001this afternoon just saying, "Wow, I wish almost. I aliance >> 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. Uh, communications to the board of ed were received but from K. Estella, Mr. McNamearif, turn it over to Mr. McNamera for this superintendence report. >> Great. Good evening everyone. Thank you so much for joining us tonight. I'm John McNamera, superintendent of schools. Uh always like to start off with some good news, so we will do that uh this evening. Um uh first of all, thank you to the community. Uh our budget was approved last month. So uh thank you. Overwhelmingly passed. Uh Proposition One, which is our budget, uh Proposition Two, our capital reserve, and then the
002sale of the Beach Street property, uh narrowly passed as well. So, we just want to thank the community for their ongoing support of our budget and we look forward to uh a great year next year supporting all of our uh outstanding programs. Um we also uh have uh as part of the uh vote uh we Tara Cassidy, one of our trustees was reelected and Joe Dunn who is with us this evening as well. Congratulations to Joe on his uh election to the board. Uh so congratulations to Tara and Joe. Um, I also wanted to um take a moment just to thank uh board trustee Adam Fischer. Uh, this is Adam's last meeting with us uh after nine years of of dedicated service uh to the district. Uh, Adam is um uh you know very very
003talented gentleman uh who uh works extremely hard uh and has been extremely passionate about the work that he has done on the board over those nine years. uh in addition to his board work, Adam, believe it or not, has a a real full-time job uh in which he uh is a tax attorney uh and a partner in his firm uh and puts in incredible hours and time there uh and uh and and makes time uh you know um throughout the the school year uh to be here with us. I I don't think uh people always can really appreciate the amount of time that board members put in. Uh and and Adam has done that diligently over the past nine years. uh he is uh just passionate about uh education. He's passionate about supporting all students
004uh and has been a common uh calming voice on the board uh in in support of of of our students first and foremost in everything that he does. Uh the decisions that he makes as a board member are always student centered. uh and uh that's something that I just have great respect uh for Adam uh and in terms of how he approached his work uh on the board over uh over those nine years. Um it has been a pleasure uh serving with him and I I just wanted to uh from from the entire board uh from our school community uh just thank Adam for his dedicated service and we have a plaque uh here that we'd like to present to him. So thank you Adam Fischer. [applause] Congratulations. [applause] >> Thank you. Thank you. >>
005All right. We also have uh several of our students here tonight. Uh we want to thank you for so much for attending. Um you know, we have uh just an incredible music department here uh that does outstanding work with our students each and every day. Uh and we just wanted to take tonight, we thank you for for coming to join us uh to talk about NISMA majors. Uh we had uh great success uh at NISMA Majors. This is a a big deal and a big feat for for our kids and and I I I just want to uh take a a moment just to to thank our staff for for for even you know attempting this uh and and and jumping right in um you know Mr. Shifer and and Miss Babcock for their their
006leadership of of their respective programs at at Wahel L and at the middle school uh to take this on uh and and we're just thrilled that they did uh with some really great results. Uh our our our elementary school uh band received a gold level uh which is outstanding. Uh so we wanted to recognize our students tonight that participated in that uh and just did an outstanding job. Uh so uh so I'm going to invite Miss Jones up. Uh we have certificates we'd like to present. We're gonna recognize the elementary school students first. Want to el students first. Uh so um we're gonna have you we'll call you up uh and just if you can gather on the stage, we'll do a picture with the WAL students and then we'll call up the middle school
007students that were able to attend and we'll do a picture with the middle school students as well. So uh big round of applause for our our band students. [applause] Good evening everyone. Um I'm going to just quickly turn this over to Miss Babcock and Mr. Schiffer, but I want to say congratulations. Um you were truly amazing uh seeing you on stage. Um if it's if you can believe it, um all these kids can be quiet all at once and um and attentive and they worked so hard. um the elementary band receiving their gold and uh the seventh grade band did a workshop with the adjudicators and they worked so incredibly well um and we're just so incredibly proud of them. So, and of course proud of our amazing teachers, Miss Babcock and Mr. Schaefer. How
008about a round of applause for them too? [applause] So, I'm going to turn it over to them. They have a few things they'd like to say. Yes. >> Good evening. Tonight we recognize a group of students who have achieved something truly special through their participation in NISMA majors. We also thank the board and our administrators for taking this moment to honor our students. >> Performing for an adjudicator takes more than talent. It requires preparation, discipline, courage, and a willingness to step outside of one's comfort zone. Each student who participated committed themselves to a process of growth, spending hours of practicing, refining their skills, and striving to become better musicians than they were the day before. >> What makes this achievement so meaningful is that the music is about much more than simply playing the notes
009on a page. Through experiences like NISMBA majors, students learn perseverance, confidence, responsibility, and how to respond to challenges with determination. They discover that important that improvement comes through effort and that excellence is something earned one step at a time. As music teachers in Wanau, we are really fortunate to work in a district that values these opportunities and supports students in pursuing adjudicated performances. These experiences provide students with meaningful feedback, clear goals, and the chance to celebrate their growth as musicians and as individuals. Most importantly, tonight is about the students. Their hard work, dedication, and courage deserve our recognition. We are proud of what they have accomplished and even more proud of the commitment to learning and personal growth that brought them here. Congratulations to all of our NISMA major participants. Your achievements are a reflection
010of your effort, your resilience, and your willingness to keep learning and growing. Well done. We are so so so very proud of you and hope you continue to find the love, friendship, and community in music. [applause] So, I'm going to Oh, thank you. So, I'm going to read off the certificates and once your name is called, you're going to come up and receive your certificate and then head on stage. All right. All right. Our first Let me take these out of here. Thank you. All right. First one, Addison Aquilla, [applause] Savannah Aquilla, Luke Orrigo, Edson Arza, [applause] Emma Barbara, Gavin Baron, [applause] Rehea Basnet, >> Adriana Bushwack, Haley Calhoun, >> John Luca, Colandria, [applause] >> Maggie Connelly, [applause] >> Vivana Delerada, Neve Dy, [applause] Nathan Farad, Joseph family, [applause] >> Logan Frerias, Ariana Galina, [applause]
011Gabriella Geoni, Vince Gardano, [applause] Alexa Guineeri, >> [snorts] >> Ethan Heatherington, Ireland, Hills, Finley Horn, [applause] Logan Highland, Colin Aakona, Dylan Yoner, [applause] Katie Callison, Thomas Karosone, Joseph Leitz, Leonardo Lush, Gavin Lennon, Gemma Loyano, Joseph Luciano, Joseph Manioni, Brandon Maruri, El McKielle Salvatore Mongalooi Kennedy Moran [applause] Vincent Morris. >> Oh, there he is. [applause] Maline Mlehey, >> Nicholas Noak, >> Sean O' Calahan, [applause] Dylan Odon, Francis Pisano, [applause] Liliana Pisano, McKenzie Panzini, >> [applause] >> Riley Rodak, [applause] Jacqueline Roer, Nicholas Rovello, Ava Russo, James Sandler, [applause] Dominic Savage, Brett Schnitzer, [applause] Julie Schaw, >> Anthony Seagull, >> Hannah Seis, Evelyn Tierney, Connor Tumi, Alessia Trigal, Darothy Wedello, Emma Winsper, and Liam Liam Zuniga Ramo. Congratulations to the fifth grade band on your gold. Very welldeserved honor. [applause] Liam, you're the best, man. He's amazing. Yes,
