CABE Journal - March 2016

Vol. 20, No. 3 MARCH 2016

w w w . c a b e . o r g

Connecticut Associationof Boards of Education Inc.81 Wolcott Hill RoadWethersfield, CT 06109-1242

PeriodicalPostage

PAIDHartford, CT

www.facebook.com/ConnecticutAssociationBoardsEducation

FamilyMedicalLeave Act

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2017ConventionLocationChoosen

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Imagine your whole communityfocused on one or more challengingissues, such as cradle-to-career concerns.Could your school district, nonprofitorganizations and for-profit businesses,the city or town government, religiousleaders and their congregations, founda-tions, service organizations and hospitals,all unite behind a set of core valuesfocused on the same goals and coordinat-ing, communicating and collaborating forsuccess?

See You inCourt

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Center forPublic Ed.Focuses onEquity

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Spotlighton Best

PracticesEditor’s Note: CABE is very excited tocontinue its series on “Best Practices thatLead and Inspire”. Please send us yourBest Practices and they might be pub-lished in the CABE Journal. This monthwe are highlighting –

Meriden

Dr. Renzullion GiftedEducation

Robert RaderExecutive Director, CABE

Program Title:Data Systems to Improve Student andTalent Growth

Categories that best describe yourprogram:

• Curriculum/Student Achievement• School Climate• Technology

Grade Levels:All Grade Levels

CABE HonorsBonnie Carney

Bonnie Carney,CABE’s Senior StaffAssociate for Publica-tions, was recentlyhonored for her 45years of service toCABE. To commemo-rate this significantmilestone and create alasting tribute to Bonnie, the CABE

Robert RaderExecutive Director, CABEPatrice A. McCarthyDeputy Director and General Counsel, CABE

Bob: Tell usabout GiftedEducation, Dr.Renzulli.

Dr. Renzulli:Gifted Educationis really a branchof specialeducation where

See RENZULLI page 8

See SPOTLIGHT page 2

See CABE HONORS page2

Bridgeport Uses CollectiveImpact to Address Challenges:

Should You?Robert RaderExecutive Director, CABE

See BRIDGEPORT page 13

Bridgeport is doing exactly that. And,while the effort is still relatively young, ithas given new hope to a community thathas long searched for ways to pull in thesame direction.

Collective Impact is different from thetypes of collaborations that we have seenin the past. Collective Impact initiativesinvolve a centralized infrastructure, astrong backbone organization, and ashared process that leads to a commonagenda, shared measurement, continuouscommunication and mutually reinforcingactivities among all participants.

Here are the “Five Conditions of Col-lective Success” according to a StanfordSocial Innovation Review article:

Dr. Joseph S. Renzulliwe try to accom-modate particulartraits or characteristics of students. Theway I approach gifted education is a littledifferent from the “you have to be labeledgifted before we can provide any ser-vices.”

I recommend some general enrichmentexperiences for all kids. The ways inwhich kids respond to those experiencesdetermines exactly the kinds of follow-upsupport services that we might provide. Ithink the best analogy or metaphor for itis what any good band director or anygood athletic coach does. They don’t say:“don’t come out for the basketball teamunless you’re such and such a height.”

Rather, they say “come out and let ussee what you can do and then will see ifthere is a way that we can use anddevelop your talent.” In psychometricterms, this is called performance-basedassessment (as opposed to test-basedassessment).

I have always argued that giftedness isin the response; it’s not in the stimulus.It’s what we do with kids when theyrespond in highly positive ways in alearning opportunity or situation. In my

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEEAnn Gruenberg .................................................. President, HamptonRobert Mitchell ................................ First Vice President, MontvilleDonald Harris ................ VP for Government Relations, BloomfieldElizabeth Brown ....... VP for Professional Development, WaterburyElaine Whitney .................................. Secretary/Treasurer, WestportRichard Murray ........................ Immediate Past President, KillinglyJohn Prins ............................................. Member at Large. BranfordLydia Tedone ........................................... NSBA Director, Simsbury

AREA DIRECTORSJonathan Moore ................................ Area 1 Co-Director, Region 1Susan Karp ................................... Area 2 Co-Director, GlastonburyDonald Harris ................................. Area 2 Co-Director, BloomfieldMichael Purcaro ...................................... Area 3 Director, EllingtonDouglas Smith ........................................ Area 4 Director, PlainfieldMichelle Embree Ku .............................. Area 5 Director, NewtownJennifer Dayton ............................. Area 6 Co-Director, GreenwichRoxane McKay ............................. Area 7 Co-Director, WallingfordLon Seidman .................................................Area 8 Director, EssexAndrea Ackerman ..................................... Area 9 Director, Groton

ASSOCIATESEileen Baker .............................................. Associate, Old SaybrookSharon Beloin-Saavedra .............................. Associate, New BritainRobert Guthrie .............................................. Associate, West HavenRobert Trefry ........... Associate, CT Technical High School System

COMMITTEE CHAIRSDonald Harris ......................... Chair, Federal Relations, BloomfieldBecky Tyrrell ...................................... Chair, Resolutions, PlainvilleChristopher Wilson ........................... Chair, State Relations, Bristol

CITY REPRESENTATIVESMatthew Poland ................................ City Representative, HartfordCarlos Torre .................................. City Representative, New HavenCharles Stango ............................... City Representative, Waterbury

STAFFRobert Rader ....................................................................... Executive DirectorPatrice McCarthy .................................. Deputy Director and General CounselRebecca Adams ............................................................... Senior Staff AttorneyBonnie Carney ............................................ Sr. Staff Associate for PublicationsNicholas Caruso ............................................ Sr. Staff Assoc. for Field Service and Coord. of TechnologySheila McKay ............................. Sr. Staff Associate for Government RelationsVincent Mustaro ..................................... Sr. Staff Associate for Policy ServiceLisa Steimer .............................. Sr. Staff Assoc. for Professional DevelopmentTeresa Costa .................................. Coordinator of Finance and AdministrationPamela Brooks ......................... Sr. Admin. Assoc. for Policy Ser. /Search Ser.Terry DeMars ............................................... Admin. Assoc. for Policy ServiceGail Heath ........................................ Admin. Assoc. for Government RelationsWilmarie Newton ........................................ Admin. Assoc. for Labor RelationsNancy Propfe ................................. Admin. Assistant for Membership ServicesCorliss Ucci .................................. Receptionist/Asst. to the Executive Director

Ann Gruenberg

2 The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education/March 2016

PRESIDENT COMMENTARY

CABE Board of Directors

Adjusting as Needed

Vision: CABE is passionate about strengtheningpublic education through high-performing,

transformative local school board/superintendentleadership teams that inspire success for each child.

Mission: To assist local and regional boards of educationin providing high quality education for all

Connecticut children through effective leadership.

The CABE Journal (ISSN 1092-1818) is published monthly except acombined issue for July/August as a member service of the Connecti-cut Association of Boards of Education, 81 Wolcott Hill Road,Wethersfield, CT 06109, (860) 571-7446. CABE membership duesinclude $30 per person for each individual who receives The CABEJournal. The subscription rate for nonmembers is $75. Associationmembership dues include a subscription for each board member,superintendent, assistant superintendent and business manager. Thecompanies and advertisements found in The CABE Journal are notnecessarily endorsed by CABE. “Periodicals Postage Paid at Hartford,CT.” POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The CABE Journal,CABE, 81 Wolcott Hill Road, Wethersfield, CT 06109-1242. Email:[email protected] can find the CABE Journal online at: https://www.cabe.org/userlogin.cfm?pp=1024&userrequest=false&keyrequest=YES

March weather is famously unpredictable. Whether itbegins like a lion or lamb, it is certain to present variety.This has been an unusual winter in terms of weather. Aswe all know, December and January were unseasonablywarm, giving us a reprieve from the intensity of last year.

Whether a function of global warming or El Nino, weneeded to adjust to the changing weather. Then, in oneweek, the pattern changed altogether. Now we havesnow. Lots of snow. Are we, like cars that drivethemselves, geared to automatically adjust to changingconditions?

