CABE Journal - July/August 2016

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Connecticut Association of Boards of Education Vol. 20, No. 7

The Leading Voice for Connecticut Public Education

Supporting English Language Learners

State Board of Education Approves 5 Year Plan Sheila McKay

Robert Rader

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CABE

SENIOR STAFF ASSOCIATE FOR GOVERNMENT RELATIONS, CABE

SUMMERTIME FUN! Proficiency growth of ELL students.

The State Board of Education has stated that programs for these students enable them “to become proficient in English and academic content areas through the instructional use of both English and the student’s native language.

“The Board believes that bilingual instruction can provide a foundation to enhance students’ native languages and academic achievement while developing proficiency in English. These programs allow students to receive culturally responsive instructional curriculum and pedagogy and to develop English language skills while using their native languages to succeed academically.”

How do we best educate these students?

Working with teachers of English to speakers of other languages and bilingual educators, SDE developed the ConnectiSee SUPPORTING page 8

Study finds Career Readiness Tied to High Credentials Higher education confers many benefits, including a better opportunity of obtaining good jobs with high wages, however, it is not the only path to success. The NSBA Center for Public Education (CPE) recently released its third installment in a series of reports about non-college goers, “Path Least Taken III: Rigor and focus in high school pays dividends in the future.”

CPE’s study finds that well-prepared high school graduates can achieve similar and in some cases greater success than college goers.

The winning combination is what CPE calls “high credentials,” a mix of academic knowledge and job specific or technical skills developed in high school plus a professional certificate or license.

Earlier installments in the Path Least Taken series found the overall group of high school graduates who did not go to See CAREER READINESS page 8

With focus groups and public comment periods behind them, the State Board of Education approved the 5 Year Comprehensive Plan for Education, “Ensuring Equity and Excellence for all Connecticut Students” at its monthly meeting.

The Plan can be found at: http://goo.gl/ H01HX8.

The three themes are: • High expectations for every student: that they may master challenging academic standards and have personalized support that meets their individual needs.

• Great teachers and leaders: that are supported with quality professional learning who are prepared to manage the complexities of a school from Day One. They “collectively reflect the rich cultural diversity in Connecticut and are culturally responsive instructors.”

• Great schools - that are “structurally safe, welcoming, and culturally responsive learning environments… where students meet their learning goals and where parents and guardians are engaged as true partners with meaningful voices.”

Highlighted also was the support for the social, emotional and physical health of students. A final statement on the Plan is, “Great schools are not burdened or distracted by outdated or irrelevant mandates.”

The Board also approved the i-Ready Diagnostic Reading Assessment after the Academic Standards and Assessment Committee had been presented with three options. As the board materials state, “The purpose of this proactive process is to help the CSDE guide CT Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) as research and assessment practices evolve over time.”

The proposed statement can be found at: http://goo.gl/OBkgd6.

Nutmeg Board

Energy Savings

Violence Prevention

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Alliance Districts

81 Wolcott Hill Road Wethersfield, CT 06109-1242

Connecticut Association of Boards of Education Inc.

Among the groups that face obstacles to success in our schools are our English Language Learners (ELL). Connecticut’s schools now have students who speak nearly 140 different languages.

In educating ELL students in our State, one must concentrate on those of Hispanic background. According to SDE, the number of students in which Spanish was the non-English dominant language at home was 51,744 in 2013-14, approximately 9% of all of our students. Additionally, while we know that there are Hispanic students throughout Connecticut, in 2013-14, there were approximately 210 schools in which the student body was composed of 10 percent or more ELL students.

The vast majority of ELL students are concentrated in our city school districts, which are often our poorest districts. So, not only are these children faced with the obstacle of not having English spoken in their homes, but they also come to schools with all the burdens of our poor neighborhoods: poverty, crime, violence and other hurdles.

Connecticut law requires bilingual education programs to be provided in schools that have 20 or more speakers of the same native language who are identified as ELLs. Local districts must ensure they have a system to identify, service, and annually assess the English Language

July/August 2016

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

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Periodical Postage PAID Hartford, CT

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The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education | July/August 2016

PRESIDENT COMMENTARY

Maintaining Balance and Focus During Turbulent Times

Ann Gruenberg PRESIDENT, CABE

With July’s heat and celebrations, we have had time to reflect and integrate.

Some cliches sometimes sum it up.

“Where has the time gone?” In our world of abundant information and paperwork, it is all-too-easy to be consumed with just clearing the decks. Decades ago we were warned of the risks of abundant information. While it may be an advantage of living in an “information age”, there is also an associated need for creating systems to organize and address the volume and magnitude of paperwork. What, you might ask, does this have to do with July and August? Amidst the celebrations and fireworks, there is a perfect opportunity to not just address paperwork, but also to recharge our “batteries” and re-align our commitments to highperforming leadership teams.

Among the many events and circumstances this summer have been the horrific massacre in Orlando, Florida, the shooting of two apparently innocent young black men, and the unimaginable ambush on police and safety officers in Dallas, Texas. While school is out for the summer, the complexity of the world events has been consuming. It may not always seem obvious, but issues of violence, non-violent conflict resolution, and equity related to race and culture are highly relevant to our commitment to high quality education.

During the days immediately following tragic events, both large and on a smaller scale, we may be consumed with replaying the details in our memories, while the media replays the video footage, much of which is from cell phones of individual citizens who were present.

Interpretations of what transpired frequently add to the sense of catastrophe. Our much-needed conversations about issues such as race, violence and healthy options occur around crises and catastrophic events. The seriousness and magnitude of events cannot be measured only

CABE’s Unemployment Cost Management Service CABE has partnered with Corporate Cost Control to offer support through a number of services to reduce costs and save staff time. Services include training and education, claims processing, charge auditing, hearings representation and budgeting/reporting.

For more information you may visit our website at http://www.cabe.org/page.cfm?p=1198.

If you have questions or would like to receive a quote, contact Teresa Costa at CABE at 860-571-7446 or email tcosta@cabe.org.

by how many people perished, though that is clearly one important factor.

Being willing and able to demonstrate resilience in overcoming the shock and distress of tragedies can help us increase effectiveness while addressing the ways these issues may impact education. We need to have mutual support systems, organizational infrastructures, and resources to process, integrate, and hopefully move in positive directions, to reduce the recurrence and escalation of such tragedies.

There is an urgent need for conversation about these crucial issues, as well as a willingness to take action, to reduce divisiveness, to increase empathy and perspec tive-taking, and to deeply commit ourselves to reconciliation. CABE has identified the need for equity as a top priority. The reduction of disparities and increased access to quality education have been articulated goals, over time. We cannot avoid these compelling and pivotal dynamics.

This is a moment in time, in history, when we have been catapulted toward a collision course of unhealed wounds, unfinished business and a compelling need for increasing community, justice, fairness and communication. We have mutual responsibilities. The current situation regarding violence has been described as a “powder keg”. Part of the challenge is clearly to stop “lumping” together those representing various groups, whether black, white, liberal or conservative. One aspect of the recent conversations worth highlighting is the unconscious undercurrent of stereotypes and assumptions. The priorities erupting now don’t stop when one school year ends or a new one begins.

Most of us learned years ago how to “spot” while spinning or dancing or riding on a carousel. Whether we were coached or figured it out ourselves, most of us discovered the value of maintaining a focus while moving fast. The past legislative session and crises in communities have reminded us that some of those centering skills might apply in different contexts. As we spin, we can stay focused on that which needs our attention. Hopefully we are not too dizzy. Hopefully, if there is unfinished business, we have the reserves and resilience to carry on as we move ahead. If there are new and compelling issues, we can integrate those priorities into our advocacy.

