The Naugatuck Board of Education has been working to improve communications with the public. –RA ARCHIVE

Many felt that the previous board had failed to communicate when the school budget was in crisis. The board voted to close Salem School at a special meeting with no time allotted for public comment.

“We have been coming to meetings, we have been trying to communicate with you how we feel about our children’s education. … The closure and reconfiguration we feel we’ve had no input on. We’ve come to these meetings; we’ve talked. Have you listened to us?” said Anne Ciacciarella, chair of the Citizen’s Audit Committee at a school board meeting in April 2010.

During the same meeting, current Board of Education member Glenn Connan, then a member of the citizens group, said, “I really have to say that I feel like everything’s been pushed down our throats, and we’re the ones who are paying for it.”

As candidates, four of the current Board of Education members listed transparency and communication between the school board, faculty, parents, and community as one of their main goals if elected.

Eight months later, the board has made several strides towards that goal.

“I think we’re on the right track. I think we’ve made some progress in terms of more open communications,” said school board member and Communications Subcomittee Chair Deby Brackett.

The school board has started using the Code Ed system to alert parents of emergencies. In the beginning of the school year, administrators did not seem to have a clear idea of when to use Code Ed versus Notify Me. Every family with students in the district is automatically signed up for Code Ed whereas parents can sign up for Notify Me. Both systems can call, text, or e-mail parents with messages from the board or individual schools. Brackett said Code Ed will be used in emergency or unusual circumstances where as Notify Me will be used for everyday announcements and events.

She said she is encouraging the superintendent to use Notify Me more often. Currently, only 50 to 60 people use the district-wide Notify Me

“I think if we use it, word may spread about the benefit of being signed up for it,” Brackett said.

She said it can be used to announce a meeting change, the educational fair, and the meet and greet.

“I think it would be a nice tool for those pieces,” Brackett said.

The board has also started posting monthly meeting packet materials on the district website so that those that attend school board meetings can follow discussions and look at upcoming issues ahead of time. The board now posts subcommittee meeting times on the district website and in the front window of the Tuttle Building on Church Street, the district administration’s headquarters.

The district website also now features a bus complaint form, which Bracket said parents have been using. Last year, parents complained that busses were over an hour late and parents weren’t notified of any problems. Brackett said the board now gets a monthly report from the bus company with any issues listed.

In October, the school board put out its first newsletter, with information about the high school renovation, educational reform, and the school budget. According to Brackett, the board is planning another newsletter in March or April.

Also in the next couple of months, Brackett said the board is planning a meet-and-greet where the public can sit down with board members in an informal setting, discuss issues, and give feedback.

Brackett acknowledged that some initiatives are moving slowly, but pointed out that the board is made up of volunteers.

“We’re working very hard in our spare time to move things forward. I think we’re making very good progress,” Brackett said.

Board of Education Chair David Heller said the board has been working hard to communicate better. He said when people ask questions, the board tries to respond in a timely manor.

“I think we did a good job getting the word out on the referendum for the high school renovation project,” Heller said. “We try to be as transparent and proactive in terms of our communication.”

Philip Zembruski, a Naugatuck parent who regularly attends Board of Education meetings, said he has seen an improvement.

“I think the new board is definitely conscientious of communication with the community,” Zembruski said.

However, he said the board still has some work to do.

Zembruski said the board has tried to have a regular schedule for subcommittee meetings, but often times those dates are moved. Zembruski said the board should try harder to stick to those dates and do a better job of informing the public when they are changed.

Zembruski said that the board is doing a better job tracking transportation issues, but still doesn’t have a clear policy of when to use Code Ed and Notify Me. When two schools were in lockdown recently, Zembruski said parents had no notification.

Zembruski said he didn’t know about all the new information that is now on the district’s website or how to find it. He felt the school board should notify parents when that information is available, perhaps in the next newsletter.

“They’re working hard to achieve those goals that they saw there were problems with. There’s always room for improvement, but I think they’re doing a pretty good job,” Zembruski said.

