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ENFIELD TOWN COUNCIL
MINUTES OF A SPECIAL MEETING
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2006
A Special Meeting of the Enfield Town Council was called to order by Acting Chairman Kenneth Hilinski in the Enfield Room of the Enfield Town Hall, 820 Enfield Street, Enfield, Connecticut on Monday, September 25, 2006. The meeting was called to order at 6:00 p.m.
ROLL-CALL – Present were Councilmen Edgar, Hilinski, Kaupin, Lee, Mangini, Maxellon, Nelson and Ragno. Councilman Peruta entered at 6:02 p.m., Councilman Crowley entered at 6:07 p.m. and Chairman Tallarita entered at 6:20 p.m. Also present were Town Manager, Matthew Coppler; Assistant Town Manager, Daniel Vindigni; Director of Economic Development, Raymond Warren; Director of Public Works, John Kazmarski; Assistant Director of Public Works, Colleen Brand; Town Attorney, Christopher Bromson; Senior Assistant Town Attorney, Maria Stavropoulos; Town Clerk, Suzanne Olechnicki
DISCUSSION RE: BOOK BID WAIVER
Present for this discussion were Superintendence of Schools, Dr. John Gallacher; Chairman of the Board of Education, Sharon Racine; Director of Curriculum for Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 6, Linda Cavanaugh and Director of Curriculum for Grades 7 through 12, Mary Henderson.
Ms. Henderson highlighted the District Curriculum Council’s process for evaluation and selection of textbooks and instructional materials. She explained the District Curriculum Council (DCC) is a representative group of teachers and administrators who put together this process and the selection forms. She noted there is a seven-step curriculum development cycle in the district for every course, subject and grade. She pointed out the DCC did this so that no grade, subject or course would slip through the cracks. She noted every seven years the curriculum is revised.
Ms. Henderson went on to explain the first year of the seven-year cycle is spent evaluating CMT, CAPT and other relevant data, doing research, reviewing the Connecticut framework, National Standards, etc. She noted in the second year the curriculum is revised and then textbooks and instructional materials are reviewed. She stated after the materials are reviewed a recommendation is made by the Curriculum Planning Team. She pointed out there is a planning team for every subject area department.
She stated the textbooks selected by the planning teams are made available at the public library for public review for 30 days. She noted the recommendations are then presented to the Board of Education.
Ms. Cavanaugh then highlighted the Textbook and Instructional Materials Evaluation Form. She explained each individual teacher on the Curriculum Planning Team completes this form for each textbook that is reviewed. She pointed out the materials must satisfy the criteria statements included in the packet. She explained the areas are weighted, and the content material is weighted most heavily. She noted the content in the textbook must be aligned with the curriculum, and the materials must facilitate the learner outcome or what children should know and be able to do. She stated content must be aligned with CMT and CAPT strands and objectives. She noted the content must be accurate and verifiable. She went on to note content must provide depth and coverage, cultural diversity and promote decision making, problem solving and creative and critical thinking. She added content must integrate reading, writing and other subject areas.
Ms. Cavanaugh stated they look for a total score divided by the responses to get an average score and then, most importantly, the weighting.
She pointed out the document before the Council is very specifically laid out as far as what they’re expecting the text to incorporate. She noted technology is included within the criteria statements.
Ms. Cavanaugh stated there is a District Committee Chairperson who is overseeing the process, and that Chair, in discussion with the Team, summarizes the group’s recommendation.
Ms. Henderson stated there are very specific steps required of the Chair of the selection committee. She explained that Chair meets with a Curriculum Director and completes two more forms – a cost analysis form and a citizen’s evaluation form.
Councilman Lee stated his understanding this is a very detailed and involved process, however, he feels there should be an itemization of the purchase if there is to be a $350,000 bid waiver. Board of Education Chairman, Sharon Racine, pointed out the Board of Education is not purchasing $350,000 worth of textbooks at one time. She noted normally these funds are just put in the regular budget for their textbooks and they purchase the books they need.
Councilman Hilinski stated his impression the resolution was for a generic bid waiver to cover all the textbooks henceforth. He noted they’re looking for a waiver of the process for the duration, not for this individual purchase.
Ms. Henderson explained one textbook is coming before the Board of Education tomorrow night, and this will cost about $4,600. She pointed out this textbook is the only one that has gone through this whole process and has been on public display for 30 days. She noted they have other textbooks in progress. Dr. Gallacher stated his belief there are four or five textbooks on display at the library at this time. He noted during the course of the year this process will be on-going as they work with the various teachers who are teaching the courses at the various subject levels. He stated the Board of Education could come back before the Town Council if the Council wanted these textbooks presented one at a time. He went on to explain they were requesting the Council approve the CIP for textbook and computer purchasing, and the Board of Education would spend that money on textbooks or computers.
Dr. Gallacher pointed out they select the text based on the evaluation criteria, and it’s a very specific text. He noted they couldn’t go out to bid for this particular purchase because they are dealing directly with the publisher, therefore, the only person bidding on this textbook would be the publisher, McGraw-Hill. He pointed out McGraw-Hill is the only publisher publishing this text.
