Trust celebrates two decades with picnic

CORNWALL — The new school year at Cornwall Consolidated opened with the same number of students, eighth graders studying Russian, a new custodian and lunch program and a focus on honesty, good manners and self-discipline (part of the Character Counts program).

Garrett Selino will be the new face in the school four hours each evening, helping to keep the place ship-shape. Matt Collins is teaching the Russian class.

The librarian is now "Mrs. Kirkland." It’s not a staffing change: Terri Chemerys was married over the summer. Principal Kathleen Fitzgibbons gleefully made the announcement at the Sept. 20 Board of Education meeting, along with the news that she officiated at the ceremony. It was her first wedding since being ordained two years ago.

CMT test results

On a more serious note, Connecticut Mastery Test scores were reviewed. Cornwall was far from making the list of 265 of the state’s 805 schools that did not meet proficiency standards. CCS students met all standards, and Region One Superintendent Patricia Chamberlain offered praise to the teachers.

"The results show the teachers not only care about the test, but they also care about the children," she said.

"It’s not just about the year they take the test, but the years that come before it," Dr. Fitzgibbons said.

Tests are administered in April. Last year’s third-graders did very well on math, reading and writing. Fifth-, sixth- and seventh-graders produced exceptional results across the board. Fourth-graders showed some difficulties, especially in reading and writing, where a significant percentage scored below basic goal levels.

A team of teachers and Dr. Fitzgibbons are reviewing in detail test results of each student.

"We expect to address areas of specific concern for each child and have a goal to move up this year," she said.

Mastery test results have an effect on Educational Cost Share (ECS) grants that schools rely upon.

Cornwall’s grant increased by nearly $21,000 to $81,728 for this budget year.

Grants are expected to rise by 4.4 percent across the board next year, maybe more. But Chamberlain warned that as state ECS dollars rise, so will accountability. States are beginning to apply the tougher standards of the federal No Child Left Behind legislation.

Take money for more security?

A philosophical discussion promises to be a large part of consideration of enhanced security at CCS. It is not a particular incident that is driving it, but the availability of $10 million in school security grant money.

There is a catch, of sorts. The grant program requires schools spend money on security changes first, then apply, with no guarantee of being reimbursed. Salisbury Central and North Canaan Elementary have already put in security measures that qualify, Chamberlain said, and will likely apply for the grant.

"We have chosen not to make any changes regarding security," Dr. Fitzgibbons said. "But we should have discussions. We need to ask how safe we feel."

It’s not always about an outside threat. Board member Irene Hurlburt noted an incident when a girl of five or six years old simply decided to leave school and walk home one day. She was found, safe, two blocks away.

Regional education issues

Chairman Barbara Gold spoke about topics at a recent All Boards meeting. That board is made up of the chairmen of all the Region One boards of education, from the towns of Cornwall, Falls Village, Kent, North Canaan, Sharon and Salisbury.

An issue that will likely be making the rounds of local school boards is a decision by Salisbury Central School to no longer accept tuition students.

The board made the policy change based on the advice of its attorney. Two reasons that were given were the implications for possible special education spending, and inherited problems.

The latter speaks to the apparently not uncommon movement between schools of children experiencing social issues. Once a student is accepted on a tuition basis, he or she cannot be sent elsewhere if problems arise.

A teacher swap program was also discussed. The intriguing idea would have teachers of the same subject switching schools within the region for a year.