NORWICH – Norwich City School District Board of Education met Wednesday night at its regularly scheduled meeting where it adopted guidelines for its personnel committee and approved LINKS plans for 2017-18.

Personnel committee adopted

The board adopted guidelines for its personnel committee by a close vote of 4-3.

The motion to adopt the guidelines, as submitted by the board’s legal firm, was reintroduced by Board of Education Vice President Jennifer Collins Wednesday after it was tabled last month to allow union presidents to view the document.

Superintendent Gerard O’Sullivan read a letter co-signed by union presidents Tulio Morbidini, Eric Cunningham, and Scott Ryan, in response to the guidelines, saying, “It is with consensus that we find the document to be absent of guidelines or practices that would guide the work of said personnel committee.”

The union presidents noted specific concerns, and concluded by saying they would be willing to meet if the board deems appropriate and necessary for further discussion.

Board President John Klockowski said, “Let me make crystal clear this is a personnel committee. We’re not voting on anything. The personnel committee is in place, just like any other committee, to help the board with saving time so that we don’t have to discuss all these matters during the course of a board meeting.”

Board member Joe Stagliano voiced concerns, saying, “My concern is that this is another example where we’re undermining the recommendations of our administrators, and now the union presidents, and we’re not trusting what they have to say. There’s a number of these examples that continue to undermine our staff, our administrators, and our very professional teachers that we have out there, and all it’s doing is destroying the morale within the district, and people are fed up with it.”

Board member Don Chirlin disagreed, saying, “I don’t even know what it is [the union presidents’] business to look at this document, honestly. Do you call me up and ask me if I want to look up your policy as to how you’re going to negotiate or something like that? This is a board of education practice.”

The board subsequently adopted the personnel committee guidelines, with board members John Klockowski, Jennifer Collins, Don Chirlin, and Bob Smith voting aye, and Roz DeRensis, Howie Sullivan, and Joe Stagliano voting nay.