001one. >> Good evening and welcome to the October 7, 2025 school district regular meeting of the great education. Please rise and ring the pledge of allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. All right. Up first in discussion is 2.01 our external audit of the 2024 2025 school year. We have Joseph from board >> good evening everybody. Um as you said I'm Joseph Puro from the Bonavio Group. Uh I'm the principal responsible for the audit. Uh we just went through the financial numbers with the audit committee coming forward going through them again. I'll just cover the scope of our services and the results of our audits. Um scope of our services
002are the audit or the audit for financial statements and of course with government auditing standards. Uh the report on internal controls and compliance also with government auditing standards. Uh we did an audit of the extra classroom activity funds. That's the C that's on the cash basis of accounting. lasting standards and then we issue a required requirement communication letter and as I communicated with the audit committee we're still waiting for the final compliance supplement to finish it audit as it used to be. So in summary, we anticipate a short unmodified gap which is generally accepted principles once the board accepts that this is the highest level of assurance we can give that reports on pages 1. Uh there's an internal control report in the back page 63 and 64. uh we did not identify any internal
003control weaknesses or material weaknesses in the financial reporting process. Uh then we also on the extra classroom activity we anticipate issuing an unmodified opinion uh on the extra classroom financial statements. Um and there the required communications letter standard wordings in there. Um the big change this year has no 101 uh compensated absence just changed the definition of a compensated absences and required us to do a new calculation of who's included um what's included and add uh the FICA tax to that approval. Um every school district had to do that this year. Every government had to do that. So you're not alone there. Um, and we are seeing we did have a a prior period adjustment in your financial statements for that and we are seeing that with the majority of our school districts. That's it.
004questions for >> Thank you, Joe. >> Thank you. Thank you for all your work. >> Thank you. >> Take care. >> I'd also like to thank Al for putting together the uh requested of our reserve fund for the past couple of years. Um it's uh I like that um we've opened up a couple of new reserve funds over the past couple years hopefully to offset some of the uh cost that we've uh anticipate in the next couple years. So it's uh it's awesome that we've uh been able to do number one open those and have the foresight to open those and number two be able to fund them. Um but we can just uh go over um some of them um and really just how we determine where the extra or where the funds go
005at the end of each year and how it gets fun. >> Yes. Um the district has several different reserve funds. Basically, the first sheet that I distributed to the board gives a definition of the reserve funds that the district is allowed to have by law and I highlighted the ones that are specific to scaffing code. Um, some of the bigger reserve funds we have are the tax certain reserves and that's used to refund money to um taxpayers when their assessment has been reduced. that number this year as as of the 24 25 year financial statements right now there's a little over $5 million in that tax. What that represents and how that's calculated is the district monitors all of the tax claims from all of the community. Most of which those claims come from um
006commercial properties. So a lot of the commercial properties are seeking a reduction in their assessment of up to 90%. What we do in conjunction with the auditors is we take that worst case scenario if they were awarded that 90% reduction and we go back for 5 years for every commercial property that has submitted a claim and go back to 5 years take that worst case scenario. So that $5 million represents roughly half of what the district would have to pay out if all of those claims were reduced by 90% over 5 years and we have to pay it all at one time. Again, with all of the reserves, they're refunded at the end of the school year after we calculate total revenue minus total expenses. So the excess revenue gets allocated to these reserve funds.
007Um I basically take a crack at putting money in the reserve funds. I review it with our auditors to make sure that things are appropriate and they agreed with the increases or decreases that we have in reserves. Um, another reserve that got an increase this year is our insurance reserve. What that is used for is to pay for expenses that are not covered by our insurance carriers. Um, this year with the increase in insurance premiums, there was also an increase in the deductible that we have to pay for property damage. up until this year it was a $5,000 deductible. It got raised to a $25,000 deductible. So knowing that we have um some residual expenses from um instances we had from water damage last year in the high school that reserve was increased to be
008able to cover those extra expenses. Um some of the other reserves we have are for the retirement those are those are calculated based on government standards. So ERS and TRS gives us um a calculation or percentage that we're allowed to increase those reserves year. The ones where we have more free range of the capital reserves. Um we have several capital reserves. We have one specifically for vehicles. We have one that's we have some two that we have recently instituted for um vehicles and for facilities. The two new ones were basically in anticipation of the expenses that we'll have to come that we will have to incur for the electric vehicle. At this rate, the each vehicle because even the district has small buses, the current cost for one small EV vehicle is almost a million,000.
