The Sept. 23 Board of Education (BOE) meeting followed the prescribed format and after the Pledge of Allegiance the minutes were approved, changes having been made in advance via e-mail among the board members. A gift of $22,000 was presented by the School Community Association (SCA) to be used for enrichment programs. The board formally recognized the Booster Club for its generous gift of artificial turf for the athletic field.

Then, a more lengthy discussion ensued regarding bus routes, initially focusing on drop-off and pick-up times. The year did not get off to the best start and Ira Chudd, director of transportation, was present to advise the board and the community as to his plan to address the problems. Points touched upon were the unfortunate fact that the radio repeater was disconnected on Searingtown Road causing the two way radio signal to be too weak to function properly, exacerbating the transportation problems. It has since been relocated to the Thomaston Water Tower and the signal is once again strong. Road construction in the area affected bus schedules. The change in walker/rider distances created approximately 450 additional walkers in grades 7-12, causing increased traffic congestion at the secondary school. Compounding the problem middle school and high school enrollment has increased. As a result of the increased traffic flow and increased ridership the buses were re-timed to permit the buses to arrive and drop off students according to schedule. It was noted that last year there was more carpooling, this year more one car per child has been observed. Also discussed was the location of the bus stops, whether at corners, mid block or at individual's homes. Other related topics were outsourcing bus service, a change in bell times, how much money was actually saved by implementing Proposition #2, the supervisory problem of bus drivers providing favors and scheduling complications with St. Mary's school. Mr. Chudd said the "situation is stabilized." The myriad details of the bus scheduling problems were discussed at length throughout the evening.

During the question and answer period several parents pleaded for changes in the location of the stops and in the eligibility for bus service. Ira Chudd mentioned he had received about 50 requests for a change in status based on mileage and he personally retraced the distance for each request, however, due to state mandates, he changed the decision only once. Lori Alonso said if the community supports rescinding Proposition #2 it must realize nothing can be done until the next budget vote.

Deborah Klein, board member, spoke about the crew team, a club sport with two seasons under its belt, that has the enthusiastic support of every involved parent and student. A relatively new team, they enjoyed some remarkable wins last year. Ms. Klein said they fundraise for their own team ($170,000 in 15 months) and for charity ($2,000 for Tuesday's Children). The funds raised for the team have been used to purchase equipment, boats and a boat house at Bar Beach they hope will be completed by the winter. In crew it was said every student races because there are many divisions based on weight. Sixty students participated last year and 68 participate this year. Out of 10 seniors last year, eight are rowing for colleges and some have scholarships. Some of the schools they are attending are: Temple, Delaware, Yale, Boston College, St. Joe's, Villanova, Lehigh and Harvard.

Aline Khatchadourian, board member, spoke of the need for Summer Center applications. Cindy Cardinal, board vice -president, and Aline Khatchadourian, both members of the audit committee, spoke about expanding the role of the internal auditor, and about budget transfers -- who authorizes them, how and why they occur, and whether or at what amount to require oral or written approval. It was said the board had usually acted retroactively in such matters. Inherent problems and possible solutions regarding budget transfers were discussed by the administration and the board.

Other subjects discussed were possible conflicts of interest between vendors and individuals connected to the school district and viable ways of monitoring that situation. Larry Belinsky, board member, wanted assurance that as the board refines or adopts new policies, that the office personnel is versed in the changes. Comments were made on the overwhelming amount of work the audit and finance committees are embarking upon, and how very hands on it is.

At this part of the program the student representative spoke and one comment was the large number of students in each class, that every desk is occupied, whereupon the representative was reminded that the maximum allowed is 32 students per class. When the SCA representative spoke she noted middle school students are arriving earlier to school; are being dropped off by parents earlier making a security guard necessary at an earlier time. It was noted the surveillance cameras were originally set up as a tape loop, and should be updated to be more useful.

At that segment of the meeting when "superintendent and staff" speaks, some items discussed were that the last teaching vacancy had been filled, how exactly the accountant should handle the warrants, and that the business reports should be more timely and more informative and efforts were being made in that regard. Aline Khatchadourian asked if the board could see the adjustments made by the auditor. Stan Germain, interim business manager, said "I can see we are working toward a cooperative goal and I am glad to be a part of it." Bill D'Antonio commented that the auditor should not close the books, that the district should give them the balances and they should go over them and say if it is in order. Tom Maimone said it has become a collaborative effort, to which Mr. D'Antonio replied "we should have the financial expertise in house." Bill D'Antonio also commented that we discovered that we did not know the cost of much, for example, Summer Center, and that's no way to keep the books. He said the board is just focusing on policy and development and he would like to know what the costs are in the district. "Who is going to do that?" he asked. Mr. Maimone answered that they are now engaged in reviewing financial policies at the board level, which the administration will then take and implement. He said the process will take a few more months.