Wallingford Public Schools 2013-2014 Budget Information

As posted on the BoE website Board of Education | Budget Information | 2013-2014 Budget Info

2013-2014 Initial Proposed Budget 01/23/2013 (PDF)

Budget Presentation at BOE Operations Meeting 1/14/2013 (PDF)

Wallingford Central Office Proposed FY 13 – 14 Budget (PDF)

Wallingford students impress judges in Rotary speaking contest

As published in the Record Journal, Thursday January 24, 2013

By Eric Vo
Record-Journal staff
(203) 317-2235
evo@record-journal.com
Twitter: @ericvoRJ

WALLINGFORD - Seriousness and lightheartedness shared the spotlight Wednesday in the Il Monticello banquet hall as four high school students read their essays in the Rotary Club’s Four Way Speech Contest. In the end, a creative and humorous essay won.

Two students from Sheehan High School and two from Lyman Hall High School spoke. The speeches had to address the club’s Four-Way Test: “Of all the things we think, say and do: Is it the truth? Is it fair to all concerned? Will it build goodwill and better friendships? Will it be beneficial to all concerned?” The students were given five to seven minutes to deliver their speeches and were judged on their presentation.

Many Rotarians said they were excited about the program, including club President David Juliano, who said the club “looks at it as a major event.” The winner, Sheehan senior Elizabeth Capot, gave an animated speech about Twitter. She admitted that the popular online social networking site fails the Four-Way Test, but “despite this, it will continue to take over the oh-so-willing youth.”

Capot said the last thing on a person’s mind when he or she is tweeting is honesty. She went on to say that the site doesn’t build friendships because it allows a user “to see into someone’s mind 24/7,” which can lead to learning something about that person that one would rather not know.

The idea for her speech came to her when she realized she was constantly on Twitter.

“I was actually on Twitter when I was writing the speech,” Capot said. “I thought, ‘What would be better than to write about what I’m doing all the time?’ ” While her speech generated a lot of laughter, the subject matter of the other speeches was more serious. Lyman Hall senior Breana Tolla, who placed second, told the audience how valuable her experience as a mentor to special education students had been.

“The lessons I learned from them are far more valuable than what I taught them,” she said.

The first speaker, Lyman Hall senior Lexi Farkash, described the qualities that make for a good teacher and how “teachers you have can make all the difference.”

The final speaker, Sheehan senior Julia Eldridge, spoke of the need for gun law reform so people can ultimately feel safer.

“There’s no reason for 16 mass shootings in the past year,” she said. “There’s no reason for 88 deaths, 20 of them children.”

Capot will move on to the district finals at Fairfield University. Rotary Club members said the students should all feel proud of their performances.

“I was impressed,” program Chairwoman Patty Dyer said. “This was the best year. The students were engaging and did a great job presenting.”

‘Mindset Masters’ panel schedules second session on education plan

As published in the Record Journal, Monday January 21, 2013
By Eric Vo
Record-Journal staff
(203) 317-2235evo@record-journal.com
Twitter: @ericvoRJ

WALLINGFORD - A committee working on ways to improve the school system will hold its second meeting Jan. 31 at 6 p.m. in the Getz Auditorium at Choate Rosemary Hall.

At the Mindset Masters meeting, which is open to the public, the group will continue working on gaining community support for the school district’s initiative to achieve a 100 percent graduation rate. As part of the effort, the group wants the community to read “Mindset” by Carol Dweck. The book teaches readers to practice a “growth mindset,” the idea that abilities can be improved through hard work and persistence, rather than the belief that people are born with a fixed amount of talent and ability.

The Mindset Masters committee ismade up of teachers, students, religious leaders and town officials.

At the group’s first meeting, members came up with over 130 ideas and activities to promote a growth mindset. A smaller group has started working on 30 of the suggestions, said Patty Pursell, a physical education teacher at Pond Hill and member of the school system’s Innovation Team. The team suggested the 100 percent graduation rate project and is helping to oversee it.

Pursell said the committee is trying to increase public awareness to encourage people to attend a community discussion on March 21.

“Hopefully we’ll get a large group to talk about core values for the town and the district, so that decisions (in the future) will be based on those core values,” she said.

