Daily Five: Board of Education Begins Discussing Superintendent Search Monday

1.  Today is Friday, March 15. The National Weather Service predicts partly sunny skies, a high temperature of 40 degrees and winds of 16 to 20 mph. The low will drop to 30 degrees tonight.

2.  The Groton Board of Education will hold a special meet at 5:15 p.m. on Monday in the school administration building and will determine whether it is going to use a search firm in looking for the next school superintendent. The board would then work with the firm to develop a committee to be part of the search process, Board Chairwoman Kirsten Hoyt said.  Part of the discussion may take place in executive session.

Natalie Billing wrote an e-mail to board members saying it should not discuss the superintendent search in executive session even if it can. Billing said she was considering filing a complaint with the Freedom of Information Commission and asking for penalties.

"If you want the public to trust what you are about to do (hire a new superintendent), if you want to have 'buy in" from your stakeholders, this is not the way to proceed," she said.

School Board Member Shelley Gardner said she would file a complaint with the Freedom of Information Commission.

3.  _A Craft and Vendor Sale _will be held from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. on Saturday at the Dolphin Garden Community Center at 45 Proteus Avenue in Groton. More than 12 vendors will sell items at the center, which is across from the Navy Lodge.

4.  La Luna Ristorante in Mystic will offer a St. Patrick’s Day Brunch Buffet featuring Irish fare on Sunday.  The brunch will include a complimentary mimosa or bloody Mary, along with omelets and Belgian waffles. For more information, call  (860) 536-6300.

5.  The Panera Bread in Groton will participate along with 13 other cafes in Connecticut in a “Cookies for Kids” campaign until Easter, the company said in a news release. During the campaign, 10 percent of sales from Easter cookies will be given to the Channel 3 Kids Camp based in Andover, the release said.