Groton - The Board of Education welcomed two new members Monday night in a brief special meeting prior to a Committee of the Whole meeting.

Town Clerk Betsy Moukawsher swore in Shelley Gardner and Kim Shepardson-Watson, whose husband, Town Councilor Harry Watson, handed her a bouquet of flowers as she took her seat.

Moukawsher also administered the oath of office to Elizabeth Gianacoplos, Rita Volkmann and Patricia Moynahan-Doyle, all of whom were re-elected in November. Kirsten Hoyt was voted chairman of the board. Gianacoplos was elected vice chairman.

During public comment in the Committee of the Whole meeting, several parents and teachers continued to lash out at the board and Superintendent Paul Kadri for deciding to close a middle school without a detailed plan as to how to move forward.

"I was going to beg you not to do a survey, but it's too late for that," said Bruce Flax, a town councilor speaking as a taxpaying citizen. "It's a waste of time. ... I think you should stop the survey, start working on a middle school plan, and rescind the vote and wait to close a middle school."

Several speakers agreed. The survey Flax referred to is one that the school board has made available to the public. It is a follow-up to the community meetings held in each middle school last month.

Hoyt said information gathered at the community meetings was used to develop the survey. She said the goal is to garner additional feedback from staff, parents, students, and community members.

"We got topics and ideas from the forums, she said. "Now we want to get a sense of what should be the priorities."

She said more than 400 people have responded electronically to the survey. She did not have a count on hard copies.

Hard copies of the survey are available at all public schools, Central Office, Town Hall, and the Town Hall Annex. They can be returned to any of the schools or to the Central Office, but must be received by 1 p.m. Dec. 16, to be included in the board's analysis.

The survey is available online at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/GrotonBOE).

c.potter@theday.com