Barrington Bulletin
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Barrington school board says goodbye to longtime member, announces finalized refinancing will save over $600K
Members of the Barrington Board of Education on Monday took a moment to recognize the years of work by outgoing board member Barbara Quattrocchi before moving on to regular business which including setting goals for 2013, approving a plan to repair the fence at Avon School and an announcement of significant savings from bond refinancing.
Barrington School District Business Administrator Samuel Dutkin, left, and Superintendent Anthony Arcodia, right, present outgoing school board member Barbara Quattrocchi with an etched-glass plaque in honor of her service to the district at the Dec. 10, 2012, school board meeting. (Photo by Sherry Chin-Glaser)
The board surprised Quattrochi by going off the agenda at the start of the meeting and taking a few minutes to express their gratitude for her efforts.
“The school district is a better place,” Superintendent Anthony Arcodia said in honoring Quattrocchi for her time as a leader of the parent-teacher association and as a school board member. “We are where we are because of the gift you gave.”
Quattrocchi appeared visibly moved by the unexpected recognition.
“It’s been an honor for me to serve the district for so many years,” she said.
Quattrocchi chose not to run for re-election this year. At the next school board meeting on Jan. 7, new members Mark Correa and Sherry Chin-Glaser will begin serving on the board in place of Quattrocchi and former board president Andrew Wood, who resigned in August to take a new job outside of New Jersey.
The board then moved on to regular business, highlighted by Business Administrator Samuel Dutkin’s announcement that the district’s bond refinancing has been finalized, and it will now save the district more than $600,000 over the life of the bond.
When the board chose to refinance, the plan was expected to save the district about $200,000. As interest rates continued to drop, the number was thought to be closer to $400,000. But with the process now complete, Dutkin was able to announce the district will save $614,019.83 through 2029 — or more than $35,000 per year.
In other business, the board:
- agreed to use safety grant money to repair the fence separating the Avon School playground and field from the parking lot and to install a keypad entry system at a door near the playground to ensure better security within the building and easy access for students and teachers.
- approved its goals for the 2012-2013 school year: increased professional development opportunities for board members; and increased knowledge of the Harassment/Intimidation/Bullying process, the role of the board in this process and ensuring compliance with the board’s policy.
- heard from Arcodia about the latest school assessment tests, which showed strong results for Avon and Woodland schools. In-depth coverage of the test results will be published throughout the rest of this week at BarringtonBulletin.com.
