Vincent Mustaro | Senior Staff Associate for Policy Service Lisa Steimer | Senior Staff Associate for Professional Development Teresa Costa | Coordinator of Finance and Administration Pamela Brooks | Senior Administrative Associate for Policy Service and Search Services Terry DeMars | Administrative Associate for Policy Service Gail Heath | Administrative Associate for Government Relations Wilmarie Newton | Administrative Associate for Labor Relations Nancy Propfe | Administrative Assistant for Membership Services Corliss Ucci | Receptionist and Assistant to the Executive Director

The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education | January 2017

CABE Affiliate Members BUSINESS AFFILIATES DIAMOND MEMBER Finalsite GOLD MEMBERS

Berchem, Moses & Devlin Centris Group Pullman & Comley Shipman & Goodwin Support for the Budgetary Process SILVER MEMBERS Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Arthur J. Gallagher & Company Corporate Cost Control Milone & MacBroom, Inc. Perkins & Eastman The Segal Company Sprint Svigals & Partners BRONZE PLUS MEMBERS BL Companies Coordinated Transportation Solutions Friar Associates Milliman, Inc. O & G Industries The S/L/A/M Collaborative BRONZE MEMBERS Brown & Brown Insurance Chinni & Meuser LLC Coordinated Transportation Solutions, Inc. Dattco Inc. ECG Engineering, PC Fusfoo Media LLC Goldstein & Peck, P.C. JCJ Architecture Kainen, Escalera & McHale, P.C. The Lexington Group Solutions Employee Assistance Program Sources4Teachers Suisman Shapiro Attorneys at Law

EDUCATIONAL AFFILIATES

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

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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR COMMENTARY

What Can We Learn from the Perspective of Black Teachers?

Robert Rader

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CABE

To understand the obstacles to retaining black teachers, The Education Trust, a well-known and highly credible organization that “promotes high academic achievement for all students at all levels--prekindergarten through college” published Through Our Eyes: Perspectives and Reflections from Black Teachers.

The “brief ” used focus groups of teachers of color to develop its findings.

National statistics set the context: “teachers of color represent only 18 percent of the teaching population in the U.S. (Black teachers are 7 per cent).”

As a comparison, the most current Condition of Education in Connecticut: 2014-2015, an SDE publication, states that only approximately 8 percent of our teaching force is nonwhite (Blacks amount to 3.5%). Our nonwhite students comprise approximately 42% and that number is expected to continue to grow.

Connecticut, like many states, is attempting to increase its teachers and administrators of color. This has been a concern for many years and the State, as well as CABE and other organizations, is working harder than ever to ensure that it finally happens.

On October 20th, the Governor signed PA 16-41, An Act Concerning the Recommendations of the Minority Teacher Recruitment Task Force, which, among other actions in this area, requires the establishment of a Minority Teacher Recruitment Policy Oversight Council in the State Department of Education (SDE), requires SDE to conduct an annual survey of students on the effectiveness of minority teacher recruitment programs and requires SDE to “report annually on the effectiveness of minority teacher recruitment programs using results-based Teachers Speak Out accountability methods.”

So what did Black teachers in the focus The CABE Ad hoc Committee on group say?

Diversity has also been examining these Teachers described the many ways they issues, including believe they benefit diversity and cultural “We need to overcome students and are competence on experts. “They had stereotypes; understand Boards of Education. high expectations CABE and CAPSS our teachers’ circumstances for their students, have also examined passion for teaching, diversity as part of and needs; provide and the capacity to our efforts on ensurempower students ing a high-quality additional, tailored with knowledge.

Superintendent pipeof them felt professional development; Many line and on our joint they were ‘called’ to Demography and and, realize what a terrific be in the classroom.”

Diversity Commit They felt they tee. asset that a diverse teaching taught Black students Why is raising the well, “but found number and percentstaff brings us.” themselves restrictage of our educators ed to only teaching of color so importBlack students”; that they were asked ant? Among the many reasons: to be disciplinarians instead of having Now, and in the years to come, our gained respect for their work in classroom student population is becoming more management; “they put in extra time and diverse. effort, but weren’t heard in staff meetings”; We need role models for our students and “had to ‘tone down’ their personalities of color. This is one of the research findto be seen as professionals.” ings that is so important for our children.