Where do I find…

Meeting Materials: Go to www.naugy.net. Click on “Board of Education” on the left-hand side. Click on “Documents,” in the menu that appears under “Board of Education.” Click on the folder titled “Meeting Materials.” Find the date of the meeting you want.

Subcommittee meeting schedule: Go to www.naugy.net. Click on the red “Calendar” tab at the top of the page.

Sign up for Notify Me: Go to www.naugy.net. The button is in the bottom left-hand corner.

Log a bus complaint: Go to www.naugy.net. Click on “Transportation” on the left-hand side. Click on “Forms” in the sub-menu that pops up.

The Naugatuck Board of Education wants to see a social worker in each of the borough’s school.

“It’s important to have all students have access to that support,” Assistant Superintendent of Schools Brigitte Crispino said Thursday at a school board meeting.

The district currently employs 10 social workers. All of them are assigned to special education students except for one, who works full-time at Naugatuck High School.

Some social workers, in addition to their special education work, are assigned to City Hill Middle School and the borough’s elementary schools. A first-year social worker makes about $54,000, and the total budget for school social workers this year is about $826,000.

New state anti-bullying laws require schools to spend more time investigating and reporting bullying incidents. More social workers could be needed to intervene, board members and administrators said.

The topic came up when a parent, Julie Vostinak, asked what schools were doing to find out why some students become bullies.

Bullies at Naugatuck High School, for example, are disciplined, but they also meet with a social worker to determine what could be causing them to lash out against others, Principal Janice Saam said.

“If discipline in and of itself fixed it, we’d have no bullying,” Saam said.

Board of Education Chair David Heller said he would like a full-time social worker for every school to be included in the board’s budget proposal, which will be presented at the end of April to the Board of Finance.

“Our K to 4 schools share half a social worker,” Heller said. “Bullying happens at the elementary level, too.”

While preparing the school board’s budget request, Business Manager Wayne McAllister is asking representatives of every school what they would like to include. Several requested a full-time social worker, McAllister said.

Board member Diana Malone said she and others toured every school and asked principals for wish lists.

“Almost every single principle said they would like to see a full-time social worker,” Malone said.

City Hill Middle School asked for the lower grades to have full-time social workers, so that students in need of help receive it before the seventh grade, Malone said.

The school board formulates an initial budget request every year with more full-time social workers, but that expenditure has never survived the cutting room floor, Heller said.

“There’s only so many educational dollars, and we try to divide it equally among all the students who need it,” Heller said.

James Agostine, left, outgoing Region 16 superintendent of schools, talks with interim superintendent Tim James during a break in Wednesday’s Board of Education meeting. ELIO GUGLIOTTI

BEACON FALLS — There has been a changing of the guard atop Region 16’s administrative hierarchy.

James Agostine oversaw his last Board of Education meeting as the district’s superintendent of schools Wednesday night.

“(Agostine) has executed everything we have asked him to do. The one thing I can say is he is leaving Region 16 better than he found it,” school board Chair Priscilla Cretella said.

Agostine will begin his new position as superintendent in the Monroe school district next week.

“It’s been a great experience in Region 16. I’m really happy with the work we’ve done and look forward to new challenges,” said Agostine following the board meeting.

While the meeting was Agostine last, it was the first for interim Superintendent of Schools Tim James. James, who sat aside Agostine during the meeting, was hired as interim superintendent in late December. Prior to coming to the district, James was superintendent for the Orange Elementary School District and had planned to retire at the end of last year from Orange before accepting the interim position.

With James in place, the board’s attention will now turn to finding a permanent replacement. That search got off to frugal start as James volunteered his services, free of charge, to perform the search for the board.

James told the board he was happy to do the search for the board as a professional courtesy. If the board hired a firm or a state education organization to do the search officials estimated it could cost the district up to $18, 000. The board gladly accepted James’ offer.

“We all are very enthusiastic about that,” Cretella said in a subsequent interview.

Cretella said James’ offer was a wonderful perk not only for the savings but because of his experience in the education field and ability to whittle down prospective candidates.

James gave the board a draft timeline for the search, which was discussed in executive session. Cretella said she will meet with James in the coming to week to adjust some dates on the timeline.

