[0:26] All right, welcome back. Good evening. I
[0:29] call the August 25th board of ed meeting
[0:31] to order at 5:30. We have a moment of
[0:33] silence and pledge by Miss Kushman.
[0:41] It would truly be difficult to top the
[0:43] incredible welcome extended to our
[0:45] teachers and staff at convocation
[0:48] yesterday by our band, choir, and
[0:51] elementary students. But nevertheless,
[0:54] we do want to offer and extend a warm
[0:56] welcome back to our students, staff, and
[0:59] teachers for the 2026 2027 school year.
[1:04] As we gather together here in council
[1:06] chambers to conduct the business of the
[1:08] board,
[1:10] I invite you to join me for a moment of
[1:13] quiet reflection or silent prayer.
[1:26] And for the pledge. I pledge allegiance
[1:30] to the flag of the United States of
[1:32] America and to the republic for which it
[1:35] stands, one nation under God,
[1:38] indivisible, with liberty and justice
[1:41] for all.
[1:46] Thank you, Miss Kushman, for that
[1:47] welcome back message. Um, fire fire
[1:50] evacuation announcement. In the unlikely
[1:52] event of an emergency, please go through
[1:54] those back doors or you can go out the
[1:55] side door and down the steps. Um, roll
[1:57] call. Miss Lawler.
[2:00] Mrs. Kushman
[2:01] here.
[2:02] Mr. Anderson
[2:04] here and refreshed.
[2:05] Mr. Okulio here. Mrs. Gerard
[2:08] here. Mr. Gaus
[2:09] here.
[2:10] Mrs. Ker absent. Mr. Cobber
[2:13] present.
[2:14] Mrs. McGuire Bruce
[2:15] here. Board Chair Picket
[2:17] here. All right, we are going to move
[2:20] over to item four, which is our board
[2:22] guests. Before I turn it over, I just
[2:24] want to echo some of the comments that
[2:25] Miss Kushman mentioned. Um, I also was
[2:27] able to attend convocation. Thank you to
[2:30] those who helped support convocation.
[2:32] Um, but more than anything, I think I
[2:33] was really most excited to be in the
[2:35] room to honor our staff member of the
[2:37] year and our teacher of the year. um
[2:39] their introductions, their comments
[2:41] themselves made me really proud as a
[2:43] board chair um and as a mom. Really just
[2:45] proud of the educators that we have in
[2:47] our school district. Um so I'll turn it
[2:49] over to you, Mr. Mchio, to provide some
[2:50] formal introductions, but thank you so
[2:52] much and so excited to be able to
[2:54] acknowledge you.
[2:56] Right. So, I'll be um brief in terms of
[2:58] my opening remarks because we're going
[2:59] to have uh Lauren Andrews, who's the
[3:01] director of Eagle Academy, come up and
[3:03] she's going to introduce to you the 2000
[3:06] um or the support staff member of the
[3:09] year um for last year and that is Mr.
[3:12] Quinn Hanigan. He did an outstanding job
[3:14] in terms of his speech. I know how
[3:15] excited all these folks actually are
[3:17] when they have to stand in front of, you
[3:19] know, 880 folks and give a speech, but
[3:21] outstanding job. So, we're very proud of
[3:23] Quinn and look forward to continued work
[3:25] with him. Uh, and Lauren, uh, we're
[3:27] going to have you go ahead and you can
[3:29] lead it off. Yeah, sure.
[3:39] All right. Is this on? Yes. Okay. It is
[3:43] truly an honor to introduce Quinn
[3:44] Hanigan, EPS Support Staff member of the
[3:47] year. When we say that it takes everyone
[3:49] working together to keep our buildings
[3:51] afloat, Quinn is the perfect example of
[3:54] what this looks like. He is someone who
[3:56] never says that's not my job. He sees
[3:58] what needs to be done, steps in without
[4:00] hesitation, and does whatever he can to
[4:02] support our students, our staff, and our
[4:04] families. Quinn's commitment to the
[4:07] students of Enfield, especially our
[4:08] Eagle kiddos, is exceptional. He works
[4:11] every day with some of the highest need
[4:13] students in our district. He does so
[4:14] with a calm presence presence, the
[4:17] patience of a saint, and the incredible
[4:19] ability to often remain a couple steps
[4:22] ahead, oftentimes even of me. He
[4:25] understands our students, anticipates
[4:27] what they may need, and often helps
[4:28] prevent a difficult situation from
[4:30] becoming an even tougher one. Quinn has
[4:33] stepped into many roles at Eagle. Beyond
[4:35] his role as a behavior technician, he
[4:38] also steps in as our building sub when
[4:40] needed and has taken on long-term
[4:42] substitute assignments whenever we've
[4:44] needed him multiple times over the last
[4:46] few years. Our kids trust Quinn because
[4:49] they know he is steady, fair, and always
[4:52] there for them. Our staff respect him
[4:54] because they know they can count on him
[4:56] even on the most challenging of days.
[4:58] His ability to remain calm and quietly
[5:01] help hold everything together is
[5:03] invaluable. Quinn, I'm incredibly proud
[5:06] of you and so grateful for everything
[5:08] you bring to Eagle Academy and to the
[5:10] students. This recognition is so welld
[5:12] deserved.
[5:17] Good evening, everyone. I'm truly
[5:19] honored to receive this support staff
[5:20] member of the year award. Over the past
[5:23] few years, I've had the opportunity to
[5:24] gain valuable experience in different
[5:26] roles, including working as a behavioral
[5:28] technician, building substitute, and
[5:30] long-term substitute. Each of these
[5:33] experiences has taught me something new,
[5:35] challenged me in different ways, and
[5:36] have helped me grow both professionally
[5:38] and personally. Most importantly, these
[5:41] roles have given me the opportunity to
[5:42] work with and learn from so many amazing
[5:44] students and staff members. I'd like to
[5:47] take a moment to thank everyone from
[5:48] Eagle Academy for everything they do for
[5:50] our students every single day. I am
[5:53] incred incredibly grateful to be part of
[5:55] such a caring and hardworking team. And
[5:58] finally, I want to give a special thank
[5:59] you to my sister Samantha. Thank you for
[6:02] all the late nights spent helping me
[6:03] lesson plan, answering my endless
[6:06] questions, and teaching me how to run a
[6:08] classroom. Thank you.
[6:12] Congratulations. And thank you. And I
[6:14] was just sharing to both of my
[6:15] colleagues here, that's when I started
[6:16] crying in your speech at convocation,
[6:18] you mentioned your sister and I was
[6:19] like, "Oh, I have a a son and a
[6:21] daughter." And like hearing those
[6:23] special thank yous, I think mean a lot.
[6:25] Um, so thank you. Um, congratulations. I
[6:28] know we have done our formal
[6:30] acknowledgement. um of your winning at
[6:32] convocation, but I will open it up here
[6:34] for any board members who would like to
[6:36] share any um comments or questions or
[6:39] thoughts.
[6:42] Go ahead, Miss McGuire. I'll just echo
[6:44] thank you for all that you do. Um I know
[6:46] that your efforts go well beyond the
[6:48] classroom. Um so, thank you so much and
[6:50] your sister is pretty great.
[6:53] Quinn, thank you so much. I'm excited to
[6:55] see what this school year brings at
[6:56] Eagle Academy and the continued impact
[6:58] that you have on our students. Um, I
[7:00] think hearing about the trust that you
[7:02] build with staff and students and how
[7:03] you model that calm, consistent presence
[7:05] is something that we can all take away.
[7:06] So, thank you so much, Quinn.
[7:07] Congratulations to the work you do at
[7:09] Eagle.
[7:09] Thank you.
[7:17] All right, now over to teacher of the
[7:19] year. All right. So, we're going to
[7:21] welcome
[7:23] uh Aaron Clark, principal at the high
[7:25] school, as well as Joel Sen, director of
[7:27] humanities. And they are going to
[7:28] introduce to you. You can bring him with
[7:31] you.
[7:31] Yes.
[7:32] Yeah. Absolutely.
[7:35] Sure.
[7:37] Introduce to you our teacher of the
[7:39] year, Miss Nicole Kuchio.
[7:42] Not yet.
[7:43] Who now has a famous middle name. I
[7:46] don't know if she's going to give the
[7:48] same speech. which I doubt she's giving
[7:49] the same speech as she gave at
[7:50] convocation, but she had some wonderful
[7:53] zingers in that speech. Um, so excellent
[7:56] job by her as well. We're very excited
[7:58] and proud uh of her. And I'll turn it
[8:01] over to you, Joel.
[8:03] So, first of all, let me just say um how
[8:06] honored um I am to be here to introduce
[8:09] Nicole um as our teacher of the year in
[8:11] Enfield and our nominee for Connecticut
[8:14] teacher of the year, which I think we
[8:15] got a pretty good shot at here. Um, so
[8:19] just a quick little anecdote back in I
[8:21] think it was 2015. There's last secrecy
[8:23] around the teacher of the year process.
[8:26] Um, Nicole was a relatively new teacher.
[8:29] She was probably in her third year at
[8:30] this point. Um, and she walked in on a
[8:33] conversation that I was having with Mr.