Councilman Lee questioned if the publishers know when there’s a non-competitive situation. Dr. Gallacher responded not necessarily because a lot of the publishers will start talking about gratis materials or giving a discount on a textbook. He noted they can negotiate with the publishers, i.e., throwing in the site license for free, provide teacher editions for free, waiving of shipping costs, etc. He stated the publishers tend to be competitive in this area. He pointed out the Board of Education tries to take their dollars as far as they can, and they’re very cognizant of costs.
Councilman Lee questioned what percentage of the appropriation is expected to be used on textbooks vs. computers. Dr. Gallacher estimated $330,000 in textbooks and about $20,000 in computers. He noted they are still waiting to learn what happens with the IT situation before spending money on computers. He stated they’ve had a dire need for supplementing the textbook budget over the past several years, and this is the first time they’ve had an influx of this type of money in a long time.
Ms. Racine pointed out the science textbook would cost almost $18,000, however, the company is willing to provide $37,000 worth of free supplies that go along with that textbook. She noted the social studies textbook, which is almost ready to go to the library, costs $11,000 and the company is providing $17,000 worth of free items that go with the textbook.
Councilman Mangini questioned how the Board of Education handled this in the past and why is this resolution coming before the Council now. Ms. Racine explained this is because of the CIP situation.
Dr. Gallacher stated if it would be helpful to the Council, they could provide a listing of the subjects that they’re planning to purchase this year. Councilman Hilinski stated his belief that would be helpful.
Councilman Maxellon questioned what safeguards are in place to prevent manufacturers from taking advantage of a no bid situation. Dr. Gallacher stated publishers are invited to submit examination copies. He noted the publishers have no idea what the Board of Education process is, and they are unaware of the school system’s needs.
Councilman Maxellon questioned once a publisher knows they have an order, how does the Board of Education know they’re getting the best value. Dr. Gallacher pointed out that is part of the process that the Curriculum Directors go through with the publisher and this involves possible gratis materials. He added the school system also has a ballpark figure on what they’re planning to spend. He pointed out similar textbooks are basically in the same price range. Ms. Cavanaugh added the school system is aware of the catalog price range.
Councilman Maxellon questioned whether the school system purchases directly from the manufacturer, and Dr. Gallacher stated they purchase direct from the publisher. Ms. Cavanaugh stated the publishers know who the school system is talking to, therefore, they’re willing to do a lot of bargaining to get the school’s business, and that shows up in free material.
Councilman Kaupin requested some idea of what the free materials consist of, and Ms. Cavanaugh responded workbook-type ancillary material, overhead transparencies, software, audios, teachers’ in-service, kits, trade books which will support a content area, guided reading libraries that align with the textbook, challenge libraries for challenged students and a dearth of support materials that will probably not come in with the straight adoption of a text because the funding isn’t available.
Councilman Kaupin questioned what percentage of the district’s entire textbook replacement is covered by this $350,000. Ms. Henderson responded it’s a very small percentage because they’ve done an extensive number of revisions of curriculum in the past several years. She stated based on the projected need and because they haven’t had funding for the past three years, the DCC approached the School Board last January and requested four times this amount.
Councilman Kaupin questioned how many different publishers are typically approached. Ms. Henderson noted they reviewed a U.S. History textbook this year from four different publishers. She noted they will look at all the publishers with textbooks that show any alignment whatsoever so that they’re not showing any bias or favoritism. She went on to note they looked at six publishers for an integrated physical science textbook.
Councilman Kaupin expressed his appreciation for this information and stated he’s comfortable with the process.
Councilman Nelson stated his belief this process is great, but he questions why the school system doesn’t put out what they’re looking for in a textbook and let all the publishers come to the school system to present their texts. He stated his impression a publisher could charge anything they want. Ms. Henderson stated her belief a publisher couldn’t stay in business if they charged exorbitant prices.
Councilman Nelson questioned if the Council is giving the School Board a free ticket with this money, or is this money being spent strictly on books and nothing else. Dr. Gallacher stated the purchase order states what this is for, and it’s not open-ended.
Chairman Tallarita questioned who cuts the purchase order, and Dr. Gallacher responded the Town does this.
Councilman Crowley stated he is confident in the Board of Education to do the right thing, and it’s not his intention to micro-manage the Board of Education’s purchasing.
Councilman Ragno expressed his appreciation to the Board of Education for coming before the Council to explain this process. He stated his understanding if the Council approves this bid waiver, they’re also approving the purchase of computers. He questioned if there’s any way they can enhance their purchasing by a collaborative effort with other districts. Dr. Gallacher noted they do work with other co-ops for other materials, and it’s possible they could look into that. He noted computer companies are on bid lists, however, textbook companies are not.
Councilman Ragno stated he is comfortable with the textbook purchasing process, however, he would prefer to see computers withheld from this resolution and dealt with separately as the need arises so that they can see exactly what they’re purchasing in that realm.
Councilman Maxellon questioned if the DCC is an Enfield-based thing, is there something on a larger basis. Ms. Henderson stated there is a curriculum council at CREC. She pointed out every town has their own curriculum council and curriculum director. She noted there are some common threads, i.e., the Connecticut framework, the CMT and CAPT demands.
