001Welcome everyone. A motion to exit from executive session. >> So second. >> It's been moved and seconded. All those in favor, please say I. >> I. >> Post. Motion carries. Call for a motion to enter into public session. >> Been moved and seconded. All those in favor, please say I. >> I. >> Opposed. Motion carries. Please rise for the pledge of the flag. I allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Okay. Uh we'll begin tonight with our board presentations, the family support center and helping hands and NWTA social justice committee. >> Yeah, we have Cara and B and I think we have another representative here also from >> you recognize Julie. So >>
002Julie, you can stand up. >> Happy year. It's been I think a couple years before I've been before the board just to give an update. So, I thought it was it was time to come back and just let you know what the family support center has been up to. So, I'm just going to give you a little year in review here maybe. >> I think here I'll show you it flick the Here you go. >> Thanks. >> Here. Hold on. >> Good. All right. So, I'm going to start with our um kind of our most popular piece of the family support center, which is our our helping hands that helps our families with basic needs. So, these are statistics just from this school year. We've got three three pieces of our helping hand. The Falcon
003Food Marks, the Falcon Freestyle clothing, and the carrying closet hygiene products. Um the Falcon Food Mark continues to be very popular. Um as you may remember, we had a kind of a change in our in our SNAP benefits for a lot of our families this year. Uh where where some families suddenly were finding themselves without extra help. And you know, I really saw a surge during that time, but um access of the the food mart has been steady and strong. Uh we meet new families all the time and serves well over two to 300 people really, you know, a month in our district. Um we're getting extra groceries to take home, both perishable and non-p perishable items, which is great. Our clothing is great, too. It's really come a long way um in terms of
004the the items that we stock and the things that we have. Everything from baby clothes up to adult clothes and shoes, hats, even jewelry sometimes. undergarments, all kinds of things that we really we really have taken a lot of care to make sure they're they're good products and they're they're clean. Um we have a wonderful classroom here, the life skills classroom that does all the laundry for us. Um and so everything is really really fresh and new and in nice condition for our families which is great. And then of course our hygiene products are very popular. Um those things are expensive. Laundry detergent, shampoo, toothpaste, deodorant. So thousands of items are going out the door every year for our families. >> Um how are we doing this? FeedMore and TOPS right here in San Sandborn
005continue to be our biggest supporters and and donors. Um every week I do pick up um perishable donations from Topps and Feedmore um is is an absolutely outstanding organization. They've provided us not only with our our food but our fridge and our freezer and our shelving. Um and they do an awful lot for for our school and for for our community here. Um we're lucky to receive some some nice sizable monetary donations every year. For the past couple of years, the senior class after graduating does donate their leftover funds to us, which is great. The town of Niagara uh two years in a row now has given us a nice donation. Um B is going to talk a little bit more about the social justice committee and their their donations to us, their support for
006us. But your employees here and the entire organization from bus garage, the maintenance department to the teachers are extremely generous people that are constantly giving to us which is wonderful. Um, a lot of our clubs, uh, music departments, our athletic departments are donating as well as community members and different groups in the community. Um, I mentioned the life skills students. They really are, um, kind of the muscle behind behind the room. They are so wonderful. They help meet the feed more truck. Um, every time it delivers, they meet me with my tops, my car full of food from tops, and they unload everything and help me weigh it and help me get it in the room and help unload it. It's just been a wonderful um, collaboration with that classroom as well. Something new we
007introduced last June, which is the bin. If you perhaps noticed it, it's right out front next to the NWA soccer fields. It's a bright green bin that recycles textiles, clothing, shoes, materials. Um, and we receive uh donation, well, we receive money basically for for pounds, but I'm I'm really >> Can I just mention something about that? And and and remember, I think sometimes when people donate used clothing, they're worried about, you know, the quality of it. The whole purpose of this bin is it's things that you don't think you could give to someone >> because it's going to be recycled. So, as opposed to throwing it into a garbage bag, put it into a bag and you can drop it off here and just by weight, we end up getting money that goes to to
008the to the community. It's wonderful for me because sometimes I do receive donations um that are just not appropriate for the room and are maybe old or just things that that kids and families wouldn't use and now I have somewhere, you know, to take it that's convenient and also still helps us. So, it's great. Um and one one bullet I forgot to mention here is Feedmore also supports the backpack program that three of our elementaryaries take advantage of. So, about 75 of our younger students are going home with a backpack of food every Friday um to help supplement their groceries on the weekend. So, some of the extra things that we do um that again I'm I'm just so grateful that the people in this community are supplying household goods to families. Sometimes we have
