001Good evening everybody. Like to call the meeting to order. Please rise for a salute to the flag 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, I'd like to turn it over to Mr. McNamera for the superintendent report. >> Great. Good evening everyone. Welcome. Uh, thank you Mr. Greco. I'm John McMar, superintendent of schools, and welcome to our meeting tonight. Uh we'd just like to start with a little recognition of our school counselors. Uh congratulations to all our school counselors. It's National School Counseling Week. Uh we're super fortunate. We have an outstanding uh group of uh counselors uh at all three levels uh that do great work. So uh please uh take some
002time this week to to recognize them uh and and all the great support they provide for our students. Um some updates uh with our budget. As I shared at our meeting uh last month, uh we just got the uh the first uh uh information from the the governor's office in terms of uh their uh proposal for our budget and our the state aid picture. Uh foundation aid is going to be up about 2% uh which will certainly help uh and and also some changes in the way that they're going to calculate the um UPK formula which will certainly be beneficial to us as well. So we're anticipating some additional dollars there. uh still working through all that. Uh but that will uh will certainly uh be helpful. Uh we're going to be doing a series
003of of budget forms. We'll be presenting all this in in great detail. Uh first one is on March 9th uh right here at the high school. We'll be over in the cafeteria at 7 o'clock. Uh and that'll be followed with a presentation on the 23rd and the 30th as well. Uh also going out this week will be a budget survey. Uh we also would uh appreciate anybody that could take a few minutes and complete that. that really helps us inform some of our decision- making as well and and hear about different priorities uh that that folks may have in relation to our budget as well as uh budget focus groups. So, we'll put those signups for for that out as well. That's just some small group uh conversation with myself and Mr. Sajon about uh
004the budget. Uh we do those virtually to make them really convenient for folks. Uh and uh we usually host about four or five of those uh throughout the uh the course of the the um the spring. So, those are coming up as well. Um, just some capital projects update. We've we've been busy, a lot going on uh around the district. As many of you are aware, in December of 2022, uh we successfully passed two referendums, two of three parts of our uh of a bond. And all that work has been ongoing. Uh at the high school, uh we uh you know, been focusing on the real two of the real big projects, which is unit ventilators. It's HVAC work uh and and window replacements. Uh the reason why it's a little chilly in here tonight
005is because they actually started the first round of window replacements right uh in the in the band room uh behind us. Uh so they are um they're they're they're moving. Uh they're they're all the unit ventilators are installed over the summer. Uh every single one in every instructional space and they'll be both heating and cooling. All the heating is up and running and the cooling is um uh they're tying all that in now uh which is all the the piping and the the electrical work. there are considerable electrical upgrades that go along with the cooling. So, a lot of that is underway and really going well. Um, middle school, we we started that work uh in terms of the unit ventilator replacement just uh uh over the past month. Uh so, that's uh moving along.
006Want elementary, we replaced all the unit ventilators uh over the summer. Uh and they're just tying in the cooling portion of of that project. Uh that that work is ongoing. And then Forest Lake and we've been using swing space in those uh those schools. We've identified a couple classrooms over at Mandalay uh and three uh spaces over at uh Forest Lake. And we've been uh rotating through uh classrooms to uh really uh completely upgrade the windows and the unit unit ventilators in in uh you know in in in one uh round of work. Uh it takes about six to eight weeks typically in each classroom uh to to do that. Uh so all that has been underway, really going well. I want to thank um the the principles over there uh for working with us
007on that. Um you can kind of see the before pictures. Uh that's what the exterior walls of those buildings really Forest Lake and and Mandandalay very similar buildings, identical buildings. Uh and you can see that's what the the exterior walls look like. The older style windows. You can see in the that bottom picture there some of the the problems we were having with windows with they weren't sealed correctly anymore because of the age of them. So we completely removed those. And then you can see some of the updates since then, right? Uh the all all the masonry work that goes into rebuilding that wall. So the old wall system being completely removed and being completely rebuilt. And then the new windows that were put in, you can see in the the pictures on the left.