While we have had an unusual winter, it still may posechallenges. In many ways we may have grown accus-tomed to having information ahead of time that allows usto guide our courses in anticipation of certain needs.However, weather, like human interaction, may bedifficult to predict. Not impossible, but sometimesdifficult.

With all the best equipment and skill, there are timeswhen the actual conditions evolve in ways that may havebeen unanticipated. For instance, a snow storm thatescalated in intensity can have a more complicated

impact because it was not anticipated. The effects can bemagnified due to the weight of the snow and the windgusts. These lead to power outages. The texture of thesnow makes travel more treacherous.

As members of boards of education work together indistricts that represent a range of communities, there aremany variables we need to consider. The size andcomposition of districts, the available resources, theeducation levels of parents, cultural factors, and thedegree of support for educational initiatives are some ofthe many factors that make a difference. We establishpriorities together.

Sometimes we need to consider history, like thedesegregation of public schools, to remind ourselves andeach other how opportunities have changed. It is almostunimaginable to remember the scourge of slavery, andthe near-total lack of educational opportunities affordedto young people of color.

In an election year in a climate and atmosphere that isoften contentious, there may be a negative focus ondifferences and conflict rather than an explicit under-standing of our commitment to a non-partisan, issue-oriented approach.

Our continued willingness to create and commit toshared goals, to build consensus, and to sustain ourmomentum addressing ongoing essential issues, is centralto our effectiveness as board members.

Whether we are communicating with legislators,administrators, parents or board members we need to beprepared to use respect and effective interpersonal skillsto acknowledge differences and resolve conflicts.

Finding common ground is essential to resolution and

effectivework inleadershipteams.Sometimesthat involvescreating andusingreasonableoptions. Itfrequentlymeansadapting tochangingconditions.

“Finding common groundis essential to resolution

and effective work inleadership teams . . .

that involves creating andusing reasonable options . . .

adapting to changing conditions.”

Whateverthe weather, tenor, and general climate, we need to beready to adjust to changing conditions. The responsibil-ity for making “the call”, making decisions regardingwhether or not to close school for weather-related eventsis made more feasible through accurate information andtechnology that helps us predict what occurs.

In truth, however, such information, like with educa-tional issues, is not an exact science and sometimes thenatural world (AKA “Mother nature”) tosses us curveballs. As leadership teams, we need to be ready to adjustand/or regroup, as warranted, making the best decisionswe can on a broad range of issues with the informationwe have. In doing so, we can, collectively, provide highquality opportunities for students in Connecticut’s publicschools.

Description of the program:The use of technology and data to improve systemsincludes school climate surveys with trigger emails tostaff, the development of Key Concepts as a tool tomonitor the progress of students, the teacher dashboards,and strong union management relationships to roll outmajor strategies such as expanded learning time schools,PLC Data Team times, and complementary evaluators.

Program and Contact Information:www.schooldatasystems.org; Dr. Mark Benigni,Superintendent, [email protected],203-630-4171.

Board of Directors renamed CABE’s CommunicationsAward as the Bonnie B. Carney Award of Excellence inEducational Communications.

This ongoing tribute honors the work that Bonnie hasdone to support school districts and CABE communica-tions throughout her career. When asked whether sheever thought that she would be with CABE for so manyyears, Bonnie said “I love my work, I love what I do.”

Patrice McCarthy noted that “Bonnie is a lifelonglearner, continuing to adapt to the changing needs ofschool districts and CABE”.

Bob Rader said “Bonnie is a very special person –hardworking, change-oriented and committed. Hercreativity has been a hallmark of her work for so manyyears!”

CABE President Ann Gruenberg, CABE staff and oneof Bonnie’s daughters marked the anniversary with asurprise luncheon held in her honor.

Spotlight on Best Practices(continued from page 1)

CABE Honors Bonnie Carney(continued from page 1)

Robert Rader

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR COMMENTARY

The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education/March 2016 3

How Much DissentIs Too Much?

CABE AffiliateMembers

BUSINESS AFFILIATESDIAMOND MEMBER

Finalsite

GOLD MEMBERSBerchem, Moses & Devlin

Centris GroupGuidance Counselorsfor Senior TeachersPullman & Comley

Shipman & Goodwin

SILVER MEMBERSAnthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield

Arthur J. Gallagher & CompanyCorporate Cost Control

Milone & MacBroom, Inc.Perkins & Eastman

Siegel, O’Connor, O’Donnell & BeckThe Segal Company

SprintSvigals & Partners

BRONZE PLUS MEMBERSBL Companies

Coordinated Transportation SolutionsFriar AssociatesJCJ Architecture

Milliman, Inc.Morganti GroupO & G Industries

The S/L/A/M CollaborativeTrane

BRONZE MEMBERS

Brown & Brown InsuranceChinni & Meuser LLC

Dattco Inc.ECG Engineering, PC

Fuller & D’AngeloArchitects and PlannersGoldstein & Peck, P.C.

Kainen, Escalera & McHale, P.C.The Lexington Group

Muschell & SimoncelliSuisman Shapiro Attorneys at Law

EDUCATIONALAFFILIATES

American School for the DeafArea Cooperative Educational Services

Capitol Region Education CouncilThe College Board

Connecticut Association for the GiftedConnecticut Association of School

Business OfficialsConnecticut Center for School Change

Connecticut School Buildingsand Grounds Association

Cooperative Educational ServicesEASTCONN

EDUCATION CONNECTIONLEARN

Unified School District #1

When I am visiting a Board of Educa-tion to facilitate a roles and responsibili-ties workshop, the efficiency and effec-tiveness of Board meetings is oftendiscussed. Sure, there are some agendaitems that are usually pro forma and anefficient Board deals with such itemsusing a consent agenda. This timesaverallows any Board member to ask for avote on an item. The remaining items areall decided by one vote.

Using the consent agenda makes for abetter use of time than voting on eachitem separately. Moreover, usuallyeveryone agrees to the consent agendasince the issues are noncontroversial.

What about items that are discussed indetail by the Board? These may very wellbe controversial and voices may be raisedin dissent over these issues.

Good boardsmanship suggests that alldiscussion on such items should bepreceded by a motion setting out thedesired outcome by the person making themotion. This is intended to frame theissue, so that the discussion doesn’t veerinto irrelevant (at least on this issue) factsand opinions.

The issue, when under discussion mayreveal big differences in the opinions heldby Board members. Some may stronglyagree with the motion; others may verywell strenuously oppose it. Obviously,there can also be very close votes eitherway.

Sometimes, the entire Board mayunanimously support or defeat the motion.

What can be said about a Board thatalways has unanimous votes? Conversely,is a Board that always splits its votes aBoard that might be called “dysfunc-tional”? What about a Board where thevotes always go 8-1 or 6-1? Does thatimply something negative about the Boardor individual Board member(s)?

The answer is “It depends”. I know,spoken like a true lawyer.

Is a Board that always votes unani-mously a good Board?

My answer to this will depend on thesituation. I sometimes say that if all votesare unanimous, we could get by with justone member on each Board. Boardmembers, who come from differentbackgrounds with different experiencesand skills, would probably not voteunanimously in all situations. However,what if the Board has committees and,like some of the Boards in Connecticut,issues are discussed and debated in depththere? Assuming that the meetings of thecommittees take place in public and otherFOIA rules are followed, it seems like asound decision-making process isunderway. Unanimity might also occurbecause the goals are clear and the Board

and Superintendent are working well intandem.

On the other hand, if unanimous votesoccur on virtually every issue and therehas been insufficient discussion, it wouldseem to me that, perhaps some Boardmembers are not really sure of their roles.There is nothing inherently wrong withvoting the same as the other members of

the Board; we just have to hope that thisgroupthink is not pressuring members tovote a certain way. To the public, how-ever, that unanimity might look like dealswere made before the meeting occurred.

Therefore, we have to go beyond thevote itself to really understand what isoccurring.

