
RPS Board of Education News
June 30, 2023
Together
If a picture is worth a thousand words, maybe a movie is worth even more. In the case of this Rough Cut of Convocation, the enthusiasm and talents of RPS shine even in miniature. Inspired by the idea of Ridgefield Imagines, the district came together last August before the first day of classes to laugh, sing, cheer, and celebrate the Ridgefield Public Schools—beginning a year of post-pandemic normalcy, progress, and imagining. The District didn't stop imagining through the RHS Class of 2023 Commencement at Tiger Hollow or That's a Wrap, the end-of-the-year event for teachers. That's who RPS is.
The RPS Board of Education is proud of the work it did together with the administration for the good of students now and in the future. Together, we passed a budget. Together, we re-prioritized and shored up school security. Together, we reviewed policies, curriculum, and expenditures to make our district stronger.
A priority that further unites this board is the desire to communicate with parents and community stakeholders. Through Access RPS parent and PTA meetings, community engagement, and this newsletter, the RPS BOE hopes to continue to reach out and open the door for a deeper understanding of the concerns and evolving dreams of our community.
Thank you for a great year!
BOE regular meetings occur on the second and fourth Monday of each month except for July and when Monday is a holiday. Meetings begin at 7:00 p.m. unless otherwise noted on the meeting agenda. Special meetings are throughout the year, as needed. Meetings are live-streamed and available recorded here. In-person public comment is welcome with time allotted near the beginning and end of each meeting. Emails to the full board should be sent to boardofed@ridgefieldps.net. Most meetings during Full Year 2022-23 opened with an RPS Student Showcase, highlighting our talented students and teachers.
Here is the schedule for FY 23-24 BOE Meetings. Agendas are posted before the meeting. Please note that the August 14 meeting might be canceled. Check the website before attending.
BOE Conference Room at 90 East Ridge Road
August Calendar
The full district calendar can be found here.
The Budget Process—What Families Should Know
RPS started thinking about the FY 2024-25 budget before the FY 2023-24 budget passed. In fact, some of the most important budget work happens in the spring and summer when teachers and building leaders get together to reflect on the year, the changing needs of students and staff, and the allocation of resources. Curriculum teams are already at work—writing, assessing, and discussing implementation.
The BOE FY 2023-24 Budget featured a 3.79% increase, which the Boards of Selectmen and Finance passed without cuts. After families saw the Superintendent's presentation of the Budget, concerns were raised about the Elementary art program, resulting in a Special BOE Meeting. At this meeting, elementary principals presented the rationale of the current essentials (art, library and media, music, and PE) six-day schedule and the staffing needs. Shortly after that meeting, the BOE adopted the Superintendent's Proposed Budget (8 members supporting and one abstaining).
The BOE entreats families to express their concerns and hopes for the district early in the budget process. Concerns about specific teachers or classroom incidents should go first to the teacher. If that isn't possible or an issue remains unresolved, bring concerns to the Principals or building leaders. If the problem is still not addressed, please send an email or schedule a time to talk to a Central Office administrator. Concerns about the direction of the district should go to the Board of Education.
Raise Voices; Celebrate Achievements; Plan for the Future
From the Farmingville fifth-grade chorus to RHS Science Research to the Grade 8 presentation on the Witness Stones Project, RPS students, under the advisement of their teachers, animated the bi-monthly meetings. Arts, writing, music, spring break travel, RHS culinary arts, and the new Rugby program are just a sampling of subjects students tackled holding the microphone and the public's attention in this important experience.
Q+A With Board of Education Chair
On the day after graduation, when RPS Board of Education Chair Tina Malhotra had been out helping at the Grad Party until 2 am, she sat down with RPS Update to talk about some of the district's achievements, challenges, and FAQs this year.
What are some of the BOE accomplishments you are proud of this year?
I think the accomplishment I'm most proud of is the productive relationship within the board and with the administration and families. Yes, we had moments of disagreement but we worked through them and tried to make transparency, respect, and trust central to our district. We accomplished so much. We passed a responsible and innovative budget that supports teachers and students. We made our schools more secure. We added classes to the high school to make student choice and inclusivity a priority. The purchasing of vans supported rising costs of out-of-district transportation and reflected innovative cost-cutting that had no impact on service. The tri-board (Board of Finance, Board of Selectmen, and Board of Education) tours of schools were important to putting a Facility plan in place. The development of a committee to recruit and retain a diverse workforce of excellent educators will be essential as fewer students go into teaching. Thoughtful selection of curriculum resources and streamlining the STEAM pathways have been important work. We considered 70 policies—which is an epic leap from past RPS boards of education. I think our District communication is improving.
What were some of the challenges?
Communications. From my vantage point as a volunteer, parent, and community member along with being on the board, I think sometimes people don't realize that BOE members are constrained by rules about talking about BOE business outside of a meeting. We each have one vote and our meetings are board meetings in public governed by Roberts Rules and our bylaws plus agendas. That means our meeting structure has limits, which I know can be sometimes frustrating to our parents. On another level, I hear from a lot of families struggling with mental health concerns and learning loss from the pandemic. I'm concerned about PTAs' abilities to fill leadership roles and volunteering requests.
