001Twitter. We have all board members present. Stand algis andice for all. This time we move forward to recognize our retirees Mr. B. Good evening. Tonight we are here to celebrate an extraordinary teacher whose impact reaches far beyond the classroom. For more than 30 years, William Burkard aka Mr. B has dedicated himself to the students of Berlin Central School District, building meaningful relationships that help children feel valued, supported, and capable of success. His unique brand of humor brightens many school days, calling students and staff by personalized nicknames and decorating each and every classroom at BDS with photos of himself. He serves as a constant reminder that the most impactful learning often occurs when accompanied by joy and laughter. through his humorous stories, words of support, or simply his presence as a listener, as a dedicated listener,
002he will leave an indelible mark on the lives of the Berlin community. What has always set Bill apart is his unwavering commitment to doing what is best for children. Every decision, every lesson, and every interaction reflects his genuine care for their growth and well-being. His ability to foster deep connections with his students and their families has established a legacy that now reaches across multiple generations. Bill, we offer our most sincere thanks for your more than 30 years of dedicated service and for the countless lives you have touched. Your influence will surely continue to inspire students and colleagues alike for years to come. Congratulations on your retirement. We wish you the very best as you begin this new chapter. There are three people on the operational side who are retiring this which is Bas Dunlop and
003Sel Branson speak three of them. Schools run on thousands of decision decisions and actions that often go unnoticed until something goes wrong. When classrooms, hallways, and common spaces are clean and welcoming. When buildings are ready to open each day, when technology functions as expected, the work behind that stability is happening quietly and steadily behind the scenes. The operational side of a of a school pro protects the classroom experience and creates the environment where students and staff can come together to learn, grow, and succeed. The daily efforts of our senior custodian Byron do, superintendent of building and grounds, Seriel Grant, and network administrator Tim Dunlop have played an important role in maintaining the systems, spaces, and resources that support our students and keep our schools functioning day after day and year after year. Their commitment, problem
004solving, and daily attention to the details that others may never see have made a significant impact over nearly 66 years of combined experience to our district. We are grateful for their service to our community, our schools, our students, and our staff, and we wish them well in retirement. Open. Melinda has been a staple in the district, supporting generations of students over the years. over the last few years that I've had the opportunity to work with her, she has strongly supported students she's worked with and she's supported the distance learning program, she's built great relationships with students, with staff and with families in her time here and um you know she has really built a lot of great relationships supporting kids even beyond um her time in the district and her time in the classroom. So
005I would like to wish her all the best in her retirement as well. Thank you. Congratulations to all the retirees. Enjoy the next chapter of your your life. This time we'll move on to recognize our tenure recipients. The first is Mr. Hersley. D away. I'll leave it there. Is it is with great enthusiasm that I'm recommending David Burnsley for tenure as middle school high school principal. Dave has done a commendable job the last three years in his role as building leader. His success is no doubt in part attributed to many years of experience in education serving diverse communities as a former social studies teacher and building leader. Dave arrived in Berlin ready to work and ready to listen to the needs of the school and the community. Some of the adjectives that best describe Dave
006are the ones I used in my letter to the board to recommend him for tenure. In reviewing my letter, I went back and highlighted the following adjectives. approachable, collaborative, visible, transparent, communicative, community oriented, dedicated, and reflective. Above all else, Dave is a student centered leader who has the heart that's about 6'7 big. Dave cares deeply about every child he comes in contact with, as well as every teacher, every TA, every administrator, every secretary, every cafeteria worker, bus driver, custodian, and all other avenues in between. If you let him, Dave will proverbbally wrap his arms around anyone who gets close enough with his massive wingspan. He has brought much leader much needed leadership and stability to the principal seat while challenging, supporting and empowering his staff to focus on student achievement and educational opportunity. He has
007been an agent of positive change has truly raised the bar for our students. I'm excited to recommend David Burns for tenure and look forward to a bright future ahead for him and Berlin Middle School High School. Congratulations, Dave. Yes, I'll be up here for the rest of it. It is my pleasure to speak before you recommending Tina Smith for tenure as a teaching assistant. Miss Smith has spent much of time working within the shooting stars classroom, supporting students with significant and diverse needs as part of a team. She's excelled in this role, working well with the team and supporting students. Miss Smith stands out as a common presence in the classroom, one who works well with everyone involved in the room, and one who is always willing to lend a helping hand. in her role,
008you know, in her ability to serve as a calming presence in the classroom. She regularly works to support and deescalate students throughout the day. She manages stressful situations well, remains calm and is supportive to help students deescalate, and even serves as a calming presence for other adults involved. Teamwork is an essential element in education, but especially within a self-contained classroom. Miss Smith is in constant communication with the teacher and the team to support students and instruction within the classroom. This effective collaboration is essential to ensuring students needs are met and instruction can effectively occur while meeting students variability levels and different academic needs. She's always willing to lend a hand stepping in to support a student, tag in for another adult, deliver small group instruction, take a student for a break, or whatever else needs
009to be done. This flexibility and initiative makes her stand out as a TA. In summary, she's a great asset in her role within the STARS program, the students and colleagues she works with, and to Berlin Central School District as a whole. And it's my privilege to recogn So it is my pleasure as well to speak to you about Stevie Savaria and recommend her for tenure as an elementary special education teacher. Miss Savvari is a quiet, approachable presence within the classroom. She is skillful in providing small group instruction, differentiating her instruction to suit different students needs and levels, and scaffolding her support to help students arrive at their own answer rather than simply providing. Miss Savaria's more subtle presence in the classroom helps students feel comfortable approaching her and asking for support. When she's not helping