[8:35] Crane in her neighboring classroom about
[8:38] Tony Allegro, who was our teacher of the
[8:40] year that year. And she just kind of
[8:42] walked in and flippantly said, "What are
[8:44] you guys talking about?" and I said, "I
[8:47] can't tell you, but I think you're going
[8:49] to find out one day." Um, because I knew
[8:51] back then um how dynamic she was in the
[8:55] classroom, how creative she was with her
[8:57] lesson planning. Um, and just how great
[9:01] of a teacher she was as at that point, a
[9:04] young 20-some year old fresh out of
[9:06] college. Um, and I'm just so proud to
[9:09] see the teacher she's become, um, the
[9:13] mother she's become. um and just how
[9:16] great she is with her kids. Our teacher
[9:19] of the year every year we kind of know
[9:22] who they're going to be because of how
[9:24] many kids gravitate to them, right? I
[9:26] see it in her instruction and as an
[9:28] instructional leader. Um, but when you
[9:31] see the kids in there every day and you
[9:34] see the impact that she has on those
[9:35] kids outside of the classroom and that
[9:38] they want to be there and be with her
[9:39] outside of that, um, that just speaks
[9:43] volumes about who she is as an educator.
[9:46] So, congratulations, Nicole. And now to
[9:49] Miss Clark.
[9:50] I uh nominated Nicole Kuchio for teacher
[9:52] of the year. I had the pleasure of
[9:54] hiring her um many years ago and have
[9:57] watched her evolve into this incredible
[9:58] teacher. Um, and I'm just going to read
[10:01] a little bit. Like many great teachers,
[10:03] Nicole flies under the radar. She's
[10:05] understated and unassuming, but quietly
[10:08] extraordinary. If you walk into her
[10:09] classroom on any given day, students are
[10:11] engaged in something meaningful. They
[10:13] might be preparing to pitch a bill to
[10:15] Congress, role-playing members of the
[10:17] Iranian government, or working together
[10:19] to build a better understanding of
[10:21] something going on in the world. They're
[10:23] talking, they're interacting, they're
[10:25] laughing, and they're learning. You can
[10:27] feel the energy as soon as you walk in
[10:29] the room. Uh Nicole creates the kind of
[10:31] classroom through thoughtful,
[10:32] intentional lesson planning and she
[10:34] plans courageously. She never begins
[10:37] from the assumption that something is
[10:38] too difficult for students. She begins
[10:40] with the belief that if we give students
[10:42] meaningful challenges, they will rise to
[10:44] them and they do. Her students tell me
[10:46] that she has made them love social
[10:48] studies and care deeply about what is
[10:50] happening in the world. A large part of
[10:51] that is because Nicole's takes learning
[10:53] beyond the classroom walls. Her students
[10:56] have created awareness campaigns,
[10:58] recorded intercom announcements,
[10:59] designed bulletin boards, and led
[11:01] activities to educate their peers about
[11:03] global issues. She truly helps students
[11:05] find their voice. When students walk
[11:07] into Nicole's room, they know their time
[11:09] is going to matter. They are going to
[11:11] think, talk, create, collaborate, take
[11:14] risks, and build confidence. That is
[11:16] what exceptional educators do. They help
[11:18] students find their voices, engage with
[11:20] the world around them, and discover what
[11:22] they're capable of. Nicole does that
[11:24] every day and she represents so much of
[11:26] what we value in Enfield public schools.
[11:28] It's our priv privilege to recognize and
[11:30] celebrate Enfield public schools teacher
[11:32] of the year, Nicole Katuchio.
[11:35] Thank you.
[11:37] Yeah, I have my own right. Okay, I'll
[11:40] let you talk in after if you want. Okay.
[11:43] Um, good evening and thank you to the
[11:45] board, town leaders, and families for
[11:46] being here tonight. It is an incredible
[11:48] honor to be recognized as this year's
[11:50] teacher of the year. Before I start, I
[11:52] should apologize. As you can see, I had
[11:55] to bring my three-year-old to the
[11:56] meeting, and he was kind of upset that
[11:59] his favorite sushi place was closed
[12:00] today. So, but he seems okay with a
[12:03] goldfish.
[12:05] Um, so here's my speech. So, I wanted to
[12:07] start with something that might surprise
[12:08] you. I'm not Thank you. I'm not from
[12:10] Enfield. When I first came here 12 years
[12:13] ago, I was very aware of that. But over
[12:15] time, my students, colleagues, and my
[12:18] family became my connection to this
[12:20] community. and Enfield became a place
[12:22] where I felt like I belonged.
[12:25] Yeah, the idea of belonging has shaped
[12:27] so much of my work and especially
[12:30] through the building of GSA from the
[12:32] ground up.
[12:35] I'm incredibly grateful for the support
[12:37] that all allows our students to find
[12:39] their voices and to create spaces where
[12:41] others feel seen and valued. As a civics
[12:44] teacher, I believe my job is to teach
[12:45] students how to think, not what to
[12:47] think. I want them to question, listen,
[12:49] and develop their own ideas and their
[12:51] voices. And I want them to understand
[12:53] that we can disagree
[12:56] on issues and still leave with empathy.
[12:58] Whatever our beliefs when a student is
[13:00] struggling, worried about their family,
[13:02] or facing circumstances outside their
[13:04] control, what matters most is they know
[13:06] they're supported. Because at the end of
[13:08] the day, they're just a kid. I want my
[13:11] students to leave my classroom with more
[13:13] than knowledge about government. I want
[13:14] them to gain real world skills like
[13:16] compassion, resilience, curiosity, and
[13:18] the confidence to share their opinions
[13:20] to see beyond their perspective. The
[13:22] skills I'd want for my own son. What are
[13:24] you doing?
[13:26] Okay. Um, Anthony is sitting right here
[13:29] tonight or going somewhere else. I'm not
[13:30] sure where he's going. And becoming his
[13:32] mom changed the way I view the
[13:34] profession. I think about the teacher
[13:35] I'd want for him someday. someone who
[13:37] notices when he something is wrong,
[13:39] challenges him while still believing in
[13:41] him, and sees the person he's becoming,
[13:43] not just his grades. And that's the
[13:44] teacher I try to be. And I know that I
[13:46] couldn't do that alone. Teaching is
[13:48] emotional work, and I'm incredibly lucky
[13:50] to have colleagues who support me
[13:52] through the hard days, make life, make
[13:54] me laugh when I need it, and remind me
[13:56] that we don't have to do this alone.
[14:00] But I also think that we need to be
[14:01] honest about what it takes to keep great
[14:03] teachers here. Teaching is a a female
[14:06] dominated profession and many of us are
[14:08] also mothers. We pour everything we have
[14:11] into someone else's children and then go
[14:12] home to do the same for our own all
[14:15] while navigating teacher shortages,
[14:16] budget challenges, and endless to-do
[14:18] list that grows every year. For some
[14:22] perspective, I have two master's degrees
[14:24] and 12 years of experience, and I still
[14:26] find myself making difficult choices
[14:28] about what I could afford for my family
[14:30] and what I'm willing to spend out of my
[14:32] pocket for my classroom. And I know I'm
[14:33] not alone in that. And our recent budget
[14:36] crisis reminded us that staffing
[14:38] decisions are more than numbers on a
[14:39] spreadsheet. Every position represents a
[14:42] person our students know, trust, and
[14:44] depend on. I'm not saying this to
[14:47] complain because I love my job. I'm
[14:49] saying it because loving what we do
[14:50] shouldn't mean ignoring what it takes to
[14:52] do it. Despite these challenges, our
[14:55] educators and community continue to show
[14:56] up for our students. And that gives me
[14:58] hope. I see Enfield moving forward and I
[15:01] hope we continue building a district
[15:02] where great teachers feel supported,
[15:04] valued, and want to stay. Through all
[15:07] this, I incredibly proud to be a teacher
[15:09] in Enfield. I'm proud to teach young
[15:11] people about government, proud of our
[15:13] GSA and the inclusion it promoted
[15:15] throughout the district, and proud of my
[15:17] students who continue to challenge me,
[15:19] keep me humble, and occasionally remind
[15:21] me to touch grass before I crash out.
[15:24] And most of all, I'm proud that I that
[15:26] of a town that I didn't grow up in
[15:28] became my community. Enfield may not
[15:30] have been the place I grew up, but it
[15:32] became the place I built my career,
[15:34] found my people, and truly came to
[15:36] belong. I hope we continue building a
[15:38] community where our teachers and
[15:39] students feel the same sense of
[15:41] belonging. Thank you to the board, my
[15:43] colleagues, and especially my students
[15:44] for making this job worth doing. So much
[15:47] of what teachers do happens behind the
[15:48] behind the scenes, so it's pretty
[15:50] special to have some of the work
[15:51] noticed, even if being the one getting
[15:54] the attention isn't exactly my favorite
[15:56] part. And Anthony, Anthony, hi. Uh,
[16:01] thank you for giving me a different
[16:03] perspective on every student who walks
[16:05] through my classroom. One day you'll
[16:07] watch this and maybe understand what I'm
[16:08] saying. Uh because now when I look at my
[16:12] students, I don't see them as teenagers
[16:15] and as just my students. I see them as
[16:16] someone's baby. And that's why I'm proud
[16:19] to be their teacher. Thank you for this
[16:21] honor. And now I need to head up my next
[16:23] job, which is being his mom and taking
[16:26] that responsibility away from Joel.
[16:28] Thank you.
[16:30] Oh, Nicole.
[16:35] Yeah. Thank you.
[16:37] You want to talk? Yeah.
[16:39] You want to say hi?
[16:40] I would love to hear from Anthony. Oh,
[16:42] he can speak however he'd like to speak.
[16:45] Hi, Anthony.
[16:47] What's your favorite thing about your
[16:49] mommy? Did you hear the question?
[16:51] Yeah.
[16:51] What do you love about mommy?