009families move into our district or find themselves um you know in a rough spot and having to move suddenly and really starting from scratch. So, we provide everything from dishes and pots and pans, silverware, towels, um furniture from beds to to couches to to lamps. We figure out how to get to people. Um a washer and dryer was delivered to a family this year. really anything parents need. Um, usually when I put the the call out to this community, um, I get an answer really quickly and it's been great to be able to do those things for families. So, not only do we try and provide the material goods, but we try and also link families to different resources in the community that will help them with these things in the future so it's a
010little more sustainable for them. Um, be is going to talk a little bit about specifically the caring closet and our our kind of joint project between the NWTA social justice committee and the family support center in the district. So, um, thank you. Gara, do you mind clicking? Um, yeah, I'm the chairperson of the Beachfield Teachers Association social justice committee. And I really just kind of wanted to highlight put a spotlight on the caring closet just so you have a better idea of all that we do to make it happen. Um, and how it started was, uh, one of our committee meetings during the pandemic, we were talking about how students weren't coming to school because they didn't have shampoo and they didn't have laundry detergent. And we were like, what can we do to help
011them? So, the first thing we thought of was, well, let's see, you know, what kind of support we can get for a hygiene drive. So, in the spring of 2021, we did a hygiene drive with the NWTA, the teachers association, and our SRPs. We collected $930 in cash, plus enough toiletries, diapers, and other essentials for 50 families. So, that really showed that there was strong support from our um faculty and staff that they were going to be happy to help support our families in the district. So knowing that we go forward, um we as a committee said we really wanted to do something that was more sustainable for our students to make sure they could come to school as much as they not have these things keep them from coming to school. So we knew
012for it to be sustainable that it was going to have to be a collaborative effort with the district and the community. So, in July of that year, I did come to the board with our proposal for the caring closet. Um, so that, you know, they would know what we were doing and that we could work together on really making it happen for our community. Um, and that first year, the social justice committee solicited sponsors from local businesses, churches, and individual donors. Some were our union members, some were actually family members of the union members who heard about what we were trying to do and wanted to help support us. And we also held hygiene drives. So that fall it started as the caring closet in 2021. We had a few cupboards in the ISS room
013and then in Carara's office and um and that's kind of how we got started. Excellent. Um it has become a true collaborative effort I would say with the community for and it is what we feel is now a sustainable system. 2021 we're into 2026 now. Um, and we really feel like it's it's sustainable. We did get a nice jump start from the Ziggler family. Um, $4,450 grant one of those early months that we had the carrying closet going. Um, their son Michael, right, Michael was a um, student here and he went to the Wakefield School. So, it was in honor of his memory. Um and then since its inception, not including the initial spring drive in up to say 2021, not 2012, um 9,561 hygiene products and it has we have raised $24,874. So in
014that part of that collaborative effort was the union is able to handle the dollars because the district can't do that. So we as a union have a separate fund that is just dedicated for the caring closet and any donations any fund raers fund raisers that we do that money goes directly into that separate fund just for caring closet needs. So um and then the list of donors that was previously mentioned on on car slide. So the collaborative effort community contributions we've gotten through hygiene drives at music department events. We have a Thanksgiving food drive at a couple of the schools where families bring the kids bring things in and donate them. The school told us that there are 12 days of giving that goes towards um some of the needs that we have. Of course,
015the National Honor Society um junior honor society as well and uh Veronica Joerger and Evan from Evans Senior Center. If you want to just talk a little bit, we're very lucky our our SRO's are also very supportive of what we do. So, Rebecca Braytech um was explaining to her mom, Veronica, a little bit of what we do here at her mom is very much um a generous, thoughtful, kind person who's always doing for others. So, she decided that she would take it upon herself to start doing some drives for us. So, I'm thinking maybe, you know, she'll show up with a box of shampoo. And I just thought it would be this is wonderful. So, she calls um this is over a year ago, and she's shown up three times now with a huge company
016van stocked full of crates of hygiene products. So I'm talking thousands of hygiene products that she collects at her family center in the southern tier. >> Senior center is not even in our district >> tier. No one in Evans, you know, might not even know anyone in a field, but she explained how many people we help and that we're helping kids and families have what they need to come to school. And so her staff and the seniors that come to her center um have contributed to the drive and it's just outstanding. So she's done two hygiene drives and a school supply drive for me. And um she always says, "See you next year." you know, she comes back and gets the empty crates and then she plans on coming back. I mean, she's just really
017>> one of the incredible friend benefits of having a school resource officer from the Lewon Police Department, right, with us, right? >> Y her mom's doing her mom's doing that work. It's great. >> Again, along with that, it being sustainable. The ears, the first year or two, we were constantly like, how are we going to make this work? How are we going to keep this going? Because it was the money came in, the money went out. We we spend now regularly $300 to $400 a month just to get hygiene supplies for our families to come in and utilize the carrying closet. So it really is I mean that was a large number but basically the money comes in and the money goes out each year. We're we're fortunate we found again a couple sustainable fundraisers