They felt they were being “pigeonholed And, it’s not only about teachers, it’s about by peers, parents, and administrators into school leaders and district leaders, includ- specific roles based on these strengths, thereby limiting and diminishing their ing school board members. capabilities. Without the acknowledgment We need role models for ALL our of (or the chance to build) the pedagogistudents. It is good for them to see people cal and subject matter expertise essential of color in leadership positions. That’s the to their profession, they felt they lacked world they will enter. opportunities for advancement and were Research shows that there is a better undervalued and unappreciated.” chance of districts developing policies and The teachers also felt: programs that will help students of color • “they had an easier time building when there are school board members of connections with students, especolor on their boards. cially Black students, because of One of the biggest issues in ensuring perceived cultural and experiential that there are teachers and administrators similarities. They said this immediof color in our districts is ensuring they ate, surface-level connection with many Black students helped those stay, assuming, like with any employees, students trust them and feel safe in they are qualified and meet the standards their care.” set by their school districts.

• that they empathized “with students’ out-of-school experiences differently than do caring, White teacher colleagues. Their empathy often combined with other strengths necessary to provide a quality education to children.”

• they were often seen as subpar educators. According to the teachers, “the assumption that Black teachers are best to teach Black children creates a subtle — and obviously inaccurate — undercurrent that Black teachers do not have the ability to teach all children.”

• a sense of obligation to teach Black students beyond the academic curriculum. Because of this, “they experienced additional professional and personal stressors.” The heightened sense of obligation, and the stress that went with it was intensified by their limited representation in the teaching workforce and the field of education.

• when they attended professional development, it often did not cater to the kinds of schools they worked in or the kinds of issues they faced.

“This lack of adequate resources and support often led Black teachers to navigate challenges on their own and rely on whatever they had to in order to serve their students.”

My Takeaways

The study did not provide recommendations for handling these concerns.

However, it certainly behooves all of us in Connecticut working toward the State Board’s goal of ensuring our “teachers and leaders collectively reflect the rich cultural diversity in Connecticut and are culturally responsive instructors” to consider ways in which we can ensure that our teachers of color receive the support they need.

We need to overcome stereotypes; understand our teachers’ circumstances and needs; provide additional, tailored professional development; and, realize what a terrific asset that a diverse teaching staff brings us.

Such thoughtful consideration will provide a real benefit not only to teachers of color, but to students of color and, in the long run, all the rest of our students, too.

The Education Trust research paper can be found at https://edtrust.org/resource/ eyes-perspectives-reflections-black-teachers.

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The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education | January 2017

2016 CABE/CAPSS Convention Recap Lisa Steimer

senior staff associate for professional development, CABE

The 2016 CABE/CAPSS Convention is now behind us and the planning has begun for the 2017 Convention. The evaluations of the 2016 Convention indicate it was a huge success – 98% of respondents to the post-Convention survey said the Convention was “good” or “excellent”.

Thanks to all of you who participated in the Convention! It is your interaction and energy that make this event successful year after year.

The Convention Committee did a great job selecting the General Session speakers.

The feedback on their presentations was positive, particularly for Tony Wagner our Friday morning speaker who 92% of respondents said was “good” or “excellent” and for Nadia Lopez our Saturday morning speaker who 92% of respondents said was “good” or “excellent”. Equally as positive was the feedback on the breakout sessions – 83% of survey respondents

found them to be “helpful” or “very helpful”.

This is an increase in the percentage of respondents responding so favorably.

The Committee does its best to select the most timely and well developed workshops from the proposals submitted. If you have an interest in presenting a workshop at the 2015 Convention, watch your mail in late January-early February for the Call for Proposal information.

Why not another location?

85% of survey respondents find the Convention location to be “good” or “excellent”. However, a number of people have asked why the Convention is not held in a more central location or at one of the casinos. Over the past several years, the Convention Committee has devoted time to discussing these very questions.

As reported in the March 2016 CABE

Journal, CABE staff investigated various options, some of which were easily ruled out in that they provide less space than we currently use at the Mystic Marriott. Some of the sites that fell into this category include the Heritage Southbury, the Trumbull Marriott, the New Haven Omni, the Stamford Marriott, the Stamford Sheraton, the Sheraton Hartford South (formerly Rocky Hill Marriott) and the Hyatt Regency Greenwich.

This left us with a very short list to further investigate. The properties on this list simply based on having space large enough to accommodate our group include the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford, the Conference Center at Foxwoods, the Conference Center at Mohegan Sun and the Mystic Marriott Hotel.

Upon inquiring about availability for

the Convention dates in 2017 and 2018, staff learned the following: • The Connecticut Convention Center is booked in 2017 and 2018.

• The Conference Center at Foxwoods is booked in 2017 and 2018.

• Given the revenue generated and space used, the Conference Center at Mohegan Sun is not able to bid our Convention until approximately 6 months prior to the event.

• The Mystic Marriott Hotel has our dates available.

The Committee would like the Convention to be more centrally located, but appropriate space is not available. However, in order to ensure we have space for the Convention, the Convention Committee approved going to contract with the Mystic Marriott for 2017.