010a student directly, she circulates around the room checking in on all students and groups. Savaria's work provide the work providing small group instruction stands out in particular as she adjusts skills and levels based upon the needs of individual groups providing effective differentiated instruction for students at all levels in conjunction with her differentiation and support of students. She provides effective scaffolding to students both through questioning strategies and pro providing materials and resources to give students the resources they need to help themselves. For example, in one lesson, Miss Savaria provided students with an anchor chart that they added to to help provide a resource for themselves to check back in order to help them to learn and practice the skill more independently. I have no doubt in that Miss Savaria's supportive presence and her skillful use of
011small group instruction, differentiation, and scaffolding will make her an asset to students and the district for years to come. It's also my privilege to recommend Miss Stevie Sabari for tenure. Miss Aaron Lee, it's my pleasure to recommend Miss Aaron Lee for tenure as a speech language pathologist. Miss Lee's professionalism and professional responsibility, her collaborative skills with staff and families, and her commitment to supporting neurodeiverse students beyond her role serve to make her a valuable addition to our mountaineer community. Miss Lee's professionalism in her practice in her practice and in her collaborative work in the district to advance students communication skills stands out. She works tirelessly to support her students to improve their communication skills by staying up to date in best practices within the field and working together with her counterpart so effectively Miss Edardi
012as they help each other to provide the best interventions and services they can. Miss Lee's work does not stop with the students though. She also works with teachers, TAs, other related service providers, and families to help others develop and support students communication skills. In addition to her professionalism and strong skills, Aaron has demonstrated a commitment to ongoing involvement in the district, working hard to implement new ideas and efforts to support neurodyiverse students. She's currently working with me to develop a new committee to help support neurodyiverse students and their families both in school and within the broader community. I look forward to seeing how that work develops over time to support and enhance parent involvement and community involvement as well as expand opportunities and access for neurodiverse individuals. I have no doubt that this le's professionalism,
013her drive to support students and her commitment to supporting inclusive efforts for neurodyiverse students will make her an asset to students, families and the district. It is my privilege to recommend for 10 years as well. LASTLY, we have Tammy Moore, who is getting a double round. So, the board has already granted tenure to Miss Tammy Moore, but I won't avoid the opportunity to give some more nice words. She is exceptional. So, Tammy is a dedicated professional who takes ownership of her work. She collaborates effectively with staff to support her work with her students as well as providing feedback and suggestions to others to assist them in their work with students that she works with. Cammy cares deeply for her students and forms strong relationships with them with staff and with families. Cammy can often be
014found volunteering her time to join students and their families in community and extracurricular activities. She's a calm, consistent presence in the classroom who takes time to get to know her students, their needs, and how to best support them. Her areas of expertise are around her support for students motor and vision needs. In particular, she has invested she has invested in learning more about these areas and collaborates with related service providers to learn more and expand her knowledge as she supports students with those needs. In summary, she is an asset to the district who brings so much specialized knowledge and relationship building, her professionalism, and her strong relationships with students, families, and staff. Not recommending her for tenure. She already has Congratulations to all those that received tenure and I look forward to your continued dedication
015to our district. At this time we recognize service to our district. Tonight we recognize and celebrate Derek Gardner as his six years of service to our board of education comes to a close. Over the past six years, Derek has provided steady leadership, thoughtful insight, and an unwavering commitment to our district, our community, and most importantly, our students. He has consistently approached every decision with careful consideration, always keeping the best interest of our district at the forefront. Much of Derek's service was spent on the facilities committee where his professional expertise and practical knowledge provided invaluable. His contributions help guide important decisions and decisions that will benefit our school for the years to come. His ability to analyze complex issues, ask the right questions, and help build consensus has been a tremendous asset to this board. What
016makes Derk's service even more meaningful is that he has given his time to this district while balancing the demands of a successful professional career and the responsibilities of raising a family. As a father of two children, he understands firsthand the importance of strong schools and the impact the board decisions have on students and their families. The countless hours spent preparing for meetings, serving on committees, and attending district events represent time willingly given in a service to our community. And that commitment deserves special recognization. Derek has always understood that effective leadership is not about individual recognization but about working collaboratively to achieve the be best outcomes for our students and our community. His commitment to thoughtful, fiscally responsible and consensus driven decisionmaking has earned the respect of his fellow board members, district leadership and the community
017that he serves. While we will certainly miss his professional expertise and steady presence at this table, we are even more grateful for the time, energy, and dedication he has given our district over the past six years. On behalf of the board of education, the administration, staff, students, and the community. Thank you, Derek, for your service, your leadership, and your commitment to excellence. We also extend our gratitude to his family for supporting his commitment to public service through these six years. Derek, your contributions have had a lasting impact on this district. Thank you for your service. Okay. So, we have to go into an executive session for our contract. Um, at this time we're asking that the individuals that are retiring and those that are uh receive tenure to please stay so dog and Darcy can
018get photos. All right. Can I get a motion to go into executive session for a contract? Motion by Frank. A second by Derek. All in favor? I think it'll be easier if um if you want to come up with