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LWV OBSERVER REPORT FORM Board or Commission: West Hartford Board of Education Date of Meeting: November 18, 2008 Members present: All but Diane Mudge and Harry Captain Nature of meeting Routine ___X____ Special_____________ Called to order (time): 7:05 p.m. Adjourned (time): 8:36 p.m. Action taken: The main items on the agenda were board policies in the 5000 series and a report on extended day programs at Charter Oak and Smith. The board unanimously accepted the following policies which were reviewed by the Policy Subcommittee and revised in minor ways where appropriate: 5630 Health Assessments, 5640 Emergency Treatment, 5660.10, HIV Human Immuno Deficiency Virus and AIDS Immunodeficiency Syndrome– Exemption, 5691 Sexual Harassment Policy, 5800 School Attendance Lines. The revisions were generally aimed at bringing policy language into conformity with state statute. The board unanimously accepted as a first reading the following policies that received more substantial revisions from the subcommittee: 5650 Communicable Diseases, 5660 Students with HIV, ARC (Aids Related Complex) or AIDS, 5670 Insurance, and 5680 Reporting Child Abuse. Charter Oak Principal Mary Thompson, Charter Oak Assistant Principal Scott Nierendorf, Smith Principal Dolores Bolton, and Smith Assistant Principal Rob Arciero reported on extended day programs at their schools. Research has shown that such programs benefit students, but no specific results were presented for Charter Oak and Smith. Charter Oak’s program served a total of 250 students last year and has two components. "Extended Learning" provides an hour of small-group instruction by certified teachers in reading and math twice a week to students in grades 2-5 who have been referred by their teachers. "Explorations" is an enrichment program open to all students at all grade levels that covers a wide variety of topics in 6-week sessions from December to May. Smith’s program is new this year and has served 49 students so far, with space for 80 more. It consists of a 40-minute homework center that concentrates on core academics, followed by one-hour projects focused on a variety of math, science and technology topics. Both programs meet in the afternoon after school. The financial statement for the period ending October 31 projects a $5,000 General Fund balance as of year end, meaning that expenses are running extremely close to budget. The district is prohibited from operating at a deficit. The next board meeting will take place December 2 at 7:00 p.m. in room 314 at Town Hall. Observer name: Kathy Wilson |