Jeffrey J. Ives,
First Selectman
Joseph R. Calsetta
Denise T. Balboni
BOARD OF ASSESSORS
Catherine Jeffery,
Chair
Gary W. LaPalme
Donna M. Murphy,
Assessor
BOARD OF ASSESSMENT
APPEALS
James E. Cannon,
III, Chair
Joseph H. LaPierre,
Jr.
Karen E. Reid
BOARD OF EDUCATION
Patricia L. King,
Chair
Margaret M. Byrne
Douglas A. Hamilton
Brenda O’Leary Ives
Ralph Leiper
Susan W. O’Brien,
Superintendent of Schools
BOARD OF FINANCE
Malcolm K.
Hamilton, Chair
Douglas C. Glazier
Ronald N. King
Andrew J. Kulas
Cornelius O’Leary
Steven N. Wawruck,
Jr.
BUILDING OFFICIAL
James Plumridge
CONSTABLES
Michael J.
Biedrzycki
James E. Cannon,
III
Marc C. Cenci
Hugh Donagher
Daniel A. Flanagan
Dennis A.
Gragnolati
George M. Hall
FIRE COMMISSION
Alan C. Keney,
Chair
Daniel F. Riley,
Sr., Vice Chair
Nicholas J.
Giaccone, Jr.
David G. Montemerlo
FIRE MARSHAL
Michael L.
Sinsigalli
JUDGE OF PROBATE
William C. Leary
JUSTICES OF THE PEACE
Mark Horan
James E. Cannon,
III
Margaret M.
Sayers
Margaret M. Byrne
Suzanne O. Cannon
Lyle H. Cate
Joseph W. Flynn
Saul Goldfarb
William R. Hamel
Edward E. Lanati
Elizabeth A. Cenci
Camille Miller
Carolyn T. Banas
Jane V. Hall
Douglas A. Hamilton
Edward N.
Stevensen, Jr.
Dale A. Storms
PARK COMMISSION
Philip F.
Famiglietti, Chair
Dennis A.
Gragnolati
James M. Hussey
Christopher J.
Kervick
William J. Latorra
Darren J. Netto
David L. Farr,
Recreation
Director
POLICE COMMISSION
Neal F. Cunningham,
Chair
James E. Gaylord
George M. Hall
Edward E. Lanati
Roger E. Nelson
Christine E.
Smedick
CHIEF OF POLICE
John T. Suchocki,
Jr.
ANIMAL CONTROL OFFICER
Janet Orio
REGISTRARS OF VOTERS
Sandra Rabbett
Hebert
Eleanor H. Leonard
Elizabeth M.
Bartley, Deputy
Mary Ann Skala,
Deputy
SEWER COMMISSION/WPCA
Jeffrey J. Ives,
President/Chair
Joseph R. Calsetta
Denise T. Balboni
Kenneth A.
McCauley, Jr.
Ruth M. Cate
Roger J. Ignazio
Gary A. Lauito
John D. McSweegan,
III
STATE REPRESENTATIVE
Margaret Sayers
STATE SENATOR
John A. Kissel
TAX COLLECTOR
Donna S. Kupernik
TOWN CLERK
William R. Hamel
Eileen G. Riner,
Assistant
Polly Ann Storms,
Assistant
Martha C. Cronin,
Assistant
TOWN TREASURER
Eleanor H. Leonard
Barbara J.
Bertrand, Deputy
ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS
Robert S. Tarascio,
Chair
Howard H. Aspinwall
Shana O’Connor
Robert S. Rosenberg
Jerre L. Forbes
Donna B. LeBlanc,
Alternate
Joseph W. Lawsing,
Alternate
Margaret M. Byrne,
Alternate
CIVIL PREPAREDNESS
Victor J. Puia,
Director
CONN RIVER ASSEMBLY
Richard J. Frawley,
Rep.
Jane M. MacDonough,
Alternate
Rep.
COMMISSION ON THE
NEEDS OF THE AGING
Lacinda VanGieson,
Chair
Frances M. Urbank
George J. Mumblo
Carole Cook
Marcia H. Hickey
Edward E. Lanati
Stanley Downs
Barbara Sullivan
John Sullivan,
Municipal Agent
SENIOR CENTER DIRECTOR
Sarah O’Rourke
CT NORTH CENTRAL TOURISM BUREAU
Joseph. D. Bonito
Margaret Sayers
CONSERVATION COMMISSION
Richard J. Frawley,
Chair
Eleanor H. Leonard
William A. Howes
Roger E. Nelson
Mihir K. Patel
Michael Russo,
Alternate
HISTORICAL COMMISSION
Joseph Bonito
Michael A.