The first step to finding a new superintendent is to form a search committee. The committee, which will be comprised of school and town officials along with members of the general public, will be formed in the coming weeks Cretella said.

Exactly when a new superintendent will be hired is still to be determined.

With a number of major issues currently facing the district, not the least of which is the three-part, $46.7 million building project, James told the board he is willing to stay on as interim as long as the board feels is necessary.

“I’m committed to do what you want me to do for you,” James told the board.

Cretella said the board is willing to consider keeping James past the end of this school year.

“We are going to start the search committee,” she said. “But our building project right now and the repairs we need to do are our top priority.”

“I think you’re always going to have issues and complaints and late buses,” James Jordan said. “There are constant complaints about everything under the sun, but we’re not seeing consistent complaints about one thing or another. … I think things are better.”

The school board in April asked for a legal review of whether the company had breached its contract with the board following complaints that buses were running more than an hour late and concerned parents could not reach anyone at STA’s borough headquarters on South Main Street.

That review was never completed because many of the complaints were not documented, Jordan said. In most cases, parents complained to school principals, who often handled the problems themselves without being required to report to the board’s central office, Jordan said.

“Most of the information we would get is, people would call us, and you have to verify that stuff,” Jordan said.

The board is no longer hearing complaints that managers are absent, and is hearing fewer late bus complaints, Jordan said.

A new operations manager, Ron Tymula, replaced former manager Tasha Priar near the end of the summer, Jordan said. Tymula did not return a message seeking comment.

As a result of last spring’s issues, the board has streamlined the complaint process, Jordan said. Parents are encouraged to contact the school board’s central business office, run by Business Manager Wayne McAllister, with concerns about the buses.

If parents do not like the business office’s decision, they can come before the transportation committee for a hearing.

The business office now keeps a district-wide bus complaint log, which is reported on monthly, Jordan said. The business office also fills out a report that has all the contract’s major points, including evacuation drills and maintenance, to make sure the bus company is in compliance, Jordan said.

“I think that’s worked out rather well,” Jordan said. “You don’t want seven or eight different people handling it, you want one centralized office.”

This year, the board used a new mapping system called Versatrans to plot bus routes, which generated several complaints at the beginning of the school year from family members who were not happy with new bus stops. Many of those complaints have been resolved, Jordan said.

The bus company, which runs more than 40 vehicles on school days in the borough, has a $2 million-per-year contract with the school board that expires in 2013.

With winter still to go, the Board of Education approved a snow day contingency plan at its Dec. 7 meeting just in case winter’s wrath forces more school closures.

Region 16 schools were closed for five days following the Oct. 29 storm, which put the last day of school at June 19. As part of the contingency plan, the board approved changing the professional development day for teachers scheduled for March 23 into a regularly school day. The professional development day will be made up at the end of the school year, which will not be a school day for students, according to the plan.

Since the professional development day was changed, the last day of school currently stands at June 18.

Under the plan, if there’s one more emergency closure before Feb. 13, schools will open on Feb. 17, which is currently a scheduled day off.

With the last day of school at June 18, the district has nine emergency days left to use before the last day schools could be open, June 29, this school year.

According to the plan, if by April 6 school closures push the last day of school past June 29 the board will begin to take days away from April vacation to make up the days.

Vacation days will be taken away starting on Friday, April 20 and working backwards through the week, according to the plan.

Naugatuck police officer Kevin Zainc, right, leads police K-9 Pete to find drugs planted in the pocket of Dean of Students John Dellacamera, center, flanked by Board of Education member James Scully, left, and Mayor Robert Mezzo during a demonstration at the Board of Education meeting Dec. 12.

NAUGATUCK — Police K-9s will soon be sniffing through the halls of Naugatuck High School to search for illegal drugs.

“My goal is to send a clear message: ‘We don’t want drugs at Naugatuck High School.They have no business being here. We don’t want them in a safe, healthy environment,’” Naugatuck High School Principal Jan Saam told the Board of Education last week after informing members of the push to bring in the K-9 units.

Ideally, police won’t find any drugs, Saam said.