For CABE, there may be a change of pace during the summer, but the momentum continues in the form of additional policies related to new legislation, coordination with the federal and state requirements related to the recently passed Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) which offers a new combination of flexibility and state responsibility, and budgetary challenges. Changing expectations and requirements regarding the civil rights of those who identify as transgender also have prompted CABE to work closely with NSBA to focus on positive solutions. The ongoing sensitivity regarding those identifying as LGBT is especially important in light of the recent tragedy in Orlando.

With ongoing responsibilities and crises, we need to make it a priority to use some time to refresh our spirits and stay inspired as we look forward to the future.

Our continuing commitments to diversity and equity are enhanced by our wise use of time. As we transition from one fiscal year to the next, and prepare to continue to serve the students in our communities, we can stay focused on that which is most important. Mutual support within our Leadership Teams builds our capacity to work together and maintain our collective balance in the midst of change. Consciously enhancing our own understanding of and support for equity within systems can increase our effectiveness with boards of education in a range of communities.

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

Ann Gruenberg ..................................................President, Hampton Robert Mitchell ................................. First Vice President, Montville Donald Harris ................VP for Government Relations, Bloomfield Elizabeth Brown ........VP for Professional Development, Waterbury Elaine Whitney ................................... Secretary/Treasurer, Westport 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 Susan Karp .....................................Area 2 Co-Director, Glastonbury Byran Hall ................................... Area 2 Co-Director, East Hartford Michael Purcaro .......................................Area 3 Director, Ellington Douglas Smith ........................................ Area 4 Director, Plainfield Michelle Embree Ku ................................ Area 5 Director, Newtown Jennifer Dayton .................................... Area 6 Director, Greenwich 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 Robert Trefry .............Associate, CT Technical High School System

COMMITTEE CHAIRS

Donald Harris ........................Chair, Federal Relations, Bloomfield Becky Tyrrell ........................................Chair, Resolutions, Plainville 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 ...........................................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 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 Nancy Propfe ....................................... 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: https://www.cabe. org/page.cfm?p=1024

The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education | July/August 2016

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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR COMMENTARY

CABE Affiliate Members BUSINESS AFFILIATES DIAMOND MEMBER Finalsite GOLD MEMBERS

Berchem, Moses & Devlin Centris Group Guidance Counselors for Senior Teachers Pullman & Comley Shipman & Goodwin 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 JCJ Architecture Milliman, Inc. O & G Industries The S/L/A/M Collaborative BRONZE MEMBERS Brown & Brown Insurance Chinni & Meuser LLC Dattco Inc. ECG Engineering, PC Goldstein & Peck, P.C. Kainen, Escalera & McHale, P.C. The Lexington Group Muschell & Simoncelli Solutions Employee Assistance Program 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 Cooperative Educational Services EASTCONN EDUCATION CONNECTION LEARN Unified School District #1

The Lessons of Hamilton, The Musical

Robert Rader

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CABE

No, I’m not one of the lucky ones who has scored tickets to the hottest show on Broadway. But, I do have the soundtrack to Hamilton and I enjoy it tremendously.

I did not think I would like the music.

Hip Hop? Rap? Not my thing.

The truth is, however, that the music is terrific! As a bit of a history buff, I absolutely love how the writer and actor, Lin-Manuel Miranda, followed the story of Alexander Hamilton and related stories, such as how the capital of our nascent nation ended up where it did.

Hamilton’s travails begin right with the first song, asking (I’m putting this in more genteel language): how a person born out of wedlock, son of a prostitute, impoverished, dropped on a forgotten spot in the Caribbean ended up being a hero, scholar and a Founding Father? He “worked harder, was a self-starter” and was a genius who was in the right places at the right times.

Hamilton’s life suggests recommendations for Board Members and Superintendents: 1. “The smartest in the room”.

Hamilton makes clear throughout the story that he believed in his ability and his “top-notch brain”.

Others also saw this brilliance, but if Hamilton hadn’t been willing to put himself in tough positions, especially during the Revolution, where he played pivotal roles as both Washington’s chief of staff and as a critical battlefield commander, he would not have risen as high as he did. Board members and superintendents should believe in themselves, in an appropriate, not arrogant way and take their responsibilities seriously.

2. “I am not throwin’ away my shot!”

One of the show-stopping songs is Hamilton singing about how “I won’t throw away my shot.” Again and again, he sings this refrain and it’s obvious that he won’t ignore his chances. But, ambition by itself is not enough. Take advantage of being on your Board, by learning (just as Hamilton did) as much as you can, and, take advantage of opportunities that can help your district and its students.

3. “You’ll be back!”

One of the comic aspects of the show is King George III singing, as though the English Empire and the colonies were in love, how the colonies would return to his Empire and the Revolution would

be snuffed out. The King taunts the colonists by singing, “I will kill your friends and family to remind you of my love.” Experts aren’t always right. Be sure to ask questions until you feel you can make a good decision.

4. “Washington on your side”.

Whether it was the Marquis de Lafayette or General- and then-President George Washington, Hamilton often had powerful people on his side. He built these loyalties by hard work and being willing to defend these allies. Board members and superintendents should understand who their allies are on important issues. It doesn’t mean you always have to vote with them, but it is helpful if you’re trying to build a majority on your Board.

5. “Go home, Alexander”.

Right in the middle of the war, Hamilton tried to defend Washington against other members of the Army who were questioning his strategies. Hamilton was sent home

by Washington as his passion got in the way of rational decision-making. It’s okay to take a “chill pill”.

Education is so emotional an issue – taking things personally and resenting people who disagree with you can lead to less success. Stepping back to cool off and refocus could be helpful.

6. “The room where it happens”.

To me, one of the most interesting parts of the story is when Hamilton, Madison and Jefferson have a dinner together, with all preparations, even seating arrangements, made

by Jefferson. They decided at din ner that the banking and financial center of the country would remain in New York, while land in Virginia would become the nation’s capital.

The three went into the room with strongly held beliefs; they came out with an unexpected compromise.

To this day, no one knows exactly what was said. Working towards a compromise is almost always worth

the effort. Set your ego aside and work for the greater good.

7. “You need the votes”.

During that fateful dinner, which still has terrific impact on us today, the three cut the deal. Board members and Superintendents should keep each other informed so that there are no surprises at the table and so everyone has an equal opportunity to consider the issues.

8. “Jefferson has beliefs, Burr has none.”

Aaron Burr obviously becomes more important as Hamilton’s

story continues. In the election of 1801, Hamilton backed Jefferson, because he found Burr unprincipled and Jefferson stood for things—even though on many of these things, Jefferson and Hamilton strongly disagreed. Don’t be afraid to stand with those who are principled, even if you don’t agree with them on every issue.

9. “Negotiate a peace”.

Obviously, dueling had a great, unfortunate impact on Hamilton’s life, in addition to the duel with Burr. Board members should stand up for their principles. However, differences with Board members, especially if they’re personal, should be discussed privately, not in full view of the community.

Sometimes people don’t realize they have insulted someone else.

A quiet word afterword between the two may solve the situation and strengthen communications.

10. “Who tells your story”.

According to Hamilton, after the duel, his wife, Eliza, spent the rest of her life telling his story and ensuring that his stature as a Founding Father rose. As a Board member or Superintendent, will you have a story to tell? Will you be able to list your accomplishments? Will you be proud of what you have done?

I look forward to when I can get to see this amazing show. I am very excited by the fact that students who may never before heard of Hamilton, except on a $10 bill, will learn this history.

