Bethany Board of Education Meeting May 11, 2011

A brief summary of what was discussed at last night’s Bethany Board of Education meeting for those who want to know what's happening, but can't make it to the meetings:

• The meeting began with a reading of a proclamation in honor of Rona Brier, who is no longer on the board, for her work with the BOE.
• Starting in the fall the price of school lunches will increase from $2 to $2.25, with the price increasing another 25 cents the following year. The last school lunch price increase was about three years ago. Approximately 42 to 44 percent of Bethany students eat school lunches.
•  There is concern regarding a suggestion at the town budget hearing that the $55,000 in capital projects should come out of the school's budget and not the town's. Members stated there was no way the school could meet its financial obligations and pay for the improvements, which include replacing underground oil tanks and the water tank.
• The board wanted to publicly thank Recreation Department Director Janice Howard for all the work she did on last weekend's health fair to make it a huge success.
• The school is moving forward with its Rosetta Stone language initiative and has scheduled a webinar to inform parents about it next Wednesday.
• The finance committee said the budget surplus has decreased from $31,000 to $27,000 after actualizing salaries. Even with this reduction, the board is confident they will soon be able to begin building the new computer lab, budgeted not to exceed $12,000, with remaining funds.
• According to Superintendent Tim Connellan, the school is still waiting for a response from the insurance company regarding snow and ice damage to the roof.