Meet our Board Members!

2025-2027 Naugatuck Board of Education

Front Row (L-R): Student Representative Denae Lindsay, Alicia Makowski, Marilyn O'Donnell, Superintendent Melissa Cooney, Ethel Grant, Michelle Russell

Back Row (L-R): Jeffery Litke, Student Representative Silvia Amaya, Mayor Pete Hess, AJ Bonessi, Jim Scully, Bob Mezzo

title	Name
Board of Education Chair	Bob Mezzo
Board of Education Vice Chair	Marilyn O'Donnell
Board of Education Secretary	Alicia Makowski

Board of Education Committees

Policy	cURRICULUM	fACILITIES	FINANCE
CHAIR: Jeffery Litke	CHAIR: Alicia Makowski	CHAIR: Alicia Makowski	CHAIR: Marilyn O'Donnell
Ethel Grant	Jeffery Litke	Jim Scully	Jeffery Litke
Michele Russell	Michele Russell	Marilyn O'Donnell	Bob Mezzo
AJ Bonessi	Denae Lindsay (Student Representative)	Bob Mezzo	AJ Bonessi
Denae Lindsay (Student Representative)	Silvia Amaya (Student Representative)		Ethel Grant
Silvia Amaya (Student Representative)

School Liaison Assignments

high School	cITY hILL	Cross sTREET	Hillside	maple Hill	Western	Hop Brook	Andrew Avenue	cENTRAL aVE.
Alicia Makowski	AJ Bonessi	Alicia Makowski	Mayor Hess	Ethel Grant	Bob Mezzo	Jeffery Litke	Marilyn O'Donnell	Jim Scully
Ethel Grant	Bob Mezzo	Marilyn O'Donnell	Michele Russell	Jeffery Litke
Michele Russell			AJ Bonessi

About the Board of Education

About the Board of Education

The Naugatuck Board of Education (BOE) consists of 9 members, each of whom serves two years. The BOE and Borough are two separate entities that operate independently of each other yet work together to make our schools successful. Boards of Education in Connecticut have the unique role of serving as agents of the state as well as meeting the needs of the local community.

Regular Board Meetings

The board regularly meets at 7 p.m. on the 2nd Thursday of the month in the Board Chambers of Central Office, at 497 Rubber Avenue in Naugatuck. The entrance to the parking lot is just before the entrance to Naugatuck High School. The entrance to Central Office is to the right of the high school building if you are facing it from the street.

The Board of Education has 3 Primary Functions:

Set policy to carry out the mandates of the general statutes pertaining to education – serving the educational interests of students;
Hire and evaluate superintendent to implement the policies of the Board and serve as the Chief Executive Officer of the district; and,
Set annual budget and ensure money is used to meet the educational needs of children

Responsibilities of the Board of Education

Each town maintains control of its public schools through its Board of Education (CGS §10-240).
Boards of Education are responsible for implementing the educational interests of the state (CGS §10-220).
Boards of Education provide educational activities which, in its judgment, best serve the interests of the school district (CGS §10-220).
A Board of Education serves as a board of directors for the school district.
A board of Education acts through its Superintendent of Schools, who is the “Chief Executive Officer” of the school district (CGS §10-157(a)).
A Board of Education is a “collective” body; authority resides with the Board and not with the individual members.

State Statutes Covering Boards of Education