[16:56] I bet she's a fun mommy. Nicole, thank
[17:00] you so much. Um, thank you for multiple
[17:03] things. One is, um, I was at
[17:05] convocation. I didn't get enough time to
[17:07] still dry my tears. I knew you were
[17:09] going to make me cry again. Um, thank
[17:11] you for being honest and real about your
[17:13] remarks about the stress of being a
[17:14] teacher and the burden that also comes
[17:16] along with caring. Um, I think your
[17:17] quote in uh, convocation was when you
[17:20] know a lot, you carry a lot.
[17:21] Um, so building relationships with
[17:23] students and all that you put into the
[17:25] work does carry another burden. And you
[17:27] have a beautiful little one there.
[17:30] It's okay. He's totally fine. you can do
[17:32] it on me.
[17:35] It's totally fine. Um, so I just want to
[17:38] thank you for for sharing that
[17:40] perspective and being real with us. Um,
[17:43] because I think how we support and care
[17:44] for our teachers really matters. Um, I
[17:47] also just want to share openly with you.
[17:48] I know I sent you a personal email after
[17:50] convocation. Um, but I was with a group
[17:52] of educators today and I quoted you
[17:54] multiple times and I shared strategies
[17:56] that you shared with your colleagues
[17:57] around the power of music and how that
[17:59] connects folks. Um, and sharing those
[18:01] strategies. So, hitting the grass
[18:03] before, what was it? Hit the grass
[18:05] before crashing out. Uh, touching grass
[18:07] before crashing out. Um, building those
[18:09] strategies of what do we do when we know
[18:10] that it's been a rough day and what do
[18:12] we need to do to take care of ourselves?
[18:13] So, thank you for modeling that. Thank
[18:14] you for building the skills with our
[18:16] students. Thank you so much for the work
[18:17] that you do. Anthony, thanks for having
[18:19] an amazing mom. Um, any other comments
[18:22] that you'd like to make?
[18:25] Thank you, Nicole. Congratulations. You
[18:27] do not need to apologize.
[18:33] Yeah, we'll do it after. Okay,
[18:36] I'll do one more time.
[18:38] I'll do it one more time.
[18:39] Well, I'll take care of
[18:40] Okay. Thank you. All right. Don't judge
[18:43] me.
[18:43] Thank you very much.
[18:45] I'll do one more time.
[18:46] We'll do it another time.
[18:47] Bye, Nicole.
[18:48] Okay. Bye.
[18:49] Bye, Nicole. Bye, Anthony. Thank you all
[18:51] so much. Um, what a great way to kick
[18:53] off an opening board meeting by
[18:54] celebrating our staff um and the folks
[18:56] who work so hard for our kiddos each and
[18:59] every day.
[19:01] All right, we'll move over to Steve with
[19:04] your superintendent report. I will also
[19:05] just note for the public um I appreciate
[19:08] as part of our reorganization of our uh
[19:11] meetings and our agendas, Steve is now
[19:14] our superintendent is now providing a
[19:15] little bit of what's going to be
[19:16] included in the superintendent report.
[19:17] So for the public who looks at our
[19:19] agendas, you have some idea of what
[19:20] might be coming up. So here you go,
[19:22] Steve.
[19:22] Right. So I have a variety of different
[19:24] topics to talk about in the
[19:25] superintendent report and I'm going to
[19:26] go a little bit of out of order um
[19:30] because we have a couple of folks from
[19:32] downstairs. Come on up, Tom Beth. Uh,
[19:35] regarding the special primary
[19:36] accommodations, um, as everyone is
[19:39] likely aware, we have a special primary
[19:42] uh, for the 58th um, district that is
[19:46] going to be happening on September 1st.
[19:48] Um, so we have Tom Kinsler and Beth
[19:50] Derez uh, from town hall and we had a
[19:55] meeting with both of them, myself, uh,
[19:58] our director of security, DPW, Chief
[20:02] Fox, we had a number of different people
[20:03] there. so that we could make sure that
[20:05] we had accommodations in place um
[20:07] because uh the schools will be open uh
[20:10] specifically the three that voting
[20:12] occurs at and that would be at JFK
[20:14] Barard and at Enfield Street. Um so Tom
[20:17] and Beth had asked for a few moments. I
[20:18] said, "Hey, I happen to have this item
[20:20] on my superintendent report and you can
[20:22] go ahead and take care of it for me."
[20:24] Great. Thank you for having us. Um, we
[20:27] just wanted to tell the public again
[20:29] trying to get out there that we do have
[20:30] early voting currently happening
[20:32] downstairs the basement level. Um, our
[20:35] hours today is one of our longer days.
[20:38] It's open till 8:00 tonight. So, if you
[20:40] have time, get in your car, come. Um,
[20:42] our other late night is on Friday from
[20:45] 8:00 in the morning till 8:00 p.m. The
[20:47] other days, um, Wednesday, Thursday,
[20:50] Saturday, and Sunday. Sunday is our last
[20:53] day. It is open from 10 until 6. Um
[20:57] because school is open, all voting at
[21:01] our locations in the schools, that would
[21:03] be Enfield Street School, um Henry
[21:07] Barard
[21:08] and Enfield Street, Fermy is normal, but
[21:11] they're all in the gym this year or this
[21:14] time around, I'm sorry. Um so at Enfield
[21:17] Street, just please parents and the
[21:19] public be careful when you're driving.
[21:21] Um, we'll have an area for you to drive
[21:24] around back at Enfield Street. You're
[21:27] going to use the back entrance into the
[21:29] gym.
[21:30] Um, and you're going to also park your
[21:32] vehicles into the back. So, please,
[21:35] please drive safely. Um, and be aware,
[21:38] especially at pickup and drop off times,
[21:42] Tom.
[21:42] Okay. Hello everybody. Been a been a
[21:46] minute.
[21:47] Um we we we really thought working with
[21:51] um the superintendent and the other
[21:53] parties involved that being bringing out
[21:56] to the public uh the concessions that
[21:59] were made. Uh originally we came into
[22:01] this trying to hope not really
[22:04] justifying but trying to hope that we
[22:06] hey let's close schools and then after
[22:08] that we realized it really can't happen.
[22:10] So, we worked together, came up with a
[22:12] plan uh that we're both happy with, and
[22:14] I believe they're happy with that, uh
[22:17] addresses everything. But, we wanted to
[22:18] talk to the public about uh a few of the
[22:21] locations. First, um uh Henry Barnard.
[22:26] Um Henry Barnard is going to be a
[22:29] challenge regardless of what we do to
[22:31] prepare for it, what the uh schools do
[22:34] to prepare for it, and what the voters
[22:36] do to prepare for it. So, what we've uh
[22:38] what we've asked is that we'd like you
[22:41] guys out there who are going to vote
[22:43] that vote at Henry Barard to please
[22:46] avoid vote v voting at Henry Barard
[22:48] during the hours of uh 7:30 in the
[22:52] morning to 10 minutes of 8 or in the
[22:54] afternoon
[22:56] from 3:25 to 3:45.
[23:00] If you can do that, uh the log jam that
[23:02] occurs with buses, vans, parents picking
[23:06] up and dropping off, teachers arriving
[23:09] to school, all the myriad of traffic
[23:11] that comes in and out of that uh
[23:13] complex. Uh it will make our lives a lot
[23:15] easier and a lot safer. Uh we have a few
[23:18] years back we had a an almost issue over
[23:20] there with somebody almost getting hit.
[23:23] a voter comes in, doesn't go the right
[23:25] way around the back of a car and a van
[23:27] thinks the person's doing the other
[23:29] thing, and next thing you know, there's
[23:30] a kid running and screaming. Um, so it's
[23:33] a recipe for a problem, but they're
[23:35] going to have extra staff out there to
[23:37] help guide all the traffic and the
[23:40] people, but we just want to reiterate if
[23:42] you can choose to come at a later time
[23:46] uh or an earlier time, we would really
[23:48] appreciate it and you'll get in and out
[23:49] of there quickly.
[23:51] So that's it for Barnard.
[23:53] Yeah. And thank you very much for
[23:56] meeting with us and putting the extra
[23:57] steps in. Um and for you guys as well
[24:00] helping so that we can have extra safety
[24:03] steps. And I would also before we leave
[24:05] like to say thank you to Tom and Tony,
[24:07] Amy and I would love to say thank you
[24:10] because he did not have to help us with
[24:12] this primary and I was drowning. So I
[24:14] don't think I could have done it by
[24:16] myself. And we had a lot of people step
[24:19] up this time, our workers. So, thank you
[24:22] very much to our workers. I didn't have
[24:24] enough tempms to fill those spots for
[24:27] workers. So, we did have a a lot of
[24:29] Republicans and a lot of unaffiliates
[24:31] come in and help us when they did not
[24:33] need to. So, thank you very much.
[24:36] Appreciate it. We would do the same
[24:38] thing. We've we've come a long ways.
[24:40] We're very apolitical in our office and
[24:44] all of our workers. So that's
[24:47] we don't mean to brag.
[24:48] Yeah.
[24:49] But but we really feel, you know,
[24:52] government should work like we work in
[24:54] our office. It would be nice if we could
[24:57] go to, you know, whether it's a town
[24:58] council meeting, a board of ed meeting,
[25:00] a planning and zoning meeting, a general
[25:03] get together out in the green, any
[25:04] anything where they people got along
[25:07] with the goal of accomplishing the task
[25:10] the best they possibly can, regardless
[25:13] of party, regardless of biased beliefs.