Czarnecki
Leslie Stansfield
James Pearce
James Anderson
ECONOMIC & INDUSTRIAL
DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION
Norman H. Boucher,
Chair
Edward N.
Stevensen, Jr.
Eric J. Refsnider
Kellie A. Cameron
Joe Doering
Richard P. Brown,
Jr.
Richard Pease
Janet Ramsey
Carl Philbrick
Michael S. Ciarcia
HOUSING AUTHORITY
Edward V. Sabotka,
Chair
Helen P. Olisky
Lewis B. Pultz
Sr. Helen T. Ryan
Franc G. Taylor
Betty-Ann Reilly,
Ex. Director
HOUSING CODE OF APPEALS
Shane P. O’Connor
Melvin E.
Hendershot
David M. Ford
Shirley O. King
Edward J. Langan
Marc C. Cenci,
Alternate
L. Jean Glazier,
Alternate
HOUSING CODE REVIEW BOARD
Joseph C. Becker,
Chair
Fred R. Miclon
Raymond H.
Ouellette
David M. Ford
INLAND WETLANDS AGENCY
Diane G. Dulka,
Chair
Howard H. Aspinwall
Marshall H. Brown
John D. McSweegan,
III
William C. Hamilton
Nicholas J.
Giaccone, Jr.
Pauline G. Taylor
Michael J. Malone
Gary LaPalme
Joseph Lawsing,
Alternate
JUNK CAR REMOVAL APPEALS
Robert L. Lapointe
Louis C.
Carpentieri
Anthony Giannelli
Mary Zukowski,
Alternate
Peter C. Farr,
Alternate
MARINE OFFICER
William J.
Fournier, Jr.
MUNICIPAL RESOURCE RECOVERY
Gary B. LeClair
Carol R. Cutler
Susan H. Landolina
Karen Reid
Janice L. Zdun
Raymond Ruel,
Alternate
Roger W. Sullivan,
Alternate
SOCIAL SERVICES COORDINATOR
Janet Leiper
WELFARE DIRECTOR
Jeffrey J. Ives
PLANNING & ZONING COMMISSION
Alan Giannuscio,
Chair
Michelle J. Phelps
Vincent Zimnoch
Kimberly A.
Blackburn
Marshall H. Brown
Ralph Leiper,
Alternate
Brian P. Michaud,
Alternate
Janet Raysay,
Alternate
PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR
Scott Lappen
REGISTRAR OF VITAL STATISTICS
William R. Hamel
Eileen G. Riner,
Assistant
Martha C. Cronin,
Assistant
Polly Ann Storms,
Assistant
John J. Lee,
Assistant
Charles A. Polomba,
Sub
Richard L. Carmon,
Sub
TOWN COUNSEL
Christopher R.
Stone
TOWN ENGINEER
Joseph R. Russo
TREE WARDEN
Scott Lappen
NORTH CENTRAL DISTRICT HEALTH
William H. Blitz
Matthew Farr, Rep.
Janet Leiper, Rep.
YOUTH SERVICES BUREAU
ADVISORY COMMISSION
Steve Brown
Melissa Hickey
Eric J. Refsnider
Janet Leiper
Dorinda Little
Lauren Makowski
Kenneth Precourt
Christine Wrabel
Jake Neri
Sharon Neri
WINDSOR LOCKS PUBLIC LIBRARY, INC. BOARD OF
DIRECTORS
Gloria Malec,
President &
Director
Lisa LaGanke, Vice
President
& Treasurer
Susan Bushnik,
Secretary
Virginia
Blanchfield
Lorna Hamilton
Raymond Jackson
Kenneth Manning
BOARD OF ASSESSORS
The Board of
Assessors is charged with the responsibilities of establishing the fair market
value of all Real Estate, Personal Property and Motor Vehicles in the Town of
Windsor Locks. The Board of Assessor’s
is an elected Board that consists of three members. Catherine Jeffery is the Chairperson, while Mark Cenci and Gary
LaPalme are the other Board members. To
comply with the above charges, there is an appointed Assessor that manages the
Assessor’s Office.
