001Good evening. I'd like to call the meeting to order. Uh all rise for a salute to the flag. Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Mr. MacNamara, Superintendent of Schools. >> Good evening, everyone. Thank you so much, Mr. Greco. I'm John MacNamara, Superintendent of Schools. Welcome to tonight's board meeting. As we as is our tradition, we always like to start off with some good news, and we invited some of our outstanding artists here this evening. We're we're we're super fortunate in the district to have an outstanding art department and really talented artists. And and it it it's a program that has just continued to grow, and we are just thrilled tonight to recognize
002our all-county artists that are here, and and celebrate their work. I want to thank the art teachers for the outstanding work that they do with our students each day, and also for the display behind us. They they they put together, and and and Ms. Jones for her work in coordinating all of that. You know, it's it's been such a pleasure over the past few years to watch our art department continue to flourish, and I hope you got to attend the the all-county art show as well. So, we're going to recognize our students tonight that are here. We're going to invite them to come up. I'm going to invite Ms. Jones to come up. We have a certificate we'd like to present to each one of them. And then we'll ask you just when you receive
003your certificate, if you come up on stage, and then we'd like to do a group photo with all of our all-county artists. So, thank you so much for being here tonight, and I'll invite Ms. Jones up to to call up our students and and be recognized. Good evening, everyone. I just want to say that Um, again, this pool of artists that we were able to honor. Um, I mean, look at the work. It's absolutely fabulous and you should be so proud of yourselves uh for all the work that you put in and making such beautiful art for the world. Um, our 24 very best, you know, are up there and uh you're to be honored and and thanked very much for all you do. So, here we go. Congratulations. Sarah Bernstein. >> [applause] >> There
004she is. Morgan Caps. >> [applause] >> Holly Cassell. >> [applause] >> Andalina Can- Can- I knew I was going to do it. Canigliaro. I had it down. >> [applause] >> Megan Cox. I also want to say that Megan was our senior scholarship winner. Hers is that amazing um motorcycle uh up there. It's just absolutely phenomenal. So, congratulations for her for our seniors. Yes. >> [applause] >> Paige Cronin. Elise Dennis. >> [applause] >> Okay. Joseph DeVella. James Gerlach. >> [applause] >> Oh my gosh. Matthew Glasser. There he is. Thanks. Um, Diana Conclaves. >> [applause] >> Haley Grassi. >> [applause] >> Alyssa Kimball. Nathan Levine. >> [applause] >> Brooke Linden. >> [applause] >> Riley McDermott. >> [applause] >> Elena Mikolajewski. Oh, there's Yep, Riley's here. Perfect. There you go, Riley. Here's Elena. There you go. Uh Liliana
005Nicoletti >> [applause] >> She's our 3D artist up there. Uh Ava Pasqua >> [applause] >> Richard Ruffino Thank you. Uh Mia Rispoli >> [applause] >> Benjamin Smith There he is. Samantha Teets >> [applause] >> And Nolan Wenzel >> [applause] >> Once again, congratulations. Fabulous artists we have here. Round of applause. >> [applause] [applause] >> All right, congratulations once again to our artists. Thank you so much for attending tonight. All right, and then the only other report for me tonight just an update on our budget development. Tonight the board will be adopting the the budget. So we we will be doing that later on in the agenda. I want to thank all of the residents that give feedback on the budget as we went kind of went through the process. We did a series of forums
006through the month of March. We thank everyone who attended those and now we're at a point where we're ready to adopt the budget. This is we'll do a full report on the budget at our at our May meeting. We'll do our budget hearing. This is just a quick budget summary. I can see where we landed we below the tax cap of 3.48%. You can see the budget to budget increases and the levy increase of 2.39 million. This is just a highlight some of our new programs. Look forward to expanding UPK by a section next year. New literacy program in K to 5 that will be adding to the district. We're going to continue the expansion of some of our special education programs which we're excited about and then some new electives at the high school
007and just highlighting our science research program as well, which will be on our fourth and final year of expansion as well. So excited about that. These are some of the challenges in terms of the budget. We'll get into more detail at our budget hearing on those, but really a couple of the significant increases that districts across across the state are struggling with. One is health insurance. We're facing a double digit percentage increase in in our health insurance costs that we provide to our employees, which is you know a 1.5 million dollar increase in our budget next year. And then transportation is another. We are going to have a significant increase in our transportation costs next year of about 1.1 million. So those are the two of the really big drivers. And then factor in increases
008in things like liability insurance, taking out some additional debt service from our bond in in 2022 are all really big drivers in our budget. Um We're going to also there's going to be besides just the vote on the budget, we also will put up a referendum on our capital reserve projects as well. We have an expenditure out of there. We'll go through that at our hearing, but these are the the the projects some roof work here at the high school, the auditorium the HVAC for this this room is one of the older HVAC systems we have in the district and it is in need of replacement. So replacing that and then adding field lights at Watauga High School on the on the field the main turf field as well. And then the third referendum that
009will be on the the ballot will be the 1865 Beach Street property that you know over the past couple years since we we've had a tenant in there for a long time over 40 years. That lease had ended and we explored various options of what to do with that property. It doesn't really fit the needs that we have here in the district. It's a smaller property, not really a great instructional space for us. And and we we need a lot of money to potentially renovate that even to lease the property again. Just wasn't worth it. So ultimately decided to put that on the market. We did find a buyer. So we'll be asking the voters to approve the sale of that for 1 million and 75,000 dollars. And that'll go on the ballot as well.
