[This transcript was generated automatically from audio using AI and hasn't been reviewed by a person -- it can contain mistakes, including plausible-sounding sentences that were never actually said. Treat it as a starting point, not a verbatim record.]

[0:07] Good evening, South Windsor. I'd like to hold a meeting September 3, 2025 of South
[0:14] Windsor Board of Education order. Please stand for the pledge of allegiance.
[0:18] I
[0:21] pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the
[0:26] public for which it stands one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
[0:38] Welcome to our new place.
[0:42] Ms. Walsh, welcome, please.
[0:44] Mrs. Corsi, here.
[0:47] Ms. Esman.
[0:48] Yes.
[0:48] Mrs. Collian.
[0:49] Yes.
[0:50] Mrs. Kimber.
[0:51] Yes.
[0:52] Mr. Mackie.
[0:53] Yes.
[0:53] Chairwoman Manila.
[0:54] Here.
[0:55] Mr. Marks.
[0:56] Yes.
[0:57] Mr. Peronum.
[0:58] Yes.
[0:59] Mr. Zimmerman.
[1:00] Yes.
[1:00] Thank you.
[1:02] All right.
[1:03] Ms. Corsi, would you read the district machines?
[1:07] The South Windsor Public Schools promotes an engaging and dynamic culture of learning that prepares students to achieve their own individual excellence.
[1:16] Within an emotionally safe environment, educators will foster students' academic, social, and personal growth.
[1:24] Our students will demonstrate critical and creative thinking, self-direction, collaboration, adaptability, kindness,
[1:32] this, compassion and civic responsibility.
[1:36] The South Windsor Public School graduate will possess a learner's mindset,
[1:41] exhibit resilience, and social consciousness, and be empowered to participate in an ever-changing global society.
[1:48] Thank you.
[1:51] Next we have approval minutes.
[1:53] Assessment?
[1:53] Move to approve the minutes of the June 10th, 2025 regular meeting.
[1:57] Okay, count a second.
[2:00] Any comments?
[2:02] All in favor?
[2:04] Opposed?
[2:06] Motion carries.
[2:11] Next, we have communications, Dr. Carter.
[2:14] Good evening, everyone.
[2:17] At first, I'd like to welcome our new student representative.
[2:20] It is my pleasure to introduce our new student rep
[2:22] to the Board of Education, Sakai Kennedy.
[2:25] Sakai is currently an 11th grade student at Southwest
[2:28] or high school and is already distinguishing herself
[2:30] as a dedicated and engaged member of our school community.
[2:34] Sakai is actively involved in several student organizations,
[2:37] including the Black Student Alliance, the French Club,
[2:40] and most recently the mock trial club.
[2:43] Beyond her academic and extracurricular commitments,
[2:46] Sakai enjoys traveling, spending time with her cats,
[2:49] listening to old school music, and exploring the arts.
[2:53] We are delighted to welcome Sakai as a student representative
[2:56] to the board, and I would love to find out
[2:59] how you define old school music because I'm guessing it's from my generation maybe, maybe.
[3:08] So welcome Sakai, we're very glad to have you and we are welcoming back Sydney May
[3:13] who was with us last year so welcome back Sydney. At this time we're going to be
[3:18] introducing our new supervisor of special services, Mrs. Lacey Farley. Mrs. Farley it was
[3:26] serving as a supervisor of special education and recently served as associate director of
[3:31] special education for the KIPP public schools in Northern California. Prior to that role,
[3:37] LACS served as a program specialist, special education teacher, and elementary classroom
[3:41] teacher. It is my pleasure to invite Mrs. Farley to the podium.
[4:00] Good evening, Chairwoman Naly and members of the board. As Dr. Carter shared on LAC Farley,
[4:05] I want to express my gratitude to members of the Board and administration for the opportunity to join the team at South Windsor Public Schools.
[4:13] Connecticut is my home state, though I did recently relocate from California as Dr. Carter mentioned, and I am just thrilled to have landed at a school district that is as supportive and collaborative as it has been so far and to work alongside really dedicated professionals, so thank you so much.
[4:37] Today, we are proud to recognize the recipients of this year's Teamwork Award, our three technology
[4:44] content coaches, Ed DuClow, Debbie Matchett, and Daniel Ross.
[4:48] This team has modeled what true collaboration looks like, meaning regularly to plan, reflect,
[4:54] and stay aligned, while also working directly with principals, teachers, and curriculum leaders
[4:59] to support innovation.
[5:01] Their shared goal has been to introduce artificial intelligence in ways that enhance learning
[5:05] and protect academic integrity.
[5:08] They've created professional learning opportunities,
[5:11] vetted tools, and developed a user-friendly district web page
[5:14] filled with resources, how-to videos, and exemplars.
[5:18] Because of their work, South Windsor has become a leader
[5:21] in the thoughtful, responsible use of AI in education.
[5:24] Their work is deeply valued by teachers,
[5:27] students, and administrators across the district
[5:29] by modeling shared leadership and inspiring others to collaborate.
[5:33] They've shown that innovation thrives when we work together.
[5:38] We are proud of this incredible team and it is my pleasure to invite Ed Debbie and Danielle to the podium.
[6:02] You can see a Mattak coach at the high school.
[6:06] Hold it, where's the walk-up music?
[6:08] We don't get any of that?
[6:10] All right, Dr. Carter said we have 15 minutes maximum, so that's it.
[6:16] All right, we got it.
[6:16] Hey, no, first of all, we're thrilled and honored to receive this award and we are just
[6:24] a small team, a wonderful team, so much fun working with these two, but amongst a much
[6:30] bigger and larger, amazing team here in the district.
[6:34] So many of you were at the convocation, so we figured what we would do is just hit the
[6:38] high points and then move on, Debbie.
[6:43] We just wanted to say we're honored to receive the award and we couldn't have achieved it
[6:48] without the incredible support of Doug Kutcher, Scott Matchett, Steven Albrecht, and the entire
[6:53] IT department.
[6:56] I'm going to reuse the speech I did at Communication because it was great.
[7:02] I mean, wholeheartedly, we're very proud to be part of a district that values collaboration,
[7:07] innovation, and being on the cutting edge.
[7:09] At the end of the day, technology isn't about the devices or the platforms.
[7:13] It's about the people willing to try something new and take a risk.
[7:16] So this award doesn't celebrate just us but every teacher that clicked that unfamiliar
[7:20] your link. Every teammate who said, let's figure it out and every leader who said, go for it.
[7:26] If this is what we can accomplish together today, imagine what we'll build tomorrow.
[7:30] Thank you.
[7:38] It is now my pleasure to introduce this year's support staff employee of the year,
[7:43] OBS Van Al. OBS is an EIP parent educator at Eli Terry School. Every day she demonstrates her
[7:50] extraordinary ability to respond with patience and grace, helping students regulate, rebound,
[7:56] and return to learning.
[7:58] Her support has been transformative,
[8:00] allowing students to succeed in education settings
[8:02] where they once struggled.
[8:04] OB is deeply respected by teachers,
[8:07] administrators, and her peers,
[8:08] for her knowledge, consistency, and dependability.
[8:11] Most importantly, students light up
[8:13] when she walks into the room.
[8:15] They know she cares for them,
[8:17] and that sense of safety and trust
[8:18] is what sets her apart.
[8:20] Tonight, we proudly recognize OB Espanol
[8:22] for her skill, dedication, and the warmth
[8:24] She brings to South Windsor Public Schools.
[8:26] It is my pleasure to invite OB to the podium.
[8:39] I know how this works.
[8:43] Good evening, everyone.
[8:46] I want to sincerely thank the Board for this incredible recognition.
[8:50] Being named support staff of the year is such an honor, and I am truly humbled, working
[8:55] in the special education intensive program at Eli Terry has been deeply rewarding and
[9:02] a great experience.
[9:04] Every day brings new challenges and even greater joys, and I am proud to be part of a team that's so committed to making a difference in the lives of our students.
[9:14] Thank you for your support, your trust, and for valuing the work we do.
[9:19] Thank you.
[9:27] Finally, it is my pleasure to introduce this year's South Windsor Teacher of the Year, our most prestigious award, to Mrs. April Davis, science teacher at South Windsor High School.
[9:37] April is known for being deeply student focused and a true team player.
[9:43] She consistently supports, encourages, and motivates her students while also dedicating
[9:48] her energy to the success of all learners in her district.
[9:52] Beyond the classroom, she advises several student organizations, including the Black Student
[9:57] Alliance, Science Bowl, and Science Honor Society.
[10:00] She also contributes her time and expertise as a member of both the High School and District
[10:05] Equity Committees.
[10:07] April's commitment extends well beyond the school day.
[10:10] There are few days when she is not offering her time after school to support students and colleagues alike.
[10:16] We are proud to name April Davis as our teacher of the year and is my pleasure to welcome April to the podium.
[10:29] Good afternoon.
[10:30] It feels like convocation again. I said I was not going to cry and I'm getting tears already.
[10:36] But I am honored to be the teacher of the year
[10:40] to represent all of the amazing teachers that we do have here.
[10:45] I'm at the high school, but I represent all of the teachers in the district.
[10:48] And the common thing that I've seen for everyone that has come before me is the support
[10:52] and collaboration that we have within our district.
[10:56] And I know that I would not be able to do all the things that I'm able to do without the support
[11:01] of the people that are actually here today.
[11:05] Our principal, associate principal,
[11:07] you know, Arnica, Tracy, Dr. Carter, everyone, your support.