Both CABE staff and the Mystic Marriott Hotel staff continue to find more creative ways to use the space available to us at the Marriott. Previous conversations have allowed us to better use the main See CONVENTION RECAP page 10

Support for the Budgetary Process Providing support for districts, who must strategize for your BUDGETS challenges and changing demographics

Your Budgetary Process Team John Kowalsky

Independent Broker, Husband of Retired Teacher

Bill Sudol

Retired Executive Director, Teachers Retirement Board

Michael Linehan Certified Retirement Plan Specialist

Administrative Support from

Stirling Benefits

Call us at 1-860-828-8360

It’s a pleasure for the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education (CABE) to join with the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents (CAPSS) in sponsoring this process that is designed to give information to Boards of Education that may assist them as they are looking at plans that would be available to their staff that would help individuals make the difficult decision as to whether or not to retire. This is one resource we think is valuable for districts to look at and we bring you this information as a service to our members.

Patrice A. McCarthy Deputy Director and General Counsel, CABE

Tw o o f t h e ongoing challenges that school system administrators face are how to make it possible to assist long time loyal and effective teachers and administrators retire into a financially secure situation and how to secure significant budget savings without sacrificing quality in educational programming. To assist you with these challenges, CAPSS and CABE have established business partnerships with John Kowalsky and Bill Sudol around an effective method for prospective retirees to obtain health insurance coverage that is both affordable and comprehensive.

Joseph J. Cirasuolo, Ed.D Executive Director, CAPSS

1. Create an innovative retirement incentive strategy designed and developed specifically for your district to meet your goals and requirements.

2. Support for the Budgetary Process will provide group and individual Retirement Workshops to communicate with education staff as to the eligibility requirements for participation.

3. The workshop will include an explanation of benefits from the Teachers Retirement System.

4. Communicate to teachers the benefits and opportunities provided by the program and how to maximize tax advantages.

Complete support provided to the district and teachers for the duration of the program.

We are offering a dedicated explanation of the partnership process and we will work with you to achieve YOUR GOALS in a comprehensive manner.

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The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education | January 2017 See You in Court – The Nutmeg Board of Education

Did Nutmeg make the right decision regarding home-schooling?

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.

For years, the Nutmeg Board of Education has invited members of the public to comment at the beginning of its meetings. Last year, the Board adopted some new rules and even printed those rules on the bottom of the agenda: “All speakers are limited to three minutes.

Comments must relate to the operation of the Nutmeg Public Schools. No personal attacks!” There was some grumbling when rules first went into effect, but Public Comment has been running smoothly ever since.

At the meeting last week, Pamela Parent spoke to the Board during Public Comment. She complained about the “stupid” decision that Mr. Superintendent made in rejecting her request that her homeschooled son, who would otherwise be a sophomore in high school, be permitted to take chemistry at Nutmeg Memorial High School. In a rather nasty tone, she intimated that Mr. Superintendent was biased against God-fearing folk who prefer to educate their children at home, away from the pernicious influences of public education.

Bob Bombast, veteran member of the Board, had been listening intently to her comments, and he couldn’t help but interrupt her with a question. “If you are so worried about the bad influences in the public school,” Bob asked, “why are you asking to send your son to Nutmeg Memorial for chemistry class?”

“Have you taken chemistry?” Ms. Parent asked rhetorically. “It’s not like he is going to have lunch or take gym with the other students. It is all numbers and formulas, and I am sure he will be safe. I want him to get into a good college, and some courses are just too hard to do at home. Chemistry is one of them.”

Bob was intrigued. “Mr. Superintendent, this request seems reasonable to me. Why are you being such a pain about this?”

Now it was Pamela’s turn to interrupt.

“Besides, I pay taxes in Nutmeg! Over the years, my family has saved Nutmeg a fortune by home-schooling our children.

Now I ask for just one little thing, and Mr. Superintendent says no. It isn’t fair!”

Mr. Superintendent started to explain that there were logistical difficulties in

permitting a non-enrolled student to participate in a single class, but Bob didn’t want to hear of it. He waved Mr. Superintendent off dismissively, and addressed the Board. “I move that the Board grant this reasonable request to permit Ms. Parent’s son to take Chemistry at Nutmeg Memorial High School.”

Board member Penny Pincher piped up. “What is this going to cost us? I don’t want the Board to be paying extra for children who are not students in Nutmeg.”

Board member Mal Content joined the debate. “Can we even do this? Aren’t we supposed to steer clear of religious types?”

Ms. Chairperson banged her gavel to regain control. “Look,” she began. “This isn’t even on our agenda this evening. I move that we ask Mr. Superintendent to take a hard look at his previous decision, see what he can do for Ms. Parent, and report back to us.” After a prompt second, the Board approved the motion and moved on.