“What we found when we did our research was that schools that had a 100percent graduation rate had 100 percent community support,” said Kate O’Donnell, an information technology resource teacher and another member of the Innovation Team.

Pursell said committee is focusing on recruiting town officials because they are in a position to easily spread information. Though the Innovation Team is spreading the message via social media, Pursell said the best method has been word of mouth.

“But we’ve found the best time to get people interested in what we’re doing is when we’ve sat down and talked to them,” she said.

The Getz Auditorium is in Choate’s science center.

Menzo: Next phase is making teaching ‘authentic’

As published in the Record Journal, Monday January 21, 2013

By Eric Vo
Record-Journal staff
(203) 317-2235
evo@record-journal.com
Twitter: @ericvoRJ

WALLINGFORD - As the school district heads into the fourth year of its strategic plan, School Superintendent Salvatore Menzo said the district has made significant progress and is now focusing on changing the way students are taught.

“The big takeaway is that there has been significant growth in each area of the strategic plan,” Menzo said.

In the area of community outreach, Menzo said the biggest accomplishments are an email notification and automated phone announcement system, as well as the power school parent portal. The portal gives parents access to students’ grades and other data. In the area of technology, every middle school classroom now has a ceiling-mounted projector. Library computer programs have been replaced and each school has a computer lab. Building maintenance has also been a priority, with asbestos having been removed at eight schools.

Menzo also pointed to positive behavior support programs and anti bullying measures. The final area, curriculum and instruction, is the main focus.

“The most significant work in our strategic plan right now, which I’m proud to say and glad to say, is in the area of curriculum and instruction,” Menzo said.

The district is rewriting the entire curriculum to emphasize hands-on learning over traditional lecture based classes.

With the new curriculum, instead of simply putting down an answer to a math problem, students will have to show their work. Menzo said students will have to work more in groups and “demonstrate their knowledge, rather than simply regurgitate it.”

“It’s more explaining the work ... explaining your reasoning and thinking,” he said.

Board of Education Chairwoman Roxane McKay said she believes in different styles of teaching because each student learns from different methods.

“It’s a very positive direction to move in,” McKay said. “The reality is, as human beings, people can learn in a variety of ways. Being more open minded to delivering information can only be a positive.”

A lot of the new curriculum has already started in the elementary and middle schools. A new way of teaching also means revising courses offered.

“We’re looking at a course catalog and saying, ‘OK, what courses do we really want to offer?’ A lot of our students know how to use Microsoft Word, so we’ve retired those courses and put in courses like web design for businesses,” Menzo said. “We tried to increase the rigor and increase the relevancy of what we’re teaching. We want to make it authentic.”

With a new method of learning and new courses, he hopes students will become more well-rounded individuals.

“They’ll have all the 21st century skills — they’ll be critical thinkers, problem solvers and good communicators,” he said.

No big-ticket items; modest school budget hike driven by payroll

As published in the Record Journal Sunday January 20, 2013

By Eric Vo
Record-Journal staff
(203) 317-2235
evo@record-journal.com
Twitter: @ericvoRJ

WALLINGFORD - Teacher salaries and employee benefits are the main factors that led School Superintendent Salvatore Menzo to request a 2.54 percent increase in the 2013-14 school budget, Menzo said last week.

“Salaries and benefits are the bulk of the increase,” he said.

Teacher raises for the next two school years under the terms of a three-year contract with the Wallingford Education Association amount to $2.75 million in additional spending.

Within Menzo’s proposed budget increase for the next school year, $1,527,524 will go to personnel services, such as salaries, and $608,663 will go to employee benefits.

Board of Education Chairwoman Roxane McKay said she was “all in all pleased” with Menzo’s budget request.

“I was happy to see his request in the 2.5 range,” McKay said. “I was happy to see that it is lower than it has been in prior years.”

Chet Miller, a member of the Board of Education, said Menzo’s low proposal is a positive sign that the district is saving money through various factors, such as the retirement of teachers.

Due to of retirements and a decline in enrollment at the elementary schools, Menzo was able to create 12 new positions.

“These positions were reduced and reallocated based on the enrollment at the elementary schools,” Menzo said. The levels of enrollment “did not allow for these positions to be maintained,” he said.

Since the district made significant investments during the current school year, Menzo said the next school budget does not contain large purchases for things like technology. While a majority of the budget will go to salaries and benefits, the rest of the moneywill be used for utilities and fuel, transportation, tuitions and dues and fees.

