Along with filling the district’s new director of teaching and learning position at its meeting on June 18, the Board of Education approved its May financial report and celebrated two educators.

A preview of the district’s new website was also demonstrated at the meeting.

Frank Purcaro of Middlebury was unanimously approved to fill the position of director of teaching and learning. He has been serving as assistant superintendent of Wolcott Public Schools since 2018, and his previous jobs included director of student learning and teaching and director of curriculum and professional development, both in Wolcott.

“I am very excited that he is coming to Newtown,” Board of Education member Dan Delia said. “I think this is wonderful for our children, for our teachers, [and] for our community. It’s going to be awesome. I am thrilled you are joining us,” he told Mr Purcaro.

Board of Education Vice Chair Rebekah Harriman-Stites echoed Mr Delia’s excitement, speaking to the new director.

“I couldn’t be more thrilled, [Mr Purcaro], that you have decided to come here to Newtown,” Ms Harriman-Stites shared. “You’re exactly the type of person we were looking for in this position. Your experience and your character are something that I am thrilled to have join our team.”

The director of teaching and learning position was approved in the district’s 2019-20 budget.

Mr Purcaro thanked the school board for the opportunity.

“I’m just really, really excited to be part of the team,” said Mr Purcaro, “and I can’t wait to get started.”

Educators Celebrated, Finances Addressed

Superintendent of Schools Dr Lorrie Rodrigue highlighted “two very special staff members” at the meeting: Newtown’s newly named 2019-20 Teacher of the Year Kim Lowell and 2019-20 Paraeducator of the Year Pamela Jackson. Both educators were given plaques to mark the occasion.

Ms Lowell is a science teacher at Newtown High School, and Ms Jackson is a Reed Intermediate School paraeducator. Both educators will be honored at the state level in the fall for the awards.

The board also approved 2019-20 non-union employees salary adjustments, as per the superintendent’s recommendations, at the meeting. A roughly 2.25 percent increase for all school employees, according to the district following the meeting, was approved.

While sharing the district’s monthly financial report for May, Director of Business Ron Bienkowski said, “Balances continue to adjust as we get to the year end.”

With the current fiscal-year’s end approaching, Mr Bienkowski shared the district received more than expected from the state’s Special Education Excess Cost Grant, which was originally calculated at a 73.62 percent reimbursement. The district received $121,496 more than budgeted.

“So that flows to the bottom-line,” Mr Bienkowski said.

Other balance adjustments are fluctuating. According to the presentation, Mr Bienkowski expects the district’s non-lapsing account will be about $361,000 after the 2018-19 fiscal year’s end. He also said money set aside for unexpected special education needs in the 2018-19 budget will be used, and the school board could decide to create a new special education fund for unexpected needs from its non-lapsing account.

“We are in a good financial position at this time and will continue to be,” said Mr Bienkowski.

The school board approved new curricula for Algebra I, Algebra II, and Geometry at Newtown High School at the June 18 meeting. The three courses were piloted this past school year, according to discussion at a previous June 4 meeting.

CIP Approved, New Website Lauded

The school district’s Capitol Improvement Plan (CIP) was also approved at the meeting, with a verbal understanding of looking further into a project.

The CIP’s first year has a $3,962,000 planned Hawley Elementary School ventilation and HVAC project. Speaking for the board’s CIP/Facilities/Finance Committee, member Dan Cruson, Jr, said a full-ducted system was chosen as “the best option” due to its life expectancy and more.

Mr Bienkowski reminded the school board that the project would need to be prepared, put out to bid, approved at referendum, and the work would be anticipated in the building for the summer of the 2021-22 year.

With an HVAC and ventilation project at Newtown Middle School slated in the CIP’s second year, board member Andrew Clure questioned why a Middle Gate Elementary School general building HVAC project was not slated earlier in the CIP.

Following discussion, the school board approved its CIP as presented, with the understanding it would look more at the HVAC situation at Middle Gate.

The school board also saw a preview for a new version of the district’s website, newtown.k12.ct.us, at the meeting, as presented by Director of Technology Carmella Amodeo and Business Office Coordinator Joanne Morris.

As Ms Amodeo scrolled through the new website, she said it was designed to be clean, consistent from school to school, and it will still be located at newtown.k12.ct.us. The new website will have a search-able policies page and translation options — Ms Amodeo highlighted the ability to translate the website to Spanish.

The new website is expected to go live before the start of the school year.