[11:15] It really means a lot and it's great to be in a district where you feel
[11:22] hurt and you know that if there is a problem with anything, people are
[11:29] listening and they will do what they can to make sure that there's
[11:35] change. And so I'm going to say what I said at a
[11:38] communication. Keep speaking up if you feel that you're not
[11:42] getting a support you need. Please talk to the people that
[11:46] you need to talk to because I do that and they always support
[11:50] me. So I feel that if you need help speak up. And I'm just
[11:57] very honored. And I suppose they also thank you everyone who
[12:01] has been reminding me to tell everybody. I'm not sure if you
[12:04] But I find out, we found out that you went over to summer, and so I spent the whole summer not saying anything.
[12:11] And so I've kind of got used to not telling people that I'm teacher of the year.
[12:15] So thank you to those who constantly are saying congratulations and saying you need to speak up literally by you know, so thank you.
[12:29] And then just finally tonight, in front of board members, you have a handout that was sent out to all families yesterday.
[12:36] We're really excited having an event at the high school on October 22nd, it's something
[12:42] I'm very passionate about and that is promoting the trades as a career path.
[12:47] What I was not expecting is the incredible excitement that I'm already hearing from families,
[12:53] parents, kids, certainly.
[12:55] There are so many folks coming from the industry that evening and lending their time and
[13:01] And the list keeps growing, we're getting calls today saying, how can we be a part of this?
[13:06] Can we join, can we be a part of it?
[13:08] So we're really excited not only about all the members in the community, in the skilled trades community,
[13:13] who are going to be there that evening, and the list keeps going.
[13:17] But I'm also really excited about just the response that we've gotten from families.
[13:23] It's clearly this is a conversation that is needed and maybe isn't always front and
[13:28] center, and so I am very proud and enthusiastic about what might be our first annual event to promote careers in the skilled trades.
[13:39] So your flyer is here, it went out to all families, and like I said, we're already getting calls from people outside of the school district asking if they can be a part of it.
[13:47] Thank you.
[13:50] Thank you, Dr. Carter.
[13:52] Thank you, staff, the Southlands are.
[13:54] Next we have a student representatives for the good news from schools.
[13:59] Thank you.
[14:00] Eli Terry, fifth grade classes participated in a week-long field trip to Starbase in Windsor
[14:06] Locks.
[14:07] Starbase is a hands-on STEM learning experience where students explore science, technology,
[14:12] engineering, and math in creative new ways.
[14:15] Orgid Hill welcomed 40 new families to their community and hosted their open house on September
[14:27] 11th.
[14:27] Pleasant Valley celebrated Vidita Vatsa, who won the top innovator award on the national
[14:34] level for her project, the Intel trash bot.
[14:37] Fifth-grader, Ria Muthakrishan, had her letter to Poet Joey Landon selected out of more
[14:43] than 2,100 entries from around the world to be published in the Academy of American Poets
[14:49] Dear Poet 2025 booklet.
[14:55] Timothy Edwards Middle School, so the sixth grade ice cream social, this helps students
[15:00] Adjust the middle school, they're quickly adapting to middle school life, navigating the buildings and new friends. Next, we have week and next Wednesdays. PTO's new family engagement initiative begins September 24th with a bingo fundraiser for the South Windsor Food Bank. Then we have salsa lessons. On September 25th, they celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month with a community event for students and staff. And South Windsor High School, for the opening week, they focus on building connections and allowing with our elevate vision
[15:29] for 2025 to 2026.
[15:32] We had our open house on September 4th,
[15:35] and over 300 athletes are participating
[15:37] in false boards programs.
[15:39] We have the college fair on October 9th,
[15:42] welcoming representatives from over 100 colleges
[15:45] and universities.
[15:46] PSATs are scheduled for October 16th and Homecoming Week,
[15:51] is from October 20th to October 24th,
[15:54] and we have our football game on October 23rd,
[15:56] and our homecoming dance on October 24th.
[16:00] Thank you. Well done. Next, we have board members. Anyone from the board want to have communication?
[16:08] Mr. Mackie, sir. Thank you, Chairwoman Manila. As many of you know, Dr. Carter has been a
[16:14] constant presence in our schools for many years. In fact, it's been 15 years of her strong leadership.
[16:21] In most professions, people hope that as the years go by, the work gets a little easier,
[16:25] a little more comfortable, maybe even a little bit more at vacation days.
[16:29] I think it's safe to say that that is not in the case for Dr. Carter.
[16:33] The daily challenges she faces are anything but easy or comfortable.
[16:37] And it is very tough to take a vacation when you might need to squeeze in a quick meeting or an interview.
[16:43] Yeah, throughout her time here she has overseen the building of new schools.
[16:47] She continues to guide us through an unprecedented enrollment challenges,
[16:50] provides mentorship to our employees as education changes dramatically and most importantly she stays focused on fostering a culture of positivity and excellence for both our staff and our students.
[17:01] It is rare in education for a district to have the same superintendent for more than a handful of years let alone 15.
[17:07] That kind of longevity speaks volumes about both her dedication to South Windsor and the experience she brings to the table every single day.
[17:14] A good leader is someone who inspires and motivates those around them to want to be their best.
[17:18] And I think everyone here would agree that the adults you lead are more motivated than
[17:23] ever to do what's best for our kids because of the example and expectations you set.
[17:28] People rarely get the chance while they are in the middle of it to reflect on the value
[17:32] they bring.
[17:33] Dr. Carter, we hope you are as proud of yourself and your accomplishments over the past 15
[17:37] years as all of we are.
[17:39] Normally, this is where Dr. Carter would give all the credit to the rest of her team.
[17:43] But tonight, we're not interested in hearing any of your, sorry, this
[17:59] is your moment.
[18:00] And honestly, the Yankees are on, and we've got to get this meeting going a little fast.
[18:06] Be careful, this one, we've got to look for a new one over here.
[18:11] Sorry.
[18:13] On behalf of the entire Board of Education, past and present, over the past 15 years, we thank
[18:18] you.
[18:18] Thank you for not just your dedication and service, but for your time, energy, and genuine
[18:22] care to put the put to put make sure ensuring that our students are supported and our staff understand
[18:29] their value. We have a small plaque somewhere here. Turn to if he's going to help me. I did not tell
[18:35] her that so right now.
[18:38] We have a small plaque to mark your milestone and just to be clear it's not a
[18:43] retirement plaque. In fact some of us are looking forward to presenting your 30-year plaque maybe under
[18:49] the lights.
[18:54] We
[19:17] don't care.
[19:18] So don't say anything.
[19:19] Just kidding.
[19:19] We do care.
[19:20] I'm kidding.
[19:21] I'm kidding.
[19:21] I'm kidding.
[19:25] Mrs. Amy.
[19:25] Oh, certain.
[19:28] Oh.
[19:29] Okay.
[19:31] Well, that was certainly unexpected and a lovely, lovely surprise.
[19:36] And I can't be happier that it is in front of the team that I would be getting
[19:40] credited if I was allowed to do that.
[19:42] I was not expecting this and I can't think of a better audience to have also my mom and dad are watching from home.
[19:51] So they're watching too. They're probably very happy right now.
[19:55] But I will say, you know, just quickly because I'm a little bit, this is unexpected, but I moved to this town 25 years ago,
[20:02] and I could not have imagined 25 years ago that today I'd be looking back on having been your superintendent for 15 years.
[20:10] There is not a day that goes by that I don't feel grateful for being in this position,
[20:17] for working with such an amazing board and all the boards that I've worked with over the years.
[20:22] It is such an amazing community. People care about one another. They champion public education.
[20:29] They want the best for their children. They want to support the schools. They are truly, truly partners with us.
[20:34] And I just every day, I still feel lucky and fortunate that I ended up with the opportunity to lead such an amazing, amazing school district with so many unbelievable teachers and all of our support staff and all of our buildings.
[20:53] So I am caught off guard by this and I am aware that the average length of time in Connecticut for a school superintendent to be in the same district as four years.
[21:05] So here I am entering year 16, so I am beating the odds, but I would not want to do this job anywhere else.
[21:15] I feel incredibly fortunate to be an educational leader and a colleague in South Windsor.
[21:21] So thank you, and this was very, very kind of you and unexpected.
[21:35] Thank you, Mr. Ziming.
[21:37] Yeah, thank you, Chairwoman Manila.
[21:39] So one of the things you learn really quick, I see some people running for the board.
[21:42] If you don't want to follow Dr. Carter, but now I guess we have to add Mr. Mackey to that group that you don't want to follow
[21:49] I'm glad I wasn't the first person to point out that there's not a Yankee game. There's actually a Red Suck game
[21:56] And I'm hoping that maybe the athletic director in the back can give us a little signal that that's positive
[22:09] And I did love the reference to lights, but for anybody concerned, that's not on the referendum so we didn't just break the rules.
[22:17] It's all good.
[22:19] Dr. Carter, could you, first of all, that this trades event, which I think is phenomenal.
[22:25] Could you just point out to people what this picture is?
[22:30] So the picture that we've used is a picture of Taylor Kraus, who's a senior project manager at Gilbane Building Company, and we had a program, this is actually back for the Orchard Hill Project, although we did it for multiple projects over the 10 years.
[22:44] And Gilbane did a mentoring program to expose students who were interested in going to an actual construction site and seeing the work that gets done.
[22:53] So that is Taylor, who worked with us from Gilbane for many, many years throughout the entire 10-year plan.