018that we don't have to go into the new year with nothing. you know, we have something to start with, but it is something that we do have to keep generating funds to make sure we can keep supplying what our families need. Um, so the essential role of the NWTA members, the teachers have they themselves, some not counting grants and outside donors, teachers in the wheat field district have donated close to $10,000 over those five years. So, $2,000 a year from our teachers through fundraisers and just donations and the a lot of the hygiene drives are done through the union. All most of the clothes too is union donated. Is that correct? Yes. Because um then we know it's going to come in clean. We know that, you know, um we it'll be manageable. We know
019we can give teachers kind of a guideline like please don't give us things that we have to throw away, you know. So um so the coats, boots, pants, a lot of the clothes comes from the teacher in the union. Um and then also we collect fresh carrots and potatoes for our Thanksgiving dinners that we give out every year to make sure they have some fresh food along with the canned and dry goods. Um we also get cash donations and we always purchase the additional gift cards that are needed. So, Feed FeedMore does provide some gift cards for the turkeys, but our union does then buy any additional gift cards that are needed for families that are not supplied by FeedMore. And they also donate their household items when called upon. Again, mentioning those families, if
020there's a fire and they need furniture, a lot of the members are the ones that step up and donate those things, the washer, the dryer, and so forth. Um, and as the social justice committee, it's kind of we facilitate all these things that are happening. So, the Thanksgiving food drives, the union clothing drives, the fundraisers that raise about $2,000 a year. Um, and then organizing and distributing. This was early on when the committee did a lot of the organizing and distributing, but again, growing to be more sustainable. We have a couple regular volunteers now of Mary Frier and Lorie Prime, Julie FGO um who help sort and hang the clothes and make it look nice in the in the helping hand room. Um and then the life skills class again really help out and this
021year Doris lead helped us with one of the Thanksgiving food drives. So really, I just wanted to highlight that we are committed to supporting our students and families through the caring closet um located in the helping hand room. Um the initiative reflects our shared dedication to our families and we're grateful for the collaborative partnership that we have with the district and the NW community to make this possible. And I just wanted to recognize the other social justice committee members. Nicholas Azerella, Darla Bubarb, Brooke Harris, Cara Kirk, Jen Milky, Russ Nixon, Rob Beauty, and our treasurer, Dan Trulus, who handles all that money and all the proceeds and everything that goes in and out. So, um, if you have any questions for me about the carrying closet specifically and then I'll turn it back over to
022Cara. No, but I do want to say there's a lot of people who do a lot of work and bees mentioned that, but I see be doing this stuff all the time. It's after hours. She's over Carara's office um you know after school doing this kind of work for our families and it's really incredible. So great job leading it and it's really important stuff. So thanks. >> Thank you. Thank you. Okay, so back to the family support center and kind of the the other areas that I focus on that have to do with social emotional learning and mental health services. So I'm highlighting here two of our partners. Um Compier has been providing some trainings for our staff and our students. Now um there's a national program called youth mental health first aid and teen
023mental health first aid. It's about a six-hour training. It's a certificate um that you end up with that's good for three years. It helps people to understand what mental health issues are, what kind of language is involved, how to cope, how to help someone else. There's a lot of training about how to help a friend, um, another student, someone in the school district. So, we've we've had quite a few of our staff go through the training on on different PD days. Um, but this year we were able to train every single 10th graders who are through our health classes. So, that was a pretty big commitment from our teacher to give up six sessions each semester to have compier come in and do this. But, um, really really great program. um the press release I'm
024referring to there I'm kind of excited about. So last month Governor Hokll announced that she was going to be releasing funds to state that so that every 10th grader in the entire state could receive this team mental health first day training and because we're already doing it compier wants to highlight that partnership that we have with them. So they just released information um to the press about that showing our our collaboration partnership which is which is pretty great. So another organization I love working with is called the Mental Health Advocates of Western New York. Um they have a program called youth peer advocates and those are young people usually between the ages of 18 and 30 that have their own lived experience um with mental health issues and they come in and talk about coping
025skills and helping friends and they come in and talk to um all of our high school students this year. Every single high school student was able to hear that presentation and then they go into health classes in the middle school. So we're really kind of spreading spreading the word and getting more and more speakers in front of our kids which I think is important. Um, we still have our school-based mental health clinics represented by therapists from Verizon and mobile counseling that are focused on the middle school and the high school. So, close close to 40 kids this year receive counseling here at school which kind of eliminates those barriers of transportation and trying to get on waiting lists and evening appointments. So, I help oversee that referral process and the openings and closings and coordinating
