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Board hears updates on resiliency, Rose City School and $605K special‑education seed grant allocation
Summary
Director of Student Services Lisa Hughes described growth in the district's Resilience and Rose City programs and early savings; Business Administrator Bob Serpinski reported Norwich's share of the state's two‑year special‑education seed grant is $604,988 with a first payment of $151,247 and cautioned about allowable uses.
The Board of Education received progress reports on Norwich’s resiliency and Rose City programs and on a new state special‑education seed grant during its Nov. 18 meeting.
Dr. Lisa Hughes, director of student services, said the resilience program is gaining enrollments and early indications show reduced out‑of‑district placements. “We are already there in the first few months of school,” Hughes said, describing savings that exceeded initial budget projections and noting the program’s wraparound approach and staffing model were producing measurable student engagement.
Hughes said Rose City School was on track to serve about 17 students after Thanksgiving and that staffing at both programs is expanding; she named several staff involved in the work, including Jack Fields and Ashley Campbell, and said the district plans an informational open‑house for the Norwich Transition Academy later in the school year.
Business Administrator Bob Serpinski outlined the state legislative seed grant for special education, noting the legislature appropriated $60 million statewide over two years and Norwich’s allocation is $604,988. “We received the first payment at the October, which was $151,247,” Serpinski told the board. He said the grant must be used for new positions or services that meet the legislative criteria and warned that misspending can trigger penalties.
Serpinski said the district has charged the three new positions at Rose City and Resiliency to the first grant payment because those hires clearly meet the grant’s eligible expenses. He also explained the state’s excess‑cost reimbursement process and said Norwich’s reimbursement rate varies based on total statewide filings, noting that last year the district netted about 76% on those claims.
Board members asked about facilities planning and potential need for renovation funding if the district repurposes buildings (for example, converting Veteran School to house resilience/autism programming once it is taken offline). Serpinski said the district would pursue grants and legislative support if renovations are required and emphasized the importance of sustainable funding if seed‑grant dollars are temporary.