[25:17] I mean, she's wrong. And no,
[25:20] I don't we don't even think about it. it
[25:22] it's sometimes I do something that she
[25:25] corrects and and gets a better idea and
[25:27] the reverse happens. It isn't about
[25:29] who's winning and who's losing. And I
[25:31] just I hope that that message gets out
[25:34] there because the elections in Enfield
[25:36] are always done unbiased, impartial,
[25:40] accurate, and after what we just went
[25:42] through with the two lawsuit or the
[25:44] lawsuit and the appeal. Um I hope
[25:46] everybody realizes that. Thank you.
[25:49] Thank you.
[25:50] Thank you.
[25:50] Thank you. Questions? I just want to
[25:52] quickly say um I want to echo the thank
[25:56] you for the collaboration and the
[25:57] thought partnership. I know that um
[25:59] putting together an election is not just
[26:01] a simple like oh polls are open and
[26:03] people show up and you just come and
[26:04] vote. It's a lot of
[26:05] polls are open in two weeks.
[26:07] It's a lot of a lot of work. Um so thank
[26:09] you for the work that you do on behalf
[26:11] of voters and residents. Um but also
[26:13] thank you to our town colleagues and our
[26:16] building our school officials for coming
[26:17] together to thank
[26:18] and buildings and grounds.
[26:19] Yes, buildings and grounds. DPW, EPD,
[26:22] Enfield public schools, and you all. Um,
[26:24] thank you for that collaboration. Um, I
[26:27] do know, and I'm just going to preface
[26:29] this because I'm anticipating a
[26:30] question, Steve, so I'm going to look at
[26:32] you. I do anticipate that we will be
[26:34] having some very clear communications to
[26:36] families around especially at Henry
[26:38] Barard Enfield Street School and JFK
[26:41] around the first to ensure kind of
[26:43] families are aware of their parking and
[26:46] um procedures and then we can help share
[26:48] that information as well to help ease
[26:50] that burden.
[26:50] More the better. Yeah.
[26:51] Perfect.
[26:52] Mr. G. Yep.
[26:54] Could you do me a favor and just
[26:57] out loud state what the election is for?
[27:00] Sure. We are dealing with parents and
[27:03] kids and I would hate to have extra
[27:05] people show up.
[27:06] Yes. Thank you. Thank you, Dean. So, the
[27:08] the this this election, the last
[27:10] election was for governor that only
[27:13] governor only primary and it was
[27:15] supposed to have the 58th legislative
[27:18] seat on it, too. So, it was going to be
[27:19] two sets of people. after the lawsuit
[27:22] that that that race was removed from
[27:25] that ballot. Then it was put back on
[27:27] after an appeal and the judge ordered it
[27:31] September 1st emergency special election
[27:34] so that that could get that wrong could
[27:36] get writed and and the people would be
[27:38] able to vote. So on the first you have
[27:41] two candidates. You have uh uh Tom Tyler
[27:45] running against the incumbent John
[27:47] Santella. That's the only people in it.
[27:49] And it's for the 58th legislative seat.
[27:52] And it's Democratic only.
[27:54] Democrat only. If you live in the 59th,
[27:57] you you you can't vote. If you uh are a
[28:00] Republican, you can't vote. If you're an
[28:02] independent, you can't vote. If you're
[28:04] unaffiliated, you can change and you can
[28:07] vote on election day. But other than
[28:09] that, it's just a Democrat.
[28:10] And if you're not registered, you come
[28:12] see us and we'll register you and then
[28:14] we'll tell you when to come back to
[28:16] vote, right? if you're doing early
[28:17] voting or election day.
[28:19] So, it's it's a very narrow. Right now,
[28:22] we have 113 when we came up here.
[28:24] Early votes in two days.
[28:27] Not too many, but we're hoping that that
[28:29] increases with this public uh FYI, but
[28:32] thank you for asking. See, you corrected
[28:35] me.
[28:36] Thank you. Thank you, Mr. G. That is
[28:37] helpful information. So, it is
[28:39] Democratic voters in the 58th district.
[28:41] Thank you.
[28:42] Any other questions?
[28:43] Mr. Anderson,
[28:45] you said if they're unaffiliated, they
[28:47] can change their affiliation and vote on
[28:51] voting day.
[28:53] Correct.
[28:53] They could change to Democrat.
[28:55] Okay. But only for unaffiliated, not for
[28:58] registered independent or registered.
[28:59] No, no party people can move. Well, they
[29:01] can move, but they can't vote. They
[29:03] haven't there's a 90-day privilege that
[29:05] needs to be attained before you can go
[29:07] from one major party to another. So I as
[29:09] a Republican can't change the Democrat
[29:12] tomorrow and vote in this primary. I
[29:14] have to wait 90 days.
[29:16] An independent is a party because a lot
[29:19] of there's a lot of confusion with
[29:21] people thinking that if they choose
[29:23] independent that's unaffiliated.
[29:25] Independent is a major part party.
[29:29] That's all. Thank you.
[29:30] Anybody else?
[29:30] Other questions about the first.
[29:32] Perfect. Thank you.
[29:33] Thank you guys for having us.
[29:35] Thank you sir. You're welcome. You can
[29:38] go ahead and hit your mic before you
[29:42] Thank you.
[29:45] All right. So, continuing on um just a
[29:48] beginning of the year update. Uh I think
[29:51] we heard through um during the opening
[29:54] remarks um about the convocation uh that
[29:58] occurred on Monday. We had all staff
[30:00] back on Monday. today and tomorrow they
[30:03] have their two days of professional
[30:04] development that they'll be going
[30:05] through at their in their various
[30:07] buildings. And as a reminder to
[30:08] everybody out there, everybody needs to
[30:10] get to bed at a nice reasonable hour on
[30:13] Wednesday. Uh because the first day of
[30:15] school for kids is on Thursday the 27th.
[30:20] Uh next week we have the full week, all
[30:23] five days, and then we have a long
[30:24] weekend because we're all going to need
[30:26] a little bit of rest after those first
[30:28] few days of school. Um, I thought
[30:30] convocation was obviously we put it all
[30:32] together, but I a huge shout out and
[30:34] thanks to all the folks that helped us
[30:35] be able to put that together. Uh, Leslie
[30:37] does a tremendous amount of work to be
[30:39] able to do that, but everybody sort of
[30:41] gathers together to make sure we have
[30:43] some excitement and energy uh, as
[30:45] teachers are walking back in. Uh, having
[30:48] the band outside is always a hoot
[30:50] because they are highly offended if you
[30:53] do not walk through the middle of their
[30:54] little uh, gauntlet that they set up. Uh
[30:57] but it's wonderful to have them and we
[30:59] have kids involved with it. Teacher of
[31:01] the year speech, staff member of the
[31:03] year speech. We recognize our staff
[31:05] members. We gave out our 30-year
[31:08] um recognitions to those uh folks who
[31:10] have provided 30 years of service to
[31:12] Enfield. And um outside of the norm, you
[31:16] know, that would normally be a certified
[31:17] staff only award. I've expanded that to
[31:21] say anybody who works in the district,
[31:23] non-certified, non-union certified. if
[31:26] you provide 30 years of service to the
[31:28] Enfield public schools, you know, you
[31:30] deserve a plaque. I mean, you deserve a
[31:31] lot more than that, but we're going to
[31:33] recognize you at convocation. Um, so
[31:35] that's a change for us moving forward.
[31:38] Um,
[31:41] staffing update. Um, going into the
[31:44] beginning of this year, we are in a much
[31:46] better position than we have been in
[31:48] years past. Uh I think what we are
[31:50] seeing out there anecdotally is uh what
[31:55] Enfield went through a few years back is
[31:57] what many other districts are going
[31:59] through now. Um they're seeing layoffs.
[32:01] They're seeing reduction in staff and
[32:03] things of that nature. We had large
[32:05] candidate pools for pretty much all of
[32:07] our openings. Um we do still have some
[32:11] uh positions that are open. Uh we have
[32:13] currently eight certified staff
[32:14] openings. Uh I will tell you that those
[32:17] are in the most difficult positions to
[32:19] hire in. Um they are things like
[32:21] psychologists, um special ed teacher in
[32:24] one location. Um arrangements have been
[32:27] made whether we're using outside
[32:28] agencies, whether we distributed to
[32:30] other um rooms within the building or
[32:34] across the district. Uh the students
[32:35] have been taken care of, but we still do
[32:37] have some openings. um non-certified. We
[32:41] do still have openings uh around 30, but
[32:44] those vary uh depending on what they
[32:46] are. We have one nurse that we're still
[32:48] trying to solidify
[32:50] um in one of the buildings. So, we'll be
[32:51] sharing nurses across the buildings or
[32:53] be utilizing our subservice for the
[32:55] nurses on a day-to-day basis. We have a
[32:58] number of pair professionals, building
[33:00] subs, um behavior technicians, and you
[33:03] know, some part-time lunch aids, uh
[33:04] lunch/res aids. Uh you'll get a full
[33:07] detail in your weekly update where I'll
[33:08] break it down by number uh across the
[33:11] schools. Uh but just the overall
[33:12] staffing um I think we're in a much much
[33:15] better place and again we saw an
[33:17] outstanding candidate pool uh as
[33:19] compared to a very thin candidate pool
[33:20] in the past. So that's good news for us.