So, what does an 8-1 or 6-1 vote tellus? Well, just like with the previousexample above, it may tell us a little or alot about how the Board operates.Sometimes, a Board member will vote“no” to simply make the point that theBoard isn’t unanimous on an issue.Certainly the individual may not like howthe decision was made or the likely result.It may also be that the minority Boardmember is dissenting for other reasons.The Board member may feel that he orshe has not gotten a fair hearing on his orher view of the motion. Wouldn’t thatsuggest that there may very well be somedysfunction on the Board?

It is the Board Chair’s responsibility to

ensure that everyone gets a “fair shake”when issues are discussed and debated.The Chair’s role should not be to merelyask for the yeas and nays, but also to helpthe Board be inclusive and help anymember who might feel he or she is notgetting the opportunity to speak.

Years ago, I facilitated a retreat and aBoard member who had been on theBoard for at least five months, confessedthat she still did not know when it wasappropriate for her to speak! A little helpfrom the Chair might have easily takencare of that.

Yes, there are Board members whowill vote “no” just to get a little attention.There are also Board members who willundermine a Board’s decision by runningto the media after the meeting to, as theysaid on Seinfeld, have an airing ofgrievances.

It is in the interests of all Boardmembers, not only the Chair, in thesesituations, to remind that Board memberthat if the shoe was on the other foot andthey were successful in getting a motionpassed by the Board that they liked, theywould not appreciate another Boardmember undermining the vote and theBoard. Payback can be brutal.

When is there too much dissent on aBoard? The answer is, as with many otherinstitutional situations, gray. One mustlook beyond the raw numbers of a vote tounderstand if the Board is effective and/orefficient in getting its work done.Dissent often serves the positive role ofslowing the process down, causing theBoard to examine other options andensuring that due diligence is done beforeaction is taken. But, when dissent is usedto obfuscate and delay just because aperson isn’t getting her way, in the longrun, that probably doesn’t serve anyone’sinterests.

I hope your Board has enough dissentto help make the “right” decisions, but notso much as to impede its progress inhelping students achieve more!

“Is it the Board Chair’sresponsibility to

ensure that everyonegets a “fair shake”

when issues arediscussed and debated.

The Chair’s roleshould not be to merely

ask for the yeasand nays, but alsoto help the Boardbe inclusive and

help any member whomight feel he or she

is not getting theopportunity to speak.


2016 CABE/CAPSS Convention CommitteeChooses 2017 Location

Lisa SteimerSenior Staff Associatefor Professional Development, CABE

With the Convention on November18-19, the CABE/CAPSS ConventionCommittee held its first meeting of theyear in January. And was it ever a pro-ductive meeting!

The theme of the 2016 CABE/CAPSS Convention is Children First:Opening Opportunities for All!. Theworkshop strands are Diversity, HighPerforming Boards and Superinten-dents, Pathways and Partnerships, andSpotlight on Innovation. Call for Pro-posal information was mailed on Feb-ruary 4 and is also available online atwww.cabe.org/page.cfm?p=1354.

The Convention Committee alsobegan the process of looking at alter-nate sites for the 2017 CABE/CAPSSConvention. (The 2016 CABE/CAPSSConvention will be held at the MysticMarriott.) We are thrilled with therelationship we have with and the ser-vice provided by the Mystic MarriottHotel over the years, but the Commit-tee, responding to concerns of attend-ees, felt the need to explore otheroptions that would provide the Con-vention room for growth. The Commit-

tee charged staff to begin sorting outviable options for the Committee toconsider.

As the staff investigated various op-tions, some were easily ruled out in thatthey provide less space than we currently

use at the Mystic Marriott. Some of thesites that fell into this category include theHeritage Southbury, the Trumbull Mar-riott, the New Haven Omni, the StamfordMarriott, the Stamford Sheraton and theHyatt Regency Greenwich.

This left us with a very short list to

further investigate. The properties onthis list, simply based on having spaceat least as large as the Mystic Marriottinclude the Connecticut ConventionCenter in Hartford, the ConferenceCenter at Foxwoods, the Conference

Legislative Breakfasts Held in All Corners of the State

• The Conference Center at Fox-woods is booked in 2017 and2018.

• Given the revenue generated andspace used, the ConferenceCenter at Mohegan Sun is notable to bid on our Conventionuntil approximately six monthsprior to the event.

• The Mystic Marriott Hotel hasour dates available.

In order to ensure we have space forthe Convention, the Convention Com-mittee approved going to contract withthe Mystic Marriott for 2017.

While we have had conversations onthis topic before, both CABE staff andthe Mystic Marriott Hotel staff willmeet to try to find more creative waysto use the space available to us at theMystic Marriott.

Previous conversations haveallowed us to better us the mainballroom and three of the breakoutrooms associated with the mainballroom. Additionally, the CABE/CAPSS Convention Committee willcontinue to discuss this issue.

We look forward to continuing tooffer what is Connecticut’s premiereducation professional developmentevent!

CABE Past President Richard Murray (Killingly) and Area 4 Director Doug Smith (Plainfield)hosted a Legislative Breakfast featuring the Killingly High School Jazz Band.

Education Committee Co-Chair Senator Gayle S. Slossberg addressed participants at the Area7 Legislative Breakfast at Derby High School.

Senator Art Linares addresses participants at the Area 8 Legislative Breakfast at the JohnWinthrop Middle School in Deep River.

RepresentativeJeff Curreyaddressing theCREC-sponsoredArea 2 LegislativeBreakfast held atthe State Capitolin Hartford.

Center at Mohegan Sun and the MysticMarriott Hotel.

Upon inquiring about availability forthe Convention dates in 2017 and 2018,staff learned the following:

• The Connecticut Convention Cen-ter is booked in 2017 and 2018.

See You in Court – The Nutmeg Board of Education

The Nutmeg Board deals with over expenditures in the budgetThomas B. Mooney, Esq.Shipman & Goodwin


The Nutmeg Board of Educationmakes many mistakes. The latest imbro-glio created by the board will be reportedhere each issue, followed by an explana-tion of what the board should have done.Though not intended as legal advice,these situations may help board membersavoid common problems.

Now that the budget for next year wasfinally completed and submitted to theTown, the Nutmeg Board of Educationturned its attention to the current year’sbudget. Board member Red Cent hadbeen poring over the monthly financialreports, and she raised a number of ques-tions at the Board meeting last month.

She noted, for example, that the sup-plies account at Acorn Elementary Schoolwas in the red, as was the substitute ac-count at Nutmeg Memorial High School,where absenteeism was endemic. “Who’sin charge here?” she demanded stridently.“If we overexpend our budget, the Boardmembers will be personally liable.”

“Oh posh,” said veteran Board mem-ber Bob Bombast. “If anyone is liable, itwill be Mr. Superintendent for not keep-ing his eye on the budget. We set thebudget, and the Superintendent spends it.It is not our problem.”

Mr. Superintendent bristled visibly atBob Bombast’s comments. “We are inthis together. We carefully monitor thebudget, and we move things around asnecessary to assure that we stay within thebudget.”

After hearing Mr. Superintendent’sexplanation Board member Mal Contentweighed in with a question of his own.“Aren’t we supposed to monitor line itemtransfers? The Board can’t just leavethings to the Superintendent and hisstaff.”

Mrs. Chairperson sought to regaincontrol of the discussion by employingher favorite strategy – creating a commit-tee. “OK. I have heard enough. I thinkthat we need to get a better handle on ourfinances. I am creating a Budget Over-sight Committee, and I appoint BobBombast, Mal Content to the committeealong with Red Cent, who will serve aschairperson.”

Red Cent couldn’t wait to get to work.She appeared unannounced at the Busi-ness Manager’s office bright and early thenext morning. She demanded to see hisExcel spreadsheet setting forth the ex-penditures at that various schools.

Red confirmed that the substitute ac-count at the high school and the suppliesaccount at Acorn Elementary school wereoverexpended, as she had suspected, andshe found several other accounts similarlyoverexpended, including the conferenceexpense account and the Superintendent’sdiscretionary account.

The Eighth Edition is here!!

