The Board of Education heard and approved both its 2017-18 year-end financial report and the report for the first month of the 2018-19 fiscal year at its meeting on August 14. The board also heard an update on an ongoing athletic self-study.

District parents voiced special education concerns at the end of the meeting.

The August 14 meeting was the board’s first meeting since June 26. Business Director Ron Bienkowski shared in his report that the district concluded the 2017-18 fiscal year with a remaining positive balance of $276,038 or .37 percent of the total 2017-18 spending package. According to the report, the majority of the balance came from salary, employee benefits, and supplies accounts. Mr Bienkowski noted the 2017-18 year-end report is unaudited and may change once inspected by the district’s auditors.

Mr Bienkowski said the $276,038 is the most money the district has had at the end of a fiscal year for the past 17 years. After deliberation, the school board voted to request the Board of Finance deposit the unexpected funds in the district’s non-lapsing account, which allows money to be spent on educational costs that are non-recurring. With the anticipated transfer, Mr Bienkowski said the account will have a balance of roughly $426,000.

After a year that included a spending freeze due to a projected deficit and concerns about special education funding, Mr Bienkowski explained some events at the end of the fiscal year contributed to the positive balance, like having students attend school for two days less than planned due to weather related closings.

“This was a difficult year. It started out rough. The weather was terrible, but there is a positive balance that we can be happy about,” said Mr Bienkowski.

Board of Education member Andrew Clure expressed disappointment in the balance.

“People aren’t going to be excited that we had almost $300,000 over,” said Mr Clure, adding that it is a big amount that should not be celebrated.

“This is hard work to get to this particular position,” Mr Bienkowski said. “I watch these accounts, and a lot of this did not occur until very late in the year.”

Board of Education Vice Chair Rebekah Harriman-Stites said while she understands Mr Clure’s concern, she is also “cognizant of the fact that this could have actually gone $276,000 in the other direction very easily.”

“I know there are things that were completely unanticipated that led to this, and I’m not really quite sure, aside from having a crystal ball, how we could have anticipated that we would have that much of a positive balance,” said Ms Harriman-Stites.

When presenting the July report for the 2018-19 fiscal year, Mr Bienkowski shared it is limited, due to being early in the process.

“The budget will be monitored closely with important and or significant issues identified as quickly as we become aware of them,” the July report reads.

Board of Education Chair Michelle Embree Ku said she appreciates Mr Bienkowski “coming within a hairline” of the target every fiscal year, pointing out the balance is .37 percent of the total spending plan, without going over budget.

“By depositing these funds into the non-lapsing account... we’re being consistent with our budget goals for 2018-19 and the Legislative Council’s approved budget, which called for proactively planning non-recurring and unforeseen events,” said Ms Ku.

Superintendent of Schools Dr Lorrie Rodrigue shared during her report that the district is looking to hire a new kindergarten teacher for Head O’ Meadow Elementary School “to maintain appropriate class sizes.” The district is also looking to fill other roles ahead of the new year, including two classroom teachers, due to late resignations and paraprofessional positions.

Later in the meeting, Athletic Director Matt Memoli shared a presentation with the board to highlight ongoing work on the district’s athletic self-study. Following 2018-19 budget deliberations, the district decided to conduct the sports self-study. As part of the study, Mr Memoli said the group working on the effort will present the board recommendations for sports funding at a future date.

Dr Rodrigue said the district is also preparing for a self-study on non-sports activities.

The school board voted to accept the Newtown High School addition and alternations project and the NHS auditorium renovation project as complete. While the district has had the certificate of occupancy for the NHS addition and alterations project since December of 2010, Mr Bienkowski explained repairs on a portion of the roof and other areas have been ongoing until recently. The Public Building and Site Commission also accepted both projects as complete at its meeting on July 24.

Parents Voice Special

Education Concerns

During the second public participation of the evening, parents voiced concerns around appropriate practices and accommodations for special education students.

Liza Mecca said her rising third grader is barely at a first grade reading level.

“This smart, sweet, kind, thoughtful, loving, almost 8-year-old has suffered at the hands of this district’s inability to appropriately implement interventions for children with dyslexia,” said Ms Mecca.

Ms Mecca and parents Alissa Heizler-Mendoza and her husband, Michael Mendoza, spoke to the complications of having to hire tutors. Ms Mecca said her son’s tutor costs $100 per visit, and it is recommended that he have five visits a week.

“For a district that encourages its students to be kind and a town that boasts that it is ‘Nicer in Newtown,’ those sentiments are falling short for numerous special [education] families in this district currently,” said Ms Mecca. She later said a group called the Newtown Special Ed Parents for Action has met with state legislators and representatives to discuss concerns for the future of special education in Newtown.

Ms Heizler-Mendoza said current practices are not consistent with the district’s mission to “inspire each child to excel.”

Later, parent Jennifer Strychalsky shared her experience with having confidential information related to her daughter’s education sent to a friend instead.

“Whatever they are doing, whatever their practices are, really need to change, because I’ve been hearing it from a lot of people that they get other people’s information, too,” said Ms Strychalsky.

Ms Ku thanked the speakers for sharing their concerns.