009And we at the current law, we will have to replenish our entire fleet by the year 2035. So we've been using any excess revenue to put into these reserves in anticipation of having that out cash. >> Thank you. Um so we have that 20 starting with the 2021 through or I'm sorry the 2021 2022 school year going through a draft of what's expected for uh for this year. Um the 2021 2022 was um increased at a 1.5 but after that I I think you've already gone over this with it but um the 2022 23 school year was 6.2 and the 234 was 5 around 5 million and then netz was around 4 million but this is mostly due to the leftover co money. It's a combination of um leftover coat money and the fact that
010for the last three years there was a change in the foundation aid calculation and our district received significant increases in foundation aid for the last 3 years. So that was excess revenue over expenses that we've put been able to put into reserves to kind of save the future. and you seem very well should be very helpful in future. Thank you for putting together any other questions or discussions for 2.01 uh consent agenda 4 point oh I'm sorry uh comments from the public on consent agenda items only there any comments from the public on consent agenda items uh consent agenda uh is there any items that need to be discussed or pulled regarding the consent agenda questions I don't think it needs to be told. I just had a question for 4.15 the year end budget
011transfers. >> Um, is that the same thing as the budget reserves or is that what is that sheet for? >> What is that? That sheet reflects transfers that we have to make for one of two purposes. Um there's another state report that the district will have to prepare by the end of the calendar year and that is that's an essay report where things have to be categorized by building. So there are some expenses that during the normal cost of business we record on a districtwide level. A lot of those transfers are putting expenses to the appropriate building. that according to >> and some of the other things are just feels so we should recate uh there's no other questions or comments for the consent agenda. I ask for ask for a motion to approve or
012to approve the consent agenda. So >> second all in >> favor again. >> Yes. Um new business uh reading of the policy. Is that good? >> Um, I left it on because it was on the last meeting and certain chang. Yeah, I understood that change. Um, but I just had I guess a question uh about the process for the RFPs. So, am I correct in under in this understanding that uh the process of of obtaining RFPs doesn't necessarily incur an expense for the district? I mentioned interviews and things like that, but assume that's part of the normal course of business. >> That's just part of the normal course. It's just time which is an expense but no particular expense required. Nothing of significance. I mean the only real out of pocket expenses you have to
013have to type. >> Yeah. >> And within sometimes we do have to mail out the actual RP document to the various other >> is most of the advertising done online these days. Paper advertising is sort of an average these days. >> It is, but the district policy basically discussion on 5.01 motion approve 5.01. All in favor of reports uh discussions of presentation secondary administration update. DJ, >> I attempted a country accent this morning. spirit week. So, I think the set was all right. All right. Thanks for having me. Um, I want to start off by congratulating Miss Jaboni as our new 10-month secretary in split guidance and office position. She'll start tomorrow right away. So, really excited I've been in the conversation with her and happy to have her. So, excited addition to the building.
014Um, so I wanted to kind of just focus on a couple different attributes of the school tonight and I probably will continue with this kind of pattern moving forward. Um, curriculum, AVID, restorative practice, community connections. Um, up there just some goals that we've been working on already throughout the year just establishing the new leadership in the building. Myself, Miss Moy, um, she's been awesome so far. we're we're like a team that's been working together for years already and and I kind of had a feeling that that was going to be the case uh when we first met a few years back through a um and then looking at integrating AI into teaching and administrative practices. So those are some of some of the um goals throughout the year but um just breaking down some of
015these uh features of the school right now with curriculum. Uh, I've spent a lot of time in classes really trying to be out in the halls and in classrooms and visit the students and the teachers to see what's going on in the class. And I thought it would be nice to kind of hear some of the specific lessons or parts of lessons that really stand out. When I do observations, I try to um pinpoint some things that speak to teacher styles that they could then carry with them and talk to other teachers about that I feel as somebody that gets to see everybody uh they may not realize that it's special to them or their style and and they need to see more of that. Teachers need to see other teachers and how they operate
016in the class and they can learn from that. So I try to pick that out. But some examples right now uh just recognizing Hispanic Heritage Month through October 15th. Uh Mr. Boozy had one of the coolest lessons that I've seen in forever. He actually made toststones in his Spanish 3 class and pre-made them because he was working on the timing of it and he filmed himself making the tostanes in his kitchen and it was like I have a 4-year-old so to me it like reminded me of like bloody like it was like Peewee Herman uh he's asking questions in the video to the students while he's cooking the tostanes and it's standing in front of them heating up the tostanas while he's working with the video. And it was just it was super captivating. The