The fact that the characters are played by a diverse group of actors, especially Hispanics and African-Americans in leading roles makes this show even more of a learning experience. The Founding Fathers’ stories are a part of our nation’s DNA. It is wonderful that ALL Americans can appreciate what they did for our nation.

People in the News Thomas Mooney, Esq. of Shipman and Goodwin was recently recognized by the Connecticut Law Tribute with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Tom is the author of “A Practical Guide to Connecticut School Law” and has used his literary talents to produce the Nutmeg Board of Education column in the CABE Journal for over 36 years. Congratulations, Tom!

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The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education | July/August 2016

The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education | July/August 2016

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See You in Court – The Nutmeg Board of Education

The Nutmeg Board deals with a breach of its computer system 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.

Out of the blue, Nancy Newshound, longtime reporter for the Nutmeg Bugle called Mr. Superintendent. “I understand that a student hacked the district’s system and changed a bunch of grades,” she stated. “What can you tell me about that?”

Mr. Superintendent had just learned of the breach that morning, and he was waiting for a report from the IT Department.

“In all candor, Nancy, I am not sure what happened,” he responded. “How do you know about this?”

“As usual,” Nancy chided Mr. Superintendent, “you are the last to know. Don’t you read social media? Students are all over the Internet chattering about how some Robin Hood-type got into PowerSchool and leveled the playing field by raising the grades of average students and lowering the grades of the class leaders.

For the record, what do you have to say for yourself?”

“I have no comment at this time. I will neither confirm nor deny that some person may or may not have gained unauthorized access to our computers.” With that, Mr. Superintendent ended the conversation, his mind racing as to next steps. But before he could do anything, the telephone rang again, this time with veteran Board member Bob Bombast on the line.

“My son heard on social media that someone is changing grades,” Bob shouted without prelude. “Sure enough, when he checked his own grades, he found that somebody had given him a bunch of Cs and a few Fs as final grades for the last semester. I want the miscreant who did that expelled immediately!”

Mr. Superintendent had to explain that he was still waiting for a report from the IT Department, but he promised to get back to Bob soon. Bob grumbled in closing that “soon” was not soon enough, so Mr. Superintendent promptly emailed the full Board a preliminary report. Several Board members emailed back, echoing Bob’s sentiment that expulsion would be too good for any student who would dare to change grades.

It didn’t take too long for the IT Department to figure out who had caused the trouble, and the IT Director sent Mr. Superintendent a full report on the breach.

The Director identified the hacker, a cerebral loner who is a rising junior. The Director assured Mr. Superintendent that the district had already restored the proper grades, and he further reported that he is looking into new security software to

prevent such breaches in the future.

Mr. Superintendent promptly forwarded the report on to the Board members, telling them that the problem is solved and asking that they refrain from public comment. In response, several of the Board agreed, but they again expressed great interest in hearing the expulsion case against the hacker.

Just as Mr. Superintendent thought he was all set, Nancy Newshound called back to ask for an update. Mr. Superintendent explained that everything was under control, and that he had no further comment for her.

Undeterred, Nancy made an FOIA request for copies of all communications to and from the Board members concerning this matter. She also scolded Mr. Superintendent for trying to sweep this matter under the rug, opining that he owed parents and students a full explanation.

Is Mr. Superintendent within his rights to keep quiet about the breach?

Public Act 16-189, An Act Concerning Student Data Privacy, will govern such situations in the future. This law, which is effective this October 1, imposes significant new requirements on school districts and on persons and companies that receive student data in their work with the district.

Given the scope of these requirements, school districts should start now with the necessary planning and work to implement the law.

For starters, districts will have to have written contracts with all “contractors” who receive student data in working with the school district.

The term “contractor” includes both (1) “consultants,” who are defined as professionals who provide non-instructional services pursuant to a contract with school districts, and (2) “operators,” who are defined as persons or entities that operate an Internet web site, online service or mobile application (a) with the knowledge that their business was marketed and will be used for school purposes, and (b) who collect, maintain or use student information.

As of October 1, 2016, the contracts needed with all such contractors must comply with a number of requirements, including (but not limited to) attestations that (a) student data is not the property or under the control of the contractor, (b) student data may not be used for any purpose not authorized by the contract, (c) the contractor will not retain student data after completing work under the contract (unless a student or parent creates an account for the purpose of storing student-generated content), and (d) the contractor will comply with FERPA (the federal law providing that personally-identifiable student information must generally be maintained as confidential).

Such contracts must also describe how (a) school officials may request the dele-

tion of student data in the possession of the contractor, (b) students or their parents or guardians may review their student data and correct erroneous information, (c) the contractor will comply with its obligation to notify the school district of a breach.

Within five days of executing such a contract, school districts must provide electronic notification to any student and the parent or guardian of the student affected by the contract. The school district must then post such notice and the contract itself on the district’s website.

The new law includes prohibitions against targeted advertising based on personally-identifiable student information.

Also, there is a significant new requirement that contractors provide notice of a data breach to the school district, no later than thirty days after the breach of “student information,” or sixty days after a breach of directory information, student-generated content, or “student records.”

Within only forty-eight hours of receiving such notice, the school district must provide electronic notification of the breach to the affected students and their parents or guardians, and it must also post notice of the breach on the district website.

Illustrating the complexity of the law, it is not clear what notification procedures are appropriate for the situation in Nutmeg.

Presumably, school officials would have to notify the contractor of the apparent breach, and after investigation, the contractor would then notify the district of the breach, only then triggering the new statutory duties to notify the students and parents or guardians affected by the breach within forty-eight hours, as well as to post notice of the breach on the district website.

Finally, the eagerness of the Board members to hear the related expulsion case is concerning. When hearing expulsion cases, as a matter of due process, board members must decide expulsion cases impartially based on the evidence presented at the hearing.

Prior comments, such as those by Bob, raise serious questions as to impartiality, and those outspoken Board members should sit this one out.

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 ord 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 | July/August 2016

Early Registration Open

CABE/CAPSS Convention November 18-19, 2016 Mystic Marriott Hotel, Groton, CT �

Be inspired by Friday morning Keynote Speaker

Tony Wagner

Friday, November 18 – 8:30 – 10:45 am From April 11, 2016 presentation at the National School Boards Association’s (NSBA) Conference: “Innovation demands risk and sometimes failure. “ “No innovation without deep collaboration.”

“What the world cares about is what you can do with what you know.”

�

Discover what will help you be an effective board

member with 35 workshops sessions, like

Steps for Success: Public School, Community College, and Industry Collaboration • The Strategic Action Plan: Infusing Innovative Practices in Career Technology Programs • Utilizing Today’s Media to Tell Your District’s Story • Tomorrow’s Technology Today • Striving for a Better Tomorrow, Today: A Comprehensive Approach to Social, Emotional,

and Mental Health Needs of Students • Race: Does It Matter… Practical Strategies to Improve School Climate through Social Emotional Learning • Transforming a Middle School into a Culturally Responsive Community of Learners

•

CABE Members Register now and save with our Early Registration rates!

Register today at https://em.eboardsolutions.com/cabe/emembership/getevents.asp. �

�

Rebecca Adams

Senior Staff Attorney, CABE

Explore the Exhibit Hall Floor

Visit more than 50 exhibitors who are excited to share ways they can help your district’s work.

Follow along with #CABECAPSS2016 for the latest Convention updates. @ConnecticutAssociationofBoardsofEducation

@CTAssocBdsofEd

The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education | July/August 2016

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The Rise of Energy Savings Performance Contracts: Districts Use Concept to Fund Solar LED, and More at No Cost to Taxpayers Kendra McQuilton Director of Business Development ECG Engineering, PC Does your district have a mounting list of capital needs with limited or no viable means of funding? Would you like to move forward on many or all of those needs with no-out-of-pocket costs, lower your energy bills, and at the same time generate a positive cash flow?