The current Assessor for the
Town of Windsor Locks is Donna Murphy.
Donna Murphy has been working in the Town’s Assessor’s office for over
ten years. Mrs. Murphy continues to be
assisted by Debbie Gifford.
Inspections of properties for
new construction, additions, decks, pools, garages, etc are also the
responsibility of the Assessor’s office.
Once inspections are complete, current values are established for any
changes. The Assessor’s Office also
assesses all Personal Property and Motor Vehicles located in Town.
In addition to determining
values, the Assessor’s Office administers State and Local programs designed to
give residents tax relief. These
programs are designed to help the Elderly, Veterans, and totally disabled
taxpayers. Any resident that has
questions or would like further information on any relief programs can either
call or stop by the Assessor’s Office.
The Town’s assessment
information can now be accessed through the Internet. You can access this information through a link with the Town’s
home page, or from www.visionappraisal.com. If a resident has any questions regarding
the web site, e-mail can be sent directly to the Assessor from this site.
The Assessor’s Office is
working on finalizing a Town-wide GIS (Geographic Information System). This system will prove to be valuable for
almost all Boards and Commissions associated with the Town. The system contains all boundary lines,
zoning, inland and wetland, and sewer information in a computerized format. A
new layer is currently being developed that will be utilized by the Town of Windsor
Locks Fire Department. This layer identifies
all fire hydrants and street addresses. You may view this and other information
by accessing the
Town’s GIS website at http://online4.cdm.com/website/windsorlocks/.
The Town completed a
Revaluation for the 2003 Grand List, resulting in an increase in the Real
Estate portion of the Grand List. The
Grand List totals for the 2003 are:
Real Estate
Net Assessment
5140 $762,566,400
Personal Property Net
Assessment
680
$146,875,666
Motor Vehicles
Net Assessment
23,774 $137,166,188
The top taxpayers for the 2002
Grand List are:
1. United
Technologies Corporation
$80,869,320
2. American
RE Holdings
$22,909,500
3. PV
Holding Corporation
$22,261,950
4. Ahlstrom
Dexter LLC
$15,128,660
5. Hertz
Vehicles LLC
$13,523,975
6. United
Parcel Service Inc
$13,360,810
7. Roncari
Development Company
$
11,454,500
8. Computer
Science Corporation
$
9,585,010
9. Urban
Growth Property Trust
$ 9,387,500
10. EQI
Financing Partnership III LP
$
9,103,700
BOARD OF ASSESSMENT
APPEALS
The Board of
Assessment Appeals is a three member elected Board. The Board’s function is to hear the appeals of those who feel
they have been aggrieved by the doings of the Assessor.
According to State
Statutes, the Board meets in the Spring to hear appeals on Real Estate, Motor
Vehicles, or Personal Property from the previous October’s Grand List.
The Board also
meets during the month of September to hear appeals for Motor Vehicles only.
Any taxpayer that
wishes to appeal an assessment may contact the Assessor’s Office to obtain
further information on obtaining an application for an appeal.
Annual Report 2003-2004
Windsor
Locks Public Schools continued to “Move Forward Together” as we provided the finest
education opportunities we could responsibly afford.
The
Leadership Team Retreat and the Leadership Team/Board of Education Retreat heralded
a new era in Board/Administration communication and collaboration. These retreats offered many valuable
insights and established a strong framework upon which to build the educational
experience for the students of the Windsor Locks Public Schools. The Board and the Leadership Team were able
to work together to develop and solidify goals and to establish a path upon
which we can travel together in a consistent, collaborative, cohesive manner
toward a common goal of student achievement. The retreats will be annual events
in the future.
The
Superintendent and Board of Education have used the school website to
communicate many current issues with staff, parents and the community. Plans are being discussed to reconfigure the
website providing an even greater opportunity to use this vehicle for
communication. The videotaping of
Board of Education meetings, for viewing on educational access public TV,
Channel 6, has also proved to be an effective communication tool.
The
budget process garnered much involvement from the community, due in part to
well advertised budget meetings and hearings on the school website and the Superintendent’s
School Notes Page. The Superintendent, using Superintendent Forums and Parent/Citizen
Advisory Council meetings, has been successful in reaching out to community
leaders, citizens, parents and students to receive input for district improvement. The Board of Education, Superintendent and
Board of Finance worked closely to develop a fiscally responsive budget to present
to the town.