Menzo also presented a separate number for his “strategic plan budget” — $97,603,899 — which represents the cost of funding everything the district wants to accomplish in the strategic plan. Menzo described his strategic plan budget as an “enhancement budget that is based on the strategic plan, which includes all the mandates and federal guidelines” the district has to follow. It is revised by school personnel, board members, parents, students and community members, Menzo said.

Now that Menzo has presented his budget for the next school year, the next step is for the Board of Education to go through it during the budget workshop on Saturday.

Upgrades in school security planned

As published in the Record Journal Saturday January 19, 2013

By Eric Vo
Record-Journal staff
(203) 317-2235
evo@record-journal.com 
Twitter: @ericvoRJ

WALLINGFORD — School Superintendent Salvatore Menzo informed parents earlier this week of the district’s plan to upgrade security. In a letter sent home to parents, Menzo said the plan was developed using input from a group of parents with backgrounds in security and law enforcement, as well as research by officials on ways to improve what the district already had in place.

Several changes were mentioned, including a recommendation to parents that they call the school before visiting for any reason so that front office staff are expecting them. Menzo said he understands that parents at first may forget to make the call. Though that won’t prevent them from entering the building, he does want them to at least try to give some notice in advance.

“It’s more of a courtesy call,” he said. “The more that they can be conscious of that recommendation, the better.”

Other revisions are ongoing, the letter said, and will be reviewed by the police and fire departments before being put in place, and then staff and students will be trained. Identification badges will be given to all staff, key pads installed in each building security system to provide a second layer of access control, shades installed on all classroom windows and cellular telephone repeaters added to increase communications access.

On Monday, the Board of Education approved the use of $201,000 from unencumbered funds for security matters. That money will be used to update building intercom systems in schools that currently do not allow teachers access to a telephone line, Menzo said. Once the upgrade is finished, each school will be operating on the same level in terms of security, Board of Education Chairwoman Roxane McKay said. Giving teachers access to the phone line will make “teachers feel like they have a better level of security and better control of their classroom,” McKay said.

“One of the things that we are constantly trying to do is making sure all our schools are operating on the same level,” McKay said. “The board felt pretty comfortable in making that decision, and now it’ll be a consistent system offered in all our schools.”

In Menzo’s proposed budget for the 2013-14 school year, $635,685 would go toward security upgrades, access control — or keeping the perimeter safe — and communication upgrades. Menzo said the board has already committed to a number of security enhancements, but wouldn’t specifically say what was being done outside of the things outlined in the letter to parents.

Security Update and Actions Appropriated – message from WALLINGFORD PUBLIC SCHOOLS

WALLINGFORD PUBLIC SCHOOLS

142 HOPE HILL ROAD

WALLINGFORD, CONNECTICUT 06492

TELEPHONE (203) 949-6500

FAX # (203) 949-6550

Mission: To inspire, educate and support all students as they discover and pursue their personal best.

SUPERINTENDENT Salvatore F. Menzo, Ed.D  Ext. 6509

ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT Ellen Cohn – Instruction Ext. 6506

ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT Jan Guarino-Personnel Ext. 6508

January 15, 2013

Dear Parents/Guardians:

As I shared in my telephone message on Friday evening, significant time and effort has been dedicated to investigating opportunities to enhance the safety procedures and systems in our district. By reviewing all potential opportunities based on what we could do immediately, over the next six months, and more long term, I believe that an effective plan has been established. This plan could not have been developed without the help of a parent group that met with me on December 28, 2012. This group of parents, with backgrounds in security and law enforcement, provided an incredible amount of experience and insight. Following this meeting, the police and fire departments offered their feedback.

As a result of all of these efforts, the following actions have been taken.

• All existing security plans are being revised and will be reviewed prior to implementation by the police and fire departments.
• All staff will be updated based on any revisions made during this process.
• A training schedule will be implemented for staff and students.
• Identification badges will be provided for all staff including picture and last name.
• Key pads will be added to each building security system to provide a second layer of access control.
• Shades will be installed on all interior classroom windows.
• Cellular telephone repeaters will be installed in poorly covered buildings to increase communications access.
• Updates to building intercom systems will provide for outside telephone access for all teachers in every classroom.