012he is. smile. [applause] >> [applause] >> Yeah. Congratulations, Wah L. That's great. [applause] And now to celebrate uh the seventh grade band, uh please hold your applause until the end. Thank you. Ava Acabedo, Luke Aquafera, Sierra Aloca, Audrey Ani, Reese Aquilla, Jenna Arido, Gustavo Anastasia, Ranvir Ethwell, Scarlett Bower, Luke Becker, Molly Behan, Ellie Boger, Marade Boger, Tommy Boger, Ryan Borchers, Corey Burke, Mave Burke. There we go. Mave Burke. Yay. [laughter] Cam Berloo. [applause] Cy. >> Olivia Kayachio. >> Sophia Kajimar. This is >> Adrien Sai >> Gavin Capace. I'm sorry. Grayson Caps Adrian. >> Oh, I'm sticky. Here we go. Mason Cardardoozo, James Carr, Luke KT, Claire Sinelli, Caleb Colby, Luke Keratollo, Ganna Denellio, Vincent Duluca, I think he's here. There's Benny. Good job. Lucas Tuscala, Kennedy Dunn, Kayn Fala. Kayn's here. Yay, Kaitlin. [applause] Grace
013Spyer, George Frenzi, Lindseay Gart, >> Hayden Gardano, Devin Grace, Kyle Griffin, congratulations, Natalie Haynes, Charlotte Hamill, Brad Herman, Ryan Heatherington, Noah Hirs. Great. Jack Humphrey, Ethan Hun, Joe Issa, Noel Issa, sorry, Muel Iso, John Carney, Ibad Latif, Sophie Leaporin, Noel Link, Denalise Lubber, Isa Labelloo, Nicholas Lucesy, Sherard McMelon, Braden Moran, Matthew Moscalev, Leila Müller, Sophie Nagliier, James O'Brien, Kayla O'Brien, John Ober, Dominic Orio, Payton Paul, Mary, Anthony Padamera, Pippen Gaston, Penate Sebastian Penate Luca Pignitero Matthew Provenel Provincial Oh, I'm sorry. Dax Privetera and Matthew Privelando. >> Congratulations. Nice job. Great job. >> Thanks. >> Daniel Rodriguez, Michael Rodriguez, Mallerie Ryan, Thiago Sapienza. >> Yay. Taylor Sharer. >> There's Taylor's here. Good. Good. [applause] >> Eden Cleo. >> [applause] >> Chloe Scoopen, >> Megan Sokalowski. Did I say it wrong? Silio. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Um,
014Aiden Sperling, Dominic Suma, Jace Topek, Juliana Picaro, Madison Wariger, and Christopher Widello. [applause] >> [laughter] [applause] >> All right. Uh, in addition, I once again, congratulations to all of our music students. Thanks so much for attending and and thank you to our our music teachers for being here tonight as well. Much appreciated. Um, we're going to just shift a couple of reports that I have for the board tonight. Uh, one is just an update on our strategic planning. Uh, we had a strategic planning committee that met throughout the uh the school year this year to update our strategic plan. So, I'll just give a brief overview uh and we'll talk about some of the subcommittee work that was done as well. Uh, Mr. Son, uh, Mrs. Winens and Mr. Moran will help us out with
015that as well. Um, so this was these are the members of our strategic planning team. Uh, we had a great team. Uh, really did a lot of great work in their subcommittees. Uh, and the goal was to uh just take our our five-year plan, update it. Uh, we we so we did that and we really kind of created four priorities for the district. Um, we did a lot of survey work. Uh, that was, you know, the the beginning stages of our our plan. uh we put together uh surveys for our staff, surveys for our students, surveys for our community. Uh we took that feedback and kind of crafted it into uh the plan that we created. Uh the really nice thing was, you know, our student survey. Uh we really kind of took a a
016school climate piece which was uh outstanding. You know, strong sense of safety and belonging came through. uh parents spoke very highly of the the the the teachers that their their children were working with and staff really talked about uh the internal support network that they had with their uh their colleagues. So all that came through loud and clear. Uh and we used that to kind of drive our plan. Um these were the meetings of the committee as a whole. Uh and then uh we had subcommittee work that took place throughout. Uh so we had four target areas uh instruction uh infrastructure in our facilities, technology and security and then wellness and inclusion and those were the areas that we really kind of took a look at to develop the plan. So I'll just let uh
017Miss Wynan speak to uh to the the first target a little bit. Uh this was an area that we focused on to really incorporate the portrait of graduate work that we were doing and some of the new blue ribbon commission uh goals as well. >> Good evening everybody. The first thing I really want to thank is all the members of the committee. They worked really, really hard thinking about not only what we've accomplished so far, but where we can go in the future. So, I really just want to say thank you to all of the active members of the subcommittee. Um so we're as we presented previously at previous board meetings about um the blue ribbon commission and the graduation measures, we wanted to make sure that any instructional changes that we make are aligned
018with those um steps that New York State is going in. Um so we talked a little bit about how the world has changed from information being a scarcity to the students are actually living in an information saturated world and how does teaching and learning and their learning experiences differ from what we traditionally understand as what school looked like when we attended school. Um and as we had those conversations within the committee we realized that especially with the changes in technology um the students experiences are drastically different. Um so how can we accommodate their learning experiences to match what they're experiencing not so much um what we experience in our learning experiences. So we have three goals. Um the goal is to design and implement K12 curriculum aligned with the portrait attributes. Goal two is to
019transform instructional practices to foster deep learning and skill application. And goal three is to align assessment and graduation measures with a holistic portrait of student success. We plan to measure this in 26 27. A lot of this um is already underway is making sure that all of our current courses and future planning courses are aligned with the attributes of the portrait of the graduate. In 2829, we're going to continue to really kind of reinforce those interdisciplinary capstone projects and make sure that um literacy skills, numeracy skills, phenomenon based instruction are all incorporated into um all of the subjects. And the students really instead of just saying when I'm in math I pull out the filing cabinet for math and when I'm in science I pull out the filing cabinet for science. Um and when I'm
020in English I pull out my writing skills. Really kind of getting students from a very young age realizing that um knowledge is a foundation and then you apply those skills the same way in all of the different subject matters so that they have a more well-rounded approach to their education. And then finally, we're going to increase engagement um in authentic standardbased real world application. Thank you. >> Great. Thank you, Mrs. Wets. I'm going to turn it over to uh Mr. Sronone to talk a little bit about the capital improvements. >> Thank you. Um so you can see the focus of the committee and the goals that are listed above. Um the previous strategic plan also had a facilities component to it as well which kind of led to um a capital improvements committee, the bond
021vote in 2022. Um now a revision of the strategic plan kind of redoing that work, reooking at uh capital infrastructure, um and has already sort of morphed into another capital improvements committee with the potential of considering capital work in the fall of 2026. Um, at this level, the committee uh used as its source of data all previous building condition surveys. We looked at items that were included in the the current bond that was passed, items that didn't pass. Um, recommendations and suggestions from our our architect um, and things that have popped up in the last couple of years. Uh, because everything that I just said was a mouthful, but that's about seven years worth of work. And as you could well imagine, things change, needs pop up and arise. uh and obviously we've been doing