Administration,
Board of Education, staff, parents and students successfully worked together to
garner and share information necessary for the Board of Education to review
highly controversial issues such as a dress code and school starting
times. Superintendent Advisory meetings
and “Let’s Talk About” forums continued to serve as a resource in the decision-
making process.
Bi-weekly
meetings with the Board Chair and Board of Education Notes have enabled the
Superintendent to help the Board participate and understand school issues as
she conducts the day-to-day business of running the schools as its Chief
Executive Officer. Progress has been
made in providing the Board of Education with a condensed agenda format, and
complete, timely Board of Education meeting packets.
The
Board of Education has forged ahead reviewing and revising their Policies and
Procedures to provide a consistent framework for guiding the schools.
The
academic focus has been on literacy and writing initiatives, with an increased
focus upon Mathematics, K-12.
Curriculum has been completed in both Reading and Writing K-2. Reconfiguring
the position of Director of Curriculum and Technology to Director of
Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment will enhance communication/articulation
among buildings. A five-year plan to develop
all curricula and assessments K-12 is currently in progress. A school-wide magazine,
“Power of the Pen,” was established to further encourage students to both read
and write across the curriculum.
Three
new initiatives were approved by the Board of Education. Currently, students have access to courses
that would not otherwise be available to them through our participation in the
Virtual High School program. This
is an internet education program. The
courses are advanced and offer a challenge to some of our more gifted students. These courses could not be provided under
the budgetary restrictions of a public school the size of Windsor Locks.
The
Board of Education also approved the Asnuntuck College Connections
Program. This program will allow
juniors and seniors from Windsor Locks the opportunity to obtain college
credits toward an Associates Degree while completing requirements for high
school graduation. The program will
enable these students to obtain an Associates Degree in certain fields after
graduating from high school, with just one additional year at Asnuntuck.
In addition
to these two initiatives, the Board of Education approved awarding high school
credits in Algebra I and Spanish I to Grade 8 students who passed the criteria.
Twenty-seven Grade 8 students received high school credit in Algebra I and also
35 Grade 8 students earned high school credit in Spanish I this year.
The
Windsor Locks Middle School and Windsor Locks High School both held career
fairs to provide career guidance for students.
Both career fairs were well attended.
Assessments
of both the WLMS and WLHS TEAM Programs and the WLHS Tutoring Center Program
have provided information to assist in restructuring these two initiatives. The
goal is to better serve our students in completion of their high school education
and future plans in spite of educational, emotional, or social difficulties.
Restructuring
of the position of Director of Curriculum and Technology included creating the
position of Coordinator of Instructional Technology. The Coordinator of Instructional Technology will guide four building
level Teacher Leaders for Technology.
This structure will enhance the integration of technology software into
the curriculum and the teaching/ learning process.
The
I-Pass system is in place and working well.
Training continued, as well as the exploration of new areas in which the
system can help by generating information for the reports required by schools
and the state.
School climate and safety continued to be a
focus of the Board and Leadership. The
Dean of Students and full-time School Resource Officer at Windsor Locks High
School have been a stabilizing force and a resource to students, staff and parents.
Work
was approved for the WLMS playing fields during the 2004-2005 budget process
and will commence during the summer of 2004.
Staff
had five Early Release Professional Development days and two additional
Professional Development days, providing opportunities for growth in literacy,
writing and math initiatives.
Professional
Development and staff recognition programs are being refined. These initiatives
have done a great deal to contribute to positive staff morale. Efforts to
communicate important district initiatives, via staff e-mail, are making
inroads in providing collaborative, problem-solving strategies enhancing Board
and Leadership efforts to “Move Forward Together.”
Curriculum, Instruction and
Assessment
Pre-Kindergarten – Grade 12
Wendy Carton, Director
The Windsor
Locks Public Schools continue to strive for high expectations for all
students. As the quality of the
curriculum, instruction and assessment continues to improve, student learning
will mirror that growth and improvement.
The former
Director of Curriculum and Technology left the Windsor Locks Public Schools in
December of 2003. Wendy Carton was retained
as Curriculum Consultant to bring closure to a number of initiatives. The Board of Education approved the Superintendent’s
plan to reconfigure the Director of Curriculum and Technology position. The position of Director of Curriculum,
Instruction and Assessment was approved by the Board. Wendy Carton was selected
by the Board to fill this position effective July 2004.
