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Parents press Old Saybrook Board on library staffing, test-data access and FOIA delays
Summary
At a Board of Education meeting, parents urged clarity on library media specialist staffing and faster release of STAR/DIBELS data, citing declines in librarian positions and student proficiency figures; the board deferred the library collections policy to allow review of the materials-review procedure.
Tara Donnelly, a parent of two Goodwin students and a Southington High School teacher, told the Old Saybrook Board of Education she supports the new library collections policy but wants to know whether certified library media specialists will be in place for 2026–27. Donnelly said the district previously employed three full-time library media specialists, has declined to 2.0 positions this year, and that a retired librarian filling a vacancy at Goodwin will step down at year-end, leaving the district with one permanent library media specialist unless hires are made.
Another resident, Casey Barrett, said he filed a Freedom of Information Act request on March 30 for the STAR and DIBELS data used in an April literacy presentation and has not received the records. Barrett challenged a prior board statement that eliminating a math coach would not affect direct instruction, saying MTSS records show the coach provided direct instruction and pointing to proficiency figures he cited: "27% of grade three students who are not fourth graders scored level one in math last year," and "20% of those students scored level one in ELA." Barrett asked the board to (1) routinely send STAR and DIBELS scores home, (2) respond to his April 30 questions, (3) schedule a dated board discussion on dyslexia, and (4) hire additional tutoring and Orton–Gillingham reading support.
Colleen Artymiak, another member of the public, described delays in producing records after multiple FOIA requests—she said a March 11 request for ARC program financial records remains unfulfilled nearly three months later and that she filed a state complaint on April 2. Artymiak told the board she and other parents feel the district has sometimes withheld information and delayed processes, and she urged genuine collaboration between families and the district.
Board members discussed meeting minutes and agendas before taking action on two items tied to the public comments. The board approved the May 12 minutes (the chair recorded a unanimous vote) and later voted unanimously to move two agenda items—the library collections policy (which requires attaching an Appendix A describing the district procedure for reviewing materials) and the student representative survey results—to the next meeting so the board can review the procedure document and supporting materials.
Board members said the district is working to finalize the materials-review procedure and that library media specialists had reviewed the draft; the board expected to receive the appendix before the next meeting. On the FOIA concerns, the board indicated follow-up would occur (several speakers said the district would "follow up at some point" and committed to addressing dyslexia in the fall). The meeting recessed before an executive session was convened.
What happens next: the library collections policy will return for board consideration after the materials-review procedure is attached and circulated; parents who requested STAR/DIBELS data and other FOIA records said they expect a timelier response and a dated discussion on dyslexia in the fall.