022a lot of work and dealing with a lot of stuff but it's an ongoing continuous process. So that that was the committee's target in this particular case and like I said that has already morphed into uh capital improvement committee which is much more in the weeds uh but is using this uh guideline from this updated strategic plan to do their work as well. >> Great. Thank you. And I'll give you an update on the capital improvements committee tonight as well. We'll get into a little bit more detail about some of the work they're doing and some of the plans for the fall as well. Um, target three was uh in the area of technology and uh security and I thank uh Miss Curry, our director of technology for our leadership there. Great subcommittee that really
023did some outstanding work really focusing on uh a number of things. One is certainly safety and security, cyber security. We've done a lot of work in that area uh you know and and and Miss Curry's really taken on a great leadership role in in doing that. um and and being proactive uh and really try doing our best to to to um to work with some outside folks to uh to keep us in in in solid shape there. Uh and then really taking a look at all the modern tools and and and how we're going to continue to look to incorporate but yet have a balanced approach to technology instruction uh and and uh and using technology tools in the classroom as well. U so you can see there three goals there. Um robust infrastructure for
024all schools. uh you know we've really you know since uh you know going back six years to launching a full one to one uh to um and having the infrastructure to support that uh has been uh tremendous. Uh and then um and then all the different tools that our staff needs and and and our and and our students need uh to support learning uh and really continuing to do an ongoing evaluation of those items and then to uh to take a look at AI and and the impact uh that that's having uh you know across across the globe uh but also how it's impacting our students in the classroom, how it's impacting our staff in the classroom uh and having you know ongoing uh committees to take a look at that and then I'll turn
025it over to um Mr. Moran just to talk a little bit about uh the some of the seal goals that we incorporated into the strategic plan as well. >> Thank you Mr. McNamera. Um the subcommittee we met a a few times to kind of really look at what our points are, what our importance part of exploring what the students and the and the and the staff and the families need. And the one thing that we really kind of exploring is kind of making sure everybody had the tools to identify if there's a student that might need a little bit more support. Um so the couple goals that we had decided uh we were going to look at our MTSS plan for social emotional learning and our mental health supports within the district. Um we're going
026to kind of explore um bringing more educational resources in for the teachers and the students and and kind of really see what fits and allows the students to be the best of themselves. Um, we also want to continue to uh build um a relationship with the families because you know they might need support and you know make sure that they have access to different types of supports and really just knowledge of what's going on in the world. So we're going to kind of continue to build upon that. And then, you know, we want to make sure that our teachers are equipped with the right tools when they have the students in their classrooms to be able to identify students that might need a little bit more help in certain areas um when it comes to
027social emotional learning and uh mental health um experiences. Um we had actually a really good subcommittee uh myself and uh Dr. Scaleri co-chared it and uh you know we had a lot of good discussion trying to figure out how can we support um the students, the teachers and the families of this community. So it was a really good outcome. Thank you. >> Great. Thank you. Um and then uh you know our final stages is we're going to be taking a look at uh uh the a draft plan. I'll be submitting that to the board uh at the end of this month and then we'll we'll work on that uh throughout the summer and then ultimately adopt the the next five-year plan in the uh in the fall. So that'll be the the next steps. Uh
028any questions from the board or anything that uh you want us to review? >> Okay. All right. And then I'll just give a an overview of the capital improvements committee. We had these committees running concurrently um just really to um as we're completing, you know, Mr. Sedron just referenced the the the bond from 2022. Uh this summer, we're really going to be completing a lot of that work. Uh and we're starting to look at the next phase of projects. Uh for those of you that uh remember that that bond, uh it was uh we put it out in three referendums. Two of the three referendums passed. Uh one of them did not. Uh the one that did not had to do with a lot of our extracurricular spaces. Uh this room, the the district auditorium,
029a renovation of that was proposed. Uh some and then some of our athletic fields. Uh and then our our playgrounds at our all of our elementary schools. That was all part of that proposal. Unfortunately, that one did not uh pass. So, we're revisiting a lot of that work as part of this. uh and uh we'll make some recommendations to the board this summer uh in terms of what projects to move forward with. Uh we had a great committee uh you know and I want to thank them. They they they give up uh you know good amount of time uh to uh to tour our buildings uh and and to be involved in the process. It's really kind of a cross-section of of representatives from the community, our faculty and staff, uh our our our district
030architecture team and and um and construction manager, uh building administrators. Really a nice uh a nice well-rounded team. Uh and and I I thank them for for all their uh work and all the time that they uh they put into the committee. We'll going to be reconvening the committee in July. Uh and I'll kind of explain a little bit uh as as to why that will be in a minute. Um these are some of our dates. Uh we started with a a tour um of uh the uh secondary complex. Uh we did kind of an overview. We visited uh all the uh you know all the all the the the different aspects of the both schools, the middle school and the high school. Uh then we did a tour of the elementary schools and then
031we did a you know pretty comprehensive review of all the proposed projects. uh taking a look at feedback that community had given us via survey and then different ideas the the community members uh on the committee and the uh the staff members on the committee brought to the table as well. Um and then we'll we'll as I said we're going to reconvene in July. Um you know this is just kind of an overview of some of the different projects. I'm not going to go through them all. Uh but these are some of the things that you know we we were able to accomplish over the past four years. Uh a lot of work was done in the area of HVAC. Uh we're going to be finishing uh the vast majority of those projects uh this
032this summer. Uh put new unit ventilators in every single classroom for heating and central air. Uh getting rid of window units. Uh window replacements uh in at the full window replacements at the high school. Uh middle school will be done this summer. And then we're working through uh through that at uh Mandalay and and Forest Lake currently. um uh roof work uh you know hallway ceilings. You can see all the security upgrades in terms of cameras. Uh we did a good number of bathroom renovations across the district as well. Uh we did uh 16 classroom bathrooms at Forest Lake last summer. Uh we did a number of bathrooms here at the secondary complex. Uh and then we did a number of bathrooms over at Wantel the summer pre before that. Uh we also uh will
