Region 20 Board of Education
8/6/2026 -7:00pm
Present: Diane Barnes, Kara Cruoglio, Ashley Hall Daddona, Margaret Hunt, Sharon Mahieu, Tiffany Parkhouse, Scott Pottbecker, Josh Szwed, Ashley Westfall, Susan Wheeler
Absent: Robert DeLayo, Billie Jean Sideris
Board Chair Tiffany Parkhouse opened the meeting by noting that it had been a quiet month for the Board. She announced the dates of upcoming meetings before turning to the Consent Agenda.
On a motion by Margaret Hunt and a second by Kara Cruoglio, two items were moved from the Consent Agenda to the Action Items. The Consent Agenda, which included minutes from prior meetings and a list of new hires, was then approved on a motion by Hunt and a second by Susan Wheeler.
During his Superintendent’s Report, Dr. Jeffrey Villar provided an update on construction of the new parking lot at Lakeview High School, reporting that the project was progressing.
Villar also reported a change in student parking procedures. Students will no longer be assigned individual parking spaces. Instead, parking areas will be assigned according to students’ class years.
Villar said Dr. Ravit Stein of EastConn Psychological and Behavioral Consultation Services will meet with district administrators to introduce a classroom drop-in protocol designed to provide teachers with more frequent feedback. He said the protocol will focus on behavior-specific praise and correction ratios, academic opportunities to respond, and student engagement. Data collected through the protocol will be used to inform district-level decisions.
There was no public comment.
The Board then acted on five items, beginning with the acceptance of two donations. Villar thanked the Town of Litchfield for assisting with the removal of trees in the area of the new Lakeview parking lot.
The Board also approved a motion requested by Villar authorizing him and District staff to pursue grant funding for a master facilities plan. Villar presented information about the need for the plan and outlined a proposed three-phase process that would require professional assistance and could take several years to complete.
The Board approved alterations to the Lakeview parking lot plan. According to the Villar, the changes do not require approval from the Litchfield Planning and Zoning Commission.
The Board also approved two vendor agreements. USI Client Services will manage the Board’s non-health insurance policies, while CJR will provide on-site counseling services for students.
Villar highlighted two changes to the CJR agreement. Grant funding is no longer available for the services, and students’ health insurance will be billed for the counseling, resulting in no cost to the District. The agreement also does not designate a specific location for the counseling services.
The meeting was adjourned at 7:43pm.