Do you see any problems if Mr. Superintendent changes his mind and permits the young man to take Chemistry at Nutmeg Memorial?

There is no legal prohibition against permitting home-schooled children to participate in the activities of the public schools. However, such decisions have implications that boards members and superintendents must keep in mind.

We start by noting that home-schooled children have no legal right to participate in the courses and other activities of the public schools. Children who reside in a school district have the right to enroll in school in that district.

However, parents (or guardians) who home-school their children have chosen not to enroll their children in school, but rather have agreed to assure that their “child is elsewhere receiving equivalent instruction in the studies taught in the public schools.” Conn. Gen. Stat. Section 10-184 (emphasis added).

In 1994, the Commissioner of Education issued recommended procedures for school officials to follow with homeschooled children, which include a proposed form on which (1) the parent states that the parent assumes responsibility for education of the child, and (2) the superintendent “only acknowledge[s] receipt of this form and render[s] no opinion as to the appropriateness of the planned program.” Given that the home-schooled child is not an enrolled student, the child has no legal right to participate in any of the programs or activities of the public schools.

To be sure, school officials may permit

home-schooled children to participate in designated school activities. In deciding whether or not to do so, however, school officials must keep in mind their obligations under the Equal Protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.

As government agents, school officials are subject to this constitutional provision, which requires that the government treat similarly-situated people in the same way.

The problem is that parents and school officials can disagree on whether their children are similarly situated or whether they have been treated the same way.

If Mr. Superintendent eventually grants Ms. Parent’s request and her son is permitted to take Chemistry, he will set a precedent that other parents may rely on. Will all home-schooled children now be able to take courses as they may choose? Will they be able to participate in other school activities as well? Will students in private schools be able to take courses in the same way home-schooled children can? How will school officials exercise control and discipline, where necessary, over children who are not enrolled students?

By drawing a bright line against permitting non-enrolled children selectively

to participate in public school courses and activities, some school districts avoid these questions. Conversely, before permitting home-schooled children (or children attending private schools) to participate in any school activities, school officials must consider these questions and weigh the benefits and burdens of such a decision.

Finally, we note that the Nutmeg Board of Education has adopted appropriate rules for Public Comment, but violated protocol for Public Comment and may have violated the Freedom of Information Act as a result.

Public Comment is an opportunity for the public to speak, but board members should not engage in discussion with the speakers. The board and superintendent can always add an item to a future agenda if further discussion is warranted.

However, by discussing Ms. Parent’s request and indeed taking action on it, the Board violated the FOIA by considering and acting on a matter that was not on the agenda.

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.

The Eighth Edition is here!!

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.

The Eighth Edition was substantially rewritten to reflect statutory changes, significant case law developments in state and federal courts. Some of the numerous legal developments and update are as follows: School Safety and Security | Bullying Law Teacher Evaluation and Support | Teacher Tenure Act New Requirements for Professional Development Budget Issues | Prohibitions on Electronic Notifications of Referenda Minimum Budget Requirements |FMLA for Paraprofessionals Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Requirements Uniform Regional School Calendars | Excusal | Student Assessments Pool Safety | Concussion Prevention and Education Sudden Cardiac Arrest Prevention and Education Administration and Storage of Epinephrine | Excused Absences Student Free Speech | Employee Free Speech

Order your copy TODAY by going to the CABE website: www.cabe.org/page.cfm?p=1241

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The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education | January 2017

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The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education | January 2017

The Policy Corner Vincent A. Mustaro

SENIOR STAFF ASSOCIATE FOR POLICY SERVICE, CABE

Policy for Homeless Students Requires Revision The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) reauthorized and amended the McKinney-Vento Act (Act) which became effective October 1, 2016. ESSA imposes new obligations on state educational departments and local school districts including a requirement to review existing policies and regulations to remove barriers to the enrollment and retention of homeless children and youth.

Federal Legislation

The amended federal legislation, requires districts to review, revise and adopt policies so that they do not act as barriers to the identification of homeless children and youths to ensure that such individuals are not stigmatized or segregated on the basis of their status as homeless and are enrolled in school. Consideration must be given to issues concerning transportation, immunizations, residency, birth certificates, school records and other documentation, and guardianship in the review and revision of such policies. A liaison for homeless children and youth must be designated by the district to carry out certain duties enumerated by the Act. Also, districts must provide transportation to a homeless student’s school of origin, as described in the Act; enroll immediately any homeless student, even if documentation of required immunizations is not available; and give special attention to ensuring the identification, enrollment and attendance of homeless children and youths not currently attending school.