033be doing some bathrooms at Mandalay this summer as well. Um and then uh other projects uh some of the works in the in in the the the main gym here at the high school. Uh we've done uh we did a science research lab to support a science research program. Uh we did some other uh science classrooms as well. Uh so you know kind of high level view but that that was those are some of the major projects uh that were were accomplished. Um and then um you can see this this is uh what we have scheduled for this upcoming summer. Uh we have uh the ongoing HVAC system work that will will be wrapping up. Um part of this last budget vote uh were the addition of uh field lights uh on our our main
034turf field uh at the at the here at the high school. Um we're going to be renovating our high school library. That was part of Proposition 3, the bond work. That will be done this summer. And we're going to renovate the courtyard as well. And then, as I referenced earlier, the middle school window project. Uh, and you can see some of the elementary projects that are continuing, the window project at Forest Lake and Mandalay, as well as the UV project. And then um the the Mandandalay bathroom renovations. We're also going to be doing uh expansion of uh the the main parking lot at Wel. Uh we that that parking lot uh just doesn't meet the needs that we have even just day-to-day just for staff uh parking. Uh we have about 90 spots over at
035Wantel and we have any given day about 120 people coming and going. Uh so we're going to uh expand that north parking lot and add a security vestibule uh right at the uh GP entrance there. Uh just making it easier for our our visitor check-in process uh with some uh designated visitor spots right off that uh that GP room location. Um and then these are kind of the four buckets. You know, we if you take a look at what we we proposed for uh you know, we've been discussing as a capital improvements committee, taking a look at some expanded space for UPK, uh addressing our playgrounds, uh at the elementary school, um the auditorium and and and band room, uh this this room and the band room, uh athletic uh facilities as well, and then
036some security enhancements uh as as well. um you know uh looking to expand some additional uh classes. Uh one of the goals for our UPK program, we now have nine sections of UPK that are running across the district, which is outstanding. You know, just a few years ago, we started with four classes and have continued to expand that. Uh so that that's been uh something that u you know has has been going really well. Um and uh we we're just getting continue to get tight for space. So looking to uh add additional space to house our UPK programs. Uh and then um uh our playgrounds uh you know has been a priority uh uh to to tackle the the playgrounds at all three elementary schools uh and um and add some additional recess space, basketball
037courts, things like that uh that the committee is all taking a look at as well and I'll make make some recommendations to the board around um auditorium. I think it kind of speaks for itself in terms of you know we have a very dated auditorium uh that that uh is in need of a renovation. So, uh, taking a look to renovate that space, uh, and, um, and and our band room as well to do an addition of a band room that we're we're taking a look at, um, which is, um, you know, a significant need for us here as the program continues to grow. uh taking a look at our athletic fields. Um you know, here at the high school, uh taking a look at uh doing some additional uh turf fields, turf baseball field,
038a turf multi-purpose field, and a a turf softball field. Uh as well as uh an indoor practice area, uh we're kind of affectionately calling the barn, um modeled after a project in a neighboring district. So, taking a look at those four items uh at uh at the high school. Um you know, we have just the one main turf field uh currently uh and uh and want to address, you know, the other areas as well. Uh and and doing something similar uh adding some turf uh fields at Forest Lake. We use that extensively uh throughout the the fall and spring uh for uh soccer, for lacrosse uh and um and and updating that uh with two multi-purpose fields and a baseball field as well. And uh the committee also, you know, there's a lot of community
039use of the the fields, the north fields at Mandandalay. Uh so they had some interest in in exploring a a potential turf field project there as well with the addition of a parking lot. Um and addition of of parking lots at Forest Lake as well. I I failed to mention that. Uh then some of the security infrastructure they're taking a look at. Uh potential for some security booths here at the high school uh and kind of revisiting some of the traffic flow. We're going to take a look at that with um uh having some folks come in to look at some potential ways to improve that here. You know, it's always a challenge being on the dead end at Belta uh and uh and taking a look at at uh ways we can enhance our
040exterior security presence and footprint as well. Um so we're going to review all of those projects um they're they're currently being priced out uh with with uh we're working with our architect and construction manager to do that and then we'll reconvene the committee in July uh and then uh provide the the board with some more detail around that. Any questions from the board? Good. All right, that's it for me. I'm going to turn it back over to Mr. Greco. >> Thank you, Mr. Mag. >> Okay. Item D. Item D1, approval of minutes. Do I have a motion? >> Move. >> Second. >> All in favor? >> Item E, E1, and E2. Uh, financial reports of budget transfers. Do I have a motion? >> Move. >> Second. >> All in favor? >> item F. Item F1,
041approval of personnel items. And item F2, termination. Do we have a motion? >> Second. >> All in favor? >> I. [clears throat] Item G, contractual and other authorizations. Item G1, intermunicipal agreement. G2, funding and reserves 2526. G3 41A special pay plan. G4 RFP for transportation of students. G5 HVAC equipment supplies and support bid and six related services agreements. Do I have a motion? >> Move. >> Second. >> All in favor? >> I. Item G7, professional development. Uh G8, extension to memorandum of understanding. G9 scope educational services agreement. G10 special ed tuition agreement. G 11 Bosey's twilight alternative program agreement. and 12 capital improvement project onto a high school library renovation and site improvement mechanical construction. Do I have a motion? >> Second. >> All in favor? >> I. G13 capital improvement project want high school
042library renovation site improvement electrical. G14, capital improvement project, Wanto High School library furniture and casework. G15 change order number one for Belffor. 16 is a Nassau Boseis agreement. 17 is our fire alarm services and 18 the new for track center course. Do I have a motion? >> Move. >> Second. >> All in favor? I >> 19 use of funds from reserve. Item 20, the SEC resolution. Item 21, execution of closing documents. Item 22 are terms of employment. Item 23, extra classroom activity charger charter. And item 24, the close out of the extra classroom activity club. Do I have a motion? Second. >> Second. >> All in favor? >> Item 25, donations. Uh, we the board would like to approve a donation of $2,97 from Mandandalay Elementary School PTA. We also approve a donation of $1,400
043from the Forest Lake Elementary School PTA. a donation of $99 from Wanto L School PTA for the second grade field trip and a donation from Sandra Simpson Insurance Agency, Inc. of $500 for the Wanto Warrior 911 Memorial 5K run and another donation of $1,000 from Helix Contracting Corp. also for the Wanto Warrior 911 Memorial 5K run. We thank everyone for their donations. And item 26, disposal of obsolete textbooks. Do we have a motion? >> Second. >> All in favor? >> Item H, unfinished business. We have none. Item I. Item I, new business. One, approval of committees on special ed preschool special ed recommendations. Item I2, policy revisions. Do we have a motion? >> Move. Second. >> Second. >> All in favor? >> I do. I have a motion to adjourn into executive session. >> Mr.
