Submitted by Lisa Connelly, RSD 17 Board of Education
(June 14, 2025) — The following is a summary of the May 2025 meeting of the Regional School District 17 Board of Education:
COUGAR PRIDE
HKMS Principal Dorothy Ventura introduced two students, Ryan Perry and Teagan Hollman, who spoke to the Board about their experiences and recognition as Scholar Leaders. Principal Ventura also introduced George Hebert, who was recognized as a Unified Sports Teammate of the Year recipient. George spoke to the Board about his experience.
STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE REPORT
Student representative Michael Perry reported to the Board on the following items:
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AAPPL Language Testing for the seal of biliteracy
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Senior Outing at Holiday Hill May 23rd
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HKHS Street Fest May 28th
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Senior Prom at St. Clements Castle May 30th
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Scholarship Awards June 2nd
HKHS graduation is June 11, 2025 and Michael Perry is the 2025 class valedictorian.
Board Chair Sack presented Michael with a certificate and thanked him for his hard work and service to the Board this year. A certificate will be given to Emma, who was not in attendance.
SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT
Assistant Superintendent Jennifer Miller reported to the Board on the following items:
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The student services SPDG completed their last training for the first year of the grant.
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Haddam-Killingworth High School has received recognition as a Project Lead the Way Distinguished School for 2024-2025.
FEASIBILITY TEAM UPDATE
The Board engaged in a discussion concerning the ongoing high school project and the strategic steps required to achieve a successful referendum. Members considered various key factors that will influence the outcome, including the importance of clear and consistent communication with the community, identifying viable pathways for moving the project forward, and determining the most effective timeline for scheduling the referendum.
Board members emphasized educating stakeholders about the project’s scope, benefits, and fiscal impact. Several potential timelines for the referendum were reviewed. In addition to strategic planning, the Board discussed several concerns raised during the process. These included potential community concerns regarding the project’s cost, the risk of misinformation, and the challenge of ensuring access to information for all stakeholders
The RSD17 Board of Education will establish the Haddam-Killingworth High School Building Committee (HKHSBC), with membership to include one member with construction industry experience, and one member who is the Chair of the RSD 17 Board of Education or is the Chair’s designee, to be responsible for both projects.
RSD 17 authorizes the HKHSBC to proceed with the design and development of specifications for both concurrent projects, and a referendum to approve project funding will be conducted at a date to be determined, but in such time that results of the referendum may be forwarded to the State of Connecticut Department of Administrative Services no later than November 15, 2025.
CES Contract for Executive Search for a Superintendent of Schools
The Board appointed Cooperative Educational Services (CES) to serve as a search consultant for an RSD17 Superintendent of Schools, effective immediately, and further move that the Board Chair is hereby authorized to sign the related contract on behalf of the Board.
BUDGET
The second budget referendum that was held on June 6, 2025 failed. The Board will meet to discuss and make potential changes for a third referendum.
ON OUR WEBSITE
RSD17 Board of Education information and past updates may be found at: https://www.rsd17.org/district/board-of-education.
Information on the HKHS Feasibility Study may be found at https://sites.google.com/view/hkhsproject.
Information on the RSD17 2025-26 Budget may be found at:
https://www.rsd17.org/district/board-of-education/boe-budget-and-updates