A Practical Guide toConnecticut School Law

by Thomas B. Mooney, Esq.Shipman & Goodwin

The Eighth Edition was substantially rewritten to reflect statutorychanges, significant case law developments in state and federalcourts. Some of the numerous legal developments and update are asfollows:

• School Safety and Security • Bullying Law • Teacher Evaluation and Support• Teacher Tenure Act • New Requirements for Professional Development• Budget Issues • Prohibitions on Electronic Notifications of Referenda

• Minimum Budget Requirements • FMLA for Paraprofessionals• Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Requirements

• Uniform Regional School Calendars • Excusal • Student Assessments• Pool Safety • Concussion Prevention and Education• Sudden Cardiac Arrest Prevention and Education

• Administration and Storage of Epinephrine • Excused Absences• Student Free Speech • Employee Free Speech

Order your copy TODAY by going to the CABE website:www.cabe.org/page.cfm?p=1241

The Guide comes with a CD which provides hyperlinksto many cases and statutes and will permitord searches as a supplement to the Index.

She promptly shared her findings in anemail to fellow Committee members Boband Mal. After some discussion, theyagreed to express their concerns as aCommittee at the next Board meeting.

When the Board next met, Red did justthat. She reported on her findings, andshe excoriated Mr. Superintendent for hislack of oversight. Mr. Superintendent didhis best to remain calm, and he explainedthat some variation from the detailed bud-get estimates is to be expected. But hedid tell Red to back off with the criticismon matters she really didn’t understand.

Who is right here?

Red has raised a legitimate issue, andthe Board should clarify with Mr.Superintendent its expectations concern-ing budget management and reporting.However, these small variations from theadopted budget should not be a problemfor the Board.

Conn. Gen. Stat. Section 10-222 pro-vides that the “money appropriated by anymunicipality for the maintenance of pub-lic schools shall be expended by and inthe discretion of the board of education,”and further that “[e]xcept as provided inthis subsection, any such board may trans-fer any unexpended or uncontracted-forportion of any appropriation for schoolpurposes to any other item of such item-ized estimate.”

When boards of education need toexercise their right to transfer funds fromone item to another, they must rememberthat only the board of education maymake item transfers unless it delegatesthat authority to the superintendent (orother employees). Such delegation,however, is limited in two ways.

First, such transfers must be “limited,”which presumably means that the boardmust specify a maximum amount that thesuperintendent or other authorized personmay transfer on his or her own.

Second, authorized persons may trans-fer from one item to another only “underemergency circumstances if the urgentneed for the transfer prevents the boardfrom meeting in a timely fashion to con-sider such transfer,” which is a toughstandard to meet.

The statute also imposes special notifi-cation requirements on such transfers.Since 1998, transfers made by authorizedpersons other than the board of educationmust “be announced at the next regularlyscheduled meeting of the board,” andsince 2013 the statute has also providedthat “a written explanation of such trans-fer shall be provided to the legislativebody of the municipality or, in a munici-pality where the legislative body is a townmeeting, to the board of selectmen.”Given these requirements, it is usuallyeasier for boards simply to make transfersthemselves.

The key in such matters is for boardsof education to adopt a reasonabledefinition of what should be consideredan “item” in the budget estimate submit-ted to the town and in the adopted budget.

Here, statute itself gives us some help,providing that “‘itemized estimate’ meansan estimate in which broad budgetarycategories including, but not limited to,salaries, fringe benefits, utilities, suppliesand grounds maintenance are divided intoone or more line items.” To avoid trig-gering the special procedures describedabove with unnecessary frequency, boardsof education are well-advised to define“item” broadly.

To be sure, the board and superinten-dent may subdivide budget item further inthe interest of fiscal oversight, but when“item” is so defined, the obligations re-garding budget transfers will only be trig-gered when funds are moved from onemajor budget category to another.

With such a definition, the need tomake adjustments to address the shortfallsRed identified in Nutmeg would likely notbe “transfers” under the law.

Finally, the concern of Red Cent overpersonal liability is admirable, butperhaps overstated. Conn. Gen. Stat. § 7-349 does provides that a town officialwho authorizes expenditures in excess offunds appropriated “shall be liable in acivil action in the name of such town.”

However, Conn. Gen. Stat. § 10-235provides that school board members (andemployees and even volunteers undercertain circumstances) are indemnifiedand held harmless against claims madeagainst them for actions taken within thescope of their responsibilities unless thoseactions are “wanton, reckless or mali-cious.”

Therefore, it is reasonable to presumethat a board of education member will nothave any personal liability if he or sheacts in good faith, even if it turns out laterthat the budget is overexpended.

Attorney Thomas B. Mooney is a part-ner in the Hartford law firm of Shipman &Goodwin who works frequently withboards of education. Mooney is a regularcontributor to the CABE Journal.


The Family and Medical Leave Act

Rebecca Adams,Senior Staff Attorney, CABE

Intermittent LeaveThe Family and Medical Leave

Act (FMLA), is a federal law whichprovides job-protected family andmedical leave for employees whomeet certain requirements and em-ployers, including school districts,that employ 50 or more employees.In addition, the State of Connecticuthas its own medical leave law, CGSsection Sec. 31-51kk, et. seq.

Under the federal law, employeesmay be entitled to take leave on anintermittent basis. The Connecticutlaw, however, does not mandate thatemployers grant this type of leave.

Employees who qualify and suc-cessfully apply to districts for FMLAcoverage may, under certain circum-stances, take their leave “intermit-tently”. Intermittent leave is FMLAleave taken in separate, and oftenirregular, blocks of time for a singleillness or injury. This also includesreduced leave schedule where there isa reduction in an employee’s usualnumber of working hours per work-week, or hours per workday.

It is a change in the employee’sschedule for a period of time, norm-ally from full-time to part-time.Generally, employees must show themedical necessity for intermittentleave or a reduced leave schedule.

Who Qualifies forIntermittent FMLA Leave?

Under the FMLA, eligible employeesare entitled to take, and employers mustgrant, intermittent FMLA leave:

• when the employee’s own “serioushealth condition” renders himunable to do his job;

• to allow the employee to care for aspouse, son, daughter or parent witha serious health condition;

• under the FMLA’s military leaveprovisions, to allow an employee tocare for a covered service memberwith a serious illness or injury.

Employers may also voluntary grantintermittent FMLA leave after the birth ofa healthy child, or after adopting or fos-tering a healthy child. For example, anemployee may want to work part-timeafter the birth of a child, and have herreduced schedule count as FMLA leave sothat she will receive job protection andbenefit continuation. Under the FMLA, anemployer may allow the employee to dothis, but it is not required to do so.

Is Leave Paid or Unpaidand Why Does it Matter?

The FMLA only requires unpaid leave.However, the law permits an employee toelect, or the employer to require, that theemployee use paid vacation or sick timefor some or all of the FMLA leave period.An employer that requires that paid leave

be substituted for unpaid familymedical leave, must properly notify theemployee of that requirement when theleave begins in order for paid leaveand FMLA leave to run concurrently(i.e., count against the 12-week FMLAleave entitlement). Accurate recordingof paid and unpaid leave is importantfor purposes of payroll and accrual ofsick and vacation time and may impacteligibility for other contractual bene-fits such as longevity pay.

While collective bargaining con-tracts for some district employeescontain provisions governing the useof paid leave, either elected by theemployee or required by the employer,the majority do not. CABE stronglyencourages districts to adopt FMLApolicies covering whether employeesare required to use paid time and, ifnot, when employees may elect tosubstitute paid leave for unpaid FMLAabsences.

Let CABE help you adopt districtpolicy to ensure the consistent andpredictable application of state andfederal FMLA. Please contactVincent Mustaro at [email protected] for more informationregarding and examples of CABEpolicies covering FMLA.

CABE-MeetingCABE-Meeting is a user-friendly onlineservice offered by CABE specificallyfor school boards. Users can eliminateunnecessary paperwork, increase effi-ciency and reduce costs while enablingboard members to utilize the latest incutting edge technology. Using CABE-Meeting, the Meeting Manager can cre-ate an electronic meeting from devel-oping the agenda to creating the min-utes and everything in between.

