By Cathy Iino.
Hello, Killingworth-
We have learned of two more suspected cases of COVID-19 in Killingworth–a couple under 50 years old, who had mild symptoms and are now recovered but still isolating themselves. The couple were not tested, so they are not part of the official count. They bring to 5 the total number of cases in Killingworth of which our Health Department knows.
Overall, the official count of cases in Connecticut rose to almost 7,000 today, a large jump attributed to catch up in data entry and not a change in the trajectory of new cases. Some 206 residents have died, 7 of them in Middlesex County.
I would like to turn the rest of this update over to Suzanne Sack, chair of the RSD17 Board of Education:
Over the last two weeks, RSD 17 has delivered curriculum assignments to our students through distance learning. We are grateful to our students, their families, and our teachers and staff for their creativity and dedication to making this endeavor work. Despite the health crisis we continue to learn and stay connected.
The Board of Education, along with Superintendent Holly Hageman and the administrators, continues to work on a myriad of issues related to the school building closures and delivering distance learning. At the same time, we are developing the FY2020/21 budget as well as conducting other board business.
Governor Lamont has issued several executive orders on how the BoE is to conduct the budget process this year:
- Executive Order 7B says that “public meetings” are now to be held through video conferences that can be watched live; they are also recorded on our RSD17.org website.
- Executive Order 7I has suspended statutes requiring town meetings and referendums, and has ordered municipalities and Boards of Education to adopt budgets at the board level.
- Executive Order 7C grants the Board a 30-day extension to complete the 2020/21 budget.
We have scheduled a Board of Education vote on the budget for June 2nd.
While we would much prefer to deliver a budget to a community referendum, we accept the responsibility placed upon us. In an effort to pass a budget that reflects the community’s insights and sensibilities, we have scheduled a number of touchpoints with the community at large and with the boards of finance and the boards of selectmen from Haddam and Killingworth:
- Joint BOS & BOF virtual meetings: April 15, 5:30 pm; May 20, 5:30 p.m.
- Community input virtual meeting: April 21, 7:00 pm
- Community input emails accepted: April 21 – May 5
- Annual meeting (virtual): May 26
- BOE budget vote: June 2nd
Each of the meetings can be watched in real time on our live stream. Our RSD17.org website will contain up-to-date information, including the revised budget schedule, how to participate in the community input meeting, responses to community input questions, and how to watch the live stream and recordings of each meeting. We encourage everyone to watch the BoE meetings, either live or recorded, and to offer your email comments and participate in the process with us.
We are grateful for your trust as we move through this process with deliberation and transparency.
Thank you to Suzanne and the entire Board of Education for their grace under pressure.
Stay home, stay safe–
Cathy