Definition of Homeless Children/Youth

Homeless children and youths are defined as “individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence.” The Act details examples of such situations, which are included in CABE’s model policy. Further, the Act defines “enroll” and “enrollment” to include attending classes and participating fully in school activities. The federal legislation expands upon Connecticut’s residency definitions (C.G.S. 10-235(d)). School districts have an obligation to identify homeless and migratory children.

As indicated, districts must continue the student’s education in the “school of origin,” the school the child attended when permanently housed or the school of last enrollment. The district must presume that keeping a homeless child or youth in the school of origin is in such

individual’s best interest unless doing so is contrary to the request of the individual’s parent/guardian or unaccompanied youth.

An alternative is that the district enrolls the homeless student in any public school that non-homeless students who live in the area where the child is actually living are eligible to attend.

The homeless child’s right to attend the school of origin extends for the duration of homelessness. If a child becomes permanently housed during the academic year, he/she is entitled to stay in the school of origin until the end of the school year.

A child who becomes homeless in between academic years is entitled to attend his/her school of origin for the following academic year. The district must provide written explanation, including the right to appeal, whenever the school district sends the homeless child to a school other than the school of origin or a school requested by the parent/guardian.

District policy and practice must ensure that district homeless liaisons participate in professional development and other technical assistance activities provided by the State Office of the Coordinator for Education of Homeless Children and Youth (Office of the Coordinator).

Connecticut State Statute

State statute (C.G.S. 10-186) currently

defines the process for resolving issues involving homeless students. The state is required to establish an appeal process. If a dispute arises over eligibility, the child or youth shall be immediately enrolled in the school in which enrollment is sought, pending final resolution of the dispute, including all available appeals. The district’s homeless liaison is required to carry out the dispute resolution process expeditiously.

Services provided to homeless students must be comparable to those received by other students in the school. Such students may be entitled to special services offered by the local district. Moreover, homelessness alone is not to be considered a sufficient reason to separate students from the mainstream school environment.

Homeless students may be segregated for short periods of time only for health and safety emergencies or to provide temporary, special or supplemental services.

Transportation services must be comparable to those provided to other students in the selected school. Homeless students must be provided transportation to the school of origin, if requested by the parent/guardian, if the school is within the school district. If the school of origin is in a different school district from where the child is currently living, both school districts are to agree on a method for

Policy Implications

School districts are required to adopt policies and practices to ensure that homeless children and youth are not segregated or stigmatized on the basis of their status as homeless. District applications for McKinney-Vento Act grant funds will be judged on the extent to which the local district uses the grant to leverage resources. Grant funds may also be used to attract, engage, and retain homeless children and youth who are not enrolled in school, or used for extraordinary or emergency assistance needed to enable homeless children and youths to attend school and participate fully in school activities. Districts that receive Title I Part A funds must reserve funds to support homeless students, which can include transportation to the school of origin and for local liaisons.

The district, through its policies and procedures must ensure that its activities will not isolate or stigmatize homeless children or youth.

Districts are encouraged to implement policies whereby schools immediately enroll homeless children and youth on such basis as oral communication with prior schools; affidavits from parents or guardians in place of immunization documentation, birth certificates, proof of residency, or other records; and other alternatives to the records usually required for enrollment. The local liaisons can facilitate implementation of these measures.

Policy #5118.1, “Homeless Students” has been revised in order to comply with the new amendments to the Act. In addition, an updated administrative regulation is also available.

sharing the responsibility and costs, or share the costs equally.

An enrollment request made by the parents of a homeless child imposes the obligation to immediately enroll the child, even in the absence of records normally required for enrollment. The last school attended must be contacted to obtain records. If the child lacks immunizations or immunization/medical records, the enrolling school must refer the parent/ guardian to the liaison in order to get help obtaining immunizations and records.

The Act also details specific state responsibilities. This includes the creation of a state plan which shall describe how the State Department of Education will provide support to local districts in the identification, enrollment, attendance and school stability of homeless children and youths, including if relevant eligibility criteria are met, access to academic and extracurricular activities, including magnet school, summer school, career and technical education, advanced placement, online learning and charter school programs.

State Plan

Such plan must require procedures/ proof to indicate that districts have developed policies to remove barriers to the enrollment and retention of homeless children and youths and that such children have equal access to educational programs provided to other children, including public preschool. The Act details other responsibilities for the State Board of Education, including the monitoring of local districts.

The definition in the amended McKinney-Vento Act of homeless children and youth no longer includes “awaiting foster care placement”. The deletion of “awaiting foster care placement” became effective December 10, 2016.

The amendments regarding homelessness and foster care in ESSA detail many responsibilities for state departments of education and local districts. State Title I Plans must describe the steps the SEA will take to ensure collaboration with the State child welfare agency to ensure the educational stability of children or youth in foster care.