“Even if there’s a leftover scent on a jacket, that student’s on our radar, that student’s on notice,” Saam said.

Saam said Police Chief Christopher Edson approached her a month ago with the idea.

“In light of the recent events with so many students being caught either using, possessing or sale of drugs, it was very timely,” Saam said.

She said she cleared the plan with a parent group, students, faculty, and her advisory council, which is made up of business and community leaders. The policy allowing the school to search lockers was already on the books.

“All four groups were unanimous in wanting this,” Saam said.

Kevin Zainc, who is in charge of Naugatuck’s K-9 unit, said the school would go into lockdown while the dogs sweep through the building.

Police explained that about eight to 12 dogs from area jurisdictions would take about 20 minutes to search the lockers.

Naugatuck’s K-9, a black lab named Pete, demonstrated his abilities, sniffing volunteers until he found a small bag of contraband planted in Naugatuck High School Dean of Students John Dellacamera’s pocket. Pete promptly sat down and waited for his treat.

Pete can identify eight narcotics including marijuana, hashish, cocaine, crack, heroin, methamphetamines, steroids, and ecstasy, according to Zainc. He said some dogs can also sniff out oxycodone and Codeine, according to Zainc.

Unlike the demonstration at the Board of Education meeting, the dogs will not physically search students.

“At no point in time will the dogs ever interact with any of the students,” Zainc said.

If a dog smells something, police will mark the locker and notify school administrators. School officials will then open the locker, accompanied by the students. If administrators find contraband, police will seize it to be used as evidence or dispose of it.

“We’ll take it and make sure it is properly handled,” Zainc said.

The school will determine whether to handle the incident in house or turn the case over to the police.

“We are invited as a guest in the school here and absolutely respect that position,” said Deputy Chief Joshua Bernegger, noting that police and the school have a mutual goal to provide a drug-free environment for learning.

Bernegger said the search will most likely take place during fourth period, giving officers time to gather in the morning and discuss the operation.

According to Saam, there would be no point in searching lockers after school hours.

“Students wouldn’t leave it behind. It’s too valuable. … My hunch is that if they are there, they’re on their person or in their vehicles,” Saam said.

She said she also hoped to search the student parking lot, although that process is more exhausting for the dogs, police said. Police said they have the right to go into vehicles in the student parking lot, but would have to get a warrant to search vehicles in a borough lot.

“When they opt to park their car in the school’s parking lot, they are waiving those particular rights to an expectation of privacy,” Bernegger said.

Saam said the school will conduct the search a few times a year, starting with a search in the near future and another shortly thereafter.

She said she didn’t want students to think that once the search is done, they’ll be safe from further scrutiny for the year.

“I don’t want there to be a sense of complacency. … I want students to be on alert that we can bring these dogs in at any time,” Saam said.

Saam said she won’t announce exactly when the searches will happen ahead of time, but will send out a notice to parents to inform them of the policy.

Police also recommended preparing a pre-planned Code Ed message to inform parents what is going on during the lockdown so no one is misinformed or spreads rumors.

After the search is complete, Saam said police and administrators would have a debriefing to go over the results and see if anything could be done better in the future.

Dellacamera said he thought the drug search would be effective.

“This is a really good deterrent. The kids are already talking about it in the hallways,” he said.

One high school student doubted the dogs would find any drugs at the school.

“Personally, I don’t think its going to make any kind of difference at all,” said high school student Troy Bond.

He said people who use drugs are very cautious and wouldn’t risk being caught, especially now that they might be searched.

“I’ve talked to people personally who have said they’re not going to bring anything into school,” Bond said.

Bond felt the searches would be more effective if school administrators hadn’t announced their plans.

“It’s pretty much going to be a waste of our time,” Bond said.

The Naugatuck Board of Education approved a new, three-year contract for teachers Thursday night. LARAINE WESCHLER

NAUGATUCK — The Board of Education approved a new contract for the borough’s 351 teachers Thursday that would give them a 6.1 percent raise over three years while saving about $1.2 million in health insurance costs.