CABE-Meeting Offers:• Secure login access for board and

district staff• Access from any location with

Internet access• Search archived agenda and meet-

ing related items in a flash.• Ability to download and print attach-

ments• Option to provide a public link to

board meeting information

Your Subscription Provides:• Access to CABE-Meeting• Initial and ongoing training• Support and maintenance• Upgrades to the service

CABE MemberSubscription Info:

Initial Subscription Fee – $3,000Annual Maintenance Fee – $1,500

If you have an interest in thisservice, contact

Lisa Steimer at 860-571-7446or [email protected].

Connecticut Wins Jump$tartState Coalition of the Year

The Connecticut Jump$tartCoalition has been selected as StateCoalition of the Year by the NationalJump$tart Coalition. The StateCoalition of the Year Awardrecognizes the affiliate’s effectivenessand innovation in reaching, supportingand assisting teachers; its publicawareness activities; the level ofparticipation and collaboration withinthe coalition itself and otherachievements over the past year.

Some of the accomplishments thatConnecticut is being recognized forinclude:

• A survey of all Connecticutpublic high schools to assess

Patrice A. McCarthyDeputy Director and General Counsel,CABE

which schools were teachingfinancial literacy.

• A Financial Literacy Summit wherenearly 150 educators, parents,business people and policymakersgathered to begin collaborating onnew ways to improve the financialeducation of the state’s youth.

• A new financial literacy outreachinitiative with the Science Center.

• A series of Financial Reality Fairs,promoted in conjunction with theCredit Union League ofConnecticut.

Patrice McCarthy represents CABE onthe Connecticut Jump$tart Board ofDirectors.

Testifying on Your Behalf

CABE President Ann Gruenberg testified before the Appropriations Committee on behalf of allschool boards in Connecticut.



(continued from page 1)

Dr. Renulli onGifted Education

CABE Executive Director Robert Rader interviews Dr. Joseph Renzulli.

work, I look as much at the motivationand interests of kids as just simply whattheir achievement levels are.

Bob: How did you get involved withthis area in the first place?

Dr. Renzulli: I got involved in thisarea when I started teaching and theRussians sent Sputnik into space. Every-body, including Superintendents, werebeside themselves for getting somethinggoing to challenge our more able students.I was a math and science teacher and wedeveloped a program in our school wherea certain amount of time was set asideeach week for our highest potentialscience students and basically, it wasfrom there that my whole EnrichmentTriad Theory developed. In this model,we provide general enrichment for largergroups of kids and the ways that kidsrespond to that determines the opportuni-ties and resources for follow up – really acommon sense approach.

We didn’t have a planned curriculum,except for the general enrichmentexperiences. When young people gotinterested in a topic, like building a robot,then we, in a sense, built the curriculumaround the student. We looked at whatresources they needed, who in our schoolor community might be able to help thestudent and what kinds of support theyneeded to develop their project.

Bob: Do you think all children aregifted?

Dr. Renzulli: No I don’t. But I believethat there are a lot more young people thatcan develop giftedness or, as I prefer tocall it, “gifted behaviors” than just thosewho reach a certain predetermined cutoffscore on an IQ test. I always use the wordas an adjective and history has shown thatmany great people would never havemade it if we only looked at their cogni-tive ability scores.

We are looking at a population that isabove average, even well above average,in their traditional academic achievement.However, beyond that I’m looking atthings like motivation, creativity, andexecutive function skills. Someone thatwants to get the job done.

Our research has shown that theseother non-cognitive skills are as importantto task completion as traditionallymeasured academic skills. As I used tosay to my own kids, their ability to “gettheir act together” and to use their timewisely is as important as academic skills.

These non-cognitive skills includeplanning, learning how to workcollaboratively and cooperatively withothers, self-regulation, time managementskills, situational awareness, and organi-zational skills. These skills are all veryimportant things in putting a good producton the table.

Anyone who has ever worked on achallenging project knows the importanceof these skills; and therefore, we should

provide project-based opportunitieswithin our curriculum for this kind of skilldevelopment.

Bob: What do you think of masterybased or personalized learning?

Dr. Renzulli: Well, I think that youreally raised two topics because masterybased learning can be a form of personal-ized learning. In fact most of what’s outthere these days parading under thebanner of “personalized learning” issimply finding out areas where youngstersare deficient in certain skills and provid-ing them with more drill and practice forimproving those skills.

No one can argue against the impor-tance or the value of such a diagnostic/prescriptive approach. My approach topersonalized learning looks at othercharacteristics in addition to academicachievement and over the years I havedeveloped instruments to assess four setsof characteristics that are important topersonalizing learning.

The first and most important area isinterest. We can get more out of learners,from diapers to doctorate, if we give theman opportunity to select a topic within acurricular area in which they may have aparticular interest.

The second is learning style. We knowthat kids learn in different ways and if wecan accommodate learning style differ-ences, then we can get more out of ayoung person than if we just teach themall in the same manner.

The third is preferred modes ofexpression. Imagine if we didn’t give ayoung Steven Spielberg an opportunity toexpress himself through the medium offilm rather than just speaking it or writingit, which are very typical ways schoolexpect kids to express themselves.

The fourth area is the executivefunction skills mentioned above. I believethat we need to take all of those thingsinto account if we want to provide youngpeople with truly personalized learningexperiences rather than a one-size-fits-allapproach or only making decisions aboutpersonalization based on achievement testdata.

What we have done in our work atUConn is to develop a technology basedprogram that assesses all of these differ-ent areas that define the multi-dimen-sional input for personalization. It’s allbased on researched instruments that wereformally developed in a paper-and-pencilformat. Students respond to items at theirkeyboard and it produces an electronicprofile for each individual student. Asearch engine then scans through about50,000 very high engagement resourcesand it picks resources just for that student.

I think an equal or perhaps even moreimportant use of this technology is thatteachers can use the search engine to jazzup any standards-based curriculum topic.

If they are teaching a unit on a particu-lar topic that has to do with, for example,mechanics in science they can find siteswhere a young person can design his orher own roller coaster or robot. If theyare studying Ancient Egypt they canengage in an activity that lets them dissectand preserve their own mummy.

These activities promote very highstudent engagement and research hasshown that engagement is more influentialthan achievement test scores in improvingschool performance.

Besides safety, every resource that wehave built into the databases has to bemore engaging than just worksheetsonline or text material that can be foundin books or encyclopedias.

Bob: So what are the best ways forschool boards and superintendents tosupport gifted education?

Dr. Renzulli: I think that one of theways is to take a look at a more broad-ened conception of giftedness. I think ifyou have to be stamped with an IQ of 130on your forehead before we will provideany enrichment opportunities we aregoing to overlook many students withhigh levels of motivation, creativity, andexecutive function skills.

What the research says about peoplewho have done creative productive things– inventors, writers, designers, artists,entrepreneurs, scientists – is that theyweren’t necessarily the smartest kid in theclass when judged by traditional mea-sures.

In my work I have used a Venn (three-ring) diagram to show gifted behaviors asthe intersection of above-average abilityin a particular area, creativity, and taskcommitment.

The second thing is having a highly-trained gifted education specialists in aschool so you have a go-to person,especially for finding, managing, andinfusing high engagement resources intothe curriculum and serving as a resourceto classroom teachers.

All classroom teachers should havesome background in enrichment teachingstrategies and in recognizing some of thetraits that I mentioned earlier (interests,learning styles, and preferred modes ofexpression).

Most importantly, teachers should havetraining on how to infuse enrichmentteaching strategies and high engagementactivities into the curriculum — the kindsof things that will motivate kids and getthem very active in individual and smallgroup projects.

My staff and I at UConn have beentraining teachers to do these things foryears and now they are becoming popularwith names like Genius Hour, and ProjectBased Learning, and Maker Spaces.

If we want to remain competitive as anation these kinds of experiences arenecessary to produce more ThomasEdisons and Rachel Carsons, Steven Jobs,and Louis Armstrongs.

Kids with these potentials are in all ofour schools today – we just have to worksmarter to develop it.