[22:59] And we're pleased to have her be a part of this messaging that we're sending out.
[23:04] Yeah, thank you.
[23:05] And I assume former Board of Ed members will be invited.
[23:10] Oh, it's October.
[23:14] Oh, that's good, all right, I'm already looking forward.
[23:20] So the last thing is I just wanted to take a minute.
[23:23] that groups like this kind of both in South Windsor and nationally, it's really rare to have boards of ed and I think that get along and have gotten along and have been as productive as we have obviously over the 15 years but for the people I want to talk to over the last few years, I'm not saying what goes on in other parts of the town but nationally this doesn't happen.
[23:51] If you watched our meetings, this isn't what normally happens.
[23:55] So I want to thank everybody, but I specifically want to just put a shout out to DePaulie and Kenna that this board will not be the same.
[24:05] I want Beth, but I got Beth, geez.
[24:09] I want to thank Kenna and DePaulie, because this board will not be the same come November.
[24:15] Obviously, there's some really good people running on both sides, and the next will be a little bit different.
[24:19] but you both offered something to this board that I think was really special and unique.
[24:25] And that's why I think the board worked so well, is everybody brought a different talent and interest, so I want to thank you.
[24:31] I clearly want to thank Beth and Mrs. Estman for what I just said, also for taking a leadership position.
[24:40] And for those of you who didn't know, I mean, I would be here a mess a few years ago.
[24:44] She was one of two board members who helped save my life.
[24:47] So I think we have a little bit of a special bond, and well, I think all three won't be running in November.
[24:55] Hopefully, at some point in the future, all three will make a reappearance helping the town,
[25:01] whether it's in a pointed position or an elected position, because I think the town will be better for that.
[25:07] So obviously, I wish you guys all well, all right?
[25:12] I see that.
[25:14] Thank you.
[25:17] I'm telling you, I'm not going to fall about the car or Mr. Mackey.
[25:21] Next, we have hearing your visitors.
[25:24] Is there anyone in the room with that would like to speak to the board tonight?
[25:28] When it's your turn, please speak.
[25:30] At least start by giving us your name and address.
[25:32] Just a reminder that the board does not respond to public comment.
[25:36] Each person should limit their comments to three minutes.
[25:38] I told them that a public comment will be limited to 15 minutes unless extended by the board.
[25:43] Just a reminder that there will be a second opportunity for the public comment near the end of the meeting.
[25:48] Most importantly, this is your opportunity to be heard by the boy and the boy's time to just listen.
[25:53] Mrs. Walsh will keep track of time and she and I will let you know when it's time to quickly wrap up your comments.
[25:59] And so is there anybody who would like to come up?
[26:03] Okay, seeing none, moving on.
[26:06] Next, consent calendar.
[26:11] Move the consent calendar.
[26:13] Okay, second.
[26:15] All in favor?
[26:17] Hi.
[26:18] Congratulations.
[26:25] Move to approve the following donations.
[26:27] $10,500 from first to the South Windsor High School Robotics.
[26:32] $800 from the Russian School of Mathematics
[26:34] to South Windsor High School Science and Limpiad.
[26:37] $3,571 from Ingenie, Whitney.
[26:41] In June, in time, NE, gas ink to Southlands or high school, robotics, $542.76 from the Eli Terry PTO to Eli Terry School, and $12,987.46 from Philip R. Smith PTO to Philip R. Smith School.
[27:03] Any comments?
[27:05] One favor?
[27:06] Chair.
[27:06] Chair.
[27:07] Opposed?
[27:08] Motion carries.
[27:09] Thank you.
[27:10] That's a car.
[27:11] Superintendent School Reports.
[27:14] At this time, I turn things over to Mrs. Peterson.
[27:59] All right.
[28:00] Good evening, Chairwoman Manila and Board Members.
[28:04] Tonight, I will share with you the results of our spring state assessments.
[28:09] The state assessment system is one measure of our overall academic performance.
[28:15] It is best used as an opportunity to examine district level instructional expectations
[28:22] and practices, identify areas of strength that can be scaled up in other areas as well
[28:29] as identify curriculum and potentially future staffing needs.
[28:35] Tonight's results will be broken into three content areas, literacy, mathematics, and science.
[28:41] In order to measure achievement in literacy and mathematics, students in grades 3 through 8 take an assessment named Smarter Balance.
[28:51] 11th graders take what is called the Connecticut School Day SAT as the measure of literacy in math achievement in high school.
[28:58] And science is measured in grades 5, 8 and 11 by an assessment called the next generation science standards.
[29:06] So let's start with literacy.
[29:11] When looking at data, we typically look at achievement over time.
[29:18] Data over time paints a more accurate picture.
[29:22] Are we moving in the right direction?
[29:24] Is there a problem or a challenge with our curriculum?
[29:28] Are our instructional strategies having their intended impact, etc.?
[29:32] And it's better than only one year's worth of data that really only tells us how one group of students did at that one moment in time.
[29:42] That being said, this slide reflects three years of what we call unmatched cohort literacy achievement in grades three through eight.
[29:51] An unmatched cohort simply refers to the fact that these numbers reflect different students
[29:57] in the same greed and different
[30:02] We will look at March cohorts. What is clear on this slide is that we consistently year-over-year outperform the state. What's remarkable, as reflected by the last group of bars, is that despite significant increases in enrollment, fluidity of teacher assignments and shifting curricular priorities, about 70% of South Windsor students continue to score a three or four on this particular
[30:29] assessment of literacy skills.
[30:35] The information presented here is achievement in literacy for matched cohorts. In other words, how did the same third graders perform in fourth grade and then again in fifth grade?
[30:49] To best understand this chart, you can follow the color coding as a guide.
[30:55] The best case scenario of matched cohort data is what we see in gray.
[31:00] 67% of third graders in 2223 achieved the benchmark as fourth graders, 73% hit the benchmark and last year as fifth graders, 75% successfully met the benchmark, reflecting increased numbers of students meeting benchmarks year over year.
[31:23] I'd also highlight with the exception of last year's six graders performance from 2023-24 to 2024-25 increased in each grade.
[31:40] The information presented here adds some context to our achievement within the dirt at the elementary level.
[31:47] Across the three tested grades represented here, our performance is either in the top third as represented by our third graders,
[31:55] or solidly in the middle of our DERG.
[32:02] This data is our middle school grades
[32:04] as fact performance within the DERG,
[32:07] and here you can see our middle school performance
[32:08] places us at the lower end of our DERG,
[32:11] something that we are aware of and monitoring.
[32:17] The data here is just the combined literacy performance
[32:20] in grades three through eight within the DERG.
[32:28] As I mentioned earlier, high school performance
[32:30] and literacy in math is measured by the SAT.
[32:33] This information is the average score obtained by South Windsor students as compared to the state.
[32:41] While consistently outperforming the state, we can also see a slight uptick in SAT literacy performance.
[32:49] Our biggest jump was from 2023 to 2024, with a slight uptick in 2425, which we hope is indicative of a positive trend.
[33:01] The
[33:06] data in this slide shows the percentage of students who are meeting or exceeding the
[33:11] benchmark.
[33:12] What's remarkable about this data point is not only the significant number of students
[33:16] who are meeting the benchmark, but last year's 11th graders who represent that 77% and 2425.
[33:26] As eighth graders, only 68% met the benchmark in literacy on SBAC.
[33:32] And although these are different assessments, we can infer through the work of our high school staff,
[33:38] that they were able to increase achievement from 8th to 11th grade by almost 10%,
[33:44] which is significant at the secondary level.
[33:51] Again, here we have our literacy performance is measured by the SAT in the context of our DERG.
[34:00] As evidenced by the previous slide, we're making progress toward improving performance,
[34:04] but continue to refine our curriculum and instructional strategies to move the needle forward,
[34:11] cast a wider net on both the percent meeting the benchmark, as well as the average score earned.
[34:22] Now on to mathematics.
[34:24] And because the slides are exactly different, I won't go into the same explanation of them.
[34:31] So like you saw with literacy, the slide represents the three years of achievement in grades three through eight in math.
[34:38] Like our literacy performance, we continue to outperform the state, and on average in these grades, we've been able to maintain almost 70% of students meeting the benchmark over the last three years.
[34:51] I would also like to highlight performance in grades three and eight, both showing steady improvement over time.
[35:00] In grade 3, I also think it's important to note that that improvement includes the high
[35:06] quality instruction students receive in our non-tested grades K through 2.
[35:12] So you can see 74 is 73, 80 is our third grade trajectory over the last three years.
[35:19] In grade 8, a significant amount of work has been done around curriculum and
[35:25] improving tier 1 instructional practices.
[35:28] We believe this has also resulted in increased achievement over the last three years,
[35:33] which was more in alignment with the other grades at the middle school.
[35:38] So you can see three years ago, our eighth grade performance was at about 56% of students meeting benchmarks.
[35:46] And over time, they've increased that to 64%, which is more aligned with six and seventh grade performance.
[35:57] Here again, we have math cohort data and math.
[36:02] Admittedly, we do not experience the type of growth from year to year we've seen in literacy.
[36:07] Two factors we are examining and continue to pay close attention to our one,
[36:13] ensuring that there's vertical alignment within the curriculum from year to year.
[36:18] And two, we're looking at how is content spiraled and
[36:23] revisited through the various grade levels to support student retention from year to year.
[36:34] Again, here we're looking at elementary math performance in the context of the DERG.
[36:39] Not only is our third grade strong overall, but also clearly showing strong performance in the DERG.