The Naugatuck Teachers League approved the contract Wednesday after 90 percent of union members voted in favor of it, Vice President Charley Marenghi said.

“There was a good give and take. …We’re all pulling on the same horse,” said Andrea Fitzgerald, co-chair of the negotiating team for the Naugatuck Teachers League.

If the Board of Mayor and Burgesses approves the new contract, it will take effect Sept. 1 and last through August 2015.

Over the contract’s three years, the cost to the school budget would increase 1.6 percent, or about $515,000, according to a fiscal analysis by Business Manager Wayne McAllister.

In total, the borough pays about $26 million in teacher salaries and $4 million for insurance, rendering the cost increase comparatively small, Superintendent John Tindall-Gibson said.

“That’s amazing,” Tindall-Gibson said. “It’s tremendous for the board.”

The contract was finalized after several two-hour negotiation sessions and one nine-hour mediation session last week, Marenghi said.

If both sides cannot agree after mediation, contracts go to binding state arbitration. Most arbitration settlements are giving teachers nearly 7 percent raises over three years, but borough teachers agreed to take less, Marenghi said.

The 6.1 percent increase includes step increases, which are additional annual raises given to teachers in their first 13 years.

“When you string it out over three years, it ends up being a cost of living increase, when you look at it,” Marenghi said.

The contract puts all union members in a high-deductible health plan, which will lower their premiums by about 41 percent. They will also pay only 14 percent of their premiums the first year, down from 18 percent this year. They will have to pay up to $1,000 a year for non-preventative medical care, or $2,000 for a two-person or family plan. The school board will pay the other half of the deductible, and teachers could keep that money if they didn’t use it during the year.

“By agreeing to the new health care plans, they allow us to fund the raises. As we know, money is very tight. We have to minimize the taxpayer burden as much as we can,” said David Heller, chair of the Board of Education.

According to Heller, if the teachers had kept their regular preferred provider organization plan, the school board would have seen a yearly increase of 20 to 25 percent. With the high deductible plan, the increase will be closer to 8 percent.

Mayor Robert Mezzo, who serves on the school board, said the effort to decrease the school system’s insurance expenses was consistent with the strategy used in recent municipal negotiations.

“I commend the job that the negotiating team has done on it,” Mezzo said.

The borough board voted down a proposed teacher’s contract almost three years ago, sending it to two rounds of state arbitration. Arbiters both times ruled in favor of the teachers, who received 8 percent raises over three years.

The negotiations between school board and teacher representatives were not contentious, said Marenghi, who has participated in contract talks three times previously.

“It’s probably the most respectful dialogue we’ve had out of any of them,” Marenghi said.

In addition to the changes in health care and salary increases, the teacher’s union agreed to switch to block scheduling at Naugatuck High School in the 2013-14 school year. The change, which would create four class periods per day instead of the eight currently scheduled, would add a few minutes to the day, according to Heller.

Block scheduling would allow for longer class times, which would be particularly advantageous for science classes, where students would have time to do longer experiments, according to Tindall-Gibson.

Laraine Weschler contributed to this article.

The Naugatuck Board of Education extended Superintendent of Schools John Tindall-Gibson’s contract for another year during its Nov. 8 meeting. LARAINE WESCHLER

NAUGATUCK — The Board of Education voted Thursday to extend contracts for Superintendent of Schools John Tindall-Gibson and Business Manager Wayne McAllister for one year.

Tindall-Gibson had planned to retire when his contract was up June 30, but he has agreed to work alongside school McAllister for another year.

McAllister’s contract was up at the end of this year, but now he will continue as the board’s business manager until Dec. 31, 2012.

Tindall-Gibson came under fire two years ago when the borough school system faced a budget deficit projected at $2 million. Municipal leaders called for him to resign, and the teachers union and borough board held nearly unanimous votes of no-confidence, criticizing his financial management and communication skills.

Following the financial crisis, Tindall-Gibson worked with McAllister to turn that deficit into a small surplus.

“Since then, I don’t know exactly how the mood has changed amongst the membership,” said Charlie Marenghi, vice president of the Naugatuck Teacher’s League.