If the answer to these questions is yes, there is a solution just waiting for your district to take advantage of: Energy Savings Performance Contracting (ESPC).

Once viewed as a niche program used primarily to replace only lighting, ESPC’s are now considered key components in many school districts’ long-term capital funding strategies. The ESPC concept is also being used as a taxpayer-friendly vehicle to bring the benefits of renewable energy sources to districts without impacting cost-sensitive budgets.

Here’s how it works: A school district

will retain a third party owner’s representative/engineer that has specific expertise in the design and evaluation of energy performance contracts. That consultant will draft an RFP on behalf of the School Dis-

trict to secure competing proposals for the services of an Energy Services Company (ESCO). The ESCO identifies the project scope and determines the energy savings and the payback period. The ESCO builds

Highlights of Cheshire’s ESPC Project– Paid for out of Guaranteed Energy Savings:  District-wide computer-controlled LED  Lighting Upgrades in all classrooms  Lighting Controls  State-of-the-Art Energy Management System  Building Wide Electric to Hydronic Heat  Conversion  Chiller Replacement  Oil to Gas Conversion  High Efficiency Boilers and Furnaces  Premium Efficiency Motors  GPS synchronized clocks  12 other measures

the project, assists the School District in securing financing, and guarantees that the energy savings will pay for the entire cost of the upgrades.

In addition to the project paying for itself through savings, the School District will receive rebates, grants, and building aid largely as a bonus, creating a positive cash flow.

Administrators at the Town and School District of Cheshire, CT have successfully employed the ESPC concept as a means to fund district-wide capital projects without increasing taxes. The Town constructed a self-funding ESPC that made over $10 million worth of energy efficient upgrades possible.

One of the highlights of the project was a district-wide lighting upgrade to dimmable LED. The project also provided a complete conversion from electric heat to hydronic heating with high efficiency condensing natural gas boilers for the Highland ES and portions of the High School. Additionally, a cost saving oil(please see ENERGY SAVINGS 9)

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The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education | July/August 2016

SUPPORTING ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS

(continued from page 1) cut English Language Proficiency (CELP) Standards that are aligned to the Connecticut Core Standards and other content area practice standards. “The 10 CELP standards and proficiency descriptors indicate what an ELL student at any given English Language Proficiency and grade level should be able to do.”

NSBA’s Center for Public Education also makes these suggestions aimed at board members: • “Make proficiency in academic English the goal for ELLs. Academic English is the kind of language used in textbooks and classrooms and is key to content-area learning.

Increasing students’ opportunity to learn academic English across content areas and grade levels and across domains (reading, writing, speaking, and listening) can benefit both ELLs and native English speakers.

• “Provide ample professional development to help teachers meet the educational needs of ELLs. Teachers need to understand how to increase ELLs’ opportunity to learn academic English. They also need to use a comprehensive framework for delivering academic instruction, and to differentiate instruction to promote the success of all students, including ELLs. Middle schools and secondary school teachers, in particular, need professional

development and support in helping ELLs improve their reading comprehension – and their proficiency in academic English – through explicit instruction in literacy strategies, vocabulary, and background knowledge.

• “When possible, include some first-language instruction when teaching ELLs. Research suggests that support in the child’s first language can have long-range benefits for ELL students.

• “Make ELL achievement a schoolwide focus. Many of the attributes of effective schools can also support ELL achievement. These include a schoolwide commitment to ELL achievement, consistent language support services of adequate duration across all grade levels, sufficient educator capacity, and a match between resources and the community served (National Literacy Panel on Language-Minority Children and Youth).

• “Base assessment policies and ELL classification decisions on measures of students’ proficiency in academic English. However, keep in mind that this may be easier said than done.

According to many researchers, valid and reliable measures of academic language proficiency still need to be developed.”

As demographics in our country and across our State change, board members’ understanding of the “basics” of ELL

The 10 CELP Standards For the purposes of clarity, the 10 CELP Standards are organized according to a schema that represents each standard’s importance to ELLs’ participation in the practices called for by college- and career-ready ELA & Literacy, mathematics, and science standards (G. Bunch, personal communication, August 15, 2013; Bunch, Kibler, & Pimentel, 2013).

education will become more important.

Boards should focus on their programs and ensure that they are comprehensive and up-to-date.

CABE’s policy service also has sample policies on the education of Limited English Proficiency Students in accordance with current statutes. The Policy Department can also provide sample forms for ensuring that ELL students are identified as they enter school and for parental

notification if they are considered Limited English Proficient.

The State Board of Education’s Position Statement on the Education of Students Who are English Language Learners, adopted in 2010, can be found at SDE’s ELL page is at www.ct.gov/sde/ EnglishLearners.

For more information on ELLs and how best to educate them, see the Center for Public Education’s website at goo.gl/ WeMv9X.

CAREER READINESS

group trailed the 4-year degree graduates in hourly wage by only 3.4 percent.

“All students must be equipped with the knowledge and skills to reach their full potential,” said Thomas J. Gentzel, executive director of the National School Boards Association. “To better prepare the next generation, school leaders have to look at enhancing educational opportunities for all students, both college bound and career bound, to ensure future readiness for both.”

Path Least Taken III: Rigor and focus in high school pays dividends in the future” is located on CPE's website at: www. centerforpubliceducation.org/pathleasttakenIII. See more at: http://goo.gl/2FWLIK

(continued from page 1) college face the dimmest economic and social prospects at age 26 compared to those who did.

The new report shows that students with high credentials, however, achieved higher economic and social outcomes than two-year degree holders and students who don’t complete their college education. Graduates with high credentials achieved outcomes that were second only to four-year degree holders.

High credentialed non-college goers earned 39 percent more than non-credentialed non-college goers, and 21 percent more than 2-year degree holders at age 26 ($18.71 per hour compared to $13.42 and $15.43 respectively). The high credentials

Available from the CABE Bookstore!

An excellent book for Board Members, Superintendents and Administrators!

1. Construct meaning from oral presentations and literary and informational text through grade-appropriate listening, reading, and viewing 2. Participate in grade-appropriate oral and written exchanges of information, ideas, and analyses, responding to peer, audience, or reader comments and questions 3. Speak and write about grade-appropriate complex literary and informational texts and topics 4. Construct grade-appropriate oral and written claims and support them with reasoning and evidence 5. Conduct research and evaluate and communicate findings to answer questions or solve problems 6. Analyze and critique the arguments of others orally and in writing 7. Adapt language choices to purpose, task, and audience when speaking and writing 8. Determine the meaning of words and phrases in oral presentations and literary and informational text 9. Create clear and coherent grade-appropriate speech and text 10. Make accurate use of standard English to communicate in grade-appropriate speech and writing

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

The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education | July/August 2016 ENERGY SAVINGS

(continued from page 7) to-gas conversion and 18 other measures were implemented that will produce over $600,000/year in guaranteed energy savings. All work was developed and installed at no out-of-pocket cost to the Town.

But the benefits don’t end with the energy savings. Because the Cheshire ESPC was holistic in nature (multiple conservation methods and across multiple facilities), Eversource (previously CL&P/ Northeast Utilities) granted the Town a 20% bonus in addition to their standard rebates, resulting in a total rebate award of over $1.2 million. The Town and District plan to use this additional influx of funds to add more energy saving measures or even upgrade existing ones above the ESPC scope (but the Town has no obligation to reinvest those funds into energy projects, so they can use the money for whatever purposed they choose) Vincent Masciana, Director of Management Services for Cheshire Schools, explained that, for him, the project has been terrific on many levels.

