Board adds and approves Hill for Literacy data-privacy agreement, approves Perkins grant application and contract amendments on consent calendar

The Waterbury Board of Education moved and approved adding a data-privacy agreement with Hill for Literacy Inc. to the agenda and later approved the consent calendar that contained several administrative items.

Secretary Serrano Adorno moved to add the data-privacy agreement as agenda item 4a; the board voted "Aye" and the motion carried. Jan from the education department told the board the district has a 10-year partnership with Hill for Literacy and that the privacy agreement was required by the partner to continue collaboration. "Waterbury Public Schools has maintained a partnership with Hill for 10 years in order to support teacher practice and develop literacy facilitators to improve literacy outcomes," Jan said.

The consent calendar that followed included: approval of a data-privacy agreement with Hill for Literacy Inc.; authorization to apply for the Carl D. Perkins grant (quoted allocation: $628,213 from the Connecticut State Department of Education); and an amendment to the Savas Learning Company LLC contract to field-test new middle-of-year and end-of-year assessments for grades 6—. The board approved the consent calendar by voice vote.

Other administrative items approved as part of consent included an extension and $15,000 amendment for asbestos/HERA testing services, adding Crosby High School to Connecticut RISE Network services (three-year, $14,400 per year), building-use requests and facility waivers. Board members asked routine questions about funding sources and custodial coverage for outside users but the consent items moved as a block.

Motions and approvals were recorded in the meeting minutes; the board did not debate the substantive merits of the grant applications or contract amendments during the public discussion beyond clarifying funding sources and implementation timelines.