Following are highlights of the Region 9 Board of Education monthly meeting and special meeting of Jan. 28.
Graduation Date Set
The Joel Barlow High School 2025 graduation date has been scheduled for June 12 with a rain date of June 13. As of now, only the date has been scheduled.
Curriculum Updates
Alisha DiCorpo, assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction, presented curriculum plans, which require frequent updating as state and federal goals change. DiCorpo is in the process of reorganizing the curriculum and possibly graduation requirements for future years. This is part of developing and updating a five-year plan to keep Barlow ranked as one of the top high schools in Connecticut, according to several different rankings.
Capital Improvement Projects
The Region 9 Board of Education addressed high priority projects in the capital improvement plan and recommended concentrating on the most pressing projects on the list. Upgrading the sound system, refinishing the stage in the auditorium, renovating a couple of bathrooms and making additional improvements to the STEM facilities are high on list.
Math Center
Mid-term exams were completed on Jan. 17. Dr. Mario Almeida, head of school/assistant superintendent, said the Barlow math center was very busy due to mid-terms and SAT preparation. The math center provides all students with the opportunity to get help within their schedule.
Google Classroom
Barlow staff is working with teachers to unify Google Classroom use. This will allow all aspects of each class to be posted the same way to improve use and communication for teachers, students and parents.
Nest Program
At a special meeting on Jan. 28, the school board reviewed the ongoing Nest project. The board unanimously approved a motion to accept BMP Construction Inc.’s ezIQC price proposal of $1,519,048.10 and authorize Mike D’Agostino, the director of facilities and operations, to pay the approved funds. The ezIQC program allows schools to receive competitively bid, on-call no-obligation price proposals and scope reviews for construction projects, according to the .ezIQC website.
Region 9 Meetings and Updates
For important items that need to be addressed outside of monthly school board meetings, Redding and Region 9 will schedule special meetings. These additions may be found on the school board meetings calendar at https://www.er9.org/page/page_calendar?calID=131446..