[36:46] Fourth grade, someone in the middle and some slippage in the fifth grade.
[36:50] Similarly,
[36:56] to literacy, our middle school math performance does dip when compared to our dirt partners.
[37:02] While some of the differences between the levels can reflect small numbers,
[37:08] here I would also note that the configurations of middle schools vary greatly within the dirt and can have an impact on achievement.
[37:18] For example, some of our dirt partners have five, six middle schools, some have seven, eight,
[37:23] some even have five, six, seven, eight.
[37:27] We are also the largest single middle school in the DERG,
[37:32] and have demographics that are very different,
[37:35] and the demographics across the DERG are also very different
[37:38] from district to district.
[37:40] I only mention this to say that sometimes DERG comparison,
[37:45] especially at the middle school level,
[37:47] are not exactly Apple's Tapples.
[37:53] This again shows our aggregate math performance
[37:56] and grades 3 through 8 within our DERG, and overall performing about in the middle of DERG B.
[38:08] SAT, performance in math as reflected in this slide shows South Windsor High School
[38:13] performance as compared to the state.
[38:16] It is clear that our performance is well above the state average and has remained consistent
[38:22] over the last three years.
[38:27] When examining this data from the lens of the percentage of students meeting the benchmark,
[38:33] Our district performance is, again, well above the state.
[38:37] The high school's performance has also been consistent over the last three years with about half of 11th graders meeting or exceeding the benchmark.
[38:46] However, we are working to increase that percentage of students who are reaching the math benchmark closer to the number of students who are meeting the benchmark in literacy.
[38:56] When
[39:01] looking at both the percentage of students meeting the benchmark and the average scored earned,
[39:07] you can see we perform solidly in the middle of our DERG when it comes to mathematics.
[39:16] Last but not least, let's look at science.
[39:21] Three years of science performance in grades 5, 8, and 11 reflects the district's consistent outperformance of the state.
[39:29] Like in our other tested content areas, we are averaging about 70% of students meeting benchmarks.
[39:41] While last year's fifth and eighth graders did not perform as well as compared to the DERG,
[39:47] our 11th graders performed better landing about in the middle of the DERG.
[39:53] Again, I do think it's worth mentioning that the small percentage points that at times separates districts in the DERG.
[40:00] The difference, for example, of our fifth graders performing where they are in the
[40:06] DERG at 71% meeting the benchmarks and say if 74% had met the benchmark, say
[40:13] someone there in the middle is about 9 to 10 students out of the 417 who were tested.
[40:25] This slide shows our aggregate performance and science relative to our DERG.
[40:30] So,
[40:34] before I conclude tonight's presentation, I want to recognize the hard work that goes
[40:39] into preparing students for these assessments.
[40:41] I'll reiterate that we examine this data through a variety of lenses at every level to ensure
[40:48] we are working to meet the needs of our students in the expectations of our community.
[40:53] Our teachers work tirelessly as do the people who are sitting behind me to ensure we are providing
[40:59] a high quality educational experience for students.
[41:02] That being said, here are some of our next steps.
[41:06] Last year, Districtwide K-8, we implemented a new assessment system called I-Ready, I-Ready,
[41:12] to monitor progress in mapping literacy to replace the STAR assessment.
[41:16] This assessment provides more specific information about student performance and comes with
[41:22] a companion product that we have also purchased called MyPath.
[41:26] My path helps create lessons that are targeted towards specific student strengths and needs.
[41:32] And in our second year of implementation, we are confident that now that we have a better
[41:37] understanding of the tool, that this will also help us to identify areas of strength and
[41:42] opportunities to grow.
[41:44] In the same vein, we have adjusted our testing window for grades 3-3-8 so that the eye-ready
[41:50] assessment can be used in a more timely fashion to impact incomes.
[41:54] So typically what we've done, and those of you who have students have received letters about improvement,
[41:59] students have been tested in September, January, and May.
[42:04] We've shifted that to two testing windows.
[42:07] September and February in grades three through eight.
[42:10] This allows teachers to use information from the February assessment to help
[42:15] personalize instruction for students prior to our state assessments.
[42:19] At all levels, we continue to examine our professional learning community practices, ensuring
[42:26] that this time is used to examine student work, analyze assessment data, and plan instruction
[42:31] appropriately using the most efficacious teaching practices.
[42:36] We continue to employ and refine our MTSS practices, ensuring consistency in executing interventions
[42:44] and progress monitoring, better communication between levels, and providing additional supports at the high school levels for students who require this.
[42:55] In ELA at the elementary level, we will continue to focus on the science of reading professional development K-5.
[43:03] At TAMS, we're creating common formative assessment for every unit in our core areas of destruction.
[43:10] These assessment should provide increased clarity to staff about what students already know.
[43:18] And ensure that what we are teaching is aligned with their prior knowledge,
[43:23] fills in necessary prerequisite knowledge, that might be missing and is delivered at the appropriate challenge level.
[43:30] Also at Tim's, we are continuing to create a common understanding of what it means to have high and challenging expectations for all students.
[43:37] We use this language in place of rigor because often people can't actually tell you what rigorous means in the context of education or an education task and it usually gets interpreted as we do more or we do or we make it harder.
[43:53] Neither of which actually accomplish is accomplished by when discussing rigor.
[43:59] In this way, we're working with tech coaches to create an AI chatbot that can analyze tasks for
[44:06] their complexity, their challenge, and their cognitive demand to ensure that students are being challenged appropriately at the middle school.
[44:14] Middle school math teachers are examining the intentional inclusion of spiraling content.
[44:20] As I mentioned earlier, all year long to help with the retention and
[44:24] calibrating what it means to communicate reasoning and math.
[44:27] Also at the middle school, we've been working on social studies and
[44:31] science teachers to ensure that while students are learning content,
[44:35] they are experiencing grade level texts.
[44:38] This supports informational reading done in ESFAC, in GSS, and on the SAT.
[44:45] At the high school, as you know, this will be our first year,
[44:48] our new mass glancing will go into effect, where students will now take algebra, followed
[44:53] by algebra 2 and then geometry, because there is more algebra 2 on the SAT.
[45:00] And last year, the High School of the Math Department spent an entire year re-aligning all math courses with the introduction of the pre-calculus AP course. This allowed us to ensure vertical alignment with standards, avoid overlap and intentionally integrate SAT-like questions and tools into each course. At the high school level, also this summer we spent a great deal of time also aligning the English curriculum, also intentionally embedding SAT-like questions into the curriculum.
[45:29] Integrating more grammar, and like in math, ensuring vertical alignment of standards.
[45:36] And then lastly, in this year's budget, I will be requesting a math coach at both middle and high school to help facilitate and grow achievement, because we know that this type of embedded PD is extremely effective and has produced positive outcomes for students.
[45:53] And thank you, that ends my report, and I will take you in questions.
[45:56] Mr.
[46:14] Zimmerman.
[46:15] Thank you, Chairwoman Manila.
[46:17] I'm not sure who to direct the question to, but can somebody just maybe walk us through
[46:23] really high level since we're compared to people in our dirt, kind of what that means.
[46:30] And for those of you that are sports fans, I always refer to it as we're like in the biggest
[46:35] for basketball.
[46:36] And that's who we get compared against.
[46:38] But can somebody just give us a little bit of?
[46:41] Sure, so many years ago, I couldn't even tell you when the dergs were created by the state.
[46:51] And typically, they're supposed to look at towns with similar economics, demographic,
[46:58] size, all of those types of things.
[47:01] And as a result, we have ended up in Dergby.
[47:04] I will tell you, in 2016, the state did reshuffle some of those
[47:10] dergs, no one embraced it, but they were reshuffled.
[47:14] But that is how it's determined to which derg we belong.
[47:21] But all of the towns in those dergs have shifting demographics size.
[47:26] They are very different when you look at them.
[47:30] Okay, thank you, and I should have really started with, you know, thanking everybody in the audience and all the teachers that are at home and the people that are in our classrooms every day.
[47:40] I can't imagine how hard their jobs are and how complicated it is to both teach the curriculum and also, you know, try to have us do as well as possible and, you know, things like this where we're comparing.
[47:55] I know you talked about, and this is Peterson, a little bit about how close some of the scores are.
[48:01] I mean, in a perfect world, I think we'd all like to see us at the top of every column.
[48:05] That would be really easy, and as a board member, that would feel pretty good.
[48:11] And I know that's certainly the goal, but again, I'm not sure, Mrs. Peterson, you are Dr. Carter.
[48:17] I'm assuming this is, and I was sitting next to somebody with some experience, this is really complicated.
[48:23] for us, this isn't our job, but the class size, spending, knowledge, test taking abilities.
[48:31] How many percentage of your kids actually, the students actually take the test?
[48:36] What ELL percentage?
[48:39] I mean, there's a whole bunch of factors, so if somebody were to look at this quickly and
[48:45] say, I'm looking at a chart where we're, so on page five,
[48:51] that we're, I don't know, seventh from the top, pretty good, seems various, a couple spots ahead of us.
[48:57] Looks good, without knowing everything else, I'm not sure you actually get the story that we should be getting.
[49:06] And I just want to throw out something because to me, one of the things that I would fall back on,
[49:13] because I did do a little quick review, we're spending $1,000 to $4,000 less per child.
[49:21] than every school district in our DERG.
[49:24] And just to take those numbers and put them in perspective for anybody watching,
[49:29] that's $5 to $20 million added to our to budget.