Additional measures have been recommended in the budget process. These measures will not be specifically explained to maintain their security integrity.

I ask that everyone continues to follow the visitor procedures at our schools. In addition, if you are planning to visit a school, please try to call ahead to alert the main office. Thank you for your continued support and cooperation.

Sincerely,

Salvatore F. Menzo, Ed.D.
Superintendent

Menzo’s high on low hike in sustained services budget

As published in the Record Journal Tuesday January 15, 2013

By Eric Vo
Record-Journal staff

WALLINGFORD — School Superintendent Salvatore Menzo’s strategic budget proposal for the 2013-14 school year asks for $97,603,899, an 8.94 percent increase. A 2.54 percent increase in the sustained services budget is the lowest since he became superintendent in 2009.

“I can’t underscore enough that having the 2.54 percent increase in the sustained services budget is favorable,” Menzo told the Board of Education Monday night. Menzo is asking for $91,847,356 for the sustained services budget.

The sustained services budget represents the minimum required to maintain services at the previous year’s level. The strategic budget reflects the funding needed to act on the school system’s strategic plan.

Contractual obligations, such as personnel services and employee benefits, make up the main reasons for the increase in the sustained services budget.

Menzo recognized that he was still asking the board for an increase in his budget, but he said this year’s proposal was a celebration. For the 2010-11 school year, in order to keep schools running the same way as the previous year, a 9.94 percent increase in the sustained services budget was needed.

“This is the lowest percent of an increase I’ve proposed to the board since I’ve been here,” Menzo said.

Last year, the school board proposed a 3.91 percent increase to sustain services, but that was chopped to 3.2 percent by the mayor’s office.

Menzo credits his lowest proposal to a number of factors, including the reduction or reallocation of staff and energy efficiency measures.

His first as superintendent“we cut staff significantly,” he said. “Those positions were never coming back. The total number of staff is still reduced, but we have shifted how we use our (available) resources and moved forward at a greater pace.”

Due to a reallocation of five elementary school positions and other resources, 12 new items were included in the 2013-2014 sustained services budget: a K-5 humanities curriculum resource teacher; a human resource specialist; world language teachers for grades 3 to 5; part-time career center professionals for both high schools; two part-time career center secretaries; additional full-term equivalency clerks for each school; VoAg aqua culture teacher; VoAg food science teacher; department chairs for Health/Physical Education and Fine Arts at each high school; subject area coordinators for each middle school; part-time custodian at Lyman Hall VoAg Center and after school programming for both middle schools.

The Board of Education will meet this weekend for a budget workshop, where they will go through Menzo’s proposal line by line. School board member Chet Miller said the board hadn’t yet had time to digest the proposal.

Menzo says he’ll focus on Wallingford 100 goal

As published in the Record Journal Wednesday January 9, 2013

By Eric Vo
Record-Journal staff

WALLINGFORD - In an effort to bring more businesses to town, School Superintendent Salvatore Menzo spoke with the Economic Development Commission on Monday night about the school system and what he hopes to accomplish in the future.

“Education is an important part to the community,” said Joseph Mirra, chairman of the commission. “Businesses are always asking about the education system.”

Menzo said the school system is focusing on the “Wallingford 100” project, an initiative to achieve a 100-percent high school graduation rate.

“If our students aren’t graduating high school, there’s a likelihood of community violence and community crime; less likely for students to vote; less likely students will be able to afford health insurance and less likely for students to be productive citizens,” Menzo said. “With that 100 percent graduation rate, it increases the likelihood that Wallingford grows economically.”

High school students now need to complete 23 credits in order to graduate. Like most school systems, students spend a set amount of time in a class on one subject and move on to the next class.

Menzo said he wants to get rid of that system and make high schools more “project based.” Students would engage in authentic learning, including internships with businesses, so they would be better prepared for life after graduation.

“When you get to work, you don’t work in 42-minute segments,” he said. “Every 42 minutes, a bell doesn’t ring and you move onto another cubicle.”

One opportunity involves Holo-Krome, a local manufacturing company, where students can become interns and learn about that line of work. The internship not only provides students with hands-on experience, but it also allows them to see what is available to them if they don’t go to college, Mirra said.