017students had to uh use different adjectives in their in Spanish language to describe the food while also getting the opportunity to try uh different food that they may not have had. Um also, Miss Milkin and her Spanish class, there was salsa dancing that was just organically done on the fly. students happened to be a couple students happen to be very good salsa dancers and they took the opportunity to teach some of the students in their in their class that and that wasn't part of her lesson plan but that's just kind of the environment that we have at the school where we'll stop for that moment because that's about building community and relationships with the kids that was really early on in the school year so um watch that in art we do have a new
018art teacher Miss PBOT so I wanted to highlight that she today I actually saw her lesson um working on still life pumpkins. So students are learning how to create stilllife pictures using um graph methods, which I'm not an artist, but it was a learning experience for me. How much math goes into art. Um and she's incorporating fall and the seasons that we're in right now into the artwork that the students are making. And Mr. Romani is also creating a personal aesthetic for all of his students. So they build a portfolio that speaks to them individually that then they use throughout the entire school year um to look back on or reference if they're stuck in a moment and they need to refer to some sort of piece that they put in there at the beginning
019of the year. So that's what his focus is. Uh sometimes fizzed gets left out of things. So I did go down to check out archery. It is a new uh skill that a lot of students don't get to experience until their 11th grade year. And they the students have really took a liking to it. Uh they did add a little bit of a a carnival game piece to it by putting a balloon in the middle of the uh bullseye and if they hit the balloon then they get a free makeup pass. So we have a little bit fun engaging there. But there's just a lot of engagement for the archery piece. A lot of kids that have never done it before really took a liking to it. So, we've been focusing on that. And uh
020in MST, Mr. Herman is really focusing on some of the tools that he has in the class, some of the woodworking features that he has in there. So, a lot of his projects right now over the next couple weeks will be focused on woodworking and making uh different projects that the students get to choose in that class. So, there's a lot of flexibility there. um college and career readiness. We had financial aid night for students, parents, and guardians last week. Uh a great turnout for the seniors there. Uh we've had a number of college visits already in the first month. Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, Sunni Newalts, Monmouth University, RPI, Hofra, Mount St. Mary's College. Um and then this month is basically full almost every day with college visits and students are able to go
021down there. they'll get a pass in the morning and then they can visit those colleges when they're there. Uh the counselors also went in for classroom presentations to go over NViance and the college search uh as well as the college application process and that is also a focus of AVID too as we go as we add more of the added elective but I'll get into that in a second. Um and two big ones for curriculum port graduate uh that is where we're headed over the next three years. It is very new. The state is rolling out some guidance um every month or so. We just got some new rubrics a couple days ago. Uh we have our curriculum coordinators uh myself and uh Miss Moy and a few other uh counselors are attending uh Duchess
022Boseies on October 16th to uh learn where we're at at this point uh just for the planning phases so that we're on track. And then there's another event on November 19th, I want to say, um that some of our our faculty are going to as well, but the a large group is going on the 16th. Uh and also seal of my literacy. So we've been focusing on that a lot uh for the planning. The first phase of it will be this year. Students will be eligible to receive that seal uh this year for graduation. Um, it is recognizing students who master a language other than English and they have to uh gain certain points on a rubric. There's a couple different pathways. A lot of it, most of it goes through taking uh Spanish or
023French up to the AP level and then there's a couple different other aspects of that to earn the points. But, uh, we've identified the students that are eligible for it this year and we'll work on that moving forward. they're going to be notified soon and then if they want to take advantage of that they'll follow through with the requirements that they have to do and we'll have that seal of biiteracy um on their diplomas this school year. Um forensics our new science teacher Mr. Boyd has m has Matthew Greenstein the chair of dcc criminal justice coming into the forensics class to uh speak to them about the criminal justice program and some aspects of that in the science class. So, we really try to incorporate uh college visits into the classroom, too, and community members
024that can kind of create connections in the class outside of out of the building. Um, as far as AVID, so we're rocking and rolling with that. We have the two sections right now. We're working on adding the 11th grade section for the next school year. Uh we have our first guest speaker for the ninth graders this Friday, Pete Buckley, sales manager at Beta Bionics, manufactured insulin pumps. Um so that's going to be the first of many question and answer sessions that the students get to experience throughout the school year. that's a big part of the curriculum and avid uh to make sure that they uh see and experience resources within our community um and within our state um so they can get their hands on it and actually talk to the people involved in it.