008Uh they really came out great. Uh much more efficient. Uh it's going to be a much more efficient heating and cooling system when all the work is done. Uh and I just thank everybody over there for their flexibility. Really been going well. And um the the scope of the work that we're doing in HVAC across the district, there's no way to possibly complete that throughout uh throughout one summer or multiple summers. Would have dragged it out over multiple multiple years uh to do that work. Uh so we came up with a really uh thoughtful plan in terms of of putting that together. Uh and it and it's going well. So, so I thank our our uh facility staff for all their support with that work and certainly um our construction manager uh Frank Marino's been
009doing an outstanding job staying on top of that as well. Um and then these were also part of that, you know, part of this bond was uh new bathrooms. He was these were the new bathrooms that were put in over at Forest Lake as well. Every single classroom has a completely renovated bathroom. Uh and we hope to tackle Manderlay in this upcoming uh summer as well. So, um all good stuff. And then um our summer project for 2026 is going to focus here at the high school. Uh one of the big projects that we have uh we're we're putting the finishing touches on and getting ready uh to start to uh go out to bid and and get some uh uh contractors lined up is our is our high school library uh and courtyard. Um
010they're going to be completely renovating that space and updating that. So that will take place this summer. Uh, and more to come with that. We'll keep you updated as we go. Uh, other uh, new developments. I I know I've been keeping the community updated on our uh, uh, the Beach Street property. That's 1865 Beach Street. Uh, we had leased the district had leased that project for that property rather for uh, for for many many years. Uh, that lease expired over a year ago. Uh, and uh, the building needs a a good amount of work. uh really not a usable space for us as a district any longer. And um uh we the the board ultimately had the decision to put that on the market and see uh so we have a tenative deal in place
011uh that the the board's going to consider tonight uh which is to sell the property to a a developer that wants to build two homes there. Uh and um uh if if the board approves the contract tonight, uh there'll be a due diligence period of about 45 days uh that the uh the potential buyer would uh would have. Uh if that goes well, then u then the board would ultimately uh decide to have the voters approve that uh sale of that property in May. So that's kind of where we currently are uh with that. So that is on the agenda for tonight for discussion with the board. Um any questions around that or any uh anything from the board? Okay, good. Okay. Um just and then just uh next business meeting. Uh we uh typically
012each year uh do recognition of our retirees at this meeting. Uh we had uh this meeting is a little bit earlier than than traditionally is um is held. So um we push that to next month. So we look forward to recognizing all of our our retirees. We also inviting we'll be inviting all of our all county winner athletes uh to our March meeting as well for recognition as well as we'd like to recognize uh the administration and staff at at Wanto Middle School. Uh they just were recently redesated as a as a school to watch in New York State which is uh certainly exciting. A lot went into that redesation. So we'd like to recognize that at the next meeting as well. And we're also going to update you with a presentation on some of
013the the changing graduation standards in New York State and the Blue Ribbon Commission work. Uh and and we've been working on a new portrait of the graduate for our students. So, we're going to present that in in March as well. And that's it for me. I'm going to turn it back over to Mr. Greco. >> Thank you, Mr. M. Item D, approval of minutes. Do I have a motion? >> Second. >> All in favor? >> I. Item E, financials. E1, financial reports. E2, budget transfers. Do I have a motion? >> Second. >> All in favor? >> I. Item F, personnel, approval of personnel items. Do I have a motion? >> Second. >> All in favor? Item G, contractual and other authorizations. Item G1, related services agreements. G2, special ed services agreements. G3, the WTO seafood
014track center. And G4, the TW revised 20 2526 wage rate. Do I have a motion? >> Second. >> All in favor? Item G5, we have a donation. The board of education approved a donation of $49120 from the Forest Lake Elementary School PTA for an assembly, the great and powerful Dave. Do I have a motion? >> Second. >> All in favor? >> We like to thank the one uh the Forest Lake Elementary School PTA for that donation. Item G6, contract of sale. >> Do we have a motion? >> Move. >> Second. >> All in favor? >> Item H, unfinished business. Item H1, District Code of Conduct. Do I have a motion? >> Second. >> All in favor? >> I. Item I, new business, item I1 and item I2 and item I3. Do we have a motion?
