Scotland Elementary School 

Special Board of Education Meeting 

Thursday, June 16, 2022 

Zoom Only 

PRESENT: Chairperson Cassidy Martin, Rod Perry, Sherry Smardon, Scott Sears,  Clarke Stearns 

Absent: William Trudelle, Gracie Martin 

ADMINISTRATION: Valerie Bruneau, Superintendent 

Tim Smith, Outgoing Finance Director 

1. Call to order/ Pledge of Allegiance 

Chairperson Cassidy Martin called the meeting to order at 7:01 p.m. followed by the Pledge of  Allegiance  

2. Comments from the Public (no public audience) 

Board Business (A) 

Budget Transfers 

C. Stearns led discussion about the surpluses particularly in salaries. Tim Smith explained the 25,000 in  salaries were due to loss of music teacher and the replacement spending some time as a sub, then hired at a  lower rate. Salaries were also saved by guidance and reading specialist being covered by grant dollars. The  second major area was group insurance. This area had extra due to the loss of a few covered staff, yielding  almost 50,000. The third area of discussion was the 11,000 over budgeted for magnet tuition (surplus which  was cut for the 2022-2023 school year budget). Special Ed salary was significantly over due to sped teacher  above top step hired early in school year. Also, over was outplacement special education for unexpected  student by 56,543. C. Stearns wants the report to reflect a column for the original approved budget amount for  ease of reading and transparency. Tim will merge the reports to add this into one. 

Motion to accept the transfers BUT with the original budgeted amount as an amendment made by Clark  Stearns and seconded by Sherry Smardon. Conversation among Board.  

5-0-0 (Passed) 

Board Business (B) 

Para Contract 

Motion to accept the para contract ratified by the non-cert union made by Sherry Smardon. Seconded  by Clark Stearns. No further discussion. 

5-0-0 (Passed) 

2. Upcoming Meetings 

∙ Regular Meeting – July 12, 2022 

3. Adjournment 

A motion to adjourn the meeting at 7:31p.m. was made by Sherry Smardon and Seconded by  Clark Sterns.  

5-0-0 (PASSED) 

Respectfully Submitted, Valerie E. Bruneau, Superintendent 

BOE Audio Files- https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/119N4o-ZkXT9vL0Eo542wjme5AYVCRHOF?usp=sharing

Note: Per C.G.S. 10 – 218, Board of Education meeting minutes are provided in a draft format within 48 hours of the date the meeting  was held. With the exception of motions and votes recorded, these minutes are unofficial until they have been read and approved by  a majority vote of the Board. Should edits be necessary, they will be made at the next regularly scheduled meeting, noted in the  meeting minutes, and voted upon. 

SCOTLAND BOARD OF EDUCATION 

Scotland, Connecticut 

Meeting Minutes 

July 12, 2022 

Chairperson Cassidy Martin called the meeting to order at 7:02 PM. Present were Board members Sherry  Smardon, Scott Sears, Rod Perry, Clark Stearns and Gracie Martin. Unable to attend was Board member Bill  Trudelle. Administrators present was Superintendent Valerie Bruneau. 

The Board recited the Pledge of Allegiance. 

2. COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC: None 

3. COMMUNICATIONS TO THE BOARD: 

– Received a letter that will be discussed in Executive Session. 

– A letter of resignation was received from School Nurse Charlene Petrone (suggested hiring Substitute  Nurse Sharon St. Rock who will take the job). 

4. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 

∙ Regular Meeting of June 7, 2022: 

#1-22/23 Motion to approve the regular meeting minutes from June 7, 2022, was made by Sherry  Smardon, seconded by Gracie Martin and carried with one abstention by Scott Sears. 

5. OPPORTUNITY TO ADD OR DELETE AGENDA ITEMS: 

Motion to add to agenda as Item #8J – Resignation from School Nurse Charlene Petrone, was made by  Sherry Smardon, seconded by Scott Sears and carried unanimously. 

6. CELEBRATIONS: 

– School is out and Summer School has started. 

– Progress is being made on cleaning. 

Rod Perry asked about the piles of dirt outside (stumps were removed). 

7. REPORTS 

A. Chairperson’s Oral Report: No Report 

B. Superintendent’s Report: 

– Summer Extended School Year has 9 kids with double that for the enrichment program. The Reading assignment is “How to Eat Fried Worms” with little projects and Sign Language  incorporated into the lessons. Will also be authors and making Budsies characters. One staff  member couldn’t stay due to a medical situation and was replaced with the Music teacher’s twin  sister. 

– PD for Paras is going well. 5 people attended PMT training. Stop the Bleed (shows how to handle  crisis situation if EMT not available) will be held along with staff from Andover next Tuesday by  Nurse Charlene from 12:30 to 1:30pm. Nate from the Scotland Fire Department will do CPR  training afterwards. 

– May have a PE teacher (waiting for pending certification for candidate who was a K-6 teacher).

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