[49:33] Not that if we spend $5 million or $20 million automatically, we would rise because nobody's making that statement.
[49:39] But I'm guessing it wouldn't hurt us.
[49:42] We wouldn't be doing any worse, we might be doing a little bit better.
[49:46] I'm assuming, you know, I tried to teach a first aid, first visit class for one day, way back in the day.
[49:53] I think class size, if I had to look at all the things, if we could miraculously change class size,
[49:59] I would think that would have, you know, something to do.
[50:02] But before other people ask questions and sort of take us to the weeds, which is fun, that's what we're here for tonight.
[50:09] Can you just talk about money, classes, test-taking ability, EOL?
[50:16] I mean, did I leave something off the list?
[50:19] No, I don't think you've left something off the list, and I think what you've highlighted
[50:24] here is something that I can tell you that research would support 100 percent.
[50:29] I do not state lightly that the fact that we've been able to maintain achievement
[50:35] been over time with our type of increase enrollment is significant.
[50:40] What research would tell you is that when schools and school districts grow as quickly
[50:45] as we have, in order for the district to adapt to that kind of growth, you just typically tend
[50:50] to see dips as people are learning, as people are embracing new things in those types of factors.
[50:58] So the fact that across the level that we've been able to maintain this level of achievement,
[51:03] Well, yes, I understand that when you just quickly glance at the dirt, you might say, well, where are we in the dirt, but no other district in our dirt can claim that kind of enrollment increase and then our response to it, and I think that as a testament to the high quality teaching staff and administrators that are sitting behind us that continue to ensure that we're providing the best with what we have.
[51:30] And so, yes, when you have a number of English language learners or multilingual learners,
[51:36] when you have large class sizes, you know, some of our kindergarten classes in the past
[51:41] have had 22, 23 kiddos, and so when you think about a kindergarten class that might have 20 kiddos,
[51:48] some of those kiddos will come to the table ready to read, others will not know the difference
[51:52] between letters and numbers. And all of those things have an impact on learning
[51:57] as well as demographics, so everything that you mentioned all plays into success, as well as spending.
[52:07] When you can, I have sat in meetings before where I have heard the board talk about that many of the budgets that we've passed in the past have simply kept the wheels moving forward, not allowed us to expand our reach.
[52:22] And so those things absolutely will impact our ability to increase our numbers and
[52:28] increase the numbers of students who are meeting benchmarks for certain.
[52:31] Okay, and just one more, and then I'm done.
[52:34] Again, before I get misquoted, I do understand that we would like to be as high as possible.
[52:40] That certainly is the goal.
[52:43] Actually, I did have two quick ones.
[52:45] I did notice, and I talked to Dr. Carter yesterday, I just picked out one school district because I have a few friends who work there.
[52:50] And it looked like Simsbury was doing pretty well, and I've used them as an example.
[52:55] I'm assuming that every year you kind of look at how various other school districts are doing.
[53:01] And then, you know, whether it's the listserv or in some other way communicate to try to figure out, are they doing something that we're not?
[53:09] Or, you know, or is it, or are they in a different position than we are, but is that something that's part of the process?
[53:14] Sure, I actually have a colleague-like group that we meet twice a month and we talk about
[53:20] all of these things.
[53:22] And we share strategies.
[53:24] So for example, the idea of sequencing our math courses came from a conversation with
[53:30] our colleagues in West Hartford who had been doing that for several years.
[53:34] Many of us were like, oh my goodness, that makes perfect sense.
[53:37] And so several of us followed suit.
[53:40] So we constantly have those kind of conversations to compare strategies.
[53:47] We are certainly not trying to gatekeep, we want all children to be successful.
[53:52] So if one of us finds an assessment system, a strategy, a tool that's working, we definitely try to embrace it.
[54:01] So that's how we transferred from using the STAR assessment to using IREDI.
[54:06] the other districts in our Doug were using IWeddy, they were touting its success, the amount of information it was giving staff that allowed them to better meet student needs.
[54:17] And so I worked with Doug and some of our building administrators, and so we made that transition to a new platform as well.
[54:25] Okay, and definitely my last question, so I think we all understand that the administration gives the board a budget, the board deliberates.
[54:34] the board decides what to spend, send up to the council, ultimately the council gets to figure out the bottom line.
[54:40] I'm really kind of challenging the next council when they get the budget from the board.
[54:47] While they can't determine what stays and what doesn't stay, hopefully they'll look at the list of things where there's going to be a story.
[54:58] And then that we're going to say, hey, we need whether it's math coaches or whatever.
[55:01] Because we think we need to catch up a little bit, we need to move forward a little bit, and understand that things are different than when I went to school across the street, actually went to school here, things have changed, and to kind of understand the background of why certain things are asked for, and some of the things that we haven't been able to fund over the last few years, probably have had some effect on what we're seeing here, and we need to give the people in the audience what they need to
[55:31] need to do their job as best they can, and it's not about test scores, but it's about the kids leaving the school system in the best possible place that they can be.
[55:39] So, thank you.
[55:42] Thank you very much.
[55:43] Ms. Proya.
[55:45] Thank you very much.
[55:46] Thank you, Mrs. Peterson.
[55:49] I have a couple of questions.
[55:51] Before I get into that, I, you know, as we're about six weeks into the new school year, I just want to give credit to the administration and to the schools as we prepare for
[56:03] the new batch of testing, and into successfully navigating the beginning of the school year,
[56:10] especially with the number of kids that we have in our district, and the number of challenges that that poses, and the logistics.
[56:18] So, I just want to give credit to our schools and our administration and
[56:22] our administrators for navigating all that successfully, this beginning of the school year, shout out to PV and
[56:28] to do in an awesome job at that, but my question on page 4 and 13 when we talk about the match
[56:38] cohorts, is there a particular outlier?
[56:42] When we look at page 4, for example, the grade 5 transition between 23 and 24 and 24, 25,
[56:51] there's a significant decrease in that number from 82 to 69 percent.
[56:57] That's the first part of my question.
[57:00] And then on page 13, in comparison, especially to the ELA, the ELA scores,
[57:10] the math scores are so much more, they decrease so much more significantly
[57:15] from, over the past three years.
[57:18] Is there a particular outlier that explains those decreases in math?
[57:23] and then that particular 5th grade class into the 6th grade class on ELA.
[57:29] Sure, so I could not identify any one thing, but I'll tell you some of the things that do change from 5th grade to 6th grade.
[57:38] So here's a logistical change.
[57:41] So when 5th graders are in ELA, they have 120 instructional minutes at the Ellizmentary School for ELA in about 90 minutes of math.
[57:49] When they go to the middle school that is cut in half for ELA, they have about 60 minutes of ELA instruction and about 60 minutes of math.
[57:59] Well, we don't know 100% whether or not that is impacting those numbers, why that fifth to sixth grade dip happened.
[58:07] But it is a significant change in the amount of instructional time that students receive.
[58:13] You know, one of the things that I thought about when I did see that dip, I thought, you know, one of the things maybe we should try to employ is a fifth to sixth grade transition meeting.
[58:24] And while sixth grade teachers do receive the paper data, their principals, their curriculum people share with them, the data, I thought it might be more powerful if the actual fifth grade teachers sat in front of the sixth grade teachers and talked to them about the strengths of this class.
[58:43] that they are sending, there's very little communication between the levels.
[58:47] So while the sixth, seventh, and eighth grade teams have communication, fifth grade teachers
[58:52] almost never talked to the sixth grade team.
[58:55] And so I thought maybe we'll put in and I didn't talk about it the next steps because I think
[58:59] the principals are just hearing that idea for the first time.
[59:07] But you know, it's one of the ways in which we could use one of our early release Wednesdays
[59:11] in our fifth grade team to the middle school and engage in a collegial conversation about the
[59:16] students that they are receiving. But no, we are looking at that. It was a surprise to us,
[59:23] but we are definitely examining why that kind of shift may have happened. In terms of math,
[59:32] there are a couple of things that we're looking into in terms of what you might call the up-and-down
[59:38] nature of the math achievement. So one of the things that happens at the math in the middle
[59:44] school is we have three levels at almost every grade level. We have an accelerated two
[59:49] in sixth grade. We have accelerated one and then we have grade six of math. And we have
[59:53] lots of families and kiddos who want to be in accelerated classes, which sometimes can
[1:00:00] We can cause an imbalance of student placement in the classes. So if you're teaching grade 6 math, your continuum of learners is far greater than someone who is teaching accelerated too. And the greater the difference is in ability levels interest curiosity, the more challenging it is to meet the needs of students in those types of classes. So that's one thing. The other thing that we've noticed is that
[1:00:29] As I mentioned, the spiraling of content.
[1:00:33] A lot of times our math teachers will say some of our students have a difficult time remembering content from year to year.
[1:00:41] And so that's why we're looking at putting an intentionally spiraling content because as all of you are aware, math builds one on the other.
[1:00:51] And so if you can't remember how to do specific content or strategies in one year,
[1:00:56] then it can make it difficult to build on that in the next year.
[1:01:02] Thank you, Mrs. Peterson.
[1:01:03] You're welcome.
[1:01:07] Mrs. Smith?
[1:01:08] Thank you.
[1:01:09] So I appreciate this conversation tonight.
[1:01:12] I feel like a lot lately in public education are discussions about what is considered
[1:01:18] traditionally academic where we're having less and less of those conversations.
[1:01:22] So I appreciate this and I feel like there is a lot to unpack here.