025Um so we have that going in that classroom. We also have uh Mr. Shanks has done a great job in an advisory role uh uh recognizing the traits every week. Every student uh is identified and and he sends out a weekly trait based on the AVID curriculum. Um last week was mindset. This week is responsibility and the lessons focus on on those traits. Uh it it kind of goes in tandem with what we do for P2 and the elementary schools and middle school and our positivity club here at high school too. Um we also have grade reports where we look at all the avid students and where they're at. We kind of drill down into what they need in that class focusing on them. It's much like our MTSS meeting, but this is kind of
026a um pulled away from that and we focus solely on on the AVID students and what they may may need and resources they have. We are incorporating AVID strategies into faculty meetings. So our last faculty meeting again I always mention as an English teacher I always felt like we were on the front lines of every initiative. So we were always the first ones to have to embrace and then we never got we didn't always get recognized. Um fizzed I feel like sometimes doesn't get recognized for the work that they do and the and the lessons that they have. So uh Mr. Shanks and administration we planned a a group uh strategy that is used in AVID that teachers can use in all their classrooms. It doesn't matter what uh discipline it is. But we took
027um a quote, a a um an aspect of fizzed, any type of uh it was a bunch of different sports um and then the definition. So there's three different pieces and we handed those pieces out to all the teachers and they had to meet and try to match each other up uh and then they sat together in their tables during the faculty meeting with the activity that we did. So, we're trying to these are bas these are simple strategies to kind of get kids up and moving and different ways to uh organize groups uh while also teaching the content and we're also trying to recognize the hard work and the work that teachers do in the school and and the different disciplines throughout the throughout the school. So, it just kind of opens their eyes
028up to I can do this in my class and use you know different uh definitions in my English class or science class. And a lot of what Abbott is is interdisciplinary. It's not just meeting the needs of 18 students in 10th grade. You can make it a school Abbott. And that's what we're our focuses. Um we have our extended faculty meeting next week where we're going to do an AVID PD and it's going to be put on by our AVID teachers to the entire staff in the high school. Um, so we're we're trying as much as we can to incorporate those strategies so that we become an avid school and not just having to be avid. Um, a lot of it too is is things that we all want to do as teachers, but you
029you have to like recreate it and reinvent it and that takes a lot of time. And what Avid does is it provides you uh these strategies and the the the hearts, the paperwork that kind of how the rules, the definitions, how to to make it come to life for you. So you don't have to put that work into it. And then what that means is you can spend more time uh doing different things in the class that you may not have. [clears throat] Uh I do want to address some cell phones just as far as discipline. Want to really applaud our students and staff. Uh I'll mention this at our pep rally too. Students have done an amazing job at you know shifting their mindset working towards um embracing these laws and the policies. And
030I think it's been very uh successful. We've had very low numbers of confiscations of phones. And when we do have to confiscate phones, it's always overwhelmingly positive experience. There's it's not meant with negativity. It's meant with let's work together and and we understand why we're doing this. And I think it has uh it has been amazing to see what classes look like and what the cafeteria looks like when kids are not on their phones and when staff is not on their phones cuz we've also uh modeled when it's appropriate and when it's not to use them. Um we're going to be um I'm announcing this before it's here, but we got a lot of board games and things like that coming for the cafeteria. So hopefully the kids play some games down there because we've
031seen it. So we want to we want to expand on that a little bit. Uh under community connections. So our Leo club, this is just a few highlights. Leo club currently has 127 members. They've done already over 400 hours of community service. Uh in science olympiad students are working on rig construction, electronics, and robotics. Um they as homecoming week is right now. So we are going through spirit week. We have our hall decorations on Thursday night. We have a pepper rally Friday. Uh football Friday night. A number of sports team uh teams are playing at home this week. Volleyball, soccer, uh soccer is tomorrow. Um and then we have our homecoming dance Saturday night. Moving the long weekend. uh students throughout the high school have been volunteering at elementary schools and and middle school for
032curriculum night. So we try to bring students out and and go back into those schools. Uh we have our October campaign October which is a sock drive for the month of October and also recognizing breast cancer awareness month Wednesdays we wear pink. Uh and we are planning our multicultural dinner that is coming up. We've done it in the past during homecoming week, but we felt like there was just too much too many events going on during that time. So, we want to uh wait a little bit. So, in about two weeks, we'll be having that. Um, and that's why I have questions. >> I just quick question, Ken, about the addit program. How many teachers are directly involved in the teaching? So, we have two teachers that are teaching the elective class, which is the
033the core class, and then we have seven teachers at the high school, including those two that are trained and added. Um, and then every year we will add more to the training with the goal of strategies being used in all the classes. >> Yeah. But it sounds like that the activities you mentioned are are you trying to roll it out amongst the the staff and the faculty more broadly? >> Sounds really good. you go to PDS and you see team building exercises and it's always like inspiring as a teacher, but it's so difficult to create that um when you're just starting from scratch and you have to get back to class the next day and you have a curriculum. So, there's just so much information through the program that's done for you and and that's
034what the best part about it is. It's just the organizational piece. The elective piece definitely focuses on career college readiness as they get older. Um, in the earlier years, nth 10th grade for high school, it's organizational skills, study skills, note-taking skills that carry on through whatever they end up doing in their life, whether it's college or not. Um, and then that will translate into the classes that they don't have, not the elected classes, because they can use those skills, they're not taking those classes. So the goal for us is the teachers should be aware of those strategies and we can kind of streamline uh how kids take notes uh how kids do this how we group students and they're familiar with the processes. >> Great. Thanks. >> Thanks. >> Thank you everybody. >> Thank you.