[33:23] We already covered the special primary
[33:25] accommodations uh and again I know
[33:26] they've left but a big thank you to Tom
[33:28] and Beth for being willing to sit down
[33:30] and look at things in a different way um
[33:33] so that we could continue to have
[33:34] schools uh school open on that day. Uh
[33:38] and last not lastly but uh the prek to 5
[33:43] schools and Eagle Academy project
[33:44] update. Well, when I originally had
[33:46] written my update, it had to get
[33:49] changed. Um, so and it's since been
[33:53] changed because I just received some
[33:54] information uh at about 5:35 from
[33:58] downstairs. Um, so let's go through this
[34:01] a little bit. Um,
[34:03] first of all, uh, last evening we had
[34:05] our first public hearing. Actually, we
[34:07] had the public hearing regarding the new
[34:09] construction on the Hazardville,
[34:11] Crannle, Barnard, um, Parkman and the
[34:16] conversion of Eli Whitney into Eagle
[34:17] Academy Therapeutic Day School. So, um I
[34:20] would say the room was pretty filled
[34:22] last evening uh in council chambers.
[34:24] There were some folks standing on on
[34:26] both sides and in the back. Um and at
[34:30] the end result of this is that uh due to
[34:34] a
[34:35] very cautious concern that they had
[34:39] regarding one of the postings. Uh one of
[34:41] the postings they felt was needed to be
[34:44] adjusted and reposted again for the
[34:46] public hearing. nothing about what we're
[34:49] moving forward with, nothing about the
[34:50] numbers or the bond rate or anything
[34:53] like that. This is solely about how it
[34:55] was posted on the website. Um because of
[34:58] that, they decided that they would not
[35:00] hold a vote last evening. Um town
[35:04] council got together downstairs at 5:30
[35:07] tonight, right when we started. They
[35:08] were downstairs. I received word that
[35:10] they did vote and approve to hold an
[35:14] additional public hearing. That will be
[35:16] held next Wednesday, September 2nd.
[35:18] It'll be at 6:30 uh right here in this
[35:21] room again. Um and then they will hold a
[35:23] special meeting immediately following
[35:26] with the purpose of sort of taking in
[35:28] that public hearing information and
[35:30] having a town council vote as to whether
[35:32] or not they will move forward uh with
[35:34] the resolution. uh the resolution and I
[35:38] just want to make sure everyone is
[35:40] crystal clear because there is there's a
[35:42] whole lot of numbers that are floating
[35:43] around out there and some are all over
[35:45] the place. So
[35:49] the entire project if no funding was
[35:52] provided is $511 million.
[35:56] However,
[35:57] significant amount of funding is coming
[35:59] from the state of Connecticut
[36:01] to the tune that they are conservatively
[36:06] estimating
[36:07] and this is super conservative because
[36:09] I'll give you the actual cost what it's
[36:11] going to be. They're conservatively
[36:13] utilizing an authorization for issuance
[36:16] of bonds not to exceed $89 million.
[36:21] The $89 million does not take into
[36:24] account
[36:26] special education reimbursement or
[36:28] incentives in some of the schools. It
[36:31] does not take into account the 5%
[36:33] housing incentive. It does not take into
[36:36] account certain other areas.
[36:39] If all of that gets taken in, the
[36:42] special legislation goes through next
[36:44] year for the other three buildings.
[36:48] Estimates are that this is going to cost
[36:52] approximately
[36:54] 55 to60 million. Now, that's still a
[36:57] large amount of money, but 511 million,
[37:01] 55 million. That's a lot of money that
[37:04] the state's putting forward for this.
[37:07] Um, so we we would be receiving a
[37:10] significant amount of money from the
[37:12] state of Connecticut. Again, I would
[37:14] suggest anybody who can or is able to
[37:17] come out to the public hearing or listen
[37:19] in through uh Enfield TV, please do. Um
[37:23] if anybody has any questions related to
[37:26] this, they are more than welcome to call
[37:28] my office. I will take them through um
[37:30] the nitty-gritty of the numbers if you
[37:32] wish. More than happy to do that. Um,
[37:34] but there will be the special town
[37:36] council uh vote next Wednesday hopefully
[37:40] to set the referendum date to be
[37:42] November 3rd. Um, which is the same date
[37:46] of the regular election.
[37:50] I think we're good on that one. I have
[37:52] one other and this is like a public
[37:54] service announcement.
[37:56] The town council also approved a
[37:58] resolution last evening um to be moving
[38:01] forward with uh or setting of a public
[38:04] hearing date. This a separate topic, but
[38:07] the town council uh needs to notify
[38:09] everyone of a public hearing date that
[38:11] will be held on Wednesday, September
[38:12] 9th, and that is regarding a new program
[38:16] that is called the school bus stop arm
[38:19] program or excuse me, school bus stop
[38:22] arm and enforcement program. So, this is
[38:25] a new program which is hopefully going
[38:28] to stop people from driving by our buses
[38:31] when they are stopped with their stop
[38:32] signs out. Um, it's a video camera type
[38:37] of program that automatically sends
[38:40] tickets and things of that nature to the
[38:42] offenders. Um, I believe even when I
[38:45] came out town hall, there was I saw a
[38:48] sign that was put out by the police
[38:50] department about the size of the fine.
[38:52] That's for current. Um, so this is a
[38:55] resolution that is for a different type
[38:57] of program. Um,
[39:00] so again, public hearing for the school
[39:02] bus stop arm and enforcement program,
[39:06] Wednesday, September 9th. That's going
[39:08] to be held at 6:50.
[39:13] I I just tell you what I was told.
[39:17] It says 650 on the website.
[39:20] special meeting a meet or excuse me not
[39:22] a special meeting but public hearing
[39:24] 6:50 at night Wednesday September 9th
[39:28] for them just to have input and then
[39:30] they will take an actual vote at their
[39:33] next town council meeting which I
[39:35] believe is scheduled for September 21st
[39:38] that would be here yes so a bunch of
[39:41] different public hearings going on
[39:43] please ask me questions and I'll try to
[39:45] clarify
[39:46] I just want to make sure um the
[39:49] September Second one, council chambers
[39:51] referendum public hearing. What time was
[39:53] that again?
[39:54] 6:30.
[39:55] 30. Got it. Okay.
[40:00] Two public hearings referendum
[40:03] 6:30 September 2nd.
[40:07] Following Wednesday, 6:50
[40:11] September 9th. That one's for the school
[40:13] bus stop arm.
[40:15] That is everything for my update. Thank
[40:17] you very much,
[40:18] Mr. Cobra.
[40:20] Thank you, Mr. Makio. Just a quick
[40:22] question and I do appreciate the more
[40:23] detailed superintendent report and you
[40:25] covered a bunch of topics. The only
[40:27] question or I guess the request if you
[40:29] could just pro the like a summary. I
[40:31] know we moved the
[40:33] alternative ed from the firmy to um
[40:36] central office. Could you just talk
[40:38] about that and just confirm that that's
[40:39] happening for Thursday?
[40:43] Yes. Um so actually a lot of work being
[40:46] done by buildings and grounds um over
[40:48] the course of the last week or so I
[40:50] would say to be able to make sure that
[40:51] they we are good to go with that. Um
[40:53] alternative program has fully been moved
[40:56] over from out of the annex and will be
[40:58] on the third floor of Alorn
[41:00] and just how many students does that
[41:02] affect?
[41:04] Between 20 and 30 I would say would be
[41:06] accurate.
[41:07] Okay. Thank you.
[41:08] Yep. Miss McGuire Bruce, I was just
[41:11] going to publicly thank you at central
[41:13] office. Um I know that with the um
[41:16] special primary, you guys are helping
[41:18] out and I just wanted to say thank you
[41:20] for making that work, for making sure
[41:22] that there's safety precautions for kids
[41:25] and to really be out there and help
[41:26] supporting that. So, thank you.
[41:28] Come out and get a nice picture of your
[41:29] superintendent in a crossing guard
[41:32] outfit. Not a problem at all.
[41:33] I'll pay someone. I'll be at school.
[41:36] Mr. Roder, I'm sure we'll take it.
[41:39] Um, thank you. The only comment I want
[41:41] to add, um, I want to publicly thank the
[41:44] board members who attended last night's
[41:46] public hearing. Mr. Gaus, Miss Kushman,
[41:48] Mr. Roard, and myself were there. I know
[41:50] we all can't be there, but I think I
[41:51] just want to thank folks for in a
[41:53] bipartisan way coming out and being
[41:54] active and engaged um, in this project
[41:56] and staying up to date. Um, there was a
[41:58] good turnout, so I'm hopeful to see next
[42:00] steps. All right, let's move on to
[42:02] public comment. So, good evening. Thank
[42:04] you for joining us. A few reminders
[42:05] before we begin begin public comment.
[42:07] You have four minutes. Name relationship
[42:09] to the district. It's time for your
[42:11] comments, not a Q&A. The role is
[42:12] governance of the districts. Frame your
[42:14] marks accordingly. Um we welcome all
[42:17] comments, but please we ask you to
[42:19] refrain from anything in confidential um
[42:21] personally identifiable student or staff
[42:22] member matters which can't be addressed
[42:24] in this public forum. Thank you, Miss
[42:26] Griffin.
[42:33] There's a lot of people waiting to go. I
[42:34] know there always there always is
[42:37] Griffin Abby Road parent um regarding
[42:41] the referendum. I said it last night
[42:44] when I was um up here. It's shocking. Um
[42:48] but is there a way for the schools to be
[42:52] made available for people to tour once
[42:54] or twice between now and the referendum?
[42:57] Because I think people often times think
[43:00] back to when they were in school and
[43:01] presume that the buildings are like they
[43:03] are like they were then. They're not.