[1:01:25] And clearly, one test score doesn't measure the success of a student or define a student,
[1:01:32] but the reality is they are important for opportunities.
[1:01:35] And we know we, as a district, the majority of our students go into college.
[1:01:40] I know there's fun new initiatives out there and things happening.
[1:01:44] But the reality is the majority are going to college.
[1:01:47] And even with many colleges being test optional, now we know SAT scores can have a huge impact on opportunity.
[1:01:54] It's not only the school that children are going to, but also scholarship opportunities.
[1:01:58] So I think it is an important discussion and I appreciate you sort of navigating all the different nuances here.
[1:02:07] And I think you touched on it, right, that the budget is a big deal.
[1:02:11] It's been a lot of years since we were able to what I feel like is really invest significantly into what we would consider traditional academics, right?
[1:02:22] And a lot of that is the enrollment and we're getting budget cuts and we have to keep the
[1:02:26] lights on and do the basics because of the enrollment.
[1:02:29] So there's a lot happening here.
[1:02:32] I know you've made a lot of very strategic moves to try to improve these scores and I really
[1:02:37] appreciate that and you touched on a lot of them tonight with the change in the curriculum
[1:02:42] shifts and the SAT questions embedded into classes.
[1:02:45] We do have that SAT prep class that's embedded into the high school and I know we've had
[1:02:50] some conversations about that and trying to improve that and I think it is an important
[1:02:54] piece, right? We have a lot of students who are athletes or who are working or have responsibilities
[1:02:59] after school or financial barriers where they can't participate in some of these SAT prep courses.
[1:03:06] So if you could just touch a little bit on are we doing anything to sort of improve what we're
[1:03:11] offering during the school day and just any other comments because I know you've made a lot of
[1:03:15] changes over the past to improve that?
[1:03:17] Sure, so with board support, we invested in some new resources to better resource those courses.
[1:03:26] We've looked at splitting it up so it wasn't just a combination course, right?
[1:03:31] So if you really needed math support and not ELA, we didn't want to force kids to sit through the ELA pieces and not the math pieces.
[1:03:40] So that's one of the pieces that we've really looked at in terms of investment.
[1:03:44] The challenge with the course sometimes can be the schedule and where it fits in a kiddo's schedule and how they make those choices and as you know, it's not a weighted course, so it doesn't contribute to a student's GPA.
[1:04:01] So really the work is with our school counselors and with our families and really increasing their understanding and the value around the course and how it supports their ability to be successful.
[1:04:15] Because really, Mr. Ryan, I talk about this all the time, if we were just looking at the number of our kiddos who get perfect scores or score at the top end of any of these assessments, even if you went back to third, fourth and fifth grade, it says performance this year.
[1:04:32] Over 40%, almost 50% of our students are scoring at the highest level, where we need more attention which things like our SAT courses are, not necessarily our highest achievers, but sometimes those kiddos who we call are on the bubble.
[1:04:50] Sometimes they hit the benchmark, sometimes they don't.
[1:04:53] And often they just need more time and support in order to do so.
[1:04:58] And so really being able to focus our efforts there would also help us.
[1:05:04] So I can tell you over many years in math, about 28 to 30 percent of our kiddos end up being level two.
[1:05:14] Right?
[1:05:14] So they're right below where we need them to be in that level three.
[1:05:18] And that requires more support in order to improve their outcomes.
[1:05:25] I'll mention something else that becomes a challenge.
[1:05:29] So for example, many high schools in our DERC have an academic support resource center.
[1:05:34] And I've talked about this with our high school principals.
[1:05:38] The challenge there isn't that we don't believe in it, it's where do we put it?
[1:05:43] And so there are a variety, and we're trying to be creative and think of novel ways to maybe use study halls differently and to use that as a place where we can provide support for students when things don't nicely fit into their schedule like the SAT course might, but the space is a challenge.
[1:06:03] We already are maxed out, as you know, at the high schools.
[1:06:07] So looking for a way to support students within the school day can be challenging.
[1:06:13] But we are definitely exploring ways in which to do that.
[1:06:21] Ms. Kimber, just a couple of questions.
[1:06:24] So going off, well at first I'd like to thank you so much for your presentation.
[1:06:29] Thank you.
[1:06:30] But going off of Mrs. Espin's question on SAT, could you let us know and let parents know what is offered during the school day?
[1:06:41] There's one class that's offered or a couple of classes or can you tell us, like if I'm to come in as a parent and want to have that resource for my student, what grade is it offered and just tell a little bit about that?
[1:06:54] So, then if I get it wrong, you can correct me.
[1:06:57] So, 10th grade is the target year where we like to target this piece.
[1:07:04] And what we try to offer are three different versions of a course.
[1:07:08] One is a combo course, and that's for kiddos who need support in both the literacy side
[1:07:13] of the SAT and the math.
[1:07:15] And then the other two courses are ones that are specifically focused on students who need
[1:07:20] math support, and then the other one is for students who need literacy support.
[1:07:25] Are these classes filling up when you're offering them?
[1:07:29] I would not say no, they are not at capacity.
[1:07:32] Okay.
[1:07:32] And I'd also like to know about if, so are there after school courses available for students that want to study after school?
[1:07:43] I believe there is an after school course, but I don't want to misspeak, but I believe it's for a fee.
[1:07:49] If I'm not mistaken.
[1:07:51] Okay. And then are there any other supports throughout the school day that are offered?
[1:07:55] Or do they just work with counselors and teachers?
[1:07:58] Work with counselors, work with teachers.
[1:08:00] I mean, the assessment and I talk about this all the time, right?
[1:08:03] The best way in which to support SAT growth is not necessarily through these courses.
[1:08:09] These are kind of courses to help you with test taking skills, to make you familiarized with the tools.
[1:08:13] So it is a completely different assessment than what students have taken since they were in third grade.
[1:08:19] So it's really a way of kind of preparing those little pieces.
[1:08:25] What we really want to do is ensure that our curriculum across the grade.
[1:08:30] So for example, one of the things that we know impacts our student scores I talked about this last year is grammar.
[1:08:37] We went and looked back in the curriculum.
[1:08:39] We were not doing as well as we could specifically teaching grammar.
[1:08:45] But we can't start that in ninth grade, right?
[1:08:47] So that means going back and looking at what's happening, K5, 678, so that when students get to the high school,
[1:08:56] they might be looking and applying more advanced grammar skills, but it has to be continuously taught and
[1:09:04] reinforced throughout the grade levels, and it takes time to see the impact of that work.
[1:09:13] Thank you. And then one other question, as far as the rollout goes of changing the course
[1:09:18] surround from algebra to geometry, are you fine? Well, this is the year you're doing that, right?
[1:09:24] So how are you doing that with teachers? Are they teaching, they're just teaching different grades?
[1:09:29] Or could you just explain how that rollout is working?
[1:09:31] Yeah, no. So people are typically, I mean, every year there is some movement in what people teach.
[1:09:35] It's really just how we offer core sequencing.
[1:09:38] So let's say if you leave TE and you've already taken algebra, typically what you would
[1:09:46] have taken in 9th grade would have been geometry and in 10th grade you would have taken algebra
[1:09:52] 2.
[1:09:53] But what we've discovered is that there is more algebra 2 on the SAT than there is geometry.
[1:09:59] Geometry is probably the smallest portion of the SAT math side.
[1:10:04] And so students in 11th grade take the SAT in March.
[1:10:09] So if you're taking Algebra 2 in March, when you're taking the SAT,
[1:10:15] it means there's almost a third of the curriculum you have not yet even been exposed to.
[1:10:21] And so it would make it very difficult for you to be successful.
[1:10:26] Unless you were in an accelerated path, which is what we see that our accelerated students are doing much better on these assessments.
[1:10:34] But they've had exposure to all of the content prior to the assessment.
[1:10:39] So it's really just in the way in which we recommend what your next course sequence will be.
[1:10:44] Thank you very much for that.
[1:10:45] Of course,
[1:10:50] Mr. Mackie, sir.
[1:10:52] Yeah, I just wanted to say with all due respect, I think Greg and Tracy forgot one thing that has to go into the testing scores.
[1:11:02] is we're kind of forgetting that the student's behavior goes into it.
[1:11:07] In addition to teacher burnout goes into it.
[1:11:09] In addition to the culture and the environment that the kids are actually learning in.
[1:11:14] As much as we want to say, it's just about the work and school and all that.
[1:11:18] Kids aren't learning if they aren't enjoying the class or the teacher's not doing a good job.
[1:11:22] The teacher's not happy and those things aren't happening.
[1:11:25] So I'm not saying that that affects our scores here.
[1:11:27] But I think there is something to be said about the environment that the school has.
[1:11:32] And in addition to that, the way the kids act these days.
[1:11:36] And it is a little bit different than maybe it was when Dr. Carter first got here 15 years ago.
[1:11:42] So I think that's something that can be part of an intangible into our scores.
[1:11:48] I would not disagree with that statement at all.
[1:11:52] So for example, when I talked about shifting priorities several years ago,
[1:11:56] So, as you know, we brought in a social and emotional learning curriculum called ruler.
[1:12:02] Because, post-pandemic, it was very clear, it was probably happening even before the pandemic,
[1:12:08] but I think the pandemic probably exacerbated the problem that students were not coming to school with school appropriate behaviors at all time where they were having difficult time regulating their emotions or they didn't know how to solve problems or work with each other.
[1:12:23] So part of our work always starts with the learning environment.
[1:12:27] We always talk about have we created the conditions that require learning to occur.