Local Title I Plans must contain an assurance that LEAs receiving Title I funds will collaborate with the state or local child welfare agency to develop and implement procedures for how transportation to maintain foster youth in their schools of origin, when in their best interest, will be provided, arranged and funded.

8

The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education | January 2017

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 helping school boards to

•

• •

•

increase student achievement

Participated in CAPSS International Education Committee meeting.

Facilitated board goal setting meeting with the Region 14 Board of Education.

Sent out two issues of Policy Highlights via email listserv covering topics that affect student achievement.

This included observance of religious holidays in public schools, ESSA update, and the impact of school climate on student achievement.

* By promoting public educa•

tion:

Attended CAPSS subcommittee meeting for retired superintendents.

* By providing services

• •

•

• •

•

•

•

•

•

* By providing opportunities •

• • • •

to meet members needs:

Facilitated a board retreat with the Seymour Board of Education.

Met with Region 10 Board of Education on CABE activities, programs and services.

Spoke with Massachusetts Association of School Committee staff responsible for their Association app.

Met with the Thomaston Board of Education to discuss legislative issues.

Supported State Relations Committee development of CABE Legislative Priorities.

Responded to 19 requests from 12 member districts for legal and governance guidance.

Responded to inquiries from Board of Education members and superintendents. The “Hot” Legal topics this month were: investigations into whether student discipline is consistent and in-line with board policies; evaluation of superintendents employed in dual administrative roles; responding to parent complaints; hiring consultants; “Good Samaritan Law” protections for aiding students; adding items to a meeting agenda; public comment.

Materials were prepared for Derby, Plymouth, Region 14 and Wethersfield Boards of Education as part of the Customized Policy Update Service.

Conducted audits of the policy manuals of Franklin, Sherman and

Winchester Boards of Education.

Agreed to do an audit of the policy manuals of the Ledyard Boards of Education.

Placed the policy manual of the Avon Board of Education on the internet utilizing the Connecticut Online Policy Service.

Entered into an agreement to develop a new policy manual for the Enfield Board of Education.

•

for members to learn how to better govern their districts:

Facilitated a roles and responsibilities meeting with the New Milford Board of Education.

Attended Achieve Hartford meeting on school governance.

Planned and implemented successful CABE/CAPSS Convention.

Met with superintendent’s secretary in Bristol to review CABE-Meeting.

Provided Lighthouse training for the Region #1, Stamford, Suffield, Winchester and Wolcott Boards of Education.

Responded to forty-eight requests for policy information was provided to 35 districts, on 341 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 continued to include student data privacy, background checks of prospective employees, handling opioid overdoses, social networking and recruiter access to students.

* By representing Connecticut • • • • • •

• •

school boards on the state or national level:

Attended meeting on Connecticut Computer Science for All. Attended Anti Defamation League Board of Directors meeting.

Attended Pk-3rd Grade Leaders meeting.

Attended Connecticut Coalition for Public Education meeting.

Attended meeting of Professional Educator Advisory Council.

Attended membership meeting of the Connecticut Society of Association Executives (CSAE).

Met to discuss content of CABE Board of Directors Retreat.

Participated in three Professional Development Mandates Task Force meetings.

•

Met with Community Health Centers representatives.

• Participated in Special Education Funding Work Group.

• Participated in Mastery Exam Committee meetings.

• Attended Bloomfield Board of Education and EdAdvance/CABE Area 1 Legislative Breakfasts.

• Attended Food Allergies Task Force meeting.

• Attended New England Association of Schools and Colleges Annual Conference.

• Participated in Professional Evaluation Advisory Committee (PEAC) meeting.

• Attended Connecticut Coalition for Justice in Education Funding annual meeting.

• Attended New England Secondary School Consortium meeting on mastery based learning.

• Attended Shipman and Goodwin board member training seminar.

• Attended December State Board of Education meeting.

• •

•

Attended Recovery High School Working Group meeting.

Attended State Department of Education ESSA briefing to the General Assembly’s Education Committee.

Attended Connecticut Technical High School Presentation to the General Assembly’s Appropriations and Education Committee Committees.

* By ensuring members

• •

•

receive the most up-to-date communications:

Participated in CREC Council meeting.

Prepared material for East Hampton, New Fairfield, Sterling and Union Boards of Education as part of the Custom Update Service.

Attended Pullman & Comley labor law seminar and worked in subgroup on the new FLSA wage and hour laws and the law suit delaying implementation.

Available in the CABE Online Bookstore!

An excellent book for Board Members, Superintendents and Administrators!