044President, I make a motion to move into accept. >> Second. >> All in favor? >> I Okay. Now, we have our organizational reports. We start with our student government, which I'd like to thank Danny Donnu and Nina Meyers for their time this year on giving up their Thursday evenings and especially congratulate Danny as he's our graduating senior this year. We wish him the best of luck in the future. >> Um, good evening everyone. My name is Nina Myers >> and my name is Danny Donnie. Um, we haven't had too much going on as the school year is almost over, but we have some stuff. With AP exams over, students are now preparing for the region's exams and we wish them the best of luck. Um, in terms of recent events, the senior class had another
045commitment day on May 29th, and our broadcasting class actually made a very nice senior goodbye video that was streamed out to school. So, that was very nice. um our yearbook committee just handed out the yearbooks that they've been working um on all year on yesterday. So, all the students are very excited about that. And then next Thursday, we have our senior prom followed by graduation next Friday. Um this morning, June 4th, um juniors were recognized for their commitment to their academic service and character at the junior awards ceremony where they received various awards from different colleges and institutions. Additionally, this Monday, June 8th, student government will be holding our annual senior barbecue. Um the senior class gets to enjoy one last meal in the school al together while signing each other's yearbooks and truly taking
046in their last moments here at WA High School. And then we would just like to thank the board for allowing us to um come here every month and speak on what's happening in the school. It's a very special opportunity that we're very grateful for. >> So much. >> Thank you guys. >> Moving on, Forest Lake. Good evening. Uh, so we started this week with a field day and the students had a fun-filled day. They participated in field day games, enjoyed ice pops at lunch, and rounded out the day with an action-packed assembly with the Harlem Wizards as trick basketball presentations. We were excited to provide all the students with customized Forest Lake sunglasses to wear at field day this year. It was great to see them all rocking their shades. We wanted to give a
047special thank you to the PE leaders club and all the high school students volunteers. They helped make the day even more special. Our beautifification team completed their project to update our front planter and gave the front of our school a muchneeded refresh. They planted new trees, bushes, and flowers which gave which will bring an updated look year round. We are currently underway on our courtyard upgrades where we are creating clean, shaded, and usable spaces for the teachers to utilize for more outdoor learning. The teachers are really excited about the upgrades and we are happy to enhance these areas. Uh we will be hosting our end of the year party and installation ceremony at CraftU next Thursday, June 11th. All members are welcome to attend. And on June 10 22nd, we will be hosting our first
048ever color run. Students will run a track setup on the Forest Lake Field while teachers and Mr. Burke douse them in colored powder. It is sure to be a fun, albeit messy day. The PTO will be providing ponchos, sunglasses, and bandanas for students who wish to participate but may not want to be covered in powder. Uh following the color run, we will be sponsoring a summer kickoff celebration free for all students. We will be having a foam party, music, pizza, and ices. It's a great way to cap off another wonderful school year. Uh we also want to thank the board and the administrators for another wonderful school year. Thank you. >> Thank you. [applause] Mandanda PDA want to LPTA. Good evening. Tomorrow we're looking forward to our annual field day. The students got shirts donated
049from the PTA. We have lunch, snacks, and Italian ices. It's going to be a very fun hot day um that the students will enjoy. On Friday, June 12th, we have our annual Flag Day ceremony. Um, we also have our end of year PTA celebration at Craft View on June 17th from 7 to 10 p.m. It's $60 per person for dinner and drinks. We also have our fifth grade moving up on June 25th. We also are still selling our big um oversized fleece want to warrior blankets for $40. We also have another fundraiser where we're selling um signs for first and last day of kindergarten and fifth grade. Those are $20. We also have our beautifification committee who is planting flowers and mulch and flags around the school to decorate it for the spring winter. Thank
050you. >> Thank you. [applause] >> 612. Good evening. I'm Joanna Burlu presenting on behalf of the 612 and the WPABC tonight. Um for 612 we have an Aby's fundraiser that's been extended until June 8th and we have first day of school signs that'll be available after July 1 for pickup at the end of August. If you're going to order a sign, please download the giveback apps to keep track of your purchases so that you don't order two. um for WPABC. Since the last board of ed meeting, WPABC has been very active supporting our performing arts students and programs. On May 18th and 19th, we sold concessions at the Nisma Festival. During the event, we also provided and served pizza to approximately 70 Try student volunteers who worked throughout the festival in two-hour shifts. We hosted
051a full lobby presence at the high school and middle school spring concerts. In addition, we sponsored the food truck festival and conducted a 50-50 raffle at the outdoor pops concert. The feedback we received from our vendors regarding the support provided by our volunteers, security staff, and students was overwhelmingly positive. This year, the WPABC was pleased to supplement eight departmental awards with scholarships, and we were honored to present at an additional 14 WPABC scholarships to deserving students. Looking ahead, the spring concert season continues. WPABC will be selling concessions at all remaining district concerts, which end on June 18th. Tomorrow, June 5th, we will host an afterchool party for our performing arts seniors where they receive their senior banners and enjoy a special sweet treat. On June 10th, the eighth grade Broadway experience class will present Murder
052at Midnight, an original production that will conclude this year's district theatrical season. WPABC will be there providing full lobby support. As the school year comes to a close, we thank the board of education, district administration, faculty, students, families, and our volunteers for their continued support of the performing arts. We hope everyone has a wonderful summer, and we look forward to seeing you in September. Thank you. [applause] I'm here for SEPTA. It's the final countdown. Um Sophia and I, my co-president, um this is our last um our [clears throat] third year in our final years as being co-presidents. So we and um our board want to thank the uh board of ed administration for all the buildings, the faculty for everything for all your support throughout the year. Um it's been a great year for us.