He said he encouraged union members to contact school board Chair Heller with their feedback before the board voted on the extension.

“A lot has changed since 2010, so I think there’s a lot of mixed feelings on the part of the membership,” Marenghi said.

Over the past year, Marenghi he had gained respect for Tindall-Gibson while working with him on the building committee for the high school renovations.

“I really see a man who’s definitely committed to seeing through this renovation project,” Marenghi said.

Marenghi said he was personally happy to have Tindall-Gibson on board.

“I think he’s the right guy for this time,” Marenghi said.

Marenghi added he also felt more at ease knowing McAllister will stay on as business manager to oversee the district’s finances.

Heller said he started thinking about asking Tindall-Gibson to stay back in the fall because everything seemed to be going well in the district.

This past school year the school district made Adequate Yearly Progress under No Child Left Behind for the second time since the program began in 2001, and the Connecticut Coalition for Achievement Now (ConnCAN) recognized three Naugatuck schools for being among the top ten schools in the state for progress in student achievement.

With the borough set to begin the Naugatuck High School renovation project, officials feel that Tindall-Gibson’s work on and knowledge of the project would be an asset moving forward. Also, as president-elect of the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents, Tindall-Gibson would be in a “unique position” to help with reimbursement issues on the project.

Heller said Tindall-Gibson and McAllister each said they’d stay if the other stayed.

“We’re lucky to have them working as a cohesive team,” Heller said. “They work very well together.”

Tindall-Gibson said things are “so sweet” right now, anyone would want to stay.

“I’d welcome an opportunity to work another year here in Naugatuck,” Tindall-Gibson said in a interview prior to the meeting.

Tindall-Gibson said there are a lot of good things happening in the school district and he’s excited about the high school renovation project, which he called “phenomenal” and a “world-class school.” He said he’d like to see what he can do to help with the plans for the project.

Tindall-Gibson said he really enjoys working with the current board and he enjoys the relationships he’s developed with town officials, school staff, and parents.

“Things are working very well right now it seems in Naugatuck,” Tindall-Gibson said.

This is the second time the school board voted to extend McAllister’s contract, which was originally up at the end of last fiscal year, in June.

Wayne McAllister has been serving as the Board of Education’s business manager along with his full-time position of controller for the borough. The school board extended his contract until Dec. 31, 2012 at its Nov. 8 meeting. LARAINE WESCHLER

McAllister has been doing double-duty as borough comptroller and school business manager since the budget problems of 2009. Between the two jobs, McAllister said he regularly puts in over 60 hours a week.

“I feel like I’m doing it full-time,” McAllister said.

Tindall-Gibson will continue to work at his current salary of roughly $147,500. The board voted to give McAllister a $5,000 raise, which would put his compensation for being the board’s business manager at $20,000 a year. McAllister vowed to give that raise back to the Naugatuck Education Foundation to fund grants for teachers.

Members of the board can’t seem to praise McAllister enough for the work he’s done in turning the business office around.

“We have someone who is saving us a tremendous amount of money and you know, in no way have we really said thank you monetarily… $5000 is not much, but it’s a token thank you for the work he’s done for us,” said board member Glenn Connan, who proposed the raise.

A full-time business manager would make about $115,000 to $120,000 a year, according to McAllister. He said he performs all the duties in the job description, just without the normal pay.

“My appreciation for what Wayne does here and at town hall is beyond words,” Mayor Robert Mezzo said.

Priscilla Cretella, an unaffiliated voter from Beacon Falls, was named chair of the Region 16 Board of Education.

BEACON FALLS — Priscilla Cretella once again finds herself at the helm of Region 16’s Board of Education.

Cretella was unanimously elected chair of the board by her peers at the board’s Nov. 7 meeting.

“I’m very happy that I have the support of my fellow board members to be chair,” Cretella said.

Cretella, an unaffiliated voter from Beacon Falls, has served on the board for the past 28 years. Over her tenure on the board, Cretella has served as chair multiple times, most recently in 2009.

The board’s bylaws dictate the chairmanship of the board rotates every two years between a member from Prospect and one from Beacon Falls. Cretella replaces Prospect Republican Donna Cullen as chair.