035Up next, the 7.02 policy committee So this is our draft for the policy committee. Heat. Heat. in St. United States Joanne can take place. >> Yeah. Yes. She just let Sandra know and >> so that person would do two rounds instead >> could depending on where she is on it. And if for some reason we're thinking about someone else, it's it's actually having the two we anticipate that I think we this is mental draft just so we could look at what it would look like. We kept talking about it. Um, so this was this was a thought on that, you know, just to kind of give everyone a feel for what it is. This is uh two consecutive meetings. Could we anticipate that um policy being fully discussed at the at one of the meetings
036or is it possible or meeting our policies? >> It depends where we're doing policies and we all decide we're going to recommend, you know, the next board meeting to try to um hope the next way goes all the time. So, like in other words, if there is a policy that, you know, we're undecided and we're not going to put into the board for first read, so then the next that policy that we're undecided will be again. Um, so nothing gets brought to the board unless everyone on the committee decides, okay, we're good, we're going to to the board meeting first. [snorts] Um, so I'm hoping that smooth, but right first time we're doing this, so not really sure. Um, I I don't foresee us though. You know, everything really should be the first time. Uh
037there should be a lot of questions but different but the next so the policies are set by the state >> when we added the defensive attorney there. >> Yeah. I think we'll streamline the process because many times in many let's check with the attorney on this to see if this she's right there. So that should help you and the attorney will look at it before she >> Yes, that was the intent was to do it virtually 3:00 Um so the the reason I asked about the consecutive meeting part is that if it does end up going to two or three I I could start uh a discussion with the policy and not be on the following month that somebody else is coming on that wasn't part of that original conversation with it and my question
038time that I came off is fluent at this point. So I'm sure that happens but also keep in mind then that's coming to the board for approval for the board ask questions players kind of what we've done before with the board then that still can happen. I would say see Joanne's on the first one while we're at that meeting. She might answer some questions, you know, that the board might have. She was at the meeting. Um, and you could also like say a board member, oh, Jeff, this was so you still would have that if you happen to be the one who cled off or if you were the one who wasn't part of any any questions that you wish and you're you're recording the minutes essentially of the meeting. So there you're going to
039play carryover too. Say you're not at the subsequent meeting, but you'd be able to note that they Jeff had concerns about this. Here's what we talked about last meeting. Imagine there might even be routinely kind of view what happened at the previous meeting for the benefit of the person who's coming in. >> Yeah. At that meeting you review the minutes and you have a chance to get contact >> and he would still have a chance that concern. >> I don't know if you answered my concern or thank you for be a policy. But um if anybody has any questions, I think we should just take a stab at it and see how >> I think it's it's um just to like you know like I said before we're up to date come up very soon
040a while the only thing that I'm like in other words if we're we're ready we just have to decide you know is everyone okay at least with the the charges because we can at least the charges not obviously if there's any concerns with the langage in the air. Um that's my first question on the schedule for us. Um then >> start is everyone okay with December? You know, the reason why I say December is because I tried to do it, you know, if there's policies and meeting coming up. I'm hoping that's going to be one. Um, >> and does this so the schedule you got here, does this give you I mean, I don't have the the board meeting schedule in front of me now, but does this give you enough time between uh the
041policy committee meeting and the board meeting to >> get get it set? >> Yeah, that's the whole because your policies are already whatever revisions the policy has uh you're going to sit. So, if there's something that you all agree on revisions, there's nothing really that I need to do just to put it on the board meeting. If there's revisions, there's probably um expect. But I think I do pick myself up. Um see how seems very workable to me. Char looks good to me. That'll be on the next >> to approve the charter next meeting. Okay. Um along uh communication and comments board correspondence. Uh we did have a couple of emails um received multiple times from a committee member on the topic. multiple number of the other students supposed to add them. Um 8.02 comments
042from the public on non agenda items. Comments from the public agenda items. seeing any 03 comments from the board. Um 2025 annual business meeting. Yeah. Um uh I guess I I had one quick comment additional comment prior to that that I I just to make uh given that I wasn't at the last meeting, the last board meeting. Um I didn't have a chance to publicly uh thank everyone who was involved in the board walk through. uh you know I reached out by email and thank people um you know that way but I'd like to announce publicly that I thought that was you know uh just a terrific opportunity to see the district buildings in operation and I really like to thank once again everyone was involved not just planning that day which I thought was
043you know significant itself but but what it reflected I think was how uh you know the the district buildings are are functioning you know in such an enthusiastic and uh engaging, you know, way. The word that comes to mind for me is synergy. I mean, it just seemed like the buildings were, you know, uniquely addressing, you know, their their own um priorities, but what was common and and it seemed to give, you know, a sense that things were working together was that the enthusiasm, the engagement of the teachers, um, you know, was just so so noticeable and and I want to publicly thank uh again, not just for that day, but but for the leadership that our principles have provided, you know, to make uh to make that all so apparent and uh and particularly
044our superintendent who whose leadership I think is what's really responsible for that the synergy uh I just you know felt so strongly that day that our district is in such good shape um you know it's invaluable I think for us as board members certainly for me as a board member to see you know the district in in action in that kind of a way and just was so proud of her district and really enthusiastic about uh about the commitment of our teachers, many of our our leadership can't can't stress that strongly enough. So, I just want to make sure thank um so yeah, so I I'd ask that we have a few minutes anyway to talk about the proposed resolutions for the municipal business meeting that's coming up next week. um or Sandra rather sent