The focus for
curriculum development was in reading and writing in the primary school. The writing curriculum for Grades K-2 was
developed with the support of many fine North Street School faculty who worked
ardently to produce a curriculum guide identifying objectives, teaching techniques,
time frames, resource materials, assessments and much more. A new K-2 reading curriculum guide was also
developed. It, too, included the
objectives teachers need to know in order to teach effectively. These two new curriculum guides are the
flagships for future guides. The ultimate
purpose of our curriculum work is to improve student learning. One indicator of success is student performance
on state CMT and CAPT tests.
Several high
school and middle school faculty worked cooperatively to create the end-of-year
assessments for the Grade 8 students who were eligible to earn credit for
taking advanced courses in Algebra I and Spanish I. One of the goals of this endeavor was to develop an assessment
that would be administered to both the Grade 8 and Grade 9 students equalizing
the class work for the course as it is taught in the two different
schools. The Algebra I and Spanish I assessments
were developed and utilized this school year.
Fifty seven percent of the WLMS students who took the Spanish assessment
were eligible to receive high school credit.
Seventy two percent of the WLMS students who took the Algebra I assessment
were eligible to receive high school credit.
With these two assessments in place, future instruction will improve as
faculty in both buildings know what will be assessed and can refine their teaching
objectives and practices accordingly.
At North Street
School, faculty used Reading Attitude Surveys to aid in understanding the students’
attitudes toward reading and writing.
These surveys helped identify student needs for the teaching staff.
Professional
development took place on early release afternoons, after school and during the
school day. Each school focused on professional
learning goals to improve student achievement.
At North Street School, the primary focus was on writing. Both presentation-style and embedded staff
development occurred. Writers’ Workshop
was encouraged as a format to enhance positive interests and attitudes towards
writing. At South Elementary School,
the focus was on Accelerated Math. The
WLMS provided staff development for improving school climate as well as improving
performance on the Connecticut Mastery Tests.
The WLHS, led by the School Improvement Team, worked on developing a
school-wide writing rubric. Working in
concert with the school goal, revision of the school mission occurred. First steps were taken to provide staff
development in becoming a Professional Learning Community.
Summer Academy
was held four days per week for four weeks at North Street School and WLHS,
July 12 through August 5. Students in
Grades K-12 were able to participate.
The program supported a total of 83 students. The 83 students fell into three categories: Special Education, tuition students and
scholarship students, who were determined by the Free and Reduced Lunch Program
criteria. Some students were recommended
by their teachers for this special support.
The Jump Start Program focused on reading and writing for students in
Grades K-8. It provided an opportunity
for students-in-need to receive intensive reading and writing instruction. The enrichment Stretch Program was cancelled
due to insufficient interest this year.
We look forward to next summer when we hope to expand the program,
which, in turn, will enhance participation.
Three WLHS courses were available for students who needed to do additional
work for credit on the freshman level.
These courses included English, Earth Science and Algebra I.
All students
were encouraged to read over the summer and participate in the Governor’s
Summer Reading Challenge. Students
received the Governor’s 2004 Summer Reading Journal to complete and return to
their teachers on the first day of school.
The goal is to have students develop a habit of daily reading. Daily reading enhances sight vocabulary,
fluency, and comprehension.
Special
Services
Judith Babcock, Director
The Special
Services Department serves all Windsor Locks students from Pre-Kindergarten to
Grade 12, or from ages 3 through 21.
This was a challenging fiscal year for special education, with the addition
of 14 to16 students placed by DCF, some at significant cost.
The total
number of students served during the school year was 284:
Windsor Locks
High School 63
Windsor Locks
Middle School 50
South
Elementary School 59
North
Elementary School 80
Outplaced
Students 23
Private School
Students 2
Metropolitan
Learning Center 3
Suffield
Agriscience 4
Related
services were also provided through Special Services.
Speech &
Language 66
Occupational
Therapy 80
Physical
Therapy 31
Counseling/Social
Work 104
Hearing Impaired 11
The Special Education Preschool Program is an excellent opportunity for our special education students, as well as the reverse mainstream students who serve as role models for the preschool students. All related services are provided within the program in an “authentic” setting. Monthly town-wide screenings are held to assure all students who need services are being evaluated. Special Education staff are also