“There’s a lot of good things in Wallingford: local government, low taxes and a good education,” said Mark Gingras, a commission member. “We need to be able to tell this (to businesses).”

Security will play role in school budget

Dortenzio: Don’t panic; make upgrades in a thoughtful way

As published in the Record Journal Wednesday January 9, 2013

By Russell Blair
Record-Journal staff
rblair@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2225

WALLINGFORD - Money for security upgrades will be included in the budget proposal School Superintendent Salvatore Menzo unveils next week, school officials confirmed Tuesday.

They would not, however, discuss specifics.

“It’s definitely going to play a role,” Board of Education Chairwoman Roxane McKay said. “But there has to be a confidential nature to what we’re talking about.”

Several security upgrades have already been approved by school officials, including installing buzzer systems at the town’s two high schools. Menzo said staff will be issued photo identification cards necessary to gain access to the schools.

Other security upgrades will be coming, but Menzo said he is still having discussions with the school board and is also waiting to hear recommendations from Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s Sandy Hook Advisory Commission. The commission will present a report to the state legislature by March 15.

School board member Chet Miller said last month that proposals in Wallingford ranged from security cameras to alarm systems that would trigger if someone gained unauthorized access to a school.

McKay, Menzo, Mayor William W. Dickinson Jr. and Police Chief Douglas Dortenzio were among about 850 in attendance at a symposium on school security held this week at the Aqua Turf Club in Plantsville. Dortenzio and McKay said presenters warned against costly, knee-jerk reactions to last month’s deadly shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown.

“The legacy of Newtown should be that changes need to occur over time and be thoughtfully designed and laid out,” Dortenzio said.

But time is of the essence for school officials. Menzo will present the first draft of his proposed 2013-14 school year budget to the Board of Education on Monday. Any upgrades school officials hope to start work on this year must be included in the proposal.

McKay said including a line item in the budget for security upgrades will give school officials flexibility and won’t lock them into any particular purchases. She didn’t expect Monday’s budget presentation to go into specifics on security.

While some school districts statewide have proposed stationing a police officer or armed security guard at every school, Dortenzio said it simply isn’t practical.

“You have to keep your eye on the ball,” he said. “A school is supposed to be a learning environment. Having armed teachers, armed guards ... you’re turning it into a correction facility. That’s not the way to go.”

Since the Newtown massacre, Menzo said he has been inundated with emails from companies offering security products. School staff are working with the district’s security company, as well as parents with a law enforcement or security background, to vet the companies and make decisions about purchases.

In addition to new purchases, Menzo said, it’s important to keep up with current security protocols and make sure the climate of each of the town’s schools is one that makes students feel safe. These types of changes don’t necessarily come with a cost, Menzo said.

“There’s that social and emotional half,” he said. “It’s two layers, the technical piece and the culture and climate piece.”

Dortenzio said the safety symposium focused on things that can be done to make schools safer, not just on planning for a calamity such as what occurred in Newtown.

“There are realistic and reasonable things we can do in our district to provide further comfort and safety in the schools,” McKay said.

Dortenzio said parents shouldn’t have any reservations about sending their children to school.

“Our schools are still the safest place for kids to be during the day,” he said.

Monday’s Board of Education meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. in the Lyman Hall High School Vo-Ag Community Room.

Stratford mayor wants to name school for Newtown teacher

A little off topic for the blog as it doesn’t have to do with Wallingford Schools but we should never forget…

STRATFORD — The mayor of Stratford is proposing to name a school in town for a teacher who was killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

Mayor John Harkins says the bravery shown by Victoria Soto in protecting her children should never be forgotten.

The 27-year-old Soto was a Stratford resident who was killed during the Dec. 14 massacre in Newtown as she tried to shield her students from the gunman. The shooter killed 20 children and six women at the school before committing suicide.

Harkins proposed Monday to give Soto’s name to a new school planned for the site of the Honeyspot Elementary School. Construction is set to begin this summer.

The name must be approved by the town council, which is expected to take up the matter on Jan. 14.

Menzo, board meet on security

As published in the Record Journal Tuesday January 8, 2013

By Eric Heredia
Record-Journal staff
eheredia@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2243
Twitter: @EHerediaRJ

WALLINGFORD — The Board of Education met behind closed doors in executive session with School Superintendent Salvatore Menzo Monday night at Sheehan High School to discuss school security, a hot topic in the wake of the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown last month.

