Superintendent Reports On Goals For The Coming Year

By Eliza Hallabeck

Superintendent of Schools Janet Robinson shared her goals for the next year with the Board of Education members Tuesday night. She explained that she established ambitious goals that will likely exceed the district’s immediate means to accomplish them.

“In dealing with this I started simple, and I got more complex,” said Dr Robinson. “I created something here that I know cannot be achieved in one year. I know that, but I know that you have to have goals if you are going to attain anything.”

Dr Robinson set five main goals with smaller topics attached to them. She said she hopes to improve the conditions of the high school by providing input and consult with a committee of those responsible for the construction of the Newtown High School expansion project. She also hopes to create a working leadership team with the new NHS principal, oversee improvements in security and ensure compliance with the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.

“One of the things you aren’t going to see as a goal is to raise test scores, but if the conditions that we work on here work, they will have the impact of increasing the learning for kids,” said Dr Robinson.

The other goals she said she plans to work on are developing the school administration into a district leadership team, improve communications between Newtown Public Schools and the community, assure equity of resources among schools, and facilitate a district strategic plan.

She said it is important to make sure that every student who enters the Reed Intermediate School is ready for fifth grade. She said she wants to make sure that students in each school have the same opportunities.

Currently, according to Dr Robinson, not all of the schools use the same method to teach reading.

The first week in August, Assistant Superintendent Linda Gejda and Dr Robinson will be away learning how to put together a strategic plan for the town, and how to facilitate it, Dr Robinson said.

“I’m asking the board for support on these, and it doesn’t mean that other things aren’t going to happen. I see these as the most important goals.”

The board members responded to Dr Robinson’s presentation favorably.

“This is quite admirable, what you are trying to do,” said school board Chairman Elaine McClure.

The board also discussed quickly the school’s bullying policy. Recent events, according to Dr Robinson, have put the bullying policy as one of the top priorities of the Board of Education and the school district. Ms McClure said the policy is under review and will be discussed at the board’s next meeting in August.

School board members Kathryn Fetchick and Anna Wiedemann presented the Town Long-Term Planning Report, which is a report that was put together by seven volunteers to decide the town’s financial capabilities.

Ms Fetchick and Ms Wiedemann are members of the committee along with Geoffry Dent, Michael Floros, Peter Marshall, Gerry Robilotti, and Julia Wasserman.

Ms Fetchick said the town would need to develop a unified vision and implement it as a whole.

The Board of Education was presented with new information on the topic, and it will be further discussed at the next meeting in August.

Project Bid Approved

The Board of Education approved the bid for the middle school steam pipe project during this week’s meeting, and discussed other topics that will come up in later meetings.

School Business Director Ronald Bienkowski explained to the board during the meeting that the steam pipe project had a couple bidders, but Titan Mechanical Contractors of Manchester came up with the lowest bid.

“If they’re going to do as much as the other contractors are going to do in a shorter period of time, then I think we should take a look at them,” said Mr Bienkowski.

Titan Mechanical Contractors bid more than $520,000 for the project, and all of the other bidders came up with prices higher than $700,000.

These numbers represent the base bid for the project’ if the contractors encounter problems there will always be allowance for them to get more money.

“They obviously have the manpower to hit it, and to hit it hard,” said Mr Bienkowski.

He said Titan Mechanical Contractors pushed for the project, because there is a good time frame fit with another project the company will be working on in the fall.

The steam pipe comes into the Newtown Middle School at the back of the cafeteria, and it needs to be removed because it is no longer functional. Mr Bienkowski said one problem that may come up for the contractors will be the cement that surrounds the pipe. No one knows how deep the cement runs, and the contractors may end up charging more if there is more.