As Board of Education Chair Deborra Zukowski reflected at her board’s last meeting of 2022: “It’s been a year.”

Zukowski was speaking to her fellow board members to thank them for their efforts over the last year. She also thanked district administration, the Newtown High School Board of Education student representatives, and Newtown Public Schools Executive Secretary Kathy June, “for all you do.”

Roughly a year ago, the school board had just ended 2021 with newly elected leadership and some new members.

Zukowski said she feels the board is pulling together as a team, “one that will have positive impact on all our students and staff.”

Over the last year, along with regular topics such as monthly financial reports and updates from local school representatives, the school board had a number of topics that dominated discussions.

Discussion of the then-pending Hawley Elementary School HVAC project began 2022. At a January 4 meeting, Hawley Principal Christopher Moretti updated the board on planning that was underway to house Hawley students at Sandy Hook Elementary School and Reed Intermediate School. The Hawley HVAC project is expected to end by the 2022-23 school year’s start.

Later in the month, then-Superintendent of Schools Dr Lorrie Rodrigue presented her proposed 2022-23 school budget on January 18. The $83,161,076 spending proposal represented a 4.35 percent increase from 2021-22.

“The budget always tells a story of who we are, what we value, and what we need,” said Rodrigue.

The proposed budget, Rodrigue said at the time, took into account anticipated class size, the emotional and social well-being of students, and “meaningful” professional development for educators.

The Board of Education continued working on its budget proposal throughout January and approved it at its February 1 meeting. After it went through the budget process, the 2022-23 school budget was later approved by town voters at referendum in April for $82,134,639.

While community members were overall making their support for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts in the district heard during public participation portions of multiple Board of Education meetings, the school board and C.H. Booth Library teamed up to offer a “Race: More Than A Conversation” panel conversation, the first of multiple. The event was held on February 7. C.H. Booth Library Director Douglas Lord opened the event by saying, “Both the Board of Ed and the library’s goals with this dialogue are to learn more from the panelists and hopefully from you as attendees about Newtown’s needs and your thoughts for the future.”

Later in February, after an hour-long public participation dominated by concerns around students wearing masks, the Board of Education supported the superintendent in planning changes to COVID-19 mitigation protocols, including having masks optional in schools starting February 28. Rodrigue said the meeting’s discussion marked the start of “our path forward.”

Rodrigue shared a presentation highlighting the district’s timeline with the COVID-19 pandemic since March 2020, when schools were closed to students. By August of that year students returned to schools with a hybrid model involving remote learning. Students returned in full to schools for January 2021 with employment of restrictions and state mandates.

The year included many presentations by district administrators and educators, such as the March 1 presentation from Newtown Public Schools Director of Pupil Services Deborah Petersen on the school’s Supportive Alternative Individualized Learning (SAIL) program.

By the third month of the year, the school board launched a Superintendent Search Survey, following the announcement by Dr Rodrigue in December of 2021 that she would retire at the end of the 2021-22 school year.

Later in March, the school board learned that the high school’s administration of the SAT was hindered by a brief power outage due to the ongoing local work to I-84’s Exit 11. Otherwise the test administration went “very well” overall, as NHS Principal Dr Kimberly Longobucco told the board.

By April, the school board was looking ahead to end of school year celebrations, as it approved dates for the Newtown Middle School Moving Up Ceremony and NHS graduation at its April 5 meeting.

Curriculums were also frequently discussed at board meetings throughout the school year, like when it approved a planned re-map of the district’s “math pathways” at the April 5 meeting. At its following meeting on April 19, the school board learned of a new state-mandated African American/Black and Puerto Rican/Latino course for NHS.

That meeting, on April 19, prompted Zukowski to reflect on school board topics, as it was the board’s tenth meeting since the newly seated board members began. Zukowski shared that there are topics she feels have been “key themes” for the school board since December 8, 2021: academic achievement; social and emotional health and wellness; and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).

In a split vote during its May 3 meeting, the Newtown Board of Education awarded a five-year transportation contract to All-Star Transportation. Over a month later, the school board approved details for the contract, which went into effect July 1.

Along with approving the contract at that meeting, the board heard from then-Newtown Public Schools DEI Coordinator Wesley A. Johnson II, who shared information on use of the district’s anonymous alerts reporting app for incidents of bullying, discrimination, and harassment from a survey of students. According to Johnson, over 820 students responded for the survey.

