At its last meeting before the end of the 2019-20 school year, the Board of Education passed a number of motions on June 2 that will impact the 2020-21 fiscal year.

The board’s next scheduled meeting is set for the evening of June 16, which is the scheduled last day of the 2019-20 school year.

The June 2 meeting began with celebrations, including honoring retiring educators and highlighting Newtown High School’s Class of 2020 top demi-decile students, the top five percent of the class. A story on the meeting’s celebrations will be in the June 12 print edition of The Newtown Bee.

The meeting was conducted virtually, with board members and community members joining via video conference or phone.

Motions at the meeting included the board approving two curricula for Newtown High School courses, English I and American literature, and approving a revised non-lapsing education fund policy in a 6-1 vote with member Deborra Zukowski against the motion after board discussion around her concerns, mostly over the use of the word “planned” as used in the policy.

The board also unanimously voted to extend its contract with Whitsons Culinary Group, the district’s food service provider, for another year. Business Manager Ron Bienkowski explained the state requires the contract be set for July 1 and it also acknowledges there may be changes to the food services for the 2020-21 school year due to COVID-19. Bienkowski shared that state guidelines for food distribution are expected prior to the school year’s start. This is the final time the district can extend the contract, and next year the district’s food service contract will have to go through the Request For Proposal (RFP) procedure.

A motion to support a Middle Gate gym and auditorium HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) project be awarded to Automated Buildings Systems of Glastonbury for $107,690 was unanimously approved. Bids for the project went out in April, and they ranged from roughly $127,000 to $212,000. The original assumed price for the project, estimated by the former district facilities director, was $45,000, according to Bienkowski. So, current district Facilities Director Bob Gerbert and Town Purchasing Agent Rick Spreyer explored options, and, when approached through a US communities purchasing program, Automated Buildings Systems, provided the $107,690 offer. The company manages the energy programs in Newtown schools, according to Bienkowski.

“We do have other savings in the building and site account to accommodate this overage,” said Bienkowski. Adding later, “That whole group of accounts will only be short by about $28,000.”

The school board also approved — in a 6-1 vote with Vice Chair Dan Delia against the motion — the district to pay down its lease for Verkada security cameras. As reported by The Newtown Bee in September of 2019, the then-recently installed cameras cost $484,886 for the equipment and $79,200 for installation, and the lease was financed over five years at 2.65 percent with an annual payment of $124,932. According to Bienkowski, the annual payment of $124,932 will be paid for this year and the board’s motion authorized the remaining three payments also be made this year, offering an immediate impact on next year’s budget.

“That means we will be able to free up [roughly] $125,000 that can be used for something else,” Bienkowski said. “It could be used for [COVID-19 related] expenses. It could be used for whatever we need next year, because you would actually be buying it down out of this fiscal year’s funds.”

There is no prepayment penalty, Bienkowski said, and no interest forgiveness, which is roughly $6,000 a year.

Funds from current operating accounts could be used to pay the three years of payments, according to Bienkowski.

“When we take from what our anticipated balance is — along with some other distance learning material items we will be purchasing before the end of the year — we will still have a balance that will be brought forward in the non-lapsing account of about $896,000,” Bienkowski said, noting that amount will be helpful when keeping in mind there are unknown anticipated expenses for the 2020-21 year concerning COVID-19.

Other funds, including a grant balance, could leave the district with a combined, including the expected non-lapsing account balance, $1.2 million to use for potential future expenses, Bienkowski shared.

After discussion, the board approved paying the lease down.

The board also had a “first read” of its budget procedures and line item transfers policy and heard a presentation on two NHS curricula, creative writing and journalism. It is expected to vote the curricula and discuss and possibly vote on the policy at its next meeting.