015>> Second. >> All in favor? >> I. Item J, adjournment. Do I have a motion to adjurnn? >> Mr. President, I make a motion to adjourn this meeting. >> Do I have a second? >> Second. >> All in favor? I. Now we go to our organizational reports. The student government, Danny and Nina. >> Good evening everyone. My name is Nina Meyers >> and my name is Danny Donghue. As we said at our last board meeting, student government is holding an array of events for the month of February. We are currently partnering with the International Outreach Club to decorate our school showcase for Black History Month. And if you actually look outside, it's um begun to be decorated. Next week, we'll be holding our acts of kindness Valentine's Day raffle where students can submit a photo
016of themselves performing a kind act to a survey and be entered into a raffle to earn a valent Valentine's Day themed gift basket. Later in the month, we will be holding an anti-bullying c campaign with symbolic messages throughout the building, loudspeaker announcements, and student body involvement events. February is American Heart Month and the Miss W organization has put many things together for the high school. They encourage everyone to dress in red on Friday, February 6th as the day is a symbol for the fight against heart disease. All home rooms will be counting the number of students dressed in red and points will be going towards our battle of the classes event in March. Additionally, the TVs hung around the building will be displaying heart facts and helpful tips to stay healthy. Towards the end of
017February, one of Want High School's most anticipated events will be taking place, sports night. The black team and gold team will go head-to-head over two unforgettable days. The competition begins with a volleyball match followed by a second night filled with team cheers, dances, and high energy challenges. For weeks, the girls have dedicated countless hours to perfect every move, making this an event you won't want to miss. The volleyball game will be taking place on February 25th with the main sports night event happening on February 27th. Looking ahead to March, student government will host our annual Battle of the Classes event. Throughout the year, each grade has competed in many competitions such as food drives and spirit days, earning points that all lead up to this one high energy showdown. During the event, classes will face
018off in activities like trivia, tugof-war, basketball, and other fun challenges. At the end of the night, one class will be will be crowned the winner. In the week leading up to Battle of the Classes, student government will be also holding our penny wars event where each class works to collect as many pennies as possible in their own jar while placing other coins in opposing classes jars to sabotage their totals. All proceeds will go toward a charity selected by the student government. Thank you, and we look forward to speaking about more future events at the next board meeting. Forest Lake PTA. Our PARP week began yesterday. Um, for those of you who do not know, PARP is pick a reading partner. And this this year our theme is the magic of reading. Each student was sent
019home with a light up wand, a reading bingo board, and a reading spellbook. We also sent home a list of suggested reading centered around the theme of magic, which is organized by reading level. As the students complete their bingo boards and fill out their spell books with reading minutes, they will have chances to win individual prizes as well as class prizes. To kick off this two-eek event and help get the kids in the spirit of the theme, yesterday we had an assembly hosted by the great and powerful Dave, who is a magician. The students loved it. I can say for sure that the students are excited as mine both came home the past two days and couldn't wait to start knocking out their bingo boards to get their prizes. To tie into park week, we
020will also be holding our winter book fair next week on Tuesday the 10th. Students can shop during the day with their classes and we will also have evening shopping hours for families. During the event, we will have a reading program in the cafeteria with Mr. Burke and incoming kindergarteners will participate in a scavenger hunt throughout the school. Yesterday, we also hosted a group of high school students who came to shadow some of the elementary teachers. These students are interested in pursuing a career in education and were able to have a firsthand experience in an elementary classroom. The students rounded out the day by enjoying a enjoying a pizza lunch and we received great feedback with many students claiming they had the best day ever. Our family steam Olympics night is coming up this Thursday from