Bob: I want to say thank you for thework you have done over the years. Wehave much to learn from you. If peoplewant to get in touch with you, you’re atUCONN. I encourage boards to thinkabout what you said. So thank you verymuch.

Dr. Renzulli: My pleasure.Dr. Joseph Renzulli is associated with

UConn’s Neag Center for Creativity,Gifted Education and Talent Develop-ment. He is a nationwide expert in thisarea.



Sometimes You Have to Invite Yourself to the Dance

The Media Messagefrom Ann Baldwin, Baldwin Media Marketing, LLC

February 3rd was opening day of the2016 Legislative Session, which waskicked off with the House of Represen-tatives and State Senate’s first sessionsof the year. Governor Dannel Malloypresented his State of the State Addressto a joint session in the Hall of theHouse, in which the Governor pin-pointed his proposals for refining thestate’s budget priorities, includingspending cuts and state employeereductions.

Also, front and center at the StateCapitol, were Patrice McCarthy,Deputy Director and General Counsel,CABE and Joseph Cirasuolo, Execu-tive Director, of CAPSS.

Both are members of theWhatWillOurChildrenLoseCoalition(WWOCL). The WWOCL coalition,which also includes CASBO and CAS,was formed more than four years ago,as a coalition offering insight on

various issues and “real” potentialsolutions, as it relates to Connecticut’spublicschools.

Here,these twosat withCT-NAnchor,DianeSmith forthe oppor-tunity tothank theGovernorfor sup-porting

impacts that additional and unfundedmandates are having in the classroom.

As numer-ous lawmak-ers, commis-sioners,lobbyists andnews mediafilled theentrance tothe StateCapitol, youmay wonderhow publiceducation gota seat in thespotlight. The

Oftentimes, the only way that yourvoice will be heard, is if you ask. Webegan the process of “pitching” ourstory on public education and mandates,months before opening day. Wedeveloped talking points that we sent toCT-N producers and made our case asto why it was important for us toparticipate in this live television event.

In the end they thought that our“pitch” was compelling and as a result,Patrice and Joe got more than 4-minutesof airtime talking about some of theissues being dealt with as they relate topublic education in our state and theimpact of legislation in our classrooms.

To view Patrice McCarthy andJoseph Cirasuolo’s interview withDiane Smith, please go to:www.youtube.com/watch?v=HY4ZVk2MxdA&feature=youtu.be

Diane Smith, CT-N Anchor, interviews PatriceMcCarthy, Deputy Director and General Counsel,CABE and Joseph Cirasuolo, Executive Director,CAPSS.

publiceducationin ourstate, butto also speak about some of the negative

answer is; be-cause weasked to bepart of the

conversation on opening day.

CABE Upcoming Hot Topic Workshop

What is Global Competencyand What is Your Board

Doing About It?

Thursday, March 22, 2016Registration 8:30 am

9:00 am - 11:00 am ProgramRovins Conference Room,CABE Office, Wethersfield

What Is Global Competence?“The formula for a world-class education is an urgent call for schools to producestudents that actually know something about the world—its cultures, languagesand how its economic, environmental and social systems work. The concept ofglobal competence articulates the knowledge and skills students need in the21st Century.” Asia Society

What Is Your Board Doing About It?Learn how one district is preparing its students for success in an interconnectedworld.

Presenters: Salvatore Menzo, Superintendent, Wallingford Public Schools;Chair, CAPSS International Education CommitteeRoxane McKay, Chair, Wallingford Board of Education (Invited)Kim Moore, World Language Coordinator, Wallingford PublicSchools (Invited)

For more information or to register go to the CABE website www.cabe.org/page.cfm?p=1141

Children First:Opening Opportunities for All!

CABE/CAPSS ConventionNovember 18-19, 2016

Mystic Marriott Hotel, Groton

Get Involved | Exceptional SpeakersNetworking | Informative Sessions

Innovative Ideas | State Board MeetingExhibitors | Talented Student Showcase



CABE: working for YOUIndividualized Workshops • Professional Development Opportunities

Legal Services • Policy Services • Representing You Statewide and Nationally

Below are the highlights of activities thatthe CABE staff has undertaken on yourbehalf over the last month. We did this:

➤ By representing Connecti-cut school boards on thestate or national level:

• Attended Connecticut Society ofAssociation Executives (CSAE)Annual Conference.

• Participated in webinar on RefreshingYour Convention.

• Attended the CAPSS TechnologySubcommittee meeting.

• Attended Birth-to-3 Leaders meeting.• Attended Governor’s press confer-

ence on Bloomfield High Schoolsuccess.

• Met with Executive Director of Anti-Defamation League (ADL).

• Attended CREC 50th Anniversarycelebration.

• Met with Hartford Courant, The Dayand Norwich Bulletin editorialboards.

• Attended Connecticut State Depart-ment of Education Equity PlanAdvisory Group.

• Participated in Performance Evalua-tion Advisory Council (PEAC)meeting.

• Met with new CREC ExecutiveDirector Greg Florio on workingtogether.

• Participated in Big 6 (CABE, CAPSS,CAS, CBIA, CCER and ConnCAN)teleconference.

• Attended Bridgeport Prospersconference on Collective Impact (seepage 1).

• Participated in Professional LearningAdvisory Committee meeting.

• Attended CREC Council meeting.• Attended Legislative discussion with

➤ By providing servicesto meet members needs:

• Met with East Hartford, OldSaybrook and Waterbury Boards ofEducation to discuss Legislativeissues.

• Facilitated Goal Setting workshopswith the Brooklyn and WethersfieldBoards of Education.

• Facilitated a Board Evaluationworkshop with the Bolton Board ofEducation.

• Facilitated a Board Retreat for theAvon Board of Education.

• Entered into an agreement to do anaudit of the policy manual of theGreenwich public schools.

• Trending legal topics were: Per pupiltuition reimbursements for regulareducation out-of-district students,revision of meeting minutes, reason-able requirements for public com-ments at board meetings, motion forreconsideration of previous boardaction, action of the full board aftersubcommittee votes, school recordsand police video recordings inschools, and requirements for tenurefor teachers in our state.

• As part of the Customized PolicyUpdate Service materials were sent toEast Hampton, East Windsor,Gilbert School, Marlborough, NewFairfield, New Hartford,Newington, Region 6 and WindhamBoards of Education.

• Worked with Bridgeport SchoolGovernance Council.

• Met with Bristol Board Chairregarding pending litigation.

• Met with East Hampton counselregarding pending litigation.

➤ By ensuring membersreceive the most up-to-date communications:

• Advocacy Highlights have begun

CABE Deputy Director and General Counsel Patrice A. McCarthy beinginterviewed by Fox News regarding a school district’s recent sexting issue.

McCarthy Interviewedby Fox TV

again with the start of the legislativesession.

• As part of the development of newpolicy manuals utilizing the CustomPolicy Service, materials wereprepared for Avon, Derby, Fairfield,New Canaan, New London,Portland, Region #14, Stratford,Thomaston and WethersfieldBoards of Education.

➤ By helping school boardsto increase studentachievement

• Met with Desi Nesmith, new StateDepartment of Education ChiefTurnaround Officer.

• Participated in Lighthouse trainingwith the Region #1, Suffield,Waterbury and Winchester Boardsof Education.

• Sent out two issues of Policy High-lights via email listserv coveringtopics that affect student achieve-ment. This included code of conductfor food services personnel, require-ments for paraprofessionals under thenew ESSA, the parent’s right to knowprovision under the new ESSA,professional standards for personnelin school nutrition programs, politicalactivities on school board property,professional development andchronic absenteeism of kindergartenstudents.

➤ By promoting publiceducation

• Met with Office Depot representativeon becoming a business affiliate.

• Arranged and participated in Legisla-tive breakfasts in CABE Areas.

• Met with representative of Nellie MaeFoundation and CAPSS on schoolinitiatives.

statewide organizations at CCM.• Participated in High School Gradua-

tion Committee meeting.• Participated in Mastery Exam

Committee meeting.• Participated in WhatWillOurChildren

Lose Coalition (CABE, CAPSS,CAS, CASBO) conference call.