Johnson resigned his position later in the year to work for a faith-based nonprofit.

Then, at its May 17 meeting, the Board of Education appointed a new superintendent of schools to take over following Rodrigue’s retirement at the end of June: Chris Melillo, assistant superintendent of Hamden Public Schools, was chosen. Melillo began as superintendent on July 1.

Calling it an honor to be selected as the next leader of the town’s public schools system, Melillo told the board he was “truly excited to start his new endeavor. When I was informed of the choice,” he said, “it left me speechless.”

By June, as the school board was continuing end-of-the-year celebrations such as honoring retiring educators and NHS’s top students, it also heard an update on the then-upcoming Hawley HVAC project.

As the June 21 Board of Education meeting was coming to a close, member Rebekah Harriman (D) spoke as a public participant announcing her resignation. The announcement was effective immediately, and the school board had 30 days to fill the vacant seat, which any registered Democrat could qualify to fill.

With NMS Principal Tom Einhorn’s retirement, the Board of Education voted at a special meeting on June 24 to appoint NMS Assistant Principal Jim Ross to be the school’s new principal.

Ross said that he “couldn’t be more excited.”

“I just feel so connected to the community and the staff; this is really where I would like to end my career,” said Ross.

The Board of Education unanimously voted at its meeting on July 12 to fill its open seat by tapping former Legislative Council member Alison Plante (D). Plante, who served on the council between 2019 and 2021, shared that, “It is personally important to me to give back to the community that has given me so much.”

Another vacant district seat was filled at the same meeting when the board selected Kara DiBartolo of Bethel to be Newtown’s new director of teaching and learning.

Bus driver shortages impacted Newtown Public Schools throughout 2022, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. With many drivers leaving the district for higher wages offered in districts elsewhere in the state, the Board of Education at its August 23 meeting unanimously approved incentives to help retain its current drivers as well as to attract new hires.

At the same meeting, the school board approved hiring Richard Lemons of Partners For Educational Leadership to aid the district in creating a new strategic plan, the work on which was expected to last into 2023.

From moving an entire school to replacing carpets, Newtown Public Schools were beehives of activity over the summer as detailed in a report shared with the Board of Education at its September 6 meeting. Newtown Public Schools Director of Facilities Bob Gerbert, Jr, said following the meeting that “all things considered,” the summer was successful and it is “amazing that everything got done.”

Newtown’s 2022 Teacher of the Year Amy Deeb and 2022 Paraeducator of the Year Judy Watts were celebrated at the Board of Education’s September 20 meeting.

Student data and achievement were also noted topics throughout 2022 for the school board, especially when Assistant Superintendent of Schools Anne Uberti shared an overall assessment of student achievement data with the school board at its October 5 meeting.

The Hawley HVAC project and transportation updates were topics again at the school board’s October 19 meeting, when Melillo shared updates on both. The superintendent hoped that by December the school district would have a full complement of district bus drivers and backup drivers. The Hawley HVAC project was on time, and Melillo said abatement work has been completed in Hawley’s two older sections.

The Board of Education unanimously approved a contract between the school district and the Newtown Federation of Teachers at its meeting on November 1. The contract runs from 2023 to 2026, and Board of Education Chair Deborra Zukowski thanked those who worked toward the contract’s creation both on the district “team,” including board members, and on the Newtown Federation of Teachers “team.”

Also in November, the school board approved extending the district’s free and reduced lunch program.

“Even in a good year we understand that time of year is difficult for families,” Melillo said. He added that with inflation and higher living costs, he knows 2022 was a harder year for families.

The federal funds for the free and reduced lunches have been coming from federal School Meals Assistance Revenue for Transition (SMART) funds. The SMART program was set to end on November 30. The funds used to further the program, by regulations, could only be used to support the district’s food service program. The board’s vote extended the district’s free and reduced lunch program to January 23.

At the school board’s final meeting of the school year on December 20, the free and reduced lunch program was brought up again with a focus on potentially extending it further.

In an interview, Melillo shared plans looking ahead to 2023 concerning work on the district’s strategic plan. As of late December work on the strategic plan was heading toward more community involvement.

“We’ve done a lot of good work this year and I’m looking forward to continuing that,” Melillo said of the strategic plan.

Education Editor Eliza Van can be reached at eliza@thebee.com.