[43:06] They're in much poorer shape and the
[43:09] needs of the district are different. So
[43:12] it would be beneficial, I think, for
[43:15] some people to walk through and see if
[43:17] that's doable. Obviously, not during
[43:19] school hours, but maybe on a weekend and
[43:22] or an evening so that people could see
[43:24] what we're talking about. Okay. first
[43:27] meeting of the year, I always have to
[43:28] give a little lecture, but this time
[43:30] it's not really a lecture. Um, the last
[43:33] three board chairs, I'm including you
[43:36] because, you know, did last year, I
[43:38] think we've had a really good run and I
[43:41] hope it continues. Thank you for your
[43:42] work. Um, to really not have it be,
[43:47] we're the majority. you all get to shut
[43:49] your mouth on in the minority, but to
[43:52] let people have their say, even if it's
[43:55] a very contentious issue, even if it's
[43:59] something that they're not going to get
[44:01] their way eventually, but to be heard.
[44:03] And I really appreciate when you guys
[44:05] talk about committee meetings, when you
[44:08] discuss
[44:10] not only what was decided, but the input
[44:14] that went into it and where the
[44:15] questions were and where the where the
[44:19] making accommodations for each other and
[44:22] listening to each other. That's the way
[44:25] to do it.
[44:27] That's the way we got to teach our kids
[44:28] to do it. So please really continue that
[44:31] and keep talking about it. People need
[44:34] to know that you're not steamrolling
[44:36] because that's not governing. So please
[44:39] continue. Um I was listening to a
[44:41] podcast. I won't say who it was because
[44:43] then people might think one thing or
[44:46] another because of who it was. A couple
[44:48] of really good quotes
[44:51] talking about what I was just talking
[44:53] about. I think you the first thing you
[44:56] have to do is walk into these those
[44:58] conversations without having already
[45:01] made a judgment.
[45:03] And when you walk into it with an open
[45:05] mind, then it means that you can
[45:07] actually have a conversation and make a
[45:09] decision as to how you feel after you
[45:12] have that conversation.
[45:14] And I think in a lot of our politics, we
[45:16] label people and then disregard them
[45:19] entirely. We treat them as if they're
[45:21] not even people worth engaging with
[45:25] and doesn't help anybody. And then
[45:27] another quote from another podcast.
[45:33] So you have caricatures of so many
[45:35] people and you have to leave those at
[45:38] the door and you also have to be willing
[45:40] to move beyond them. and for some of
[45:43] those conversations to be actually good
[45:45] faith ones to offer people the ability
[45:48] to critique critique you to you.
[45:52] And I think sometimes
[45:54] when you're in a position of power, you
[45:56] want people to just tell you, "Oh,
[45:58] you're incredible. Here's what I love
[46:00] most about you."
[46:04] Don't sell yourself short. You're all
[46:06] capable of it. So, please prove me
[46:08] right.
[46:12] Thank Thank you, Miss Griffin. Maybe
[46:13] you'll stay in a little bit. I'm going
[46:15] to give an update on that retreat. So,
[46:16] hopefully you hear more about our
[46:17] collaborative work.
[46:19] Uh unfinished business, there is none.
[46:22] New business on our consent agenda. We
[46:24] have approval of minutes from our June
[46:26] 9th meeting and our special meeting of
[46:28] our board retreat on July 28th. Um do I
[46:31] have a motion to approve our consent
[46:34] agenda?
[46:35] Motion to approve. Second um made by
[46:38] Miss McGuire Bruce, seconded by Miss uh
[46:40] Gerard. Hand vote uh Mr. Cobra.
[46:43] Before we do, just a comment, not
[46:44] adjusting anything, and I forgot to send
[46:46] an email, but through the board chair,
[46:47] to the board secretary, to the board
[46:48] clerk on the June 9th uh meeting minutes
[46:53] um regarding some of the uh policies
[46:55] that were voted on. I think it was the
[46:56] ones that were like the 630, the three
[46:58] names that are listed, it doesn't say
[47:00] how they voted. So, yeah.
[47:02] Perfect. Outstanding. Just want to make
[47:04] sure that's reflected correctly. Thank
[47:05] you.
[47:06] Perfect. Thank you, Mr. Cobber, for
[47:07] mentioning that publicly. That will be
[47:09] um with that change um noted in the
[47:12] minutes with the vote count on the 6,000
[47:15] public uh policy vote. Um all in favor
[47:19] of the consent agenda.
[47:22] That looks like eight of us. Um
[47:25] obviously none and no abstensions.
[47:27] Perfect. Thank you. All right, moving on
[47:30] to committee reports. Um, unfortunately,
[47:32] Miss Ker is not here, but these should
[47:34] be quick updates for our beginning
[47:35] meeting. Um, the curriculum meeting, the
[47:37] curriculum committee will meet on
[47:39] September 10th. Um, you will hear a
[47:41] little bit more about our board retreat
[47:42] in a moment, but I think there's going
[47:44] to be some interesting topics brought up
[47:45] there um this year pertaining to our
[47:48] district improvement plan and some of
[47:49] our budgetary u moves that we made. So,
[47:52] look out for those agendas. But that
[47:53] next meeting will be on September 10th.
[47:56] Finance Committee. Our next finance
[47:58] meeting will be on Monday, September
[48:00] 14th at 5:00.
[48:04] Go ahead.
[48:04] Just a quick question or comment to
[48:05] finance. I know you guys haven't met
[48:06] yet. Um, but can you just give like a
[48:08] quick overview or um an understanding of
[48:11] like where we ended up closing last
[48:12] year's budget just because June 30th was
[48:15] several weeks ago. So, just to give a
[48:18] Yeah, I'm not Steve. I know there was
[48:20] the Hartford Choice numbers. Can you
[48:24] I don't have them in front of me.
[48:29] I don't want to give you wrong
[48:30] information. Um, Hartford Choice was
[48:33] fully paid.
[48:35] Um, and I want to I'm going to give you
[48:38] a round number and I'll give you the
[48:40] detailed number in the weekly update.
[48:42] Um, but I want to say we put
[48:44] approximately $600,000 into the
[48:46] non-lapsing account. and that I can look
[48:50] before I should say this uh because
[48:52] again another resolution last evening
[48:54] was about the health insurance fund. So
[48:56] the town council did approve that
[48:58] resolution. So I'll be bringing that
[48:59] forward to the finance committee at the
[49:01] next meeting. Um so we can discuss that
[49:03] in terms of implications for budgets
[49:05] moving forward. Um but then that will
[49:08] come to the full board following that.
[49:10] But we did send back all of our um
[49:14] any monies that were left in our health
[49:15] insurance fund. We did send that back to
[49:18] town.
[49:19] All right. Thank you, Mr.
[49:20] So, our health insurance fund right now
[49:22] between what we contributed back cuz we
[49:24] budgeted, we had open positions, and
[49:26] what the town did the same with, um, the
[49:28] health insurance fund is is going to be
[49:30] going in the in the extremely positive
[49:33] direction.
[49:33] Okay. I I appreciate that. And I know
[49:35] probably in the September agenda, we'll
[49:36] talk about it more after finance has a
[49:37] chance to review the um the statements
[49:40] and the line item transfers and stuff
[49:41] for for board action. So, I know I think
[49:43] where we left off because our last
[49:44] meeting was June. Obviously there were
[49:45] some questions and just for public
[49:47] awareness obviously and I know the
[49:48] Hartford was obviously a big topic. So
[49:51] you know for for everybody to know that
[49:52] did get reconciled and then obviously we
[49:55] did end in a positive not a deficit. So
[49:58] thank you.
[49:59] Thank you Mr. Cobber. Um and we will
[50:01] make sure that we get a more complete
[50:02] update and that definitely will come up
[50:03] when we do the approvals um in our next
[50:05] meeting uh policy committee. Our next
[50:08] meeting is September 15th at 5:00 pm at
[50:11] Elorn. Perfect. All right. Now my turn.
[50:14] Um, so a few updates here for our
[50:16] leadership committee. Um, we did have
[50:18] joint leadership with town council over
[50:20] the summer. So, summer isn't completely
[50:21] quiet. Um, we do continue to meet and do
[50:24] some work. So, we met with town council
[50:26] on July 25th where we continue to look
[50:28] at some of our buildings and grounds
[50:29] work. Um, obviously the referendum um,
[50:32] conversation really took the majority of
[50:34] that piece um, and continued those
[50:36] dialogues with our leadership on the
[50:38] town council side. As a board of ed
[50:40] leadership, we met met on August 5th
[50:42] where we reviewed obviously our upcoming
[50:44] this tonight's agenda. Um we also
[50:46] discussed the September 1st primary. Um
[50:49] we do have an administrator's union
[50:50] negotiation that is taking place. Um and
[50:52] we did have some discussion about board
[50:54] guests. But what I want to spend a
[50:56] little bit of time chatting about is the
[50:58] retreat that took place. Um and I'm
[51:00] going to read a little thing that I had
[51:02] prepared and then I welcome any other
[51:03] additions or reflections or corrections
[51:06] um from my colleagues up here. Um, so
[51:08] the Enfield Board of Ed held our first
[51:10] board retreat in many years. Um,
[51:12] actually I'm not sure when the last one
[51:14] took place. So it was an important
[51:16] opportunity to step away from our
[51:17] regular meeting structure and spend time
[51:19] together reflecting on how we can best
[51:21] support Enfield Public Schools through
[51:23] strong, thoughtful governance. I need to
[51:25] thank each member for their genuine
[51:27] engagement and thoughtful participation.