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=1256

9

The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education | January 2017

The Media Message

“Ideas and inspirations

from Ann Baldwin, Baldwin Media Marketing, LLC

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly on Social Media One of the top five questions that our firm gets from our education clients is: what do we do about negative posts on social media? Our first recommendation is to make sure that if your district has a social media presence, that it is monitored on a regular basis.

If you have a Facebook page for example, you need to stay abreast of conversations that are happening, especially when you are in a crisis mode.

The second recommendation is to respond as soon as possible, wherever possible. If inappropriate behavior is happening on your own social media accounts, don’t hesitate to assert yourself as a moderator.

Remind your contributors that you want to keep a polite open forum.

Deleting comments without transparency however, can unleash backlash. If a comment is so ugly that you decide to delete it, do so and then post a comment yourself. It is important to remember that the impact of words in online discussions will have an impact

on your district’s overarching messaging, so proceed with caution.

On social media, Facebook posts, tweets, etc. are all fair game for reporters, who have been known to include them in their news stories. Just as you would do in an “on-the-record” interview, each and every word has to be well thought out and chosen carefully.

If you happen to have a vocal minority speaking out against a particular subject, this may be a great time for you to engage your supporters and have them post positive comments. This serves as a way of strategically moving negative comments further down on a social media page and simultaneously promoting a positive public image.

Some school boards have gone as far as creating social media ambassador programs, as a part of their communications sub-committees. Allowing school board members access to these platforms is helpful because of the important district knowledge that they possess; this can help keep social media conversations on track.

These programs can also be a great way for board members to find their voice by curating (approved) content on a weekly or monthly basis to add to their district’s social media pages, as well as to their own personal accounts.

The more people you have in your district who truly understand the rules of social media, the better. This is particularly important when it comes to having the ability to ensure that your district’s branding and messaging are being delivered accurately and that messaging is coming across in an authentic manner to a larger audience.

With the right approach, you can better manage the “Bad” and transform your social media platforms to be a place that people go for the “Good” news about your district.

can come from a lot of places if you’re willing to have an open mind and you’re constantly on the lookout for new things.”

UCONN Women’s Basketball Coach Geno Auriemma, discussing how he has tried various ideas to help the Huskies score or play defense, including that suggested by watching a Manchester High School team.

– Hartford Courant, November 10, 2016

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The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education | January 2017

HOUSING

a town without kids and I’ll show you a town without a future.” A population with youngsters remains vibrant and thrives.

So, where do we stand overall in Connecticut in terms of demographics and housing?

It probably comes as no surprise that by 2025, 153 out of the 169 municipalities will see a school-age population drop. For the State, there will be a decrease of 12%.

Meanwhile, the over-65 population is expected to increase by 34 percent.

The “housing wage” defines the “hourly wage needed for a household to afford a typical 2-bedroom apartment.” The cost of housing in Connecticut is number 8 in the country, approximately $24.29.

Experts say housing costs should be no more than 30% of income. Today, across Connecticut, “50% of renters and 35% of owners spent more than that 30% of their income on housing.”

(continued from page 1) in Law, Yale Law School; Guilford Superintendent Paul Freeman and Kathryn Shafer, Policy Director for the Connecticut Partnership for Strong Communities. We discussed the effect of housing decisions on educational quality and fulfilling the constitutional responsibility to adequately educate all of Connecticut’s children.

We also talked about how school boards can coordinate with selectmen, town councils and zoning boards to ensure that housing needs are met and healthy towns have the residents, revenues, services and quality of life to continue attracting young vibrant residents and meet the needs of longtime residents.

One of the most poignant messages that Ms. Shafer left us with this quote from a former first selectman, “Show me

CONVENTION RECAP

(continued from page 4) ballroom and three of the breakout rooms associated with the main ballroom. The CABE/CAPSS Convention Committee will continue to discuss this issue.

While we did investigate availability at both Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun, the majority of both CABE and CAPSS members are understandably against moving the Convention to the casinos. This is based on the belief that the public and the media would criticize using public funds to hold a Convention in a casino area and the negative perception of public officials at a gaming facility, albeit the meeting space. In a time when every dollar spent is scrutinized more than ever, we want to protect our members from unnecessary criticism.

In the past, the Committee has discussed moving the Convention out-of-

state, but felt this would be inappropriate for two statewide Connecticut associations.

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

We all recognize that the current space is not 100% ideal, but it provides the best possible solution to a good problem – the eagerness of our members to attend this important learning opportunity.

Keep your feedback coming - it enables us to continually tweak the Convention in order to best meet the needs of the CABE and CAPSS memberships.

Be sure to mark your calendar for the 2017 Convention – November 17-18. We hope to see you then!

