East Haddam subcommittee hears Nathan Hill Middle School budget focused on inclusivity, hands‑on learning and a new track program

Miss Erinson, the Nathan Hill Middle School presenter, told the East Haddam Board of Education Business & Planning Subcommittee on Jan. 21 that this year’s middle‑school budget centers on inclusivity, actionable feedback, staff morale, Project Lead the Way (PLTW) and enrichment.

The proposal would fund projects such as a student‑created inclusive rock garden, Unified Sports activities and the school’s 'noise makers' student leadership group, pay for guest speakers including Kendrick Moore, expand PLTW resources (including 3D‑printing materials), and provide start‑up funding for a middle‑school track team. Miss Erinson said the budget also includes materials for 'building thinking classrooms'—vertical whiteboard surfaces, markers and manipulatives—that she said let students receive faster peer and teacher feedback.

Why it matters: the board’s budget is due to the town Board of Finance on March 1; the Board of Finance reviews town department budgets and a referendum is typically held in May. Committee members said they favored the hands‑on learning components and expressed support for the proposed track team while they asked clarifying questions about specific line items.

Miss Erinson highlighted classroom and student outcomes she said justify the requests. She cited recent i‑Ready results, saying fourth grade mid‑or‑above scores rose "from 3% for mid or above grade level to 21%" and the school overall rose "from 7% mid or above grade level to 15%." She described how the SBAC kickoff incentive and PBIS raffles tied to testing routines were part of the school’s strategy to boost performance and engagement.

On PLTW and maker‑space needs, Miss Erinson asked to move PLTW into Room 300 and add a screen or monitor so student projects and 3D‑printed work can be displayed and the maker area can be less cramped. She said PLTW materials and a small maker space help engage students with hands‑on STEM design and problem solving.

Athletics and track: the presenter argued the middle‑school track club builds confidence and helps students prepare for later high‑school athletics. During the line‑item review the committee discussed reclassifications and specific amounts associated with the athletics budget: an itemized coaches line showing roughly $5,528 for coaches, a $2,000 line for track uniforms, transportation for away meets (about $5,000 for five meet trips), an $800 fee line for participating in away meets and an added $650 correction to cover a cheer competition. Committee members and staff characterized some of the numbers as reclassifications (splitting coaching wages from other athletics costs) rather than net budget increases.

Other operating items: staff‑appreciation materials, PD and SDCS support (Canva licenses, teacher materials) were noted as budgeted expenses. The presenter also explained a planned consolidation of custodial budgets into a single system‑wide facilities line while continuing to track per school for state reporting.

During Q&A board members asked for clarifications (for example, the number of 'noise makers' and whether monitors could substitute for a Promethean board in certain rooms). The presenter gave rough estimates when exact counts were not available and described account‑coding issues (an entry for language arts general supplies that needs a clearer cleargo account but does not change the dollar value).

No motions or formal votes were recorded during the session; next steps are submission of the Board of Education budget packet to the Board of Finance by March 1 and the typical town referendum process later in the spring.

Details documented in the meeting record included the date (Jan. 21, 2025), the board deadline (March 1), and the presenter’s cited achievement numbers from i‑Ready testing.