053Um, the only updates we have, we gave a couple of scholarships, nice senior scholarships out and we have our favorite event of the year, the friend of SEPTA awards, which everyone should have gotten there. We're giving 14 awards out this year and um to very welldeserved um so many different faculty, you know, the all all of the recipients are are welld deserved. Um so we're looking forward to that. That's on June 10th at 7:30 in the room 150 in the high school. And we just want to thank everyone and we had a great year. So, thank you so much. >> Thank you, Mayor >> PTA Council. Uh, sports boosters. We had performing arts and a foundation. That's it. The microphone's open to the public for comment. Good evening everyone. Uh, thank you for a very
054informative board meeting. My name is Kim Healey. I am a Forest Lake parent. I'm a member of the PTA and a member of the capital improvements committee and that has also been a fantastic experience and I've learned a lot about what we've already accomplished. Um, but one of the main reasons that I have been so active on this committee is because I'm very passionate about our playgrounds and the learning environment for our children. As you all know or I most of you here have heard me speak about this already. Um, but the Forest Lake playground structures, one of them was installed in, I believe, 2015 is the mark on there. And the other one was installed 30 years ago. Um, there's actually a stamp on the side of one of the slides that says patent
055pending. That patent was imp approved in 1996. So, the structure is dangerous. We have our kids playing on it every day. Um, it is no long there used to be a bridge that connected the two platforms. that's no longer there. There's a chain um sort of like um ladder system that you can climb up and that's marked with caution tape. And this past winter I have seen firsthand the way that the pieces that were once covered by rubber or plastic or whatever that is that has now worn away. And so that exposed metal is rusting at a rapid rate. I really do think that it has gotten much worse in the past year. And again, you know, I'm on there with my kids during, you know, school year and then of course in the summer
056as well. So, I just wanted to call it to the attention of the board. I know that, you know, this has been an issue. I actually found a post on Facebook from a mom in 2015 saying she had emailed the board about the condition of this playground. So, I would ask that um you know, I love this idea that we're going to have a district standard and we're going to replace all the playgrounds. In the meantime, if you could please look at that red structure and see if there is any way to make it safer for our kids to play on, you know, the the idea of having, you know, a new bond or funding secured in some other way in the fall is wonderful. And the PTA was bolstered by the idea that, you
057know, if we order it in October, it could be installed in the, you know, possibly the following summer. Um, but that leaves an entire school year with our children playing on a structure that's simply not safe. So, uh, you know, I just wanted to call it to your attention and I want to make sure that I'm crossing my tees and dotting my eyes and making everyone aware in all the appropriate channels. And I appreciate everyone who has listened to me and all of the support that I've received from our PTA and our community. And um, if there's anything I can do to continue to support this, I am happy to do so. So, thank you for hearing me out. >> [applause] >> All right. Good evening. You hear me? Good evening. Uh my name is
058Paul Schmidt. I'm a a father of three husband, my wife Kristen. are here along with se several community members to to talk to you about the unsafe conditions that um neighbors over on Roosevelt are creating over on the the Wanto the W elementary schools the fields between Beach Street and Roosevelt Avenue or Roosevelt Street. Um first and foremost, I've been here for about 15 years now. I'm a a little league coach, a softball coach, soccer coach. I'm constantly in those fields. I have a disabil disabled uh father-in-law, a mother who has um emphyma. She's disabled as well. Um my background is in security, so I do a lot of security for buildings, fields, um door access, cameras for large buildings in the city, large fields. Um, and every time I go to coach my little
059league team at this field, we're constantly walking across over 200 feet, 300 feet from one entry and one exit, which is a major major code violation that I don't want this school district to be to be in violation or, you know, not in code. Um, it's a very simple solution to get this that problem solved. It's also another health and safety issue for the kids and the families walking across the field where you have four fields all playing at once and you have families crossing right in the middle of the outfields. Actually, one time one of the parents got hit in the head with the baseball. I don't know if that was reported or not, but it is an incident that could happen. Um, you also have, god forbid, somebody collapses. I was playing um
060one of my one of my batters hit a ball against a a girl's chest. Literally everyone stopped cold, went quiet. That field, that that gate right next to that field was locked. God forbid that little girl fell to the ground and needed emergency services. Yes, the emergency services would come in. Everyone says they would cut the bolts, but that's time that that child needed support. If those gates are opened, that you're eliminating those types of issues in this community. and for these children and for the families that have to sit on the outside of that gate to watch their grandkids play the sports that they love. One day all of you will be grandparents if you're not already. And you would not like to be sitting on the outside of that gate watching your kids
061or grandkids play the sport. There's very simple solutions and options that this community will put together or have put together that I have a couple that being a coach, we get keys to your lock boxes, your equipment on the field. You gave us the right and the the privilege to do that and the confidence in us to make sure that equipment goes back. Give us the code to the the gates. Let us help you open the gates and close the gates at proper time. You also have security people and security staff that sit in the cars watching kids on the playgrounds at night till 9:00 at night. Why I know this? Because I drive by. I see your staff sitting in the car watching the kids. what they could be doing is driving around and
062making sure these gates are locked and making sure the community is safe on Roosevelt on Beach. Um, and on that that note, the other side is you're causing an unsafe environment on Beach Street itself. If you haven't been on Beach Street from 4:00 to what 8:00, it's almost like the Bell Parkway. People have to back up. There's so much going on. Kids are crossing the street. There's it's it's it's a mad house. So trying to eliminate that and spread out the traffic. Open up the gate on Roosevelt. It's very simple. Okay. Opening the gate on Deontat is not the not the answer to do this. It's opening the two exit gates on Beach and on Roosevelt that will maximize your your you'll get you under the code violations that you're in now because any any
063field that has over 50 people in it with one egress or one entry is an absolute code violation. All we're do asking is the board to to come up with a a plausible solution for this. Let us coaches help you with that and let's come together as a community to make sure that our families and are safe, our kids are safe, and that we can all watch the game and not have to trek across the field because tomorrow at field day, you're going to have 300 plus kids. I hope you open those gates tomorrow. God forbid somebody comes in there and I hate to say this is an active open shooter. You now have one entrance and one egress for these kids and families to leave that gate. You are now sitting ducks literally in
064a closed environment in a cage while somebody picks off your family. I don't think anybody wants that. I don't want to put my head at on my pillow at night thinking that that possibly could happen in this community because it very well could. You all know that. You've seen the news. You see what's going on. Me being at security and hear that stuff. I hate to say it. I've seen it. It's not fun. So, please make the right decision and open the gate on Beach and open the gate on Roosevelt. We will help you to maintain a safe, workable environment for our kids to play softball, baseball, and just be kids and have fun. Thank you. [applause] >> Good evening. Can you hear me? Good evening. My name is Joanne. I am a parent here