[1:12:33] And while that doesn't come up maybe in this conversation, it underlies everything that we do.
[1:12:40] So every single one of our buildings, they have goals around creating a learning environment that
[1:12:46] is conducive to student achievement, along with school climate work that they've been partnered
[1:12:51] with Dr. Sands of this year as a result of the state legislation to ensure, so we agree 100% that the environment student behaviors are ability staff wellness, so even in our plans this year we were really focused on student wellness and how we were helping students, but we expanded that to ensure that we were also paying attention to staff wellness, Dr. Carter always says that if the adults are in a good place,
[1:13:21] than the students won't be in a good place, and so we've really made it a priority to balance both of those things so that we can make the kind of academic achievement and progress that we'd like to make.
[1:13:35] And I just think that that's, it goes back to our budget conversation.
[1:13:37] All of this kind of comes back to, exactly what Mrs. Smith is saying about having small class sizes.
[1:13:42] That's not going to happen if we continue to cut the budget.
[1:13:46] All those things aren't going to happen if we don't continue to support fully support education, which our own town did not do.
[1:13:53] So as the conversation I know in my district, we are starting to give our people our budgets and our requests.
[1:13:59] So I know Chris's favorite time of year is starting up soon.
[1:14:03] So as this, and we need to keep this conversation going so that it's not a surprise when we come to January and we're having this conversation and saying we can't cut the budget, we can't cut the budget, we can't cut the budget, we can't cut the, well, here's why.
[1:14:15] And if you want test scores to be good, we can't only fund the things that are fun.
[1:14:20] We have to also put in the work and fund the programs and the teachers and
[1:14:24] all those extra support things so that we can have smaller class sizes.
[1:14:28] So we can have the resources that actually are benefiting the students and all that.
[1:14:33] So, thank you.
[1:14:36] Ms. Kaya.
[1:14:38] Thank you, Mrs. Peterson.
[1:14:39] I recently came across a study conducted by MIT, if I correctly believe, it clearly showed
[1:14:48] demonstrated the correlation between participation in competitive math and high SIT math scores.
[1:14:58] and it is not
[1:15:00] What about the, you know, kids who are stronger in math, take competitions, but, you know, the study
[1:15:07] was, it took a random sample of tools and put them, you know, in the, on the math team,
[1:15:12] and eventually saw increased SIT scores. Do we know, like, why, or if we can use? It's so
[1:15:23] So interesting that I have not seen that study, but most recently Ms. Anglia, our math curriculum
[1:15:30] specialist has just created, or we've talked about, I'm not sure if she's implemented yet,
[1:15:35] but a survey to find out what other things do our students do, not just in the school but
[1:15:42] outside of the classroom.
[1:15:43] So are they on the competitive math teams?
[1:15:46] Do they take outside math courses?
[1:15:48] We really want to have a better understanding of who is the student and
[1:15:54] what kind of experiences does that student have in order to allow them to achieve at high levels.
[1:16:00] And then our goal becomes, how do we replicate that within our schools for as many of our students as possible?
[1:16:14] That's a car.
[1:16:15] I just wanted to touch on a few things because there's been a theme here about investing in our schools and
[1:16:21] And the outcomes that we might see in not just academics, but programming in ways that we support kids in lots of ways and I'm proud to be part of a district that really does commit to the whole child, not just the test scores, but all the ways that we support kids so that they can go on to have fulfilling careers and be successful in college career in the workplace.
[1:16:42] And since we keep referring to my 15 years, I will say in my 15 years, you will not find a tape of a meeting where I have said that South Windsor is underfunded or under resourced.
[1:16:57] I've never said it.
[1:16:59] I have always felt that we were supported and had the resources we need.
[1:17:03] Would more resources have always been better all along, of course, right?
[1:17:07] But you've never heard me say that we were underfunded or under resourced as a school district.
[1:17:13] Which is why when I am sounding the alarm bell this evening, as many of you have,
[1:17:18] I say it as someone who has not sounded that alarm bell in the past, not even once in 15 years.
[1:17:23] And I am very worried about the trajectory that we're on because if we're not keeping pace with enrollment,
[1:17:30] which is the bare minimum, if we're not keeping pace with enrollment, we're really going backwards.
[1:17:35] We're removing programs, we're removing resources, which is not something I've seen happen in South Windsor over my period here, but I am worried about the trajectory last year.
[1:17:47] We did not, the budget itself did not keep pace with enrollment, but we were able to supplement it with reserves.
[1:17:53] That is not a long-term strategy, that is not a physically responsible strategy.
[1:17:57] So, I am sounding the alarm bell, I am very concerned about our trajectory because more kids are coming and if we can't pay for the kids we have, I don't know what we're going to do when 400 more kids come to our high school.
[1:18:12] And I will say, again, having never sounded the alarm before, I will piggyback on some of the things that have been alluded to this evening and that is, we've looked at a lot of dirt rankings in this.
[1:18:25] There's only one dirt ranking, only one, where we are dead last, dead last, and that is investments in our per-people spending.
[1:18:35] That's where we are dead last. And we have been dead last for multiple years. And so I just want to put that out there as someone who has never sounded the alarm bell, but I am now because I'm just very worried that it's very hard to catch up.
[1:18:52] As you know in your own household budgets, if you don't keep pace and you let the bills stack up it becomes very overwhelming.
[1:19:00] And so I'm just wanting to say that I'm hearing all the things that board members, I've heard many of you say you want the district to move forward, you want to make investments in new programs above and beyond what we're doing now.
[1:19:12] And at this point, I am worried about just maintaining what we have now, let alone make investments to improve things for our students and families.
[1:19:22] So, I just, I think it is telling that there's only one drug ranking where we're dead last and I think that's something we have to remember.
[1:19:34] Anybody else?
[1:19:36] We want to follow Dr. Kara on that one.
[1:19:38] Okay, all right, that's her.
[1:19:40] Next on your report.
[1:19:43] Yes, so much happier topic.
[1:19:45] We are in front of you is the memo from Mr. Leroy regarding the graduation date at Dunkin' Donuts Park.
[1:19:53] As a reminder, there's a reason why we adopt the graduation date this early, and that is due to statute that says once you've established your date, regardless of how many snow days or things that may happen in the year, you can keep that date if you've already approved the date.
[1:20:10] It can't be any earlier than 180, but if we should have snow days and it were to happen before 180, as long as we had approved the board had approved the date, then you're allowed to maintain that date.
[1:20:21] And that is much more important for districts like ourselves that are too large to be able to host their own graduation.
[1:20:29] If you have it, if you're hosting it, we can move things around.
[1:20:32] If you're booking a date with Duncan Donuts Park, well, if the team's back in town, that's going to take priority over our graduation.
[1:20:40] So we book the dates in now so that we can secure that, so that families can plan and that we can align our date with the week when the yard goats are away and
[1:20:50] not playing in Hartford.
[1:20:52] So the date that's being proposed to you is Tuesday, June 16th, with a rain day of Wednesday, June 17th.
[1:21:01] Mr. Mackie, sir.
[1:21:04] I move to approve the Southlands or high school class of 2026 graduation date as Tuesday, June 16th, 2026, with the rain date of Wednesday, June 17th, 2026.
[1:21:15] Seconded.
[1:21:23] There's a lot of things that we do well in this school district, but I've got to tell you that as somebody who was here when we tasked the administration with, you know, go out and review what's possible.
[1:21:35] So they actually came back to us and did a full review of every facility I'm guessing within an hour of South Windsor and they looked at all the pros and cons and I got to tell you I think we've hit I'm not going to do the sports thing.
[1:21:51] I think we found the place I'm really glad that we plan early. I'm really glad that we have a great relationship with the people at Duncan.
[1:21:59] So, you know, we're probably the first to commit and get the choice spot, but of all the things we do as a way to kind of honor the seniors, I can't imagine a better place.
[1:22:12] So, thank you again to Dr. Carter and Mr. Leroy and the whole administration for getting this buttoned up so early.
[1:22:19] Thank you.
[1:22:20] A.V.S. Will comments?
[1:22:23] All in favor?
[1:22:24] All right.
[1:22:25] Post.
[1:22:27] We have a date.
[1:22:30] Next.
[1:22:31] Oh, you're leaving?
[1:22:33] Poor Dr. Sanzo.
[1:22:35] It's Dr. Sanzo's moment.
[1:22:37] This happens every year, by the way.
[1:22:39] Administrators.
[1:22:45] Dr. Curry, next I hear this.
[1:22:49] At this time, I turn things over to Dr. Sanzo.
[1:22:52] I was going to thank them for all their involvement in the hiring process.
[1:22:56] But thank you, Mr. Lee Roy, thank you, Dr. Carter, and good evening, Chairwoman Manila, members of the board.
[1:23:05] In your packet this evening, you'll find three reports.
[1:23:07] Two hiring status reports highlighting our newly hired, certified and
[1:23:13] non-certified staff for this school year, as well as a personnel report summarizing a handful of
[1:23:19] resignations that occurred over the summer.
[1:23:21] As the report showed, South Windsor continues to be a district that attracts high quality and experience educators.
[1:23:30] This year we're proud to welcome two new administrators, 40 new teachers and
[1:23:35] 27 new non-certified staff members who are serving in a wide range of roles,
[1:23:41] including parent educators, safety officers, LPNs and behavior and family engagement specialists.
[1:23:47] Each of these individuals brings a unique set of skills, experiences and
[1:23:52] perspectives that are already strengthening our schools and benefiting our students.
