By Avice Meehan

The Board of Education took three major actions at the March 11 meeting held at Botelle Elementary School: opened the search for a new school superintendent, approved the 2025-26 school budget and adopted a policy for managing unspent funds.

Virginia Coleman-Prisco, board chair, opened the discussion about searching for a successor School Superintendent Mary Beth Iacobelli, who retires at the end of the school year after 11 years in the role. The board reviewed materials that had been prepared for that search and the steps they would need to take, including formation of search committee.

The search committee will consist of three board members, three staff members and two individuals from the community. The committee will be responsible for the initial screening of candidates and recommending finalists to be interviewed by the full board. Interested Norfolk residents are encouraged to submit a letter of interest that outlines their reasons for wanting to serve and their willingness to invest the time that will be required. Letters are due April 7 and may be sent to searchcommittee@botelleschool.org. 

The superintendent’s role is part-time and equates to a commitment of roughly two days a week, making it attractive to individuals seeking to step away from a full-time position. Iacobelli, like Robert Gilbert, her counterpart in Colebrook, had a lengthy career as an educator before coming to Norfolk in 2014. 

Applications are due May 9. There are currently 10 open searches for school superintendents in Connecticut and Norfolk’s is the only part-time role. The full posting can be found on the Connecticut Regional Education Application Placement (CTREAP) website at www.ctreap.net/job_postings/151724/CT01/CT01

Candidates will be expected to demonstrate the full array of leadership skills, understanding of childhood development and improving educational outcomes. Specific to the teaching approach practice at Botelle, candidates will need to demonstrate “clear vision” for leading a multi-age elementary school, an approach that Iacobelli implemented in concert with Principal Lauren Valentino.

Although the first selectmen from Norfolk and Colebrook have restarted conversations about how the two towns might come together in the face of declining school enrollments, the exploratory committee has yet to meet. Both communities need to fill administrative roles in the meantime. 

Shifts in estimated spending for special education and related services mean that the proposed 2025-26 budget for Botelle will decrease by 3.92 percent or $103,883 from the current year budget of $2.649,086. The revised budget, which was presented later that night to the Board of Finance of $2,545,203 reflects contractual salary increases for full-time staff, an expansion of the pre-kindergarten program and a new contract with All Star Transportation.

Iacobelli noted that special education costs could shift again in the new school year, depending on enrollment at Botelle and the needs of any new students. As proposed, the budget would be $542,455. This includes funding for Shared Services, the regional entity that supports all the schools that fall within Region 7, and school-based staff.

Iacobelli also presented a proposal that reflects a change in state policy that would allow the board to retain up to 2 percent of unspent funds each year in a non-lapsing account. The big shift is that the board would no longer need permission from the Board of Finance to spend the money.

The two boards had previously operated under a memorandum of understanding, which was dissolved on March 11. That agreement allowed up to 1 percent of unspent funds to be set aside for capital projects. The more $60,000 currently held by the town will be used to defray the costs of new boilers to be installed later this year.