065uh in the Wanza Elementary School. I have two small children that go to school there. I'm also here to speak on behalf of opening the gates on Roosevelt. I am here to speak on behalf of all handicapped parents and grandparents. I myself am handicapped. Not having Roosevelt Avenue access to the backfields at Beach Street is a detriment and a danger to all handicapped individuals. We are forced to walk through the small Beach Street entrance and walk across a grass that is not always level. not always cut and not always clean. It is quite a distance. In addition, we walk through other games that are being played, which poses poses a risk of its own. Walking devices do not work well on the grass. I have experienced that firsthand. I have a multitude of personal experience
066as a heart transplant recipient who lost all of her fingers, all of the toes on my right foot, and half of my left foot. I will always be handicapped. When I first had my amputations, my son begged me to come to his baseball games. My wheelchair did not fit through the small single gate that is open. My husband was forced to lift me up, walk through the gate while carrying me while someone folded my wheelchair to fit it through. This was not only embarrassing, but absolutely unacceptable. Later, I would walk with a walker and a boot many times, which is nearly impossible to cross to the back fields. Many games I was forced to watch from the outside of the gates due to the walk being too difficult. I have had five foot surgery since
067last May and unfortunately walking and wearing a boot. Walking was discouraged. I was forced to watch so many games from outside the fence while my son was in tears. I could go on and on, but this is unacceptable to the handicapped population, not just myself. I have spoken to many individuals who have similar stories. In addition, grandparents or anyone that is ill is also unable to make that walk. For example, my own mother has cancer undergoing chemo for over a year. She cannot make that walk due to neuropathy in her feet or generalized weakness and getting winded easily. She is either unable to come or has to watch from her car. How is this fair when there are two entrances on Roosevelt that would allow handicapped and sick individuals to attend games to see their
068children and grandchildren play? Instead, we are left with heartache and disappointment for our kids. The egress issue is even worse if something terrible were to happen. For example, a fire or an active shooter. There is no egress from those back fields. Unfortunately, someone like myself would never be able to climb a fence to escape. How is this allowed or acceptable when entrances exist? The safety issue of the overcrowding on Beach Street and Damat is awful. Are we just waiting for a child to get hit by a car as cars squeeze by while all the spots are taken closest to the Beach Street entrance? Again, as someone who is handicapped, we are forced to park further away due to overcrowding, causing us to work walk even further. The school lot is usually full and also a
069significant walk to the field. Because of the parking issue, many kids have almost gotten hit. All of this is being done because a few residents who purchased homes across from a baseball field don't want people parked in front of their houses. These gates should be open during all sporting events so that we can all enjoy our children and not have to be left out due to medical issues. Please open these gates during games for us. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Good evening. My name is Stacy Drago and I live directly beside the Beach Street Fields. I'm speaking tonight on behalf [clears throat] of residents directly affected by the Roosevelt Street and Deontat Avenue gates. First, I want to be clear. We are not against youth sports. We are not asking for st children to stop
070playing. We support emergency egress and reasonable district approved accommodations for players and coaches and of course as family members um with true accessibility and mobility needs. What we do not support is reopening the residential side gates as routine entrances for practices, games, tournaments, general and general league activity. It was brought to our attention that the Wanto little league has created a petition asking for Roosevelt Street and Deontat Avenue gates to be opened and unlocked during all scheduled events. This is not a small accommodation. It is a major change to access, gate control, traffic flow, and neighborhood impact. We understand concerns about elderly spectators, equipment accessibility, crowd flow, and emergency eress. But those issues should be handled through controlled district approved accommodations and procedures, not by opening res residential side gates as general entrances for everyone.
071The district reinforced gate rules after acknowledging and agreeing that with residents concerns. Yet the gates were opened and used again despite clear district direction that they were not to be used. From that Friday to Monday, the gates were left open and access continued despite the district's lock change and concerns residents had had raised to residents. It felt like both the district's authority and our safety concerns were being disregarded. Now, with the recent petition and Facebook post, whether intended or not, the image and message felt like more pressure than a good faith discussion about safety and the impact on the homes directly bordering the fields. This decision should be based on safety, enforcability, district control, and the impact on residents living beside the fields. Those residents are the ones who experience the daily impact and live
072with the consequences. The last few weeks has shown us something important. With the gates controlled and enforced by the district, the children have still played, the fields have still been used, spectators have still attended games, and the neighborhood was finally quieter, safer, and more peaceful. That proves the issue is not youth sports. The issue is how access is managed. If Wanto's Little League's current level of use requires residential side gates to be open to function safely, then the district should reconsider whether the this field layout can safely support the level of use without additional controls. If crowd size, parking, equipment, drop off activity, or emergency egress are concerns, then those issues should be addressed through district oversight, controlled accommodations, emergency access procedures, clearer parking rules that are enforced, alternative fields, off-site parking, stronger supervision, and
073consistent district enforcement. Those concerns do not justify shifting the burden onto the Roosevelt Street and Demod Avenue or turning those gates into routine entrances. These fields are district property. Wanto Little League is permitted to use the space under district rules, but permitted use should not become controlled. We respectfully ask the board to stand by the current gate restrictions, keep the Roosevelt Street and Deont Avenue gates locked as restricted access points, protecting the neighborhood homes, and keeping safety, enforcability, and district control at the center of any decision. Thank you. Good evening. I don't know if you can hear me. Um, my name is Meredith Jacobs. Um, I'm one of the families that lives across the street from the ball field. We've lived in our home for 20 years. Some of the reason we bought our house
074was based on the ballfield being right across the street as well as the elementary school down the street. We love it. Our kids are now out of the district and we have no regrets. It served us well. We are not against game day. The only issue we have is when those gates are left unlocked and opened. The sheer volume of vehicles that park up and down Deontat and Roosevelt makes navigating and driving in and out of our driveways near impossible. There's instances where there are people who park right in front of our driveways, literally blocking us in. It's happened to my family twice. It's happened to a few of my neighbors. Um there's also no parking signs that anchor the corners going into Roosevelt from Damat. Those are completely ignored. People are parking, stacking their
075cars right up against those corners. If you've ever driven out of Roosevelt to take a right or a left on Deontat, you cannot see oncoming traffic because of the stacked cars around those corners. There's golf carts that drive back and forth from Beach Street to Roosevelt to drop people off at that gate. They don't see the cars coming out of Roosevelt. The cars don't see the golf carts coming. There's small children maneuvering in and out of parked vehicles. Um, on a normal day in a neighborhood, you have people walking dogs, families out with baby strollers, joggers, people's on bikes. When you have all those cars stacked up in our street, you can't see those oncoming people coming off the sidewalks, kids on bicycles. It's so dangerous. I have an issue getting in and out of
