In response to a Freedom of Information request from the Board of Finance reported in last month’s Gazette, the Hampton Elementary School Board of Education released the cost of employee settlements reached this last year.

According to school board Chairman Rose Bisson, the $20,000 settlement from a Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities complaint, which was filed by a former employee and alleged racial discrimination, was covered by the school’s insurance, Connecticut Interlocal Risk Management Agency (CIRMA). It is unknown whether the complaint and its resolution will be viewed as a liability and consequently affect future insurance coverage. A subsequent discrimination grievance lodged by an employee of the school, also alleging racial discrimination, filed on September 26 of this year is not yet resolved.

The second employee settlement totaled $ 93,000, however, Bisson explained that the employee, who was placed on administrative leave until retirement on June 30, 2024, passed away after the settlement was reached. Bisson said that, therefore, the school board only needed to pay $14,371. Bisson complained that the initial amount of $93,000 was mischaracterized by First Selectman Cahill at an October 11 meeting of the finance board as “six figures”, though it is unknown as to whether or not any benefits were part of the negotiated package.

At the November 15 meeting of the finance board, Bisson was also critical of the figures represented at the October 11 meeting for a potential heating system: “$1,180,000, with an estimated incentive from Eversource of $390,000, leaving a total of $790,000”, which reportedly does not cover the cost of removal of the current system or the generator. Chairman Donahue had also reported that the estimated annual savings of this system is $11, 804 per season and that its life expectancy is only 15-20 years. At the finance board meeting, Donahue confirmed that all of those figures were accurately based on information she obtained from the school during a presentation on the proposed heating system. Bisson assured finance board members that the school board would not purchase a system that could not ultimately pay for itself.