045around the the voting delegates guide which lists all of the resolutions people had a chance to look at them. Um having done this a couple of times now uh myself I I'm happy to give a quick review or overview of how the process works if anyone's interested in that. But I guess the primary concern would be um that that we have a chance as a board to um address any of the individual resolutions that that we have a particular feeling about. I don't know that we need to necessarily go through all of them or I'm certainly, you know, willing to talk about any of them. Um but what I'll do as a as the delegate from our uh board is vote on on these resolutions as they come up one by one and and certainly
046uh my vote should not just be what I think is what our board feels consensus of our board. So that's why I thought it would be really helpful to put up an opportunity to review these together and talk about any of them that we might want to or at the Duchess County School Board Association meeting last week. Uh we had a municipal representative there kind of walk through them with us. So we had a chance to talk about them in that context. U share any trying to they can that discussion but um we all went away from that discussion you know committed to finding out what our boards think and voting according so I mean the way this is structured um I've got this this document so I guess I'm referring here to pages uh
04711 through um 13 are the table contents and then the resolutions follow. But the way this is set up is that there are always a number of resolutions that are carryovers from prior years uh that are scheduled to sunset. So that would be the first seven resolutions that you see listed there on page 11. And then there are um another in this case 15 resolutions that uh the resolutions committee NISMA resolutions committee has recommended uh for adoption and the way the meeting works is that we go through each of the resolutions one by one and if there's need for any discussion if anyone wants to discuss them uh there's time for discussion and then uh the full body of delegates votes on each Um, important to understand the most important thing, you know, to understand
048about all this is is that what we're voting on here are resolutions that will form the advocacy strategy for NISA. I mean, these don't become state laws. There's sometimes misconception. These don't become state laws. Uh, this simply identifies the priorities within the NISBA uh NISBA advocacy arm. a legislative arm working with the legislature to advocate on behalf of school districts. The discussions about some of these resolutions sometimes get pretty involved. There's a time limit um but they can be extended and so forth. And this year there are fewer resolutions than there have been in some prior years. So it's been a conscious effort. Brian Fesler at the meeting to discuss this with a conscious effort to try to limit the number of resolutions that I find to keep things more manageable. This year we've got
049what 34 resolutions 23 of them are recommended and then the set of resolutions you see on page uh 13 are the resolutions that the resolutions committee is not recommending. >> Yeah, I was going to ask you about this resolution to the And what is it? >> Number two, >> page 17. >> Oh, I see that shared services. >> Yeah. So this is one of the ones that being posted. >> Well, yeah, this is part of the whole I think the regionalization. again seems connected to that list than uh what it says here just it's kind of easier doing so it's going to be whatever as much. >> Correct. >> You said recommended by the resolution, >> right? 20 24 through 34. >> So those aren't even up for consideration. >> No, they are they are
050those get discussed. Those get discussed. All 34 of them will be discussed at the meeting and voted on. So any of the the resolutions that are listed, you know, there on page uh 24 and 34, those will all be voted on individually and they could be adopted. Um but they're not proposed, they're not recommended for adoption by the resolution. There's a committee in this as a small committee or smaller resolutions committee that use all of the proposed resolutions and authors of recommendation, but that's not binding. Uh to be honest, uh the resolutions that are not proposed or not recommended for adoption are the ones that involve the most discussion. That's where things really get slowed down because there there certain school districts have been quite strongly about some of these things. Um and they want
051to defend their revolutions. The vast majority in my my prior times having done this, the vast majority of of the resolutions proposed or recommended for adoption do get adopted. And most of the resolutions not recommended for adoption end up not getting adopted. It's all done by the >> So these districts I remember New York City. >> Yeah. Long Island. >> Yeah. That's where a lot of these >> uh just for an example. Um >> Yeah. Um, just I'm not going to argue if they wanted resolution. >> Yeah, I feel >> Yeah. Well, that's an interesting one to look at. Um, >> no, I I you can see how um >> the um you see how the resolutions committee has value. I like that they give an explanation why they don't. >> So the rationale right
052so for those you know if you look at that one page 35 the rationale is the rationale offered by the district or districts proposing that resolution and the explanation of the resolution as to why they either didn't or in this case did not recommend. Uh there are some of these resolutions that come up every year. Um for instance um previous page page 34. Yeah for inance if you look there you know this is kind of illustrious. So you know they offer the rationale and then the explanation of the resolutions committee. So this is a resolution about um home rule basically strengthening local control and as the resolutions committee notes at the end delegates have rejected similar resolutions in recent business. So some of these are resolutions that have come up for several years in a
053row. So yeah, every member well but every member is uh is expected and there's a forum so that yeah I'll a vote on everyone for a proposal um resolution number eight um I wouldn't be in favor of that but And I would also just ask a question. Are they also considering to reduce the number of fires? How many fire? Yeah, >> eight pirates two lockown. But I I like the rationale that you're saying. Mhm. Yeah, it's just one school board district. Yeah, I imagine that one will get some discussion. >> That's the kind of resolution that will that will get some discussion. >> Yeah, just be interested [clears throat] to see why they're not also reducing the higher bill. Maybe this one is much more reduced. >> Yeah, that's the reason. That's the rational drill.