“The fact that the energy savings would pay for the facility improvements made this a very attractive project to our community and our taxpayers. Beyond that, using the ESPC, we completed infrastructure projects that we had been requesting in our capital or operating budgets for years that simply weren’t getting

funded. For example, we replaced the 42 year old electric heating system at our largest elementary school with natural gas-fired rooftop heating units that also provide cooling. So by replacing the old energy-hog electric heat, we were able to provide a more comfortable environment for our students and staff including the addition of air-conditioning throughout our building…and we’re still saving money over what we were paying just to heat the place. Along the same lines, we replaced the fluorescent lighting fixtures in all our classrooms with computer-controlled LED lighting.

That system is state-of-the art with motion and daylight sensors that improved lighting conditions while reducing our electricity costs by an amazing 80%+. And better still, the LED’s are rated for 50,000 hours before needing replacement (based on estimated use – that will be in about 15 years). So our maintenance staff will not have to get up on ladders to change light bulbs or ballast in classrooms saving their time, reducing the potential for injuries and also saving the fluorescent bulb disposal costs we used to have to pay.

It’s also important to note is that we were assigned a professional project manager who handled the day-to-day details and there was no municipal bid process required so once our project contract was executed, we were able to hit the ground running. Overall, our ESPC project was a win-win for

the students and staff of the Cheshire Public Schools, the Town, and our taxpayers.”

Cheshire’s ESPC was overseen by the district’s technical consultant and third party engineer, ECG Engineering, PC. The project was built and completed in

9

January 2016 by Ameresco, Inc. For information about how your school district can benefit from an ESPC, please contact Kendra McQuilton at 516-5514320 or Kendra@ecgengineering.com.

ECG Engineering is a Bronze Affiliate Member of CABE.

Connecticut School Attorneys meeting At the mid-year meeting of the Connecticut School Attorneys Council at the CABE office, attorneys discussed the CCJEF school finance trial, recent legislations, the state health insurance program, and expulsion issues.

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The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education | July/August 2016

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

Board Success through Good Policy Policy is the Tool

The development and appropriate implementation of clear, sound and legal policies is critical to the successful operation of any school district. In this time of increased accountability and the mandates of the federal and state legislation and newly passed states statutes, effective policies can help support the board’s primary purpose: advancing student achievement.

Adopting policy is among the most fundamental responsibilities of any board of education.

Many problems faced by boards could have been prevented or resolved by the deletion of a poor policy or by the addition of a good policy. Policy is the tool that provides the board power to allow or require action. It is through policy that lay citizens can govern effectively. The board is a policy-making body and the policies that it enacts are the local law of the school district.

Policies are broad guidelines, philosophical statements set by the school board to chart the district’s course of action. Policies establish the direction for the district’s administration and staff to follow.

Guidelines for the New School Year

As we start a new school year, some guidelines should be kept in mind that will help boards govern effectively through policy.

Board members are in a leadership position. Therefore, policies should reflect what the board wants to see happen.

Boards should also have a comprehensive bylaw that establishes the policy development process for the board. The policies that the board adopts should be designed to achieve the vision and mission of the school system. Avoid detailed policies that move the board into administrative issues and results in the board hearing complaints and attempting to solve problems that should be handled by the administration.

Regretfully, many new policies have become very lengthy and prescriptive due to the manner in which new legislation, both at the state and federal level, is being written and passed.

Therefore, there are an increasing number of federal and state statutes that require school boards to place in policy detailed language and/or procedures on certain issues, which normally would not be in policy. In these situations, boards have no alternative but to comply with such requirements.

Policy should cause improvements in district schools. That is responsible governance. Policy should move the school system in the desired direction. Development and adoption of policy is only the beginning of bringing about the desired

action. It is essential that policy be monitored to ensure that it is being followed and the results the board desires are being achieved. Don’t abandon your policies to the boardroom shelf, website or CD. The board must maintain a program of vigorous policy oversight. Policy oversight means ensuring that your policies are accomplishing what they were designed to achieve. Policy either mandates that something happens or mandates something to happen that would otherwise not be permissible.

Monitor/Evaluate Policies

Closely related to the need to monitor policy is the need to evaluate policy to see if it is producing the desired results. When evaluating the effectiveness of policy, look to see if unintended consequences have occurred.

It is also essential that community members, in addition to district staff, have easy access to the board’s policies. This can be achieved through their placement on the district’s web site, in town and school libraries, school offices and at town hall.

The CABE Connecticut Online Policy Service (C.O.P.S.) greatly assists local boards in placing the district’s policy manual online, keeping it up-to-date, and providing easy “searchable access” for the entire educational community and the public. An ever-increasing number of school districts now utilize this valuable service.

It is essential that school board policy manuals are kept up-to-date. Policy development is an unending responsibility and process. Policies must change in our ever-changing world. New laws and revisions to existing laws, in addition to changing federal and state regulation and federal policy guidance constantly impact local policies.

CABE policy updates should be used as a basis for adopting and/or changing policies in a timely fashion. Districts must also be sure that all manuals in the district are updated when the board adopts or changes a policy. Technology is of great assistance in this regard by posting the policy manual online, especially through CABE’s C.O.P.S program, which includes speedy revisions posted to the manual.

Policies should also be reviewed on a regular basis throughout the school year to determine conformity with current statutes, regulations and judicial decisions as well as to be sure that what the policies say and what the district desires do match.

Adopting Policies

It is important to adopt policies on controversial or sensitive issues at a time before such issues actually arise in the

district. Sound legal advice resulting in appropriate policy can help the board avoid litigation. Adopting policies on controversial or sensitive issues may often be an uncomfortable and contentious process, but it is necessary. Sound policy is no guarantee but it will help a district stay out of court.

Conclusion

Lastly, not all policies require the development and issuance of administrative regulations by the superintendent. However, many policies should have written administrative procedures to ensure the board that policy is implemented fairly, consistently and in the manner the board desires.

Administrative regulations provide guidance and direction to the district’s administrative, instructional and support staff in the uniform administration of board policy. The purpose of administrative guidelines, often also called procedures, is to fill in broad policy statements with the details that ensure that what the board wants done, actually happens.

The board does not adopt administrative regulations, except in the few instances when required by statute. The superintendent may share them with the board in order to provide assurance that he/she understands and is attempting to carry out the intent of the board’s policy.

In conclusion, policy is the school board’s most powerful tool for bringing its vision, mission and goals to reality. Policy is the basis for evaluating staff work, for governing student behavior and much more.

Policies keep the district moving toward the vision the board and the community holds for the schools. Policy can and should be a force for leadership and school reform. Local boards should govern aggressively to create the educational vision of their community, ensure there is an infrastructure in place to achieve the community’s vision, establish academic standards designed to achieve the community’s vision and an assessment system to measure how the vision is being achieved.

This is the board’s policy role!

What will the Connecticut Online Policy Service (C.O.P.S.) provide YOUR district?

• A policy manual updated within days of a board meeting.

• Access to your policy manual 24/7 anywhere with Internet capability.

• Timesaving links to legal and cross references.

• A search engine specifically designed for board policy manuals.

• The ability to search other online districts for similar policies or language.

• A happier staff that will have less paper to deal with.

If you would like additional information on CABE’s Connecticut Online Policy Service (C.O.P.S.), call Vincent Mustaro at 860571-7446 or email vmustaro@cabe.org for full details.