Before executive session, the board addressed concerns about security at basketball games and other after-hours activities on school grounds. Chet Miller asked if buzzer systems will be used after hours. Menzo said they will not.

“We try to get people to understand we can’t lock everything 24/7. It’s impossible,” he said, adding that schools have to maintain a balance of security and keeping the feeling of a community center where kids can feel safe. He said the schools have a good working relationship with the Parks and Recreation Department and the YMCA, which sometimes use schools for after hours activities. Board member Roxane McKay suggested having coaches sign something stating that they are responsible for making sure the area of a school building is secure before leaving for the night.

“Just to make sure that consistently that message is getting sent to our coaches,” she said.

Board member Christine Mansfield added that “it’s a very loose network” of personnel in school buildings after hours. “The last man standing is running out the door,” she said, adding that she’s heard complaints about litter being left in gyms after a basketball games.

Board member Michael Votto said having the coaches liable may deter them from pursuing the position, and McKay said she doesn’t want to deter them.

Menzo said the issue of security after hours could be resolved if the district hires personnel.

“That’s the only way to solve it,” he said.

He is looking into where they can install fire doors without violating the town’s building code, enabling certain areas to be blocked off after hours.

Principals have performed a security audit of buildings and sent concerns about building safety to maintenance, the information technology department and Menzo. During holiday break, the superintendent met with the police chief, fire chief, principals and central office staff to update school security and keep everyone abreast of ideas for enhancing safety.

On Dec. 28, he invited parents with law enforcement expertise to suggest security measures. Those suggestions were discussed in executive session Monday.

Menzo said maintenance is in the process of installing buzzer systems at Sheehan and Lyman Hall high schools, the only schools in town without them. Visitors will have to clearly state their name, purpose and show a photo ID to the security camera before being buzzed into the building.

Menzo said schools will be issuing proximity cards including photo identification to staff members. On the back of the cards will be security tips teachers can follow in case of a fire or shooter situation.

On Monday there was a state symposium on school security at the Aqua Turf Club in Plantsville attended by superintendents statewide, including Menzo, as well as McKay, Mayor William Dickinson Jr., Police Chief Douglas Dortenzio, and representatives of the Fire Department.

It focused on enhancing building security and policy changes necessary to improve school safety. It included resources for talking with parents and covered drills and exercise, vulnerability assessments and integrating planning for special-needs students.

“It is a little overwhelming,” Menzo said. “There is a lot to be considered.”

He has asked parents to call before coming to a school.

“We want these things to continue two months from now, two years from now. They can’t just lapse,” he said. “The challenge is trying to make sure people follow procedures.”

21st Century Innovation Project from the Wallingford Board of Education

The following are corporate partners of the 21st Century Innovation Project in collaboration with the Wallingford Board of Education:

About the Project

The 21st Century Innovation Team is comprised of one administrator and two teachers from Wallingford Public Schools who are granted a one year sabbatical. During this year, the participants will be trained in action research techniques. Subsequent to that participants will develop, investigate, and implement the findings of their action research in the district according to the timeline below. For the next three years, participants will continue to provide professional development to district staff in the area of research as needed, update the Review Board yearly about the outcomes of the initiative, and submit the research study for publication.

Members of the 21st Innovation Team for 2012-2013

• Jan Murphy, Principal @janmurphy1106
• Kate O’Donnell, Information Technology Resource Teacher @odonnell24
• Patty Pursell, Physical Education Teacher @pattypursell

Talk to us on twitter using our twitter names above or by using #wlfdinnovation

To contact us by phone, please call 203.284.5430

For more information on the project, click here.

Read about their work here.

Wallingford Public Schools Budget workshops slated

Hi everyone.

Below is a letter I received regarding the upcoming the Budget Workshops for Wallingford Public Schools for the upcoming budget year.

I sent an email to Dr. Menzo to let him know I was going to circulate my letter to the public so that they would have the dates, location and times.

The text of the schedule is:

Monday January 14, 2013 at 6PM
Saturday January 26, 2013 at 8AM
Wednesday January 30, 2013 6PM (if needed)

The workshops will be held in the Lyman Hall School Vo-Ag Community Room