010We'll use that money in for capital projects in the in the district. And that's it for me. I'm going to turn it back over to Mr. Greco. Thank you. Item D, approval of minutes. And item E, financial reports. Item E1, financial reports. Item E2, budget transfers. Do I have a motion? Move. Second? >> Second. All in favor? Aye. Aye. Item F, personnel. Item F1, approval of personnel items. Item F2, termination. Do we have a motion? Move. Second? Second. All in favor? Aye. Aye. Item G, contractual and other authorizations. Item G1, Item G2, they're both change orders. Item G3, the RFP for school physician services. Item G4, health services agreement. Item G5, related services agreement. Do we have a motion? Move. Second? Second. All in favor? Aye. Aye. Item G6, painting cooperative bid. Item G7, textbook
011central. Item G8, donations. And item G9, disposal of obsolete textbooks. Do we have a motion? Move. Second? Second. All in favor? Aye. And the board would like to thank Forest Lake Elementary School PTA for a donation of $600. Uh and a donation of $960. And a third donation of $1,120. Those are all Forest Lake PTA. And we have a Mandalay PTA donation of $510.37. And a Wantagh Elementary School PTA donation of 1,600. And a $500 donation from quote Wantagh Century at Coldwell Banker American Homes for the Wantagh World 911 Memorial. So, we like to thank all those that donated, as well. Item H, unfinished business. Item H1, policy revisions. And item I, new business. Item I1, approval of committees on special ed and preschool special ed recommendations. And item I2, proposed 2026-2027 budget. Do we
012have a motion? >> Move. Second? Second. All in favor? Aye. Now, do we have a motion to convene into executive session? Mr. President, I make a motion to move to executive session. Second? Second. All in favor? Aye. Aye. All right. Now, we'd like to hear from our student government. Good evening, everyone. My name is Nina Myers. Um while April has been relatively quiet so far due to spring break, we have many exciting initiatives coming up. This month, student government is leading an autism awareness campaign. We have already decorated the school showcase and invited students to create puzzle piece infinity designs, which will be displayed throughout the school building. Next week, we will also be hosting a bake sale where each goody bag will include informational materials to help raise awareness about autism. In addition, student
013government will be featured in an upcoming school broadcast segment highlighting and celebrating students with autism in our community. Looking ahead to May, Ms. Stevens and her health and wellness club will be hosting Wantagh High School's first-ever wellness fair. This event will feature a variety of clubs hosting tables to promote awareness of healthy lifestyle choices focusing on both physical and mental well-being. In addition to school clubs, local organizations will also be joining us to share information about health in our community. And student government will be participating by hosting a table focused on replacing negative thoughts or stressors with positive thoughts and things to look forward to. We wish all students luck on their upcoming AP exams, and we look forward to sharing more updates with you at the next meeting. Thank you. All right, do we
014have anyone from Forest Lake PTA? Good evening. We have a lot coming up this month and next month. So, as mentioned last meeting, we are currently running our second principal for the day fundraiser. The winning student will be announced tomorrow, and on April 24th, they will get their own personal ID badge and the chance to shadow Mr. Burke throughout the day. Uh this Friday, Safari and Feathered Friends will be visiting school for an assembly put on by Tackapausha. Students will learn about the different animals and local habitats. Uh the last session of our very popular enrichment program begins next Wednesday. Some of the popular classes this session include fishing, no-bake spring cooking, and young detectives. Uh the Long Island Ducks mascot, Clucker Jack, will be visiting our school during dismissal this Friday to help promote