➤ By providing opportunitiesfor members to learn howto better govern theirdistricts:

• Facilitated meeting on Roberts Rulesand the Freedom of Information Actwith the Orange Board of Education.

• Staffed CABE/CAPSS ConventionCommittee meeting.

• Sponsored and attended workshop onCreating Positive Engagement withMuslim Families and Students withCAS, CAPSS and ADL.

• Facilitated Roles and Responsibilitiesworkshops with the Orange, Region#17, Sprague, Stamford and SuffieldBoards of Education.

• Provided policy information to 30districts, one newspaper, one out-of-state school boards’ association andthe Connecticut State Department ofEducation through 44 answeredrequests for information or samplepolicies, on 42 topics. Further,districts continue to access CABE’sonline Core Policy Reference Manualand/or online manuals posted byCABE for policy samples. The topicsof greatest interest included use ofsocial media, food services person-nel, graduation issues and sexualabuse protection.

Sheila McKaySenior Staff Associate forGovernment Relations, CABE

State Board of EducationUpdate

Due to the Governor’s budget address,the State Board of Education did not havea lengthy agenda this month. The Boardapproved designated certified shortageareas after they received results from theirannual survey of districts and approvedprivate special education programs. Thesurvey asks:

The number of certified staff activelyemployed, the number of teaching andadministrative vacancies as of October 1,2015 and the quantity and quality and ofapplications received for those vacancies.

Since the survey last year, TeachingEnglish to Speakers of other Languages(TESOL) was not identified as a shortagearea and School Psychologist was addedthis year. The list includes:

• Bilingual Education, PK-12;• Comprehensive Special Education,

K-12;• Intermediate Administrator;• Mathematics, 7-12;• School Library and Media

Specialist;• Science, 7-12;• Speech and Language Pathologist;• Technology Education, PK-12; and• World Languages, 7-12.Recent work to lessen vacancies has

included meeting with education majorsand the Connecticut Councils of Teacherand Administrator Professional Standards.

Those present learned that how stu-dents choose their major was influencedby what they knew of vacancies and howwas it communicated to them. The StateDepartment of Education has reached outto UTEACH and 100K in 10, specificallyto assist in the STEM shortage areas.


(continued from page 1)

Bridgeport UsesCollective Impact toAddress Challenges:Shouldn’t You?

• Common Agenda – all participantshave a shared vision for change, onethat includes “a common under-standing of the problem and a jointapproach to solving it throughagreed upon actions.

• Shared Measurement Systems –there must be shared agreement onhow success will be measured andreported.

• Mutually Reinforcing Activities –the power of collective actioncomes not from the sheer number ofparticipants or the uniformity oftheir efforts, but from the coordina-tion of their differentiated activi-ties” through these actions.

• Continuous Communication –developing trust takes much timetogether and, with Strive, skippingmeetings is not acceptable. And,there is much communicationbetween meetings, using technol-ogy.

• Backbone Support Organizations –there is a need for an infrastructurein support of all of this work, with adedicated staff, which can manageand support the work.

So, what exactly, is happening inBridgeport?

This initiative has come together overthe last five years. United Way of CoastalFairfield County stepped forward in 2011and committed to “becoming a leadingcatalyst for social change, scale system-changing platforms and align withcollective impact movements [in otherstates] to improve community condi-tions.” United Way became the strongbackbone of Collective Impact in Bridge-port.

Over time, it, working with hundredsof other stakeholders and developed apublic-private partnership to support thework. Not long after, using broad commu-nity input, the movement picked a newname: Bridgeport Prospers Cradle toCareer initiative.

Last fall, it identified the “indicatorsand common measures needed to improveoutcomes along the cradle to careercontinuum”, baseline data was collectedand a “data narrative” was developed sothat all stakeholders could quickly knowwhere the city was starting from acrossthe “nine outcome areas selected forintense focus.”

What are the nine outcome areas inBridgeport’s initiative?

• Infant Health: All Bridgeportinfants will be healthy

• Kindergarten Readiness: AllBridgeport children will be readyfor kindergarten

• Early Grade Reading: All Bridge-port children will be reading ongrade level

• Middle Grade Math: All Bridge-port students will master middlegrade math

• High School Graduation: AllBridgeport youth will graduate fromhigh school, college and be careerready

• Youth Safe from Violent Crime:All Bridgeport youth are safe fromviolent crime and other at riskactivities

• Post-secondary Enrollment: AllBridgeport young adults will enrollin college, apprenticeship or careertraining

• Post-secondary Completion: AllBridgeport young adults will

achieve post-secondary degrees orcredentials

• Youth Employment/Jobs: AllBridgeport young adults will beprepared to enter the labor market

Other cities are also using the Collec-tive Impact framework. The backbone ofWaterbury’s Bridge to Success is UnitedWay of Greater Waterbury. Norwalk hasa collective impact movement calledNorwalk ACTS. The backbone is theStepping Stones Museum.

Collective Impact is not without itsdifficulties. Getting funders to remaintrue to a long-range plan without anyparticular solution in advance, is not easy.But, certainly the idea of going big, withmultiple groups agreeing on a commonagenda can be a game-changer.

Of course, not every community hasthe resources and focus to do what thelargest city in Connecticut is attempting.Only time will tell how successful thisBridgeport’s initiative will be. But,surely, an initiative like this is worth

considering in many of our cities andtowns.

To learn more about Collective Im-pact, see www.strivetogether.org/.

Copies of Bridgeport Prospers, whichdescribes the city’s work in this area isavailable at www.bridgeportprospers.org.

CABE will hold a Hot Topic workshopon Collective Impact on April 19, 2016,CABE Office, Wethersfield. To register orfor more information go to www.cabe.org/page.cfm?p=1141

“Time is neutral anddoes not change things.

With courage andinitiative, leaderschange things.”

– Jesse Jackson


Vincent A. Mustaro, Senior Staff Associate for Policy Service, CABE

The Policy Corner

Policy Revision Required forReporting of Child Abuse and Neglect

Recent legislation, P.A. 15-205, “AnAct Protecting School Children,” substan-tially modified the General Statutes re-garding the mandated reporting of childabuse and neglect by school employees.

The new legislation, effective October1, 2015, with some provisions effectiveJuly 1, 2015, made significant changes inthe areas of penalties for failure to reportby mandated reporters, increased report-ing requirements for suspected sexualabuse by a school employee, extendedDepartment of Children and Families(DCF) responsibilities, board of educationpolicy, creation of rapid response teamsin school districts, hiring of convictedformer employees and violators of themandated reporting requirement. Theseareas will be reviewed in the balance ofthis article.

Mandated ReportingThe Act expands the reporting require-

ments for school employees and subjectsviolators to increased penalties.

It requires a school employee to reportto DCF if he or she, in the ordinary courseof his or her employment or profession,has reasonable cause to suspect or believethat a student enrolled in a technical highschool or a school under the board ofeducation’s jurisdiction (other than inadult education) is a victim of any of the

following crimes by a school employee:1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th degree sexualassault; 1st degree aggravated sexualassault; or 3rd degree sexual assault witha firearm. The reporter must notify DCFin the same manner and with-in the sametimeframes required of man-datedreporters of child abuse and neglect underprevious law.

The new legislation indicates that amandated reporter’s suspicion or beliefdoes not require certainty or probablecause and may be based on observations;allegations; facts; or statements by achild, victim, or third party.

It is a class D felony to intentionallyand unreasonably interfere with or pre-vent a mandated reporter from reportingabuse or neglect a class D felony ispunishable by imprisonment for up to fiveyears, a fine of up to $5,000, or both.

The DCF Commissioner mustpromptly notify the chief state’s attorneyif she believes that a mandated reporterfailed to make a report.

Expanded Penalties/Expanded ReportingRequirement

The Act increased, from misdemeanorto a felony, the penalty for a mandatedreporter who fails to report suspectedchild abuse or neglect to DCF. The Act

requires school employees to report toDCF suspected sexual assault of any stu-dent, who is not enrolled in adult educa-tion, by a school employee.