[1:23:58] As I conclude, I wanted to thank Mr. Leroy, the only remaining administrator.
[1:24:03] And the other administrators, teachers, support staff, and we even have students as part of our process that play a role in hiring and onboarding our staff this year.
[1:24:14] From recruitment events to interview committees, mentorship, feedback on sample demo lessons,
[1:24:20] their contributions do make a difference.
[1:24:23] Attracting and retaining outstanding educators is truly a collective effort.
[1:24:27] And I'm grateful for all, including this board, who continue to support this important work.
[1:24:33] And that'll conclude my personal and hiring reports for this event.
[1:24:36] You're a nice job, Mr. Sanzo.
[1:24:37] Thank you very much, Sherwin, and Mary.
[1:24:40] Even if nobody's listening.
[1:24:41] All right.
[1:24:44] Next, we have a personal report.
[1:24:47] Dr. Carter, I think you did well, and before I turn, this goes back to Dr. Sanzo.
[1:24:52] But I just want to recognize Dr. Sanzo, as you can imagine, hiring 40 teachers and
[1:24:57] administrators and non-certified staff.
[1:24:59] All of those things fall under his umbrella on top of all the other things that he does,
[1:25:06] which is quite extensive.
[1:25:07] So he makes it look easy, but it is quite a heavy lift to be bringing on that many new staff members into a district.
[1:25:16] So I thank you for all your hard work with that.
[1:25:20] And now I will turn things over to you for your personal report.
[1:25:23] Can we say anything?
[1:25:24] Yes, is it a minute?
[1:25:25] Dr. Carter, could you just talk to about how many people we hired, but can we just, and again, I'm not looking for exact figures.
[1:25:32] But I don't want the public to think that we added a net of 40 something.
[1:25:37] It's even more complicated than that because, but can you?
[1:25:40] Yes.
[1:25:40] So, new staff can be replacing people who moved, resignations, retirements.
[1:25:46] So, those aren't additional positions, some are.
[1:25:49] But, mostly that is replacing people that have moved on either through resignation or through retirements.
[1:25:56] Okay, now Mrs. Hanzo.
[1:25:58] Thank you.
[1:25:58] So, for example, there were six resignations over the summer.
[1:26:01] some of those were new hires that I just spoke to were replacements for those positions.
[1:26:07] And that will conclude my personal report.
[1:26:11] Thank you, all right, next under, I'm finishing new business, Mr. Marks.
[1:26:18] Thank you, I moved to approve the Board of Education in 2026 meeting calendar as presented.
[1:26:24] How second?
[1:26:25] Any questions?
[1:26:27] All in favor?
[1:26:29] Opposed?
[1:26:30] Motion carries.
[1:26:32] Ms. Brown.
[1:26:36] Move to approve the FY-2027 budget guidelines that's presented.
[1:26:42] Second.
[1:26:44] Mrs. O'Meane.
[1:26:45] Yep, last time I'm going to talk today.
[1:26:47] I think this is a really important document, and maybe, Dr. Carter, you can, if you could maybe just,
[1:26:53] I love when you explain that you only ask for what you think.
[1:26:59] You know, what we need, and there's some, there's some review of what you think the community might be able to afford, but if people look at this document, this is what the Board's job is.
[1:27:13] Right, your job and the Board's job, and it's to provide the Board with the correct budget for what our needs are.
[1:27:20] That's the Board's job. The Council's job is totally separate, sometimes not everybody fully understands.
[1:27:27] Council can do what the Council wants to do, but your job and the Board's job is to send to the Council.
[1:27:33] You know, what you legitimately think we need. And if it has an effect on spending or it has an effect on taxes,
[1:27:43] you know, you need to do your job and the Board needs to do its job. But do I have that reasonably
[1:27:47] I would say that we would never put forth a budget that contains all the things that we think would be helpful.
[1:28:03] I'm a realist in what we put forward, so I never put forth a budget that doesn't also contemplate the impact on the taxpayer.
[1:28:12] That is not something I would do in a vacuum.
[1:28:15] I consider that one of my major responsibilities.
[1:28:18] But I also know we owe it to the taxpayer to be direct and honest with them about what the needs are and what the costs are.
[1:28:25] And we also owe it to our property owners to help maintain their property values which are very high right now in large part because people are coming to South Windsor for the schools.
[1:28:38] And, you know, for those taxpayers that are paying in hefty taxes, there's no question about that.
[1:28:45] It's also an investment in their property and the worst thing that could happen is for
[1:28:51] our taxpayers who have been dutifully paying higher taxes in light of the increased enrollment.
[1:28:57] Only for them when they come time to sell their home, that we've allowed the school district to erode.
[1:29:03] And then they're not getting the return on the investment that they've made.
[1:29:07] And hopefully, many of our taxpayers understand that their taxes are an investment in their property that hopefully one day they will be able to sell at a price that helps support their next chapter, whatever that may be.
[1:29:22] So I would never present, my view isn't, I'm here to advocate and don't worry about the consequences to that.
[1:29:30] It is a very thoughtful process, in fact, last year especially, but in previous years board members have said they wished I came in higher.
[1:29:38] They wish that I would put forth what the true needs are versus what I might think is practical, and I try to strike that balance every year.
[1:29:49] Mr.
[1:29:55] Marks.
[1:29:55] Thank you.
[1:30:00] I guess this is an election around the corner and in general. You may talk about the $1.35 million cut that we had to our budget and kind of how it would next year we're already starting in a whole. And how we have to backfill that. So I guess we're kind of out of the magic route of the bag of tracks in the future. We might have to unfortunately start making some programmatic or other cuts that no one wants to see. I know especially this board and a future board.
[1:30:26] Yes. I mean, certainly when we put together the budget,
[1:30:29] this year, we will also have information about what's been asked for and has not yet been funded.
[1:30:35] So sort of like what is stacking up and waiting for their opportunity?
[1:30:42] You know, I've had educators say to me, gee, we haven't been able to get this resource for three or four years, should we just not ask for it?
[1:30:50] And my message is no, if this is a legitimate need that we can defend that is important for our students and families, then you should request it.
[1:30:58] It doesn't mean that I'm going to even present it to the board, or that the board wouldn't even adopt it, but we really should make sure everyone has all the information about the needs.
[1:31:08] You are correct that last year we were able to use reserves to make up for the $1.3 million reduction, but that is not something that we can sustain every year.
[1:31:19] We were very fortunate, this board in previous boards have been excellent stewards of our reserve accounts.
[1:31:25] And because of that, we were able to close the gap last year to just maintain our current level of service.
[1:31:33] Many of you recall, I remember board members expressing their disappointment in that when you looked at the budget last year.
[1:31:40] It didn't move things forward, there weren't new programs, there weren't new investments.
[1:31:43] We're really just trying to protect the services that we currently have.
[1:31:49] So we will certainly, many of those things that you saw last year,
[1:31:54] that the things that didn't even make my proposal, and then the things that we had to take out will certainly be part of the presentation this year.
[1:32:03] Thank you.
[1:32:09] Mr. Zeman,
[1:32:13] the budget review.
[1:32:14] Thank you.
[1:32:17] Oh, all in favor?
[1:32:19] Hi.
[1:32:20] Opposed?
[1:32:25] Motion passes.
[1:32:27] Okay.
[1:32:28] I'd like to move to approve the fiscal year 2027 budget review schedule is presented.
[1:32:33] Okay.
[1:32:34] Any questions?
[1:32:37] Comments?
[1:32:39] All in favor?
[1:32:40] Aye.
[1:32:41] Opposed?
[1:32:43] Okay.
[1:32:43] That motion carries, sir.
[1:32:46] Next.
[1:32:46] Community post.
[1:32:47] I don't know early for that, but does anybody have anything from the committee?
[1:32:53] I have a report from Capital Projects.
[1:32:57] I just wanted to let you know what we met on Wednesday, September 17th to discuss the completed projects and possible future projects.
[1:33:05] The completed projects were from the fiscal year 2025,
[1:33:09] include veterans, memorial park covers, they came in under budget.
[1:33:14] Buckland Road pavement, police department elevator, which also completed under budget.
[1:33:19] and the PRS Elementary School Portables that were under budget, and there were two classrooms made for 125 more students.
[1:33:29] Expecting grant reimbursements for the TMS school roof.
[1:33:34] And Ellsworth School Elevator is that correct, that?
[1:33:38] And child grants submitted, were submitted in May, and local pay being circa 2019, Kelly Road.
[1:33:45] And we are planning to ask for, this is Tremorca, you could let me know if this is correct.
[1:33:53] But Auditorium lighting upgrade, high school front sidewalk replacement,
[1:33:58] now is worth Jim Roof replacement for the next year.
[1:34:02] Those were the items that we asked for for this year's budget, two of them were approved.
[1:34:07] So those projects will be done in this current fiscal year, which is the,
[1:34:10] now is worth Jim Roof and the sidewalk paving.
[1:34:13] Perfect, thank you so much.
[1:34:16] Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
[1:34:18] Next, we have hearing visitors.
[1:34:22] Anybody like to come and talk?
[1:34:24] Okay.
[1:34:25] Next.
[1:34:29] I'd love to hear you if you wanted to talk.
[1:34:32] Next, we have an I answer future agendas.
[1:34:38] Next, we have a German.
[1:34:39] I have a motion.
[1:34:41] I have a second.
[1:34:42] All in favor.
[1:34:44] We are adjourned.
[1:34:45] Thank you.