015our Ducks baseball game trip that will be taking place on May 13th. Uh our chorus, band, and orchestra students will be performing at that game as well. Uh the week of May 4th is staff appreciation week. We have daily snacks, a staff lunch, and a small gifts planned to celebrate the amazing staff at our school. Uh May 8th is our spring plant sale. We will have vegetables and flowers available for purchase during school as well as a few hours after dismissal. All proceeds for that one are going to this year's um fifth grade class. Uh our last book fair of the year is planned for May 15th. This is our BOGO sale and will also coincide with VIP day. The students the students' VIP guests will have the opportunity to shop with them at their
016fair. Uh and our Adventureland trip is planned for May 20th. Everyone is of course looking forward to it. We just need to hope that the weather cooperates this year. Thank you very much. Manhasset Lake PTA? As we move through an exciting and busy spring season, the PTA is proud to share highlights from our recent events and a look ahead to many opportunities still to come. The continued support from our family, staff, and volunteers plays a vital role in making these experiences meaningful for our students. Um on March 1st, the fifth grade Applebee's pancake breakfast was a huge success. Students proudly served their families, creating a fun and memorable experience for all. The event was filled with excitement and community spirit while supporting important fifth grade initiatives. On April 15th, our Boosterthon kicked off. Um it
017will culminate in a fun run. This program promotes teamwork, leadership, and school spirit while raising funds to enhance student enrichment opportunities. On April 17th, we have our luau themed Mandalay dance. We are looking forward to a fun-filled evening at our luau themed Mandalay dance. A sensory room will be available to ensure an inclusive experience for all students, and Ms. Montal will also be volunteering to assist with activities and concessions. Also, on the morning of April 17th, uh Quackerjack, the mascot of the Ducks, will be visiting our school to greet students and take photos as they arrive, helping to build excitement for our Ducks Family Fun Night. On April 18th, we have our Mother's Day photo fundraiser. Uh families will have the opportunity to participate in a professional photo session just in time for Mother's Day,
018capturing special memories while supporting PTA programs. Uh May 4th through May 8th is Staff Appreciation Week. During Staff Appreciation Week, the PTA is proud to celebrate all of our teachers and staff. We'll be providing a breakfast generously donated by Embassy Diner, a catered lunch from Guac Shop, as well as additional gifts throughout the week and other exciting surprises for them. We will also be um giving $1,200 worth of books to all the teachers that week, and this is our way of thanking them for their continued hard work, dedication, and commitment to our students and school community. May 14th, we have a Dr. Recess Recess Assembly. We are excited to host the Dr. Recess Assembly as an engaging program focused on kindness, respect, and positive behavior. And looking ahead to some May dates, we have on
019May 20th our Adventureland trip. Students and families are excited for a fun day a day of fun and community bonding at Adventureland. June 4th is our field day. Um it's the highlight of the school year filled with games, teamwork, and outdoor fun. And June 5th is our Ducks game family night. Thank you. >> Want to LBD A? Hello there. How are you guys? Um so we had a very successful fifth grade clothing drive at the end of March, which was amazing. And our fifth grade Applebee's pancake breakfast where the students um served their parents and families and all that at Applebee's, which is very cute for the fifth graders. Um we have our Long Island Ducks game at the end of April, which we're very excited for. Our plant sale is coming up in May.
020Um we have our adventure land on May 18th, so everyone is obviously excited for that. Um our field day is in June, June 5th. Um so we're prepping for that. And then our flag day, of course, is June 12th. So um a lot of fun things coming up, but excited. Can't believe it's already where we are today, and we're almost done with school. So thank you all for everything you do. Thank you. 6-12 SEPTA PTA Council Anybody from sports boosters? Performing Arts Booster Club The Foundation Anyone have any questions? The microphone, the floor is open. All right. Thank you for attending. We'll see you next month. >> good night, everybody.