076my driveway because the no parking across the street from my driveway is completely ignored. People stack their cars and we can't get out. We also have a fire hydrant in front of my house. Nobody parks in front of that fire hydrant unless the gates are unlocked and open. And then there will be a car there for the entire duration of the games played that day that day. Nobody has any respect for the fire hydrant laws and for the no parking signs. I know there are families who want the gates open for convenience, but we cannot let convenience outweigh safety. The question for the board tonight is, will you continue to allow the rules that were put in place 10 years ago for safety? Will you enforce that? It's not about supporting the little league families
077or the homeowners. Every single person here supports the children that plays in that field, but those kids are entitled to safety and they're entitled to going in and out of the field safely. So, I respectfully ask the board tonight to please keep those gates locked. Please allow the policy put in place, keep it going, and keep our kids safe and the surrounding homes in the area safe. Thank you for listening and thank you for allowing my time to speak. Uh, good evening. I'll be I'll be quick. I don't want to belabor the point. I think you guys have heard both sides. Um, you know, and I think all I would say is, you know, I actually >> I'm sorry. I don't mean to interrupt. Do you just mind stating your name? >> Sure. Uh, Mike
078De Mayo. I'm a father of three, um, all in Wan Elementary. Um, so I think the only point I wanted to make, you know, I think, you know, it was actually just made, but I I think I take the other side of it is, um, you know, so I don't live near the school. Uh, my kids go to the school where I live though, across the street. Um, you know, my neighbor actually has four cars. A lot of people in the house, they park across the street. I actually deal with the same challenges at my home when I'm backing out of the driveway. My wife actually um was backing out of the driveway and was hit by my neighbor backing out. So, I think um you know, backing out of our driveway, a lot of
079cars parked on the street. It's actually a problem we all deal with whether you live near a field or not. It's a problem that everybody deals with. um you know you guys are in a position where your focus um your responsibility is kids safety. I couldn't agree more. I think every all four people have come up here and said that. Um but you know restricting access is the is this is the safety issue here. Um I think the the egress uh being able to access the fields all these points that have been brought up I think you know that is of the utmost importance. Um, and when you hear, you know, when you hear these things, of course, you know, traffic exists because we use those fields, that is what it is. Um, but, you
080know, ultimately, we need to make sure that we have multiple forms of access to that field and unfortunately, you know, for the neighbors, I feel for them. I understand that, you know, it's a hassle. Um but unfortunately their convenience um of pulling out of the driveway um you know the children's safety outweighs that and the family safety outweighs that. So thank you very much. [applause] >> Good evening. I'm Mark Mahalik and I lost my voice today so I'm going to do my very best here. Um, a lot of you know that I am uh a volunteer for the little league and I think if anyone knows the situation around this field, it's me. I've spent a number of years volunteering my time to make sure that that field is in great working order for the
081community, make sureing it looks good for the Roosevelt community because I can tell you when it was not well mowed, well taken care of, it was an eyesore and you probably did move there because it was at something nice to look at and to participate in. I do agree we have a parking problem, but between the residents that live there and the community that wants access to the field, we both agree that there is a parking problem. So, let's stick with that for one second and all agree as a community and work together as a community to talk to the town of Hemstead or whoever it needs to be to deal with enforcement of parking and dealing and potentially changing the parking around the school uh the field, excuse me. Secondly, the gates themselves are
082a safety problem. If you have a number of kids on that field on any given time, being able to get emergency access in or out of that field is the primary problem. So, let's bifurcate the what we're talking about here between the parking issue that the neighbors have and the access problem and emergency services access that the rest of the community is talking about. I'd like to see some sort of a compromise between the two parties here to state that we deal with the ability to open the gates when we need to open them and we can talk about what those might be. Happy to have a subcommittee or whatever we need to do to talk about it, but keeping them open all the time is not the not the solution. Keeping them closed all
083the time is not the solution. We have to figure out what that is in the middle. And I really would like to see the community come together and figure that out. So, I'm asking the school board who does have access to remove the locks that were put on there that can't be taken off in a very quick manner to remove them, restore access to the little league so that we can open the gates when we need to for certain reasons that you can tell us. But what I'm looking for here is a compromise and a solution that works for everybody. And going back to what I said about enforcement, I do agree with the young lady over there who said about the fire uh the fire hydrant. Yeah. Everybody in this town parks wherever they
084want. I agree. It's a problem. So, let's also be better as a community and not do that. Thank you. [applause] I'm a little shorter. Pull this down. Good evening. My [clears throat] name is Tara Ecklman. I'm a lifelong Wanto resident, class of 96 graduate, and the parent of a young child. I am here tonight to express my family's concerns regarding Wanto Little League's request to change the district's long-standing policy of keeping the gate at Roosevelt Street and Deontat Avenue locked. As someone who lives nearby, I can tell you that whenever the gate is open, whether for games or even just busy practices, it creates traffic congestion, unsafe parking, and a significant increase in both vehicle and pedestrian activity at an already difficult intersection. As has been discussed tonight, it can be really hard to back
085out of our driveway. It's just not safe. Cars are stopping, parking, dropping off people and or equipment sometimes from the middle of the street, making Uturns, and trying to navigate around one another, often near the corner where visibility is already limited. As a parent, I worry about the safety of everyone in the area, especially the children. I have brought photographs this evening that show some of the conditions residents regularly experience, including congestion near the gate and vehicles parked too close to intersections despite posted restrictions. I hope they help illustrate why so many of us are so concerned. The current traffic pattern directs vehicles to the main entrance and parking lot on Beach Street, which was designed to accommodate field traffic and includes sidewalks and crosswalks. In my opinion, that remains the safest and most organized
086approach. I want to be clear that this is not about youth sports. My family has part participated in sports and various activities in Wanto for three generations and personally I enjoy hearing the kids having fun and cheers from the spectators on the fields. However, if the beach entrance is no longer meeting the needs of Wanto Little League, perhaps it is time to have a broader conversation about whether this field remains the appropriate location for the volume of players, families, spectators attending these events. It may simply be that the facility has been outgrown as their programming has successfully expanded over the years. I respectfully ask the board to prioritize safety and maintain the district's long-standing policy of keeping the Roosevelt Street gate locked. Thank you for your time and consideration. All right, that's it, Mr. >>
087Yeah. Uh, thank you all for the feedback. Board will certainly consider that. Uh, and, uh, and we'll certainly, you know, reach out to Wat Little League and and and our neighbors and follow up with you. Uh, but we appreciate the feedback from everybody. Uh, and thank you for attending tonight. Have a good night.