Board approves travel and roof-specification items; district hears requests for contracts, grant amendments and budget briefing

The Waterbury Board of Education approved a consent calendar during a special meeting on April 3 that included (1) a travel agreement for Wallace Middle School’s trip to Washington, D.C., and (2) an educational-specification name correction and related capital transfer for a proposed Bergen Education Complex partial roof replacement project.

Vice President Brown moved to accept the consent calendar items as read; the motion was seconded and the board voted in favor. The special-meeting minutes record the motion, a single verbal second and the chair’s call for votes: “All in favor? Aye. Opposed? Motion carries.” The travel agreement covers a three-day trip, June 11–13, 2025, for 35 Wallace students and chaperones; the district staff said all expenses are covered in-kind by Student Youth Travel Association, the Youth Foundation and the American Experience Foundation.

Several other district contract and grant items were presented during the regular meeting but the transcript does not record board votes on those items. Presentations included:

- An amendment request to extend the end date on a Professional Services Agreement with Positive Coaching Alliance (Health and Physical Education). The department said ESSER 3 funds originally funded the contract, there is no additional cost for the requested amendment, and the proposed new end date is Sept. 15, 2025 (previous end date Aug. 15, 2025). Staff told the board the full contract amount has already been paid and the amendment only extends the service window for professional learning.

- A requested amendment to a subgrant with New Opportunities, Inc. for Muriel Moore Child Development Center to add four infant/toddler school‑readiness slots; the presenter said state grant funding will reimburse the provider about $27,689 for care from January–June and that there is no cost to the city because the money comes from the state school readiness grant.

- A request to approve an agreement with Klingberg Family Centers (Raymond Hill School), an out‑of‑district special education day placement. The education department described a three‑year contract (July 1, 2024–June 30, 2027) costing $943,822 from the general fund; staff said the placement can serve up to three students with complex clinical needs and that related services and tuition are bundled into the stated amount. The transcript records discussion about the high cost per placement and the district’s efforts with state legislators to pursue caps on tuition.

Fiscal and budget items drew extended attention. The district finance director presented a monthly expenditure report through February and warned of tightening conditions: special education, busing, utilities and overtime costs are key pressures. The interim superintendent also told the board that federal approval to draw down roughly $1.45 million left to complete several cooling‑center/HVAC projects had initially been granted and then, on March 28, rescinded by the federal program administrator; the State Department of Education is advocating for honoring the extension but the district says if the funds are not restored it will need to use capital reserves or board‑allocated funds to finish projects and pay vendors.

Board members asked clarifying questions about reimbursement processes for the school‑readiness amendment and about the Klingberg contract’s rate breakdown. The presenters said the school‑readiness reimbursement is determined by the state and flows through the city as fiduciary; the New Opportunities amendment required only a provider attestation of capacity and no additional city appropriation. For the Klingberg agreement, staff said they will provide a detailed rate sheet to the board on request and that the district continues to press for state action on excess‑cost reimbursement and tuition caps for out‑of‑district placements.

Items explicitly approved in the special meeting consent action were the Wallace Middle School travel agreement, the Bergen Education Complex name correction for the roof‑replacement application (a correction to cover Crosby and Wallace facilities as a complex), and a capital transfer tied to that project. Other contract and amendment requests were presented for board review; the transcript does not show recorded approvals for those items during the April 3 proceedings.

No litigation or legal actions were presented for vote. Several members urged district staff to prepare contingency plans should the federal funds for cooling‑center projects remain unavailable.