Let the CABE staff make your policy life easier.

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The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education | July/August 2016

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 representing Connecti-

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Participated in Lighthouse training with Region #1, Region #12, Shelton, Suffield, Vernon, Waterbury and Winchester Boards of Education.

Policy presentation, question and answers, and analysis of board policy relationship to town charters and ordinances with the Newtown Board of Education.

Fifty-four requests for policy information was provided to 31 districts, two newspapers, and NSBA for sample policies on 37 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 included sexual abuse prevention program, transgender youth, board evaluation, administration of medications, graduation requirements, student records, safety and security and transportation.

cut school boards on the state or national level: •

Chaired meeting of the Practices Advisory Council of the Connecticut Commission for Educational Technology.

• Attended meeting of Connecticut Commission for Educational Technology.

• Attended NSBA Federation of Trainers Annual Conference.

• Working with the State Department of Education regarding development webinars, through Lighthouse work, to assist districts in application of the new accountability system and the new data website (Edsite).

• Attended Connecticut Society of Associaion Executives (CSAE) Conference on member engagement.

• Attended NESAE Annual Conference on engagement and design thinking.

• Attended CAPSS’ Open House and Reception for Larry Shaeffer.

• Participated in WhatWillOurChildrenLose Coalition meetings (CABE, CAPSS, CASBO, CAS).

• Attended CAS’ 20th Annual Governors’ Scholars Luncheon.

• Participated in meeting of the Professional Educators Advisory Council PEAC).

• Attended reception for retiring Education Connection Executive Director Dani Thibodeau.

• Attended Governor Malloy’s press conference on graduation rates at East Hartford High School.

• Attended Peer Conference in Bridgeport on early education.

• Participated in Alliance District convening (see page 14).

• Attended State Department of Education’s Equity Plan Stakeholder Advisory Meeting.

• Participated in meeting of Big Six Partnership (CABE, CAPSS, CAS, CCER, CBIA, and ConnCAN).

• Participated in a meeting of the Connecticut Anti-Defamation League Board of Directors meeting.

• Represented Connecticut at NSBA Equity Conference and Advocacy Institute.

• Participated in U.S. Census Bureau discussion of Hispanics By the Numbers in CT.

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

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• •

• •

➤ By providing services

to meet members needs:

•

Participated in meeting of LEAD Connecticut on growing future educational leaders.

•

Facilitated a discussion with the Colchester Board of Education on the superintendent evaluation process.

Responded to inquiries from Board of Education members and superintendents. The “Hot” Legal topics this month were: superintendent evaluation, FOIA application to information and documents used to evaluate the superintendent in executive session, superintendent role in hiring administrators, grievance procedures, meetings via text and email and FOIA application to text messages from and to board embers regarding board business, number of votes needed to elect a replacement board member when there are more than two candidates running, and notice of and agenda for special meetings.

Completed an audit of the policy manual of the Orange Board of Education.

Currently in the process of doing an audit of the Wilton Boards of Education policy manual.

Entered into agreements to do an audit of the policy manuals of Franklin, New Hartford, Trumbull, and Winchester Boards of Education.

CABE-Meeting CABE-Meeting is a user-friendly online service offered by CABE specifically for school boards. Users can eliminate unnecessary paperwork, increase efficiency and reduce costs while enabling board members to utilize the latest in cutting edge technology. Using CABE-Meeting, the Meeting Manager can create an electronic meeting from developing the agenda to creating the minutes and everything in between.

CABE-Meeting Offers: Secure login access for board and district staff Access from any location with Internet access Search archived agenda and meeting related items in a flash.

Ability to download and print attachments Option to provide a public link to board meeting information Your Subscription Provides: Access to CABE-Meeting Initial and ongoing training Support and maintenance Upgrades to the service

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• •

• •

•

➤ By ensuring members

receive the most up-todate communications:

•

Planned, implemented and facilitated programming for the CABE Collective Bargaining workshop at the Inn at Middletown which focused on the most up-to-date settlements and trends in teacher, administrator, and non-certified staff collective bargaining contracts and the new State Health Insurance Plan (2.0).

As part of the development of new policy manuals utilizing the Custom Policy Service, materials were prepared for East Hampton, East Windsor, Gilbert School, New Fairfield, New Hartford, Newington, Putnam and West Haven Boards of Education.

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➤ By helping school boards •

CABE Member Subscription Fees: Initial Subscription – $3,000 Annual Maintenance – $1,500 If you have an interest in this service, contact Lisa Steimer at 860-571-7446 or lsteimer@cabe.org.

As part of the Customized Policy Update Service materials were sent to Avon, Columbia, Ellington, Fairfield, Greenwich, Milford, New Canaan, New London, North Haven, Plymouth, Portland, Sherman, Southington, Thomaston and Wethersfield Boards of Education.

Entered into a contract to develop a new policy manual for Regional School District No. 5.

Entered into an agreement to place the policy manual of the Chaplin, Portland and Norfolk Boards of Education online utilizing the Connecticut Online Policy Service.

Updated and published on the CABE website the list of required and recommended policies.

Distributed to subscribing districts the Policy Update Service publication which contained the policy implications of recently passed legislation.

Revised and updated FOIA and Robert’s Rules materials for New Haven board retreat.

• •

to increase student achievement

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

This included the federal guidelines for transgender students, school security, attention to students from military families, the ESSA regulatory process, chronic absenteeism, and the required annual notification to parents.

Facilitated a Board Retreat for the Litchfield and Sherman Boards of Education.

Participated in meeting of BirthGrade 3 Leaders.

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The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education | July/August 2016

The

Media Message

from Ann Baldwin, Baldwin Media Marketing, LLC The beginning of a new school

year is an exciting time for educators, parents and students alike. It marks the end of a fun filled summer and the start of a new academic adventure filled with new friends, experiences and knowledge.

Effective and strategic communication leading up to this time of the year is a crucial part to ensure a smooth and positive start to a new school year.

There are many important pieces of information included in back-toschool communications that can sometimes get lost in the everyday shuffle if these messages are not strategically delivered.

Developing a plan to target the desired audience and mapping out the best way to reach each stakeholder will contribute to the success of all school communications.

For example, when delivering important information to parents, sending it to each home directly instead of relying on the students to give their parent the newsletter or flyer will increase the chances of parents seeing the information.

In addition to what you normally do, try something new. From August to mid-September, talk about the great things happening for children in your school.

Consider school open houses, school supply lists, cafeteria menus, websites, social media, cable television, school marquees, posters, banners and other ways to get your message across.

Leveraging any and all possible

communication channels at your disposal is a key factor in effective back to school communications.

Typical forms of communication such as newsletters or email blasts are helpful, but consider more modern platforms, like social media or a text message system, to deliver messages to stakeholders. Many parents, educators, and students are on social media and constantly check their cell phones so dispelling updates through these platforms can be very effective.

For those of you who don’t have a full-time communications professional on staff, why not form a communications committee of your board who are active social media users and willing to spend time communicating positive stories and activities taking place in your schools?

Developing relationships with local media outlets is also a great way to disseminate important school based information. Positive local media stories will disperse information to a larger audience while at the same time increasing the positive image of your school system.

Positioning your administration as a trusted resource for reporters to speak with regarding education issues increases the public awareness and creates a platform to discuss important topics affecting your schools.

Communicating important information amid the excitement of a new academic year can be a challenge, but the right tools and strategy can make all the difference.

Collective Bargaining workshop

Participants at the Inn at Middletown for the 2016 Collective Bargaining workshop.

Joseph Spurgeon, MHA, Senior Health Benefits Consultant, Milliman, discussed the State Health Partnership Plan.