Councilman Peruta questioned the bidding for computers. Dr. Gallacher stated computers have been bid.
Chairman Tallarita questioned if a bid process has ever been used in the purchase of textbooks, and Dr. Gallacher responded no. He added he doesn’t know of any other town in the state that has used the bid process.
Chairman Tallarita stated he is comfortable with this process. He noted he does not want to see the Board of Education having to come before the Town Council every time they are going to make one of these purchases.
Councilman Mangini stated she is also comfortable with this process. She referred to the language in the resolution and questioned if an amendment can be made to make this resolution specific to textbooks. It was agreed that could be addressed at the next Council meeting.
DISCUSSION RE: LAUGHLIN ROAD
Mr. Coppler stated he and Jose Giner had a meeting at the site with the developer. He noted the developer has approached the Town about doing a little more grading than originally planned. He stated based upon the public safety issue in this area, the developer’s proposal is in line with what would be done if they were going to be developing a roadway in that area. He noted he and Mr. Giner felt that what the developer was proposing was not going to make a huge change to what is currently in place. He explained this involves taking off between 12 to 18 inches from the curb line of the road and sloping it back toward the property and the proposed grade which is part of the building permit. He noted because the Council has not acted officially on this, staff is leery about giving an okay to move forward. He stated Mr. Giner indicated he doesn’t have a problem with this proposal as long as the grading would not effect the flow of the water onto the roadway. He noted if the Council is comfortable with staff taking the initiative to make sure this is what is done, they can move forward. He pointed out this only applies to this one lot.
Councilman Kaupin stated his belief this is a good plan and that work is not impacting the scenic road designation.
Councilman Maxellon questioned if this work will solidify the boundary line. Mr. Coppler stated his belief there will have to be some action taken that clears up that issue in the future.
Attorney Stavropoulos stated the boundary line is already on that plot. She noted the issue has to do with the right-of-way.
Mr. Coppler stated once the property is sold, the developer will establish where the boundary line is for the owner. He noted the Town has to accept up to that boundary line.
He noted the Town never officially accepted either the 33 or 50 foot boundary line, and that action should be taken soon.
Mr. Kazmarski stated the right-of-way is ill-defined on both sides. He noted if they reach a property line agreement with this developer on the westerly side, then a similar thing will have to be done with the property owner on the easterly side.
Councilman Crowley stated he does not want to see future water problems in this area.
Councilman Mangini questioned if the Town Manager will come back to the Council for future development on the grading. Mr. Coppler stated the developer is putting together a development plan for the roadway in front of his parcels. He noted the Town Council would have to approve that development plan because this is a scenic road and town right-of-way.
Chairman Tallarita stated he does not want the Council to get involved in land use issues. He noted that is why the Town has land use committees.
Councilman Ragno questioned how Mr. Kazmarski feels about this as a remedy to this current situation. As concerns the grading of the individual lots, Mr. Kazmarski stated his engineering staff will review any grading plans that come in and they’ll be sure surface runoff is handled appropriately. He noted it’s important to be sure no properties dump additional waters onto the road because there are no development plans for the road and there are no pipes or catch basins.
Councilman Ragno stated his belief the Council shouldn’t be micro-managing what the staff should be responsible for, therefore, he feels this is a viable plan and they should move forward.
Chairman Tallarita stated as this moves forwarded, it’s important that issues go before the appropriate committees.
It was the consensus of the Council for staff to move forward.
MOTION #8935 by Councilman Hilinski, seconded by Councilman Lee to go into Executive Session to discuss Real Estate Negotiations, Pending Litigation and Personnel Matters.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #8935 adopted 11-0-0, and the meeting stood recessed at 7:10 p.m.
EXECUTIVE SESSION
The Executive Session of the Enfield Town Council was called to order by Chairman Tallarita at 7:11 p.m.
ROLL-CALL – Councilmen Crowley, Edgar, Hilinski, Kaupin, Lee, Mangini, Maxellon, Nelson, Peruta, Ragno and Tallarita. Also present were Town Manager, Matthew Coppler; Assistant Town Manager, Daniel Vindigni; Town Attorney, Christopher Bromson; Senior Assistant Town Attorney, Maria Stavropoulos; Director of Economic Development, Raymond Warren; Director of Public Works, John Kazmarski; Assistant Director of Public Works, Colleen Brand. Councilmen Crowley, Maxellon and Tallarita left he session at 7:29 p.m. and returned at 8:06 p.m.
Real Estate Negotiations, Pending Litigation and Personnel Matters were discussed with no action or votes being taken.
Chairman Tallarita adjourned the Executive Session at 9:30 p.m. He reconvened the Special Meeting at 9:31 p.m. and stated during Executive Session, Real Estate Negotiations, Pending Litigation and Personnel Matters were discussed with no action or votes being taken.
ADJOURNMENT
MOTION #8936 by Councilman Mangini, seconded by Councilman Kaupin to adjourn.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #8936 adopted 11-0-0, and the meeting stood adjourned at 9:32 p.m. |