054Definitely were more years ago. >> Yeah. So, so when a you know resolution like this comes up there's discussion you know and as many people as one can can discuss it. So so sometimes these these discussions could go on for I mean they're time limits but they can be extended. So um yeah people might get into the history of this but it's it is just one district. Okay. So that's >> I think that was like having during different times of the day what to do. So it's like having more like you're at different places for each one. You're not in the same place, >> right? >> So different parts of the building. >> Yeah. And this looks like it's um districtwide. It's not it's not uh limited or restricted to a particular building. It's the
055whole district. >> Is that generally how it works that the number of drills required is the same for every building? >> Well, they vary. They vary from building to building. >> It doesn't mean we don't have more than them. Um, for example, I was at the high school with Ken and they had fire alarm went off drill. >> Uh, so usually I mean years ago I want to say the number was 12. Sometimes you schedule 11 right away knowing that a 12 naturally um you know or sometimes you just try to try to in so you know just it's not a building discretion uh at the building level but uh we can do more saf which you know, Marco just actually bring it, you know, and they plant the dummy somewhere and do that. Like
056that's not handed. >> How many times a year does that do >> multiple times? You want to jump on that? >> Yeah. Um, we do the dummy one uh once a year, but we call the AED. We changed this. We changed this two years ago. any hold in place, we call the AV team, >> even if we don't need it, just so that they're accustomed to getting the classes covered and going, >> right? >> Um, and then we do our lockdown drills. We're going to be starting this coming week. Um, we are going to do them in passing time and classes. >> So, that's going to be a change this year, but we're going to we are I already put out to the staff we plan on doing that. And then if we do it
057during passing time when we do it, we're going to uh give a little bit of anformational announcement in the morning so that there's an awareness that that might that will happen because I have been in not here but I've been in schools where that happens and it's we're unprepared for it because what we used to have the um those little remotes and they're connected to the internet sometimes they let out and it'll go off >> and it's it's not a good situation that happen. >> Yeah. >> So, we want to do it to practice it, but we and we're not going to say the exact time, but >> people will be prepared that it's going to come. >> The travel, >> but we do behind this resolution. >> Yeah, we do more uh the holding
058places happen often. So because of that, we thought it was necessary to keep the AED team involved rather than doing it once a year. So they come every time. Um, is there a lock at the bathroom doors high school bathroom doors lock can't be locked in they can be locked key that lock can't close the bathroom. >> Yeah. So, so every the bathrooms have a lock on the outside for a key. Classrooms have a push lock. When you close the door, you push the lock >> on the inside. >> Yeah. There's well there's uh when you go into a lock there is a chance you don't lock the evaluation. >> I guess I would just say, you know, review this further if you like and and if people have questions or concerns or thoughts, feel
059free to let me know. The meeting is a week from Thursday 16. feel free to contact me and I'll let you know back to you. So I guess our next follow up as to results comments. Um so uh Dr. Huff and I both attended the safety committee meeting today. I do appreciate between weed that last so doing that sound like I already planned on doing it. Possibly trying to do some at the beginning and end. Um I can only imagine the monkey wrench that froze into everybody's day doing it and all my friends are behind it. Um, thank you guys for considering to do it, which happens like you said, never a never a planned emergency, you know, very emergency for a reason. Um, they also mentioned the CPR A initiative from the state and
060it sounds like Stack Hill is playing with that. That's something that was already in place here. Um, I I like that you said the high school has push locks on on the doors. Is that something that's new? I remember last night >> as long as long as I've been there, six, seven years, they've been there. >> Nice. >> Uh, so every classroom, every office space is really everything but the bathrooms. >> Yeah. I can remember being in districts and watching the teachers try to come home with their keys to lock the door to when your heart's racing, the alarms are number one to try to be able to do that. Find your key number one and put in the right key locking door is not something easy to be able to do. So let's skip
061that. Is that on all the It's not on that. >> It's not at all the schools. Uh the protocol is really that classroom doors are always in locked position. Uh so that just open the door. It's easier. >> Most most teachers teach with the doors open ordinary course of day and then if there's a lock down they close it off. This is a mixed bag, you know, depending on what's going on. Um, but with the door already in a locked position, >> um, on the bathroom topic, do we have like sensors or light sensors or anything like that in the bathroom? >> Certainly, not every bathroom. We have uh, but not every No. >> Yeah. >> No has the same amount as us. >> Is that what you ask? >> Yeah. >> You get a