[51:29] Even you, Miss Bulio, who couldn't
[51:31] physically be with us, continued to
[51:32] follow up on what happened and ensured
[51:34] that your ideas were considered. We we
[51:37] began by reconnecting as people because
[51:39] I believe strong working relationships
[51:41] matter. To your point, Miss Griffin, um
[51:43] we reviewed our district improvement
[51:44] plan and our superintendent's goals.
[51:46] Then we spent time in independent
[51:48] reflection before coming together to
[51:50] organize and discuss our ideas as a
[51:52] group. The goal was to identify common
[51:54] areas where we can focus our board work
[51:56] and continue to strengthen our support
[51:57] of the district's priorities. Yes, there
[52:00] was plenty of conversation,
[52:01] collaboration, and even some laughter.
[52:04] Unfortunately, there was no robes, no
[52:05] spa treatments, or no fancy dinners. Um,
[52:08] but it was really nice to spend some
[52:10] time and connect with each other as
[52:11] people. So, some areas that did come up
[52:14] as themes. I just want to be very clear,
[52:16] these aren't new goals, these aren't
[52:17] commitments, but these were themes that
[52:19] came up in our discussion across the
[52:21] board. So again, demonstrating our
[52:23] collective um ideas of focus. We're
[52:25] around teaching and learning, continuing
[52:27] to understand our core instruction and
[52:29] our academic coaching model and how
[52:31] these efforts support our student
[52:32] outcomes. We're interested in our
[52:34] multi-tered systems of support and data,
[52:36] deepening our understanding of those
[52:38] things um and how they inform our
[52:40] instructional intervention decisions and
[52:43] ultimately our budget. um special
[52:45] education. There is continued interest
[52:46] in learning about our programming, the
[52:48] supports, sustainability and
[52:50] opportunities to be creative and
[52:51] innovative and strengthen those services
[52:53] for students.
[52:55] Student wellness and behavioral supports
[52:57] were also discussed continuing to
[52:58] understand the systems and practices
[53:00] supporting students mental health,
[53:02] behavioral health and overall
[53:03] well-being. TAG or talented and gifted
[53:06] programming that will be continued work
[53:08] um this term looking at how we are the
[53:12] constant evolution of that programming.
[53:13] There are some changes that are
[53:15] happening this year um and how we
[53:17] benefit those um that do benefit from
[53:19] our advanced learning opportunities. And
[53:21] then a last goal that I think was a
[53:23] really important discussion was the
[53:25] importance of student voice. Um, last
[53:27] term we were really blessed with amazing
[53:30] student reps who rose to the occasion of
[53:32] not just attending our meetings, but
[53:34] soliciting other student feedback,
[53:36] putting together projects. Um, so we had
[53:39] lots of discussion around how can we
[53:40] continue to strengthen the role of our
[53:41] student representatives and create
[53:43] meaningful opportunities for student
[53:44] perspectives to inform our work. So
[53:46] again, these are not new board goals.
[53:48] They're not formal commitments or a
[53:50] checklist of initiatives. These were
[53:51] themes that emerge from our
[53:52] conversation. Again, I want to say how
[53:54] thankful I am to work along um side both
[53:57] sides of the the aisle here um and
[53:59] really taking time to reflect, share
[54:01] ideas, listen to one another, and think
[54:03] collectively about how we support our
[54:05] students, staff, and our families. I
[54:07] believe that good governance requires us
[54:08] to keep learning, keep listening, and
[54:10] keep working together. Um and I'm
[54:11] looking forward to bringing these themes
[54:12] into the next school year. So, thank you
[54:14] to our board. Uh, if there's anything
[54:16] anybody would like to add, if I
[54:18] misrepresented any conversation or
[54:19] things that were left out that you think
[54:21] were heavily important, please don't
[54:22] hesitate to chime in.
[54:26] Great job.
[54:26] Maybe robes next time, Rob.
[54:31] All right. So,
[54:34] I just for the public.
[54:40] So, this is my first time doing this
[54:41] with with the board of ed, so I don't
[54:44] know what to expect.
[54:46] They tell me there's going to be this
[54:47] board retreat. I'm like, "That sounds
[54:50] great. We're going to have a a spa day
[54:53] or I don't know what we're going to
[54:55] have, but it's going to be great."
[54:58] Then I find out where we're having our
[55:01] retreat. Carefully, it's right here.
[55:06] So, we're having our retreat in Andy's
[55:10] office.
[55:13] like, okay, this is not definitely not a
[55:16] spa.
[55:18] I'm expecting robes. I'm expecting
[55:20] cucumbers for my eyes.
[55:23] Maybe a mud thing on my face. I don't
[55:25] know what's going on. I get none of
[55:28] that. None of it.
[55:31] I get an hour and a half of meeting
[55:36] and cookies.
[55:38] You had cookies.
[55:42] Definitely definitely not a retreat.
[55:44] Definitely not.
[55:47] I will say not a retreat. Uh but I got
[55:49] to learn more about your dogs. We did
[55:51] get to connect and we did did some good
[55:53] board business. I appreciate
[55:54] and it needs another word for this other
[55:56] than retreat, right Rob?
[55:57] We'll rename it next time. Okay. Um but
[56:00] thank you Mr. Anderson in all
[56:02] seriousness for the candid laughter um
[56:04] and your engagement in the activity.
[56:07] Everybody's engagement. I truly truly
[56:09] appreciate. All right. Let's move on to
[56:11] less on report school updates. I am um
[56:14] going to start with you Miss McGuire
[56:15] Bears. Perfect. All right. Thank you to
[56:17] the staff for welcoming kindergarten
[56:20] orientation this past week. Made us
[56:23] kindergarten parents feel a little bit
[56:25] more ready for this big milestone. Um if
[56:28] you are new to Enfield Street School,
[56:29] please make sure you are following the
[56:31] PTO page on Facebook. The welcome picnic
[56:34] is on September 9th from 5 to 6:00
[56:37] followed by open house from 6:00 to
[56:38] 7:00. Lastly, this is for all Enfield
[56:41] public schools teachers and staff.
[56:43] Yesterday, I was at my convocation, so I
[56:46] was unable to attend Enfields. Um, but
[56:48] our superintendent shared some messages
[56:50] from families. Um, she collected 250 of
[56:53] them in the commemoration of our 250th
[56:56] America's birthday. Uh, one of them
[56:58] stuck with me and I wanted to share it
[57:00] with you all tonight. You are more than
[57:02] just staff. You are architects of hope
[57:05] for this community. So, thank you for
[57:07] giving us all hope and thank you for all
[57:10] you do. I know how much this job takes
[57:12] and I appreciate you and happy new year.
[57:16] Very nice, Miss McGriers. Any other
[57:18] school updates? Mr. Cobber and then Miss
[57:20] um Gerard.
[57:22] Thank you, Madam Chair. So, just a quick
[57:24] uh just want to shout out and welcome
[57:25] back students and staff to the uh 202627
[57:28] school year. Obviously, as mentioned,
[57:30] first day of school will be Thursday. Uh
[57:32] so, it's right around the corner. Um I
[57:34] know we talked about convocation. and I
[57:35] was not able to attend. Um but again for
[57:38] and I think the context clues described
[57:39] what it is but for those not familiar
[57:41] obviously it is like that welcome back
[57:42] for staff. Um gives them the opportunity
[57:45] for uh speeches recognition um and just
[57:49] kind of that warm welcome back to put
[57:50] all the uh returning staff in one place
[57:52] and then obviously greet the new staff.
[57:54] Um just in regards to my specific
[57:56] leaison um with the ERFC I know I uh I
[57:59] checked in through a lot of their summer
[58:01] programs. I was able to attend their
[58:03] summer talent show over at Prudence
[58:04] Candle. see some of the students do
[58:06] their great work. Um I briefly um met
[58:08] with the new executive director uh Mr.
[58:10] Ker. Um I haven't recently made it over
[58:13] to Eagle, but of course we just saw
[58:14] their uh support staff of the year, so
[58:16] we know they're doing good things over
[58:17] there. Uh so that is all I have. Thank
[58:19] you.
[58:20] Thank you, Mr. Mr. Wright.
[58:22] Um Kit's next meeting is September 2nd
[58:26] at 5:30 p.m. at CT State as Nuk. uh
[58:31] parkment update, welcome back picnic is
[58:34] on September 2nd from 5:00 pm to 7 pm.
[58:38] You can bring a picnic um before 6:00
[58:41] p.m. the doors will be open so that you
[58:43] can actually go into the school visit
[58:45] your child's classroom and if you've
[58:47] never been to Parkman before, you get to
[58:49] visit it for the first time. Their first
[58:52] PTO meeting is going to be on September
[58:54] 8th at 7:30 p.m. via Zoom. They do have
[58:58] a new group of new PTO folks and a new
[59:02] president. So, congratulations to all
[59:04] them and I can't wait to see what they
[59:05] do. Thank you, Mr. Oh, was that No,
[59:10] perfect. All right. I'm going to um
[59:12] channel Miss Ker and read her back to
[59:14] school message. But before I do that, I
[59:15] think it's some pretty generic back to
[59:17] school message around schools will be
[59:20] sharing information through their
[59:21] newsletters and through Parent Square.
[59:23] Um, as a district, we're also doing some
[59:24] work around website and communication.
[59:26] And so encouraging families to make sure
[59:28] you have parent square access um and
[59:30] that you are checking those things and
[59:32] um being up tod date. But as far as some
[59:35] special news from Crannle um Mr. Dupair
[59:38] welcomes everyone back reminding folks
[59:40] that the Cougar Chronicle newsletter
[59:42] will continue to be the primary source
[59:44] of information. It's sent out every
[59:45] Monday. So please make sure that you are
[59:47] checking those and we welcome back
[59:49] everybody on August 27th. Um I also just
[59:53] want to I've mentioned it a couple times
[59:55] now. welcome folks back. Thank you for
[59:57] our staff um who will be ready to greet
[59:59] students on Thursday. Um I'm not the
[1:00:02] official JFK leaison, but I did ask my
[1:00:05] incoming sixth grader if he actually he
[1:00:07] said before I left the house tonight.