The Real Property Grand List has lost 11% since the 2008 financial crisis.

In 152 municipalities, prices of houses, predominantly single family homes, “have seen either no change in… grand lists, or declines, forcing most to raise mill rates, reduce services or both”, according to the CT Office of Policy and Management.

Affordable Housing

Creating homes that are affordable for low and moderate income households is one of the keys to ensuring that a community will be able to attract a younger, more diverse student body and workforce. For example, because of high housing costs and a lack of housing options, teachers cannot afford to live in some of the communities in which they work.

The Partnership for Strong Communities says that demand for denser, smaller, more affordable homes is

“intense across the state, often in towns that have never seen it before, because of strong demographic and economic forces that have aligned for the first time. Baby Boomers seeking to retire and downsize are looking for new, smaller and more affordable units in the town center of the municipalities they’ve been living in for the last several decades. They want to stay close to family, friends, their churches and doctors. Research indicates they often have insufficient savings for retirement and so need to sell their homes to tap the equity.”

One of the communities that has been dealing with this issue is Guilford. Its superintendent, Dr. Paul Freeman, said that he became a proponent of more affordable housing in the town after learning that the “Guilford community had been working on this conversation, particularly three groups: a town committee, the Interfaith Council and the Guilford Foundation.

They have found a parcel of land and hope to build on it soon.”

Why should that matter to the Guilford schools? Because, according to Freeman, “the achievement gap can’t be separated from the opportunity gap.” More affordable housing “will help the schools become better and more diverse, which will help students as they learn to navigate the world they will soon enter.”

The Partnership for Strong Communities encourages other districts to begin thinking about these issues, especially as enrollments drop. Having conversations about these issues in a positive way, as Guilford has done, will help your community as you look towards the future of your schools.

While the Partnership for Strong Communities’ 2015 overall Connecticut Housing Data Profiles were used for this article, a profile of each community in the State is available on the Partnership’s website (http://www.pschousing.org/2015-housingdata-profiles-towns-listed-z).

Connecticut is Second Best State to Live In Based on a new survey by a financial news website, 24/7 Wall St., Connecticut is the second best state in which to live. States were judged based on social and economic conditions including poverty, education and health. Massachusetts was identified as the top state.

Connecticut has a median household income of $71,346 a year, fifth highest of all states. The rankings were based on an index looking at poverty rate, the percentage of adults who have at least a bachelor’s degree and life expectancy at birth. The data comes from the U.S. Census, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Connecticut had a poverty rate of 10.5 percent (sixth lowest) and a life expectancy of 80.4 years (second highest). Connecticut also had one of the lowest rates of violent crimes.

Patrice A. McCarthy DEPUTY DIRECTOR AND GENERAL COUNSEL, CABE

The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education | January 2017

Connecticut School Attorneys Council Meeting

Members of the Connecticut School Attorneys Council met in November in conjunction with the annual CABE/ CAPSS Convention. During the meeting Melika Forbes of Shipman and Goodwin was elected President, Rebecca Adams of CABE was elected Secretary and Patrice McCarthy of CABE was reelected as Treasurer.

The attorneys discussed recent teacher and administrator contract negotiations and Rebecca provided an overview on the CCJEF v. Rell decision. Patrice discussed the recent NSBA Council of School Attor-

neys Seminar at which several Connecticut attorneys served as presenters, and reviewed the extensive list of upcoming webinars.

Attendees discussed the upcoming Legislative Session, as well as the numerous task force reports that are due on January 1st. There was a consensus that a one-year moratorium on new requirements would give districts an opportunity to “catch up” on adoption and implementation of new policies and procedures.

Patrice A. McCarthy DEPUTY DIRECTOR AND GENERAL COUNSEL, CABE

11

Donald Harris, Chair, Bloomfield Board of Education, speaking at the Bloomfield Legislative Breakfast.

Legislative Breakfasts

CABE Area 5 and EdAdvance held a Legislative Breakfast for board members and superintendents to meet with their legislators and discuss issues before the upcoming Legislative Session.

See LEVEL II page 12

12

The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education | January 2017

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Jonathan B. Orleans 203.330.2129 jorleans@pullcom.com

Rachel L. Ginsburg 860.424.4372 rginsburg@pullcom.com

Stephen M. Sedor 203.330.2137 ssedor@pullcom.com

Donald F. Houston 203.330.2245 dhouston@pullcom.com

John P. Shea, Jr. 860.424.4387 jshea@pullcom.com

Melinda B. Kaufmann 860.424.4370 mkaufmann@pullcom.com

Mark J. Sommaruga 860.424.4388 msommaruga@pullcom.com

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Zachary D. Schurin 860.424.4389 zschurin@pullcom.com

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