Richard Mills, Attorney, Shipman & Goodwin, talked about bargaining considerations when the state plan is on the table.

Mark Sommaruga, Attorney, Pullman & Comley, shared some of the most recent trends in collective bargaining.

Rebecca Adams, Senior Staff Attorney, CABE, wrapped up the session with questions and answers from participants.

New Program to Help Towns and Schools Reduce Health Care Costs Beginning July 1, the Program of Regional Insurancefor Municipalities and Education (CT PRIME, Inc.), will help self-insured towns and schools reduce health care costs.

The new program will offer savings and stability in medical top loss premiums.

Thirteen municipalities and boards of education with more than 10,300 enrollees have already joined CT PRIME. Additional services to come.

For more information, contact Mary Glassman at 860-240-6619, or mglassman@crec.org.

Expert Solutions

The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education | July/August 2016

Community and School Violence Prevention Symposium Patrice A. McCarthy

DEPUTY DIRECTOR/GENERAL COUNSEL,CABE

The University of Connecticut School of Social Work recently sponsored an inaugural Community and School Violence Symposium to kick-off the ongoing efforts to address these issues.

The day began with remarks from Lieutenant Governor Nancy Wyman, and included a keynote address by Dr. Marleen Wong, from the University of Southern California. Dr. Wong addressed the need for trauma informed services in schools and communities. She cited surveys going back to 1995 when 48% of adolescents were witnesses to violence and only 27% reported no exposure to violence. In the poorest areas of the country, 88 to 92% of adolescents were exposed to violence.

Many of these students exhibit post-traumatic stress disorder, and whether they receive treatment or punishment often depends on their race and class.

Students who have witnessed violence or have been subject to violence have more absences, decreased high school graduation rates and greater rates of suspension and expulsion.

In Connecticut, Bridgeport, New Haven, New London, and Stamford have implemented cognitive behavioral intervention for trauma in their schools.

Using clinical social workers, over three

hundred students have been treated. This program has now been modified to enable teachers to support students exposed to trauma through a series of ten lessons. www.cbitsprogram.org The Symposium included 4 panel sessions. The panel focusing on “The Role of School Climate in Violence Prevention” included Mario Florez from the Hartford Public Schools who addressed the many initiatives including the Race Equity Action Collaboration Team (REACT), character education and cultural competence training provided to administrators.

He noted that teacher retention and particularly support for first year teachers is critical, so they have the opportunity to utilize their training and develop relationships with the students. Florez also emphasized the need to understand how important respect is to students, and challenged the audience to think of ways to instill empathy. Hartford has consolidated the various individual teams that provide support to students and now work to provide early identification of traumatized students and offer behavior support.

Maria LaRusso from the Harvard Graduate School reported that students find the most negative social interactions not in the classroom but in hallways, stairwells, the cafeteria and at recess. She emphasized the need for trained adults to deescalate negative behavior in those environments.

#Get Your Message Out Lisa Steimer

Senior Staff Associate for Professional Development, CABE

In July, I attended the National School Public Relation Association (NSPRA) Seminar in Chicago with more than 900 School PR professionals who gathered to learn and share over three days. Public relations is critical two-way communication between the school district and the district’s various publics. We need to continually be sharing and listening.

I brought home much information from sessions about asking the right questions when researching, simple strategies for branding, one-day campaigns to build Twitter engagement (see more below), building effective school-specific communication plans, leading through change with great communication, and empowering others for engagement that matters.

I found a one-day Twitter campaign to be something that might be relatively simple for a district to implement. Of course, before engaging in any social media, be sure your district has social media use policies in place. Additionally, the district (and administrators and staff) should be mindful of student privacy rights before considering Tweeting or retweeting a student’s image or other personal, identifiable information.

Twitter is a great way to reach one’s followers in 140 or fewer characters while sharing photos and/or video. Very little time is required to Tweet and it can be done easily from mobile devices and desktop computers, which makes it a convenient channel to share messages.

The board of education and superintendent should have a discussion about

the use of social media and who will be responsible for implementing a campaign plan such as this. It should be noted that this is very different than a Superintendent or school district account Tweeting that there is a snow delay or some other sort of official district message.

Messengers

• To cast a broad net in getting your message out, consider empowering staff to be your social media ambassadors. This does mean some work in providing administrator training and providing ongoing tips to your district users. This should “get the ball rolling”.

• A train-the-trainer model would enable your newly taught administrators to train teachers. Consider including parents, other staff and key influencers as Tweeters or those who will “retweet” or like the Tweets.

• Board members should exercise caution when tweeting, so that individual board member tweets are not seen as being “official” district messages.

The district that presented this workshop at the NSPRA Seminar has a fulltime communications person who was able to dedicate herself to this effort. I realize your district may not have that sort of staffing.

Have a Plan

Provide a way for everyone to participate. You may want to alert the media to your hashtag so they can pick up your story. Be certain to plan and share the campaign information ahead of time, See #GET YOUR page 13

Are you looking for a Superintendent, Principal or Assistant Principal?

Call CABE for all your search needs!

Consultants: MARY BRODERICK

For an update or more information on vacancies go to our webiste: www.cabe.org/page.cfm?p=1176

PAUL GAGLIARDUCCI

For more information contact, CABE Search Services, 860-539-7594 P.O. Box 290252, Wethersfield, CT 06129-0252

SENIOR CONSULTANT

ASSOCIATE CONSULTANT

BOB KING,

ASSOCIATE CONSULTANT

13

Equal Opportunity Employer

14

The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education | July/August 2016 Book Review

Our Kids: The American Dream in Crisis Lisa Steimer

SENIOR STAFF ASSOCIATE FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

In his most recent book, Robert D. Putnam seeks to answer the question, “Do youth coming from different social and economic backgrounds in fact have roughly equal life chances, and has that changed in recent decades?”

By employing qualitative research (interviews with many from different generations, classes, races, and family structures) Putnam adds a human element to the quantitative research he cites.

What seems to be evident throughout is what sociologist Douglas Massey has written about the egalitarian period of approximately 1945-1975, “…under structural arrangements implemented during the New Deal, poverty rates steadily fell, median incomes consistently rose, and inequality progressively dropped, as a rising economic tide lifted all boats.”

According to Putnam, this changed in the early 1970s when this trend began to slowly move in the other direction and then began to slide more quickly. Within all major racial/ethnic groups the gap between the rich and poor grew wider. What resulted was an enormous growth in inequality.

Putnam goes on to examine families, parenting, schooling, and community before offering recommendations for what can be done to reverse this growing inequality.

In chapter 4, Schooling, Putnam examines educational segregation in great detail. Putnam quotes researcher James Coleman who states, “The social composition of the student body is more highly related to achievement, independent of the student’s own social background, than is any other school factor.”

Putnam offers recommendations, many which sound familiar, as to what

can be done in a variety of areas that influence life chances, including education.

His recommendations for schools include publicly subsidized mixed-income housing that would increase the odds of a poor student generally doing better in school, investing money in existing schools to improve their quality, extending school hours, school community link, community-based groups taking a greater role in creating neighborhood charter schools or organizing the community to push officials for better schools, and more.

While there are no new revelations in Our Kids: The American Dream in Crisis, as Jill Lepore of The New Yorker says, Putnam clearly describes the “…erosion, in the past half century, of so many forms of the social, economic, and political support for families, schools, and communities…”.

Given the subject matter and presentation of data this could have been a very dense read – it isn’t. It is well worth picking up and reading, not only the chapter on Schooling and his recommendations for schools, but rather the entire book as all the pieces are interconnected.

