LWV OBSERVER REPORT FORM

Board or Commission: West Hartford Board of Education

Date of Meeting: September 2, 2008

Members present: All

Nature of meeting Routine __X_____ Special_____________

Called to order (time): 7:05 pm Adjourned (time): 9:40 pm

Action taken:

The principal agenda items were approval of final plans for the addition at Bugbee School and a briefing on the opening of school.

Bugbee Construction

The capital budget for FY 2008-09 contains $3.6 million for new classrooms, existing space renovation, and fire code improvements at Bugbee School, which is currently at capacity with enrollment projected to grow. Construction costs have increased dramatically since approval of this item in February, and final plans therefore call for a 4-classroom addition, versus the 6 originally contemplated. Furthermore, because enrollment at Bugbee for the current school year has come in lower than projected by about 30 students, board members questioned both the size of the addition and whether it is needed at all. Director of Finance and Planning Chip Ward indicated that he will be updating long term enrollment projections once final current figures are in and will present them at the second October board meeting. In order to give itself the flexibility to respond to these updated projections, the board decided to approve the plans so they can be filed with the state and put out to bid, but amended the resolution to specify that awarding of the final contract will require board approval. The board also stipulated that bids should be obtained for expected completion by both fall 2008 and fall 2009. The latter date would eliminate the need for expensive winter construction.

Opening of School

West Hartford schools opened without major problems on September 2 with approximately 9,900 K-12 students and another 220 enrolled in district-run preschools. About 10 of the 224 elementary sections are at the maximum size allowed under the higher guidelines (24 K-3, 28 4-5) adopted after defeat of the town budget in the June referendum. 95 new teachers, including 37 former West Hartford students, were hired from a pool of over 2,500 applicants.

Over the summer, work was done on the District Improvement Plan, on ongoing curriculum revision, and teacher training was conducted for the new International Baccalaureate program at Charter Oak. 130 students from Smith and Charter Oak participated in the Summer Connections program designed to improve reading comprehension, 140 K-5 townwide students attended Summer Academy for ESOL aimed at enhancing literacy skills among students learning English, and 19 middle schoolers at risk of retention took Summer Prep (18 passed). Tuition-funded summer school enrolled 914 high school students first semester, 736 second semester, and over 420 in the K-8 program.

Numerous facilities and technology projects were also completed over the summer, most notably completion of the roof replacement and removal of asbestos floor tiles at Wolcott, repair of crumbling facades at Charter Oak and Morley, installation of 2 portable at Braeburn, and new electronic video/buzzer access systems at the main entrances at all elementary schools except Webster Hill.

New programs this year include K-2 Spanish at 4 schools, partially grant-funded, so that all West Hartford elementaries now offer K-5 World Language (French at Norfeldt, Spanish elsewhere). Webster Hill opens a full-day preschool, staffed with certified teachers and funded through tuition and grants like the existing programs at Smith and Charter Oak.

Also new this year is the company providing bus transportation to approximately 6,000 students.

First Student will provide by December 1 all new buses manufactured in 2008 and equipped with digital video/audio monitoring systems, a child check switch in the rear indicating the driver has walked the length of the bus checking for students, and Global Positioning systems.

The next board meeting will be held September 16 at 7:00 pm in room 314 at Town Hall.

Observer name: Kathy Wilson