0215:30 to 7:00. This is a free event where students will have the opportunity to participate in a variety of exciting hands-on activities that will allow them to explore the worlds of steam. Thank you to Mrs. Stro for organizing this fun event each year. It is one of our students, it is one that our students always look forward to. Everyone is very much looking forward to our upcoming variety show, a Forest Lake tradition. Uh practices are in full swing for the event, which will be held on March 21st here at the high school. This year's acts include singing, dancing, comedy, and many more. We always love to see all the many talents of our students. Our fifth graders are excited for their big pancake fundraiser which will be held at Applebee's on March 1st. The students
022get to cook and serve their friends and family and it's always a fun event that creates a lot of great memories for our fifth graders. Fifth grade also has their rock and bowl fundraiser coming up on March 13th. And finally, our next PTA meeting will be next week on February 12th. Thank you. Mandandalay PTA. Hello. Um so last Friday uh our students had an assembly. Um students recently enjoyed a high energy kaboom kids assembly focused on movement, mental health, and social emotional wellness. The program emphasizes positive choices, self-regulation, kindness, and confidence through interactive games, music, and movement. Students actively participated in dancing, freeze dance, and group activities, making the experience both engaging and educational. It was especially nice to see students who are typically less social become engaged and participate enthusiastically, highlighting the inclusive and
023uplifting nature of the program. The assembly was very wellreceived, and students had an absolute blast while reinforcing important important wellness skills. Um, our Valentine's candy fundraiser has successfully concluded and we'd like to thank anybody who has all families and volunteers who've supported the initiative. This [snorts] month, we uh we teamed up with Carlton Clothing Company, a Long Island based apparel company known for their iconic Long Island Fishbone logo. Beginning February 23rd, we will be selling Wan Wanto sweatshirts featuring the Fishbone logo as a new spiritware fundraiser. Um, in March, we're going to be having a movie fundraiser which is planned for during the parent teacher conference days at the Bmore movie theaters. Additional details will be shared with the families, but this will be an event for the kids to go to when there will
024be no school on those half days on that half day. Um, our Manderlay dance is going to be in April, but it's a luau theme. Uh, the planning is underway for this year's dance, and the event is scheduled for April 17th, and preparations are currently in progress. Um, we forgot to add that we are also having our pancake breakfast in March on March 8th. Um, and just like Forest Lake, students get to serve their families and friends and raise money for their fifth grade graduation expenses. um our booster thon booster thon fundraiser. We're setting up plans in motion um which will run from April 14th to April 24th. The fundraiser will conclude with a glow run in the school gym on April 24th. And lastly in we're preparing a Mother's Day photo fundraiser featuring professional
025photographer. Families will be able to book mother and child studio studio photo sessions for to commemorate the holiday. want to help Petia. >> Good evening. We also had our high school students shadow at our elementary school. Um it was a great event not only for the high school students but the teachers and the students. They also had a pizza lunch and it was a great day. Um this Thursday we have our winter wonderland dance. Um, we also have our inschool book fair March 3rd through March 5th. And we have the evening shopping book fair on March 5th. We also have a fifth grade fundraiser. It's called the night at the races. Um, it's at MK's. It's an adults only event from 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. It's $75 per person. There is an upcharge at
026the door. There's horse racing, raffles, food, drinks, and a silent auction. There's also um a contest for best dressed. We have our Applebees pancake breakfast also on Saturday, March 28th. It's the fifth grade fundraiser. So, all the fifth grades serve breakfast. That's at Applebee's and Belmore from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. It's [snorts] $10 per person. Tickets have to be purchased in advance. And it's a fun event for the fifth graders to get to serve their family and friends. And our next PTA meeting is Monday, February 9th. Thank you. 612, SEPTA, PDA Council, Sports Boosters, Performing Arts Booster, the Foundation All right, I guess we'll open the microphone. Anyone has any comments, questions? No. Good evening everyone. Enjoy the uh February break and the cold. I