062lot of falsies with those? >> More so now than we used to. I don't know. That's just technology gets old so quick. I think that's probably gets outdated. >> Yeah. Um and then yeah, I brought up the last one too. Um maybe didn't bring it up at the next meeting as it would be on the agenda. Um she was actually mentioning that there was a push button that's process at the previous district. >> Yeah. So um I was an administrator and we had them on our lanyards and it was at dismissal. Um something happened to the Wi-Fi. The connection went off and it set them off >> and it was treated as a real we thought we were in it. Um and >> scared. >> Yeah, it was large school. So >> I was I
063was principal of a building ghost. So creating a good situation was handled and uh learned a lot. I would still be interested in looking into the Senate Jackson. There's a new one called stocks. Um that uh I think a school in the Long Island uh now has it. Um but same thing is kind of that automated push button ID tag that you have. >> Yeah. I mean that was 9 years ago. So technology changed a lot since then. >> Yeah. One company's got a good team. That's part of the needs assessment. Come back purchase. Like to say it's something sooner rather than later, we can look into it because the emergency at least have them come in and talk to us about it. and uh see what they what they do offer. Um being in
064a lockdown, like I said, especially those uh accidental ones um being at the Arlington when it happened and not knowing where in the school that could have happened or you know, you guys have it, not knowing what caused it. Now you're running the entire school trying to figure out where the lockdown is occurring at. And that's a it's a it's a lot for even one officer to have to run around the entire building and try to figure out where the threat is at versus some of these um technologies that are out there now that can soon as you push it, it pulls up on a map where that person is. Push that button and it's on his phone. It's on the responding officers. It's on your administrator's phone. So it kind of pinpoints exactly where
065that's at cameras on right away and really uh you know I was looking into some of those technologies needs assessment sooner. You actually have a meeting today. It's interesting you say that when the ghosts went off that I was involved with, we were looking for there's ways to find which button was pressed as a ghost. I spent a lot of time trying to find out couldn't figure out why we didn't know where. I was at a district that had a campus. Um, so elementary and middle school, not sorry, elementary school was on one side of the street and the high school and middle school was on the other side. And if you hit the lock down button at the high school, it would also go off in the elementary school and they were testing it
066and uh forgot to take it off live when they tested it and it went off. Um, everybody's locked down and there's one police officer now running the entire campus through every hallway trying to figure out where in this not having any clue where it happened. And it was very scary, you know, 20 minutes to run around and try to find. All right. Any other comments from the board? Uh, a couple things. Um, mentioned board walkth through. Thank you for for all that feedback. I think it last meeting, but we definitely um involve the board walkthrough. It used to be used to be a summertime thing. Uh, used to kind of call the right to work test. people around each other and I think we as a captain we talk we said you watch schools in
067action a lot of districts still do it as a test soil I like how we do it see the kids in action see I didn't even a building when they had a mold um so that's good uh to see so that uh want to thank Ken um you know for the implementation of AVID a lot about Abby at the uh high school level, Dan who's not here today, Jonathan S have been amazing, you know, among others. Um, but what Ken was talking about today, how we used protocols, faculty meeting, how it start to permeate a little bit, that's that's what we envisioned um when it started. So, I just just hearing that, you know, and all that stuff kind of new with high school, really only the second year. It's the first year really with
068staff member dedicated towards that. So just great to hear that's that's exactly what we're having. So kudos to you and I know Miss Moy has experience with that. And then finally Sandra and the board knows uh it's actually given away is actually this is no surprise anymore. This is uh or next week is a school board recognition week. So we do have uh some items for uh recognition which will be offline but as every year I like to I like to read uh about um being a school board member and and you know I think it's kind of a thankless job you know uh I really like what what this says here. So school board members take on one of the most important citizen responsibilities overseeing the education of the community's youth. Boards of education
069guide their school systems and ensure public schools are flexible and responsive to their needs of community. School boards are comprised of volunteers, most of whom do not receive any compensation for their service. Alex says most uh they're individuals within the community who dedicate their time to improving public education and they do sometimes late uh sometimes early today. Um, so just definitely from our school district really appreciate the time and cla includes you. That works. That's all. >> Thank you. >> All right. Uh, up next we have a proposed executive session. The board will vote to adjourn to executive session to discuss any student related matter which is uh, and Keep the advice of council. No further business is anticipated after any session. We'll see you all at the next meeting on October 21st.