“A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.”

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Alliance District Best Practices At the recent convening of Alliance

Districts, Bob Rader and Patrice McCarthy facilitated a discussion with superintendents and board members about their best practices, successes and challenges.

An overall theme was that collaboration with other municipal services and developing trust with families was key to success. Many students in these districts come from families which have not had positive experiences in the education system, and trust is built through home visits and other community resources.

Addressing chronic absenteeism was a major issue for many of these districts.

A common concern expressed was that there are not enough resources to sustain the individual attention to parents over the course of the year, or bring it to scale to impact all families.

Another success was identified through “collective impact”, where all community resources are brought together, sometimes under the United Way, to provide services to students and their families. The use of

program evaluations to determine what is most effective in increasing student achievement - and using this data to prioritize resources – was key.

The role of the board of education in supporting positive change includes strengthening the relationship with municipal officials, and taking a leap of faith when there is a need to reallocate resources. A board that understands the goals, is supportive and functioning well was identified as key to garnering the support of private foundations for funding.

With the Alliance District program scheduled to end at the conclusion of the 2016-17 school year, there is significant concern about sustaining the initiatives that are making a difference. CABE expects to encourage the state to continue funding for all school districts during next year’s Legislative Session.

Robert Rader

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR and

Patrice A. McCarthy

DEPUTY DIRECTOR/GENERAL COUNSEL,CABE

The Connecticut Association of Boards of Education

Our Services

Lobbying Efforts

Monitoring legislation, testifying, working with coalitions, developing strategies, informing legislators of impact of legislation in Hartford and Washington, D.C. CABE-Meeting

Provides for paperless board meetings through the CABE-Meeting product; an online agenda building and meeting manager software package

Negotiations Service

Information exchange/clearinghouse, settlement trends, contract review, referrals

Legal Services

Legal updates, legal consultation, legal advocacy Publications

CABE Journal, Action Alert, Hotline and Legislative Report, books, brochures and videos

Policy Service

Policy information, Reference Manual, Customized Policy Service, Online Service, Update Services, Policy Audit Service

Board Development

Workshops, conferences, seminars, and Annual Conference

Media Relations

Increasing media and general publics’ awareness of concerns of school boards

Unemployment Insurance

Consultation, claims processing, administration, appeal hearings

Mission

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

Our Purpose

The Connecticut Association of Boards of Education (CABE) is a statewide non-profit organization that advo-cates for public schools and school board leadership in Connecticut. CABE is dedicated to strengthening public education through advocacy, education and service to our member boards of education.

It’s our belief that providing high-quality education for all Connecticut children begins with effective leadership. CABE exists solely to support our school boards so the future of public education continues to be a bright one.

Vision

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

The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education | July/August 2016

15

NSBA Advocacy Institute

Members of the Connecticut delegation meeting with Senator Chris Murphy. Around the table were: Lydia Tedone, Patrice McCarthy, Robert Rader, Robert Trefry, Robert MItchell, Ellen Solek and Richard Murray.

Attended Patrice A. McCarthy, Robert Mitchell (Montville) First Vice President, Lydia Tedone (Simsbury) NSBA Regional Director, Donald Harris (Bloomfield) Vice President for Government Relations, Ann Gruenberg (Hampton) President, Robert Rader, Robert Trefry (CT Technical High Schools) Federal Relations Chair, Sheila McKay, and Richard Murray (Killingly) Immediate Past President. Not pictured - Superintendent Ellen Solek, Bristol.

Patrice A. McCarthy, Sheila McKay, Representative Jim Hines, Robert Trefry, and Superintendent Ellen Solek, Bristol Public Schools.

#GET YOUR MESSAGE OUT (continued from page 13) so the plan is not slow in getting off the ground. You want to have success from the onset of the campaign.

Members of the Connecticut delegation meeting with Representative Joe Courtney. Around the circle were: Patrice McCarthy, Sheila McKay, Ann Gruenberg, Robert Mitchell, Robert Trefry, and Richard Murray.

CABE Government Relations and Resolutions Committees meetings

The Message

• Decide what your district wants to use this one-day campaign to highlight.

• Pick a hashtag that best fits your goal and make sure it is memorable and short.

• Be certain to consider branding for example, don’t unnecessarily abbreviate to save keystrokes. The district presenting did abbreviate unnecessarily – the district is known as “D214” and the hashtag created was simply “214”. This caused confusion.

• Choose a date that works best for your district. As the campaign gathers steam, you should like, retweet and engage as appropriate.

Examples

A recent meeting of the CABE Government Relations and Resolutions Committtees. Among the issues discussed were: the Day on the Hill, coalition building and board member engagement in advoacy.

Events that might lend themselves to one-day campaigns include the first day of school (#Nutmegfirstday), a random day during the school year, (#Nutmegoneday) or graduation (#Nutmeggrad). The district presenting this workshop did their random day campaign to coincide with American Education Week in November.

A first day campaign might include a parent Tweeting a picture of their child

getting on the school bus on the first day of school, a teacher Tweeting first day classroom activities, a school Tweeting the Superintendent’s visit to the school on the first day, a school or principal Tweeting the Principal greeting students, and so on.

Share!

When your campaign ends, share the story! Tweets can be compiled at no cost using Storify (https://storify.com). Send the stories you create using the campaign Tweets to appropriate constituents.

A one-day campaign can engage your entire community and spotlight the good work being done!

Recommended policies

• #6141.326, “Online Social Networking”. A district’s Computer Acceptable Use Policy, # 6141.321, may be modified to include language pertaining to social networking sites.

• #4118.51/4218.51, “Social Networking Sites”. Some of the material in these policies can also be incorporated in the district’s acceptable computer use policy for employees, #4118.5/4218.5.

• #1114, “District-Sponsored Social Media” • Policy 5145.15 regarding student directory information

16 The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education | July/August 2016

Serving the Legal Needs of Connecticut’s Boards of Education Please visit Education Law Notes, our school law blog that covers legal matters of interest to Connecticut public school districts. Education Law Notes covers issues that are at the heart of board service, including academics, labor and employment, special education, gender equality and disability rights, social media, bullying and administrative policies and procedures. Inform yourself and your board. Visit Pullman & Comley’s Education Law Notes at http://schoollaw.pullcomblog.com/.

Issues Covered include:

William R. Connon

Jonathan B. Orleans

860.424.4385 wconnon@pullcom.com

203.330.2129 jorleans@pullcom.com

Rachel L. Ginsburg

Stephen M. Sedor

860.424.4372 rginsburg@pullcom.com

203.330.2137 ssedor@pullcom.com

Donald F. Houston

John P. Shea, Jr.

203.330.2245 dhouston@pullcom.com

860.424.4387 jshea@pullcom.com

Melinda B. Kaufmann

Mark J. Sommaruga

860.424.4370 mkaufmann@pullcom.com

860.424.4388 msommaruga@pullcom.com

Michael P. McKeon

Zachary D. Schurin

860.424.4386 mmckeon@pullcom.com

860.424.4389 zschurin@pullcom.com

www.pullcom.com

O

The Constitutionality of Teacher Tenure

O

Immigration Status Checks by School Districts

O

District and Individual Liability for Failing to Address Bullying and Harassment

O

District Responsibility for Vendor Speech

O

Board of Education Committee Requirements

O

Paying “Volunteers”

O

Changes to FMLA for Paraprofessionals

O

Freedom of Information Act Compliance

BRIDGEPORT

HARTFORD

STAMFORD

WATERBURY

WHITE PLAINS

203.330.2000

860.424.4300

203.324.5000

203.573.9700

914.705.5355