By Advice Meehan

John DeShazo and Virginia Coleman-Prisco switched roles at the Dec. 9 meeting of the Board of Education, with DeShazo becoming board chair and Coleman-Prisco stepping into the role of vice chair. Coleman-Prisco had earlier announced that new administrative and teaching responsibilities meant that she could no longer serve as chair.

The board acted on numerous other administrative matters at that session, as well as the meeting on Jan. 13. Those included changing the board’s meeting dates to avoid conflicts with other town committees, among them the Board of Finance and Planning & Zoning Commission. The board plans to meet twice in February (Feb. 10 and 24) to review the proposed budget but will shift its meetings as of March. At this writing, the schedule for the remainder of the school year would be March 31, April 28, May 26 and June 9.

The board adopted policies governing the review of library materials, as well as the process for addressing complaints. The draft underwent significant revision by the policy sub-committee chaired by Walter Godlewski. It received a first reading on Dec. 9 and was approved on Jan. 13. At the suggestion of board member Amy Bennett, the board and school staff agreed that policies involving the use of artificial intelligence should be considered.

Board members Jeremy Withnell and Donna Rubin agreed to represent the board during the planned public meetings to review the school district’s mission and vision statements. That consultatative process will get underway on Feb. 25 with additional sessions scheduled in March and April.

Two significant financial matters were addressed by the board in December and January. The most pressing involved repairs to the Botelle School elevator, which needs a new motor that will cost an estimated $58,000. In December, Superintendent Kevin Case recommended that the board approve the expenditure of $45,000 from its non-lapsing account with the balance to come from the current budget. At the January meeting, Case reported that the parts had been ordered and that Norfolk could receive up to $32,000 from the state, which could be used to backfill the non-lapsing account.

Case also reported that Norfolk’s current school budget fell below the minimum expenditure requirements set by the state because spending for special education dropped by

$150,000 year over year and the overall budget fell by $103,000. “We do have a very justifiable reason,” he said, noting that he hoped to meet with state officials in February. Principal Lauren Valentino reported that two new activities have been introduced for Botelle students. Community member Gary Scheft started a chess club that meets on Wednesdays during lunch and recess. Shana Bazelmans, the art teacher, has begun an after-school art club. Virtually all parents attended parent-teacher conferences held during the fall, and Valentino noted that mid-year assessments were underway in January. Upper intermediate students were also scheduled to begin their personal interest projects at the end of the month, a collaboration with EdAdvance that makes Botelle unique among elementary schools in the region. She noted that educators are continuing to work through the READ-CONN curriculum focused on the science of reading and would begin the second module in February.