What questions do families frequently ask?
Dr. Da Silva, select BOE members, and I met with some groups of families earlier this month. Parents expressed interest in World Language and STEM at the Elementary school, class size, the schedule (start times, length of the school day, etc), concerns about safety especially on the school bus, and requests for improved college counseling. They expressed anxiety during the transitions from Elementary to Middle and Middle to High School. Some were surprised to hear that Board of Education members are unpaid. I would love to hear from more families.
What is the best way families can support the schools?
Parents and community are our stakeholders. I want to make sure all stakeholders feel heard and valued.The bottom line is we all want to do best for our kids and our community.The board are elected representatives to all and we need to hear from stakeholders. Please communicate directly to the board. It is our town, our schools and our kids. It’s a great district.
How was the Grad Party?
Photo Caption: Rachel Ruggeri, Assistant Superintendent Cory Gillette, Amy Casey, and Tina Malhotra at Convocation in August.
BOE Budget, Finance, and Operations Committee
Chair: Sean McEvoy
BOE Members: Amy Casey, Divya Dorairajan, and Elizabeth Floegel
This budget year, we focused on additional levels of transparency to the public and other boards. We worked with Director of Finance Jill Brown to streamline the reporting process to give the Board of Finance a better report format and more timely information. Through this process, the relationship between BoE and BoF has become much stronger.
We also implemented new periodic gift reporting to allow for quicker recognition of groups, instead of waiting until the end of the year.
The Committee also worked with the administration to work on some mid-year budget transfers to support items such as the special chairs needed for graduation at Tiger Hollow (we'll be able to use these for many years), a handicap-accessible golf cart for Tiger Hollow, additional transportation vans (which will save the district money every year), and getting rid of the old one-arm chairs and other older furniture that should have been aged out a long time ago.
BOE Curriculum Committee
Chair: Amy Casey
BOE Members: Sean McEvoy and Rachel Ruggeri
The Curriculum Committee works directly with the RPS Curriculum Team—Assistant Superintendent Cory Gillette, Elementary Director Linda Johnson, Grade 6-12 Math/Science Supervisor Jeffrey Corbishley, and Grade 6-12 Humanities Supervisor Dr. Annie Tucci. This administrative team is a team of teachers, and the meetings are substantive and engaging. Some of the many topics, the Curriculum Committee broached were pathways—Math and Visual and Performing Arts—and communication. The Committee discussed the implementation of the new elementary curriculum resources of Fundations and think!Mathematics. They talked about transitions from school levels, how to include teacher voice in reflection, MTSS (Multi-Tiered System of Supports), new technologies, end-of-year planning, professional development, project-based learning at the Alternative High School, and so much more.
BOE Policy Committee
Chair: Rachel Ruggeri
BOE Members: Selina Bell, Thomas Colin, and Divya Dorairajan
Since January 2022, the BOE Policy Committee in collaboration with RPS Administration has reviewed 70 policies in light of legislative updates, audit comments, Administrative/Staff, Board of Education, and or community feedback.
"In preparation for a policy review," writes Committee Chair Rachel Ruggeri, "we go through policy updates from the district's legal counsel Shipman & Goodwin and the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education (CABE). The committee has referenced Public Acts, CT general statutes, and the Ridgefield Town Charter in quoting legal references. Keeping up to date with this work is extremely important to the RPS community and a vital role of the Board of Education."
After a policy/bylaw is reviewed by the committee, it may move forward to a regular meeting of the full Board of Education for a first read and then a second read for approval. All of the RPS Policies can be found on the RPS Board of Education page linked to CABE.
BOE Strategic Planning Committee
Members - Sean McEvoy, Jonathan Steckler, Thomas Colin, and Selina Bell
The Strategic Planning Committee is unique in its setup in that each committee member takes a turn as chair. The committee started late this year, but a few of the topics the committee covered so far were:
- The exciting new bus app for parents, which is expected to launch soon.
- A transportation study that included looking at efficiencies and cost savings.
- Our work helping our planet through compositing pilots at two elementary schools.
Photo Caption: Elementary teachers already at work planning curriculum for next year.
Other BOE-Related Committees
A Plea for Civility
The Board of Education understands the emotions involved when issues arise with children at school. We understand the frustration when we don't feel heard or the district doesn't prioritize what we think it should. We implore the community to refrain from calling out individual board members, teachers, administrators, parents, or students on social media or in our meetings. This kind of attack damages our district. It interferes with our ability to attract the best administrators, faculty, PTA leaders, and Board member colleagues. It is defeating. Please remember that every Board member is a volunteer, a parent, a child, and a member of your community. Speak up, but please don't lash out.
Have a Great Summer!
Rising sixth graders enjoy a cool treat during Jump Start Middle School.