Cullen, who served as chair since former Chair Lisa DeGoes resigned in July, was unanimously selected as vice chair of the board. Wendy Oliveira and Sheryl Feducia, both of Beacon Falls, were reappointed as secretary and treasurer respectively.

The Board of Education will discuss extending the contract of Superintendent of Schools John Tindall-Gibson, above, and Business Manager Wayne McAllister Thursday night. FILE PHOTO

NAUGATUCK — The Board of Education will consider a one-year extension of the contracts of Superintendent of Schools John Tindall-Gibson and Business Manager Wayne McAllister at its meeting Thursday night.

“These extensions are being considered based upon the skills and expertise of both men and based upon their ability to work together to improve all aspects of the Board of Education’s operations,” read a statement issued by board Chair David Heller.

Tindall-Gibson has said that he planned to retire when his contract expires June 30. If the board acts favorably on the extension, Tindall-Gibson’s retirement plans may be put on the shelf until 2013.

Tindall-Gibson was hired in July 2006. In 2009, Tindall-Gibson came under heavy criticism when the borough school system faced a projected $2 million budget deficit. Municipal leaders called for him to resign, and the teachers union and borough board held nearly unanimous votes of no-confidence.

Mayor Robert Mezzo was one of those voices calling for the resignation of Tindall-Gibson and then board Chair Kathleen Donovan. In a post on his blog, Mezzo said he fully supports an extension for Tindall-Gibson.

“Throughout the time that I have served as Mayor, I have never questioned the experience or knowledge of Dr. Tindall-Gibson regarding educational matters. Dr. Tindall-Gibson has always impressed me during our conversations with his understanding of the changes rapidly occurring in the field of education, particularly with regard to technology,” Mezzo wrote. “There is no doubt he is a learned man committed to positioning the Naugatuck School System for future success.”

This past school year the school district made Adequate Yearly Progress under No Child Left Behind for the second time since the program began in 2001, and the Connecticut Coalition for Achievement Now recognized three Naugatuck schools for being among the top ten schools in the state for progress in student achievement, according to Heller’s statement.

With the borough set to begin the Naugatuck High School renovation project, the feeling among officials is that Tindall-Gibson’s work on and knowledge of the project would be an asset moving forward. Also, as President-elect of the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents, Tindall-Gibson would be in a “unique position” to help with reimbursement issues on the project.

“At this point in time, he has the experience and resources to help the Board of Education plan and create a state of the art high school and to continue to improve academic achievement through our school district,” the statement said.

According to Mezzo’s blog, Tindall-Gibson has agreed to stay on for another year, if approved by the board, at his current salary of roughly $147,500.

“I’d welcome an opportunity work another year here in Naugatuck,” Tindall-Gibson said.

Tindall-Gibson said there are a lot of good things happening in the school district and he’s excited about the high school renovation project. He said he’d like to see what he can do to help with the plans for the project.

The talk of extending Tindall-Gibson’s contract is a long way from the calls for his resignation that were voiced just two years ago.

Tindall-Gibson said he really enjoys working with the current board and he enjoys the relationships he’s developed with town officials, school staff, and parents.

“Things are working very well right now it seems in Naugatuck,” Tindall-Gibson said.

For the past 18 months, McAllister has been serving as the borough’s controller and the board’s business manager.

McAllister was named the board’s business manager during the budget problems of 2009. He has been credited with helping to turn the projected $2 million deficit into a small surplus and with helping to reorganize the board’s business office.

McAllister’s contract with the board is set to expire at the end of the year.

“The board greatly values the need for continuity. Furthermore, the board realizes the importance of the proven ability of the superintendent and business manager to work collaboratively to manage the High School renovation project and the School Board’s continuing efforts to consolidate services and personnel in order to reduce expenses and at the same time best provide for the continued educational improvement and achievement of the students of Naugatuck,” Heller’s statement read.

The board is scheduled to meet Thursday at Hillside School beginning at 7 p.m.

Read Mezzo’s full blog post and Heller’s full statement here.