[1:00:08] He's like, "Oh, mom, I have something to
[1:00:09] share with you at the to say in the
[1:00:11] meeting, and I was like, you know what?"
[1:00:12] Um he's been getting used to his walk to
[1:00:15] JFK and doing those, you know, to end
[1:00:17] the summer. and he said there's lots of
[1:00:19] like what looks like electronic scooter
[1:00:21] and bike marks across the basketball
[1:00:23] court and across like fields. So he was
[1:00:25] asking his fellow peers to be mindful of
[1:00:28] using electronic scooters and bikes um
[1:00:30] especially on school property where
[1:00:32] students use those facilities. Um so I
[1:00:34] do think that's an important reminder
[1:00:35] for all and safety. Um so thank you for
[1:00:37] those being safe around the first day of
[1:00:39] school. Um and always
[1:00:42] joint facilities.
[1:00:44] I actually do have a brief update. Um
[1:00:47] joint facilities did meet on August 13th
[1:00:51] to discuss the status of the roof
[1:00:53] testing and potential repairs needed um
[1:00:57] for even the short term on well short
[1:00:59] long term depending on how things go. Um
[1:01:02] on schools likeRandle Parkman and Stowe
[1:01:05] um councelor Zenon agreed that he was
[1:01:07] going to bring the conversation to the
[1:01:09] town council in order to determine where
[1:01:11] the funding for this project uh the need
[1:01:14] could come from. Um, our next meeting is
[1:01:16] scheduled for September 10th, but we
[1:01:18] have discussed that if it was not
[1:01:20] discussed yet by town council, we would
[1:01:22] potentially postpone this as not meeting
[1:01:24] until we have kind of an answer. Um, but
[1:01:27] the committee did have conversation
[1:01:29] around having uh quarterly meetings. We
[1:01:32] know that this joint facilities was
[1:01:34] really formed as more for roofs and um
[1:01:37] with other committees. they talk about a
[1:01:39] lot of other things but just staying on
[1:01:42] top of it and even meeting quarterly um
[1:01:44] we thought was was helpful moving
[1:01:46] forward and I know there's other
[1:01:47] colleagues on so if I missed anything
[1:01:49] feel free to chime in I just want to
[1:01:50] give a little update Mr. Cobber
[1:01:52] all right thank you uh ju just to
[1:01:54] supplement I think uh Mr. Bruce did a
[1:01:55] good job um kind of highlighting it. Um
[1:01:58] of course and just to again refresh
[1:02:00] people, the joint facilities committee
[1:02:02] when it was originally created 10 plus
[1:02:04] years ago had a wider purview when it
[1:02:06] was refined this past I believe it's
[1:02:07] January or February. Uh its scope was
[1:02:10] really narrowed to um overseeing the
[1:02:13] roofs on school buildings and the roof
[1:02:15] referendum. Um, I know one of the
[1:02:17] friction points that we mentioned that
[1:02:18] that came up um in the meeting is the
[1:02:21] current status of the approved
[1:02:23] referendums for roofs and then obviously
[1:02:25] the for lack of a better term the freeze
[1:02:27] on that pending the outcome of the uh PK
[1:02:30] through5 modernization uh referendum and
[1:02:32] update. So, um I know there were some
[1:02:34] plans regarding um preventive
[1:02:36] maintenance and testing and things of
[1:02:37] that sort. Um we originally hoped some
[1:02:40] of that would get done over the summer.
[1:02:41] It seems like it did not. So, I know
[1:02:42] we're trying to just re get tracks on
[1:02:44] that um through uh the town council and
[1:02:47] the DPW side and obviously keeping that
[1:02:48] committee looped in um because of course
[1:02:51] if for any reason the uh modernization
[1:02:54] doesn't happen, we still have these
[1:02:55] roofs that need replacement. So, just
[1:02:57] obviously maintaining oversight on that.
[1:02:59] Thank you.
[1:03:00] Thank you, Mr. Cobber. I would also just
[1:03:02] um ensure the public understands
[1:03:03] whenever we have joint leadership u
[1:03:05] meetings with our town council
[1:03:07] counterparts, facilities tends to be a
[1:03:09] large portion of our conversation.
[1:03:11] um joint insurance. So I we heard an
[1:03:14] update a little bit. Um Mr. Pulley or
[1:03:17] Mr. Mchio, would you like to
[1:03:20] shoot it to you, Mr. Mchio? Sorry, it's
[1:03:22] all you.
[1:03:24] Sorry. I will keep chatting while you
[1:03:26] I'll get you I'll get you there. Okay.
[1:03:28] Uh last night
[1:03:28] I think I think the big update for the
[1:03:31] joint insurance committee was our
[1:03:33] agreement to go with the resolution
[1:03:36] um regarding what we will do with any um
[1:03:40] budgeted funds at the end of the fiscal
[1:03:43] year. Um so again uh town council did
[1:03:46] approve the resolution last evening
[1:03:48] related to that. It will go to the
[1:03:50] finance committee in terms of um next
[1:03:52] steps for our board and then I'll bring
[1:03:54] it forward to the full board uh just to
[1:03:56] share it with you. But basically,
[1:03:59] it puts some regulation, not some
[1:04:01] regulations, but some guidelines in
[1:04:02] terms of what we must do related to any
[1:04:05] funds that are budgeted for health
[1:04:06] insurance.
[1:04:08] Thank you, Mr. Mchio. Sorry, I didn't
[1:04:09] mean to put you both on the spot there,
[1:04:10] but I do think that is another another
[1:04:12] piece of work um that is really around
[1:04:14] fiscal transparency and best fiscal
[1:04:17] practices. So, thank you to those on
[1:04:19] joint insurance and thank you to our
[1:04:20] counterparts on the town council side um
[1:04:22] that hopefully we can move forward in
[1:04:24] some good fiscal practice. Go ahead. I I
[1:04:26] just want and I should have said this
[1:04:27] during my superintendent report, but
[1:04:31] a lot of that came out of the efforts of
[1:04:34] the collaboration and communication that
[1:04:36] happens between my office and the town
[1:04:38] manager's office. Um, you know, last
[1:04:40] evening was Mr. Cppler's last evening um
[1:04:43] as town manager and to my understanding
[1:04:45] he's probably in a car right now driving
[1:04:47] out towards Michigan uh in his new job.
[1:04:49] So, I'd like to thank him for that
[1:04:51] collaboration. Um Andy and I would meet
[1:04:54] with him and Steve Belinda uh and then
[1:04:57] the following week we would have the
[1:04:58] joint leadership meeting and that's
[1:05:01] where a lot of this got worked out and
[1:05:03] then we would bring it to the joint
[1:05:05] insurance or joint security. Um so it it
[1:05:08] is it it was nice to see that amount of
[1:05:11] collaboration and communication between
[1:05:13] the town hall and the board of
[1:05:14] education. Um I'm hopeful that whoever
[1:05:17] comes in as the interim uh town manager
[1:05:20] continues to do that with us. I know we
[1:05:22] do have a joint leadership meeting
[1:05:23] scheduled for this Friday, so we can
[1:05:25] have some further conversation at that
[1:05:27] time.
[1:05:29] Thanks. You're reminding me of a to-do I
[1:05:31] had to to do.
[1:05:34] Thank you, Mr. Mchio. Um, pre-referendum
[1:05:36] committee.
[1:05:39] As of right now, there is not a new date
[1:05:41] for a meeting. Correct.
[1:05:44] I'm looking at you. Sorry.
[1:05:46] Notice how I didn't put another candy in
[1:05:47] my mouth. Um there are two dates being
[1:05:51] um there are two dates that are being um
[1:05:54] bantered about in terms of having an
[1:05:56] additional pre-referendum committee
[1:05:58] meeting. Yep.
[1:05:58] Um they're towards the end of September.
[1:06:00] Nothing uh solidified yet.
[1:06:01] Right. And then um I think one of the
[1:06:03] other conversations that we've talked
[1:06:05] about too in prere is doing another
[1:06:07] community conversation and being being
[1:06:10] able to have that back and forth. So we
[1:06:12] are scheduling that and we're getting it
[1:06:13] there. Um, PAC is, I believe, up and
[1:06:17] running. So, they're going to put
[1:06:19] together some information, very
[1:06:21] fact-based information about the preref
[1:06:25] and how that will be. So, yeah, that's
[1:06:28] basically it.
[1:06:29] You're welcome to visit the website. Um,
[1:06:33] I just want to make sure I get it
[1:06:34] correctly for the pack. Oh, my
[1:06:36] internet's not working, so that doesn't
[1:06:37] work. But I believe it's nfieldpto.com.
[1:06:42] Right. So the all of the information um
[1:06:44] related to the referendum is up on that
[1:06:46] website.
[1:06:48] Awesome. Thank you.
[1:06:50] Thank you for the updates. Do I have a
[1:06:53] motion to adjurnn?
[1:06:54] So moved, Madam Chair.
[1:06:55] Second. Moved by Mr. Cover. I'll give
[1:06:57] the second to Mr. Gerard. All in favor?
[1:07:00] That looks like all eight of us. Thank
[1:07:02] you all.
[1:07:03] One hour.