The Act establishes that it is a class Dfelony for anyone, other than a child or astudent who is not enrolled in adult edu-cation, to intentionally and unreasonablyinterfere with or prevent such reporting orconspire or attempt to do so. The criminalpenalties involve time in prison, fines orboth.

DCF RequirementsDCF is required to make available

educational and refresher training for allmandated reporters of child abuse andneglect. School employees must partici-pate in the training course when hired andcomplete refresher training every threeyears. The school principal must annuallycertify to the superintendent that schoolemployees have completed such training.The superintendent must certify compli-ance to the State Board of Education(SBE).

The Act extended DCF’s investigationand notification requirements under exist-ing law in reported child abuse or neglectcases to include cases of reported sexualassault of students by school employees.

DCF InvestigationPrevious legislation required that after

completion of an investigation of a reportof child abuse or neglect by a schoolemployee, the DCF Commissioner notifythe superintendent and the Commissionerof Education of the results and providethem with any investigation records. Thisrequirement has been extended for theDCF Commissioner to do the same aftercompleting an investigation of a report ofsexual assault. The DCF Commissionermust do so whether or not the child or thevictim is a student in the employingschool or school district. If the DCFCommissioner has reasonable cause tobelieve that a student is a victim asdescribed above, the superintendent mustsuspend the reported school employee.

Policy RequirementsBoards of education were required to

update their written policy, by February 1,2016, to include the new school employeereporting requirements. Boards of educa-tion are required to have a written policyregarding school employees reporting

suspected child abuse. The Act requiredthe policy, by February 1, 2016, to alsoaddress the reporting of suspected childneglect; sexual assault; aggravated sexualassault; or sexual assault with a firearm ofa student by a school employee.

The policy must annually be distrib-uted to all school employees with docu-mentation required that all school em-ployees have received it and completedthe required training and refresher train-ing programs.

District Rapid Response TeamThe new legislation required boards of

education, by January 1, 2016, to estab-lish a confidential rapid response team tocoordinate with DCF to ensure prompt re-porting of suspected child abuse or neg-lect, or sexual assault and to provideimmediate access to information andindividuals relevant to DCF’s investiga-tion of such cases.

The confidential rapid response team,by statute, must consist of a local teacher,the superintendent, a local police officer,and any other person the board ofeducation deems appropriate.

The Act requires DCF, along with amultidisciplinary team, to take immediateaction to investigate and address eachreport of child abuse or neglect in anyschool.

Hiring ProhibitionsBoards are prohibited from hiring

noncompliant individuals or those con-victed of child abuse, neglect or sexualassault and employees who were termi-nated or who resigned due to the DCFinvestigation.

Boards are also prohibited fromemploying a school employee who wasterminated or resigned, if he or she failedto report the suspicion of such crimeswhen required to do so or intentionallyand unreasonably interfered with orprevented a mandated reporter fromcarrying out this obligation or conspiredor attempted to do so. This appliesregardless of whether an allegation ofabuse, neglect, or sexual assault has beensubstantiated.

Available from theCABE Bookstore!

Understanding the ConnecticutFreedom of Information Act

and Access to Public Meetingsand Records | Fourth Edition

Written by:Mark J. Sommaruga, Esq.Pullman & Comley, LLC

Excellent book forBoard Members

to order the FOIA book go to theCABE Online Bookstore at: www.cabe.org/page.cfm?p=1256

Policy ImplicationsThe new legislation impacted

mandated policy #5141.4, “Reportingof Child Abuse and Neglect.” The newlegislation requires a policy revision bylocal districts.


Center for Public Education Focuses on EquityAt a time when CJEFF v Rell contin-

ues in Hartford on the definition of edu-cational adequacy in Connecticut,NSBA’s Center for Public Education haspublished a research brief, entitled,Educational Equity: What Does It Mean?How Do We Know When We Reach It?

While examining the issues of equityand equality, the Center’s Director PatteBarth, who wrote the brief, uses nationalinformation to explain what is meant byeach. She uses changing demographicsacross the country and compares theeducation received by children of dif-ferent races in terms of funding, high-level curriculum, good teachers, anddiscipline policies.

While, as Barth states, this is “not anexhaustive list” of issues that could beused to show differences, they are the“most impact on student learning andtherefore deserve close attention whendeveloping equity plans”. She names“extra academic supports for low-performing students; access to technologyboth in school and at home; comprehen-sive family services; mentorships andtrained counselors” as examples of otherissues that can be considered.

Barth also asked questions which anydistrict might consider when examiningequity in their schools, including:

• What is our performance by schooland by student group?

• Do all schools have adequate fund-ing? Do funds flow to schools ac-cording to need?

• Do we provide high-level curricu-lum in all of our schools? Do ourhigh schools offer course sequencesin high-level math from Algebra I tocalculus, and science from biologyto physics? Do we offer AP coursesand is access open to all?

• What are the qualifications of ourteaching staff? Is teacher qualitydistributed equitably among schoolsas well as within the school build-ing? Do all student groups have fairaccess to the best teachers? Areteachers well-supported? Do wereward teachers who serve theneediest students?

• How do our overall discipline ratescompare to other districts? Do wehave enough school counselors andtrained mentors to support students

What will theConnecticut

Online PolicyService

(C.O.P.S.)provideYOUR

district?

• A policy manual updatedwithin days of a board meet-ing.

• Access to your policy manual24/7 anywhere with Internetcapability.

• Timesaving links to legal andcross references.

• A search engine specificallydesigned for board policymanuals.

• The ability to search otheronline districts for similarpolicies or language.

• A happier staff that will haveless paper to deal with.

If you would like additional in-formation on CABE’s Connecti-cut Online Policy Service(C.O.P.S.), call Vincent Mustaroat 860-571-7446 or [email protected] for full de-tails.

Let the CABE staffmake your policy

life easier.

and work in partnership withfamilies?

• Finally, do we monitor our pro-gress? Do we make adjustmentswhen needed? Are all of our stu-dents learning, engaged and ontrack to graduate college- andcareer-ready?

The brief can be found at www.centerforpubliceducation.org/educationalequity.

Robert RaderExecutive Director, CABE

89 87 8581

75

63

50

0102030405060708090100

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Percent of U.S. Schools Offering the Following Courses - 2011-12

Percent of U.S. High Schools Offferingthe Following Courses 2011-12

AlgebraBiology

GeometryAlgebra II

ChemistryPhysics

Calculus

Source: OCR 2014

Understanding Cultural Differences:Critical Skills for Superintendents’

Secretaries, Administrative Assistantsand Executive Assistants

April 5, 2016 | 12:30 RegistrationCommunity Center, 30 Greenfield Street, Wethersfield

Cultural CompetencyCentral Office staff are often the first

to welcome new families to ourschools. Over the next ten years, Con-necticut students will be even morediverse than today and a better under-standing of cultural differences iscritical.

Central Office staff must be preparedto appropriately engage with new fami-lies in a respectful way. This sessionwill focus on key skills involved withsensitivity to cultural competency, us-ing cultural competence in positive andeffective problem-solving, and learningabout resources available to schoolboards and districts.

Presenter: Marji Lipshez-Shapiro, CTAnti-Defamation League (ADL)

Legal Q&AThis session will address a number of

legal issues that are of importance in theday-to-day work of superintendents’secretaries, administrative assistants andexecutive assistants.

Presenters:Patrice A. McCarthy,Deputy Director and General Counsel,CABE; Rebecca Adams, Senior StaffAttorney, CABE

So where do wego from here?

Discussion facilitated by LisaSteimer, Senior Staff Associate for Pro-fessional Development.

For more information or to register goto the CABE website: www.cabe.org/page.cfm?p=1141

Join Us inWelcomingNancy Propfe

We are happyto announce thatNancy Propfejoined the CABEstaff on February8 as theAdministrativeAssistant in theMembershipServicesDepartment. Shewill providesupport to our professional developmentand publications areas. Nancy has manyyears of experience in the publicationsfield.


Documents

CABE Journal - March 2016