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Darien School District board meeting, date not confirmed yet

1 h 56 min · 0 public speakers

This board doesn’t post agenda times. Click a board member to jump to where they first speak; we list only members whose voice our check named. Video length 1 h 56 min.

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What happened

What happened at this meeting

Darien school board reviews Middlesex Middle School renovation educational specifications 6:37

  • The board discussed educational specifications for a proposed renovation plan for Middlesex Middle School, which a district administrator described as an enrollment-driven, need-based project. 6:37
  • A presenter from KG&D Architects said Priority 1 projects came to just under $75 million, with Priority 2 projects adding approximately $20 million for a total of about $95 million, and an 800-seat auditorium would be about a $20 million project. 20:28
  • A district administrator asked for 2 or 3 board members to work on the specifications, and three volunteered. 1:14:53
  • The board unanimously approved a consent agenda that included a proposed contract agreement with the Darien Administrators Association. 1:54:22
Item by item (9)
  1. Opening and chair report 0:18
    • The chair report thanked volunteers for the high school homecoming weekend and noted ribbon-cutting ceremonies for the completion of the HHR building project, with the Royal ceremony to be held Thursday. 2:22
    • No one spoke at public comment. ~4:22
  2. Superintendent's report 4:43
    • The superintendent's report noted transportation delays at the elementary schools after an accident on 95 caused traffic in town. 4:43
    • The report announced a Parent University session Thursday at 6:30 PM at Middlesex Middle School and a book club session on Thursday, October 29th at 7 PM. 5:10
  3. Student representative report 6:10
    • A student representative listed upcoming games and said the first quarter at the high school would end in a few weeks. 6:10
  4. Middlesex Middle School educational specifications 6:37
    • A district administrator said the building was designed for 900 students, now has 1,005 and is projected to have 1,165 by 2035, and cited undersized classrooms, a leaking roof and aging mechanical systems. 10:04
    • A staff member outlined a timeline to bring the specifications back on October 27th or November 10th, seek approval November 24th or December 8th, and apply for a state grant in May, which the staff member said typically covers about 20% of eligible expenses for a renovation. 13:10
  5. Superintendent's budget meeting timeline 1:25:26
    • The superintendent presented a first read of the budget timeline, beginning October 27th with approval of the budget calendar and the fiscal forecast, following the same process as last year. 1:25:26
    • A speaker suggested adding an agenda item for another round of discussion so new board members could weigh in. 1:29:23
    • A district official said the schedule would be modified to add a follow-up discussion in November after the fiscal forecast. 1:31:02
  6. Board book discussion 1:31:15
    • The board discussed the book The New Science of Momentum using the 4 A's protocol of assumptions, agreements, arguments and aspirations. 1:31:15
  7. First reading of board policies 1:52:09
    • The board held a first reading of policies 4250, 4275, 4300, 5125 and 5350, which a speaker said were based mostly on revisions to legislation. 1:53:03
  8. Consent agenda 1:54:22
    • The consent agenda included September 22 special and regular meeting minutes, a proposed contract agreement with the Darien Administrators Association, committee reports and personnel reports. 1:54:22
    • The consent agenda was approved unanimously. 1:54:22
  9. Public comment and adjournment 1:55:27
    • No one spoke at the second public comment period. ~1:55:27
    • The motion to adjourn passed unanimously. 1:55:38

Written by software from the meeting's transcript and checked sentence by sentence against it.

What was said

What board members said, in order

What is the likelihood that we— let's say we decide to make Priority 1 changes only— won't we just be getting ourselves to the point where we'll get stuck and needing to make renovations on top of the renovations right away to do the Priority 2?Joanna Walsh · Board Member58:52
Other meetings

Other meetings of this board

Video: posted by the district as “BOE Regular Meeting - October 13, 2026 (unedited)”