026with those those counselors there. Um, North Point Council is a wonderful Niagara County agency that provides all kind of substance abuse treatment and education. They come into our high school, middle school, uh, with students have been suspended due to, um, use of substances or vaping. So, they they're wonderful. They come in, um, within a week. They they were able to come in and provide a one-on-one workshop or a small group workshop with those students so that we can get them back into the classrooms quicker, but also educate them a little bit about what they're doing and the harm that some of their choices are are doing to themselves as well. So, some great organizations that we are working with. Some of the things that I try to do in our community to kind of get
027the word about out about what we do is attend as many orientations and open houses and events that I can. Our district movie night, our wellness fair that we have in the spring. Uh we meet a lot of families at the holidays because that's when people get stressed out and they get worried and nervous and they want to be able to have nice holidays for their families. So, we're helping at least 75 or so families every Thanksgiving that are going home with boxes of food, um coats, snow pants, whatever they need, um gift cards, Christmas. We were overwhelmed this year with the amount of donations we had of books and clothing and toys that families could come and pick out things on their own for their family, which was great. Because the Christmas break was
028was two full weeks this year, we did also send a huge box of food home with every family as well to help supplement uh the kids over the vacation. So, some of the groups that I participate on representing our district are the Western New York Family Support Center Coalition, the Niagara County Community Network of Care, Focus on Families of Lockport, our own equity and education committee, the social justice committee, and last year I was proud that our family support center was the recipient of the shining star award from the United Way of Niagara. Other things I do um every day is is take calls and emails and referrals from counselors, from staff, from families looking for help, trying to find the right services for their families. So, I'll do some assessment with those those families
029of what they need, what they're looking for, um where they're interested in services are, what kind of insurance they have. I'll kind of do all the leg work for them and make the phone calls and find out where the good good services are for their particular family. Um, I'm sometimes called upon to help our McKini Vento families and students who are really struggling with um, moving around and not having what they need and transportation issues and accessing services and all those good things. And then kind of cut off down there is our ENL families as well that um, again, some of those families are referred to me when they're new to our district or really starting from scratch. And Google Translate is an app on my phone now and I love using it and it's
030wonderful being able to type things in, immediately translate it and communicate with a family right away. It's it's wonderful for um getting rid of those language barriers as well. So um I'm always just grateful to everyone um because this is such a generous district and I feel particularly fortunate because I am part of a family support coalition um where representatives from other family support centers um come we we gather every month and um I hear a lot of concern from other centers that they don't have the support of their administration or the board. They're not allowed to try new things. they're not allowed to bring in services. They they they are stuck. And I just sit back and think, I am so fortunate to have a district that welcomes services into our schools that realizes
031we're only helping kids and making families stronger when we bring services in. So, I I truly do appreciate all the support that has come right from the top down. Um my volunteers in the helping hand room, Julie, Mary, and Lori are wonderful. Mary retired last year, June 30th, and I think July 5th, she was in the room working. Uh Jan Ball has already asked me when she can start. I mean, I'm just so fortunate to have these people that give up their time to come in and make that room a really welcoming, friendly, open space for families to come in and shop and feel good about shopping and and make it a nice relaxing experience for them. So, um couple pictures of just some of the donations we get. We did a nice book drive
032at the at the um movie night this year. Some of the things that we give away at the holidays. Um, that truck full of toys in the middle is actually it's actually toys and food that came from Bunny Bunch. They did a big food drive at all their locations and we were the lucky recipient of a huge truckload of items. Um, another teacher from our middle school had a friend whose family a huge extended family does a toy drive at Christmas and donates it somewhere and decided I would get the donation this year. So, it was a huge truckload of toys. I mean, just wonderful, wonderful things that the more the word gets out, people want to help us, which is great. This was at the town in Niagara um receiving a a donation. That's
033Veronica Jagger, Rebecca's mom, with some of her donations and our our life skill students. Um those boxes are birthday boxes that our retired teacher Beth Miscati made for me and they contain a birthday cake, frosting, candles, a card, a gift card to purchase oil and milk and eggs so that you could send home a whole birthday kit with a family. Those have been really popular. So that is the end of our presentation and our year for you on the family support center. Um, happy to take any questions if you have them or any comments. I'm always open for suggestions, thoughts, and ideas as well. Um, and I want to thank you for your support. >> Anything from anyone? >> Thank you for all your work, AJ. Yes. >> Very incredible. >> Awesome. >> I really
034like to thank you for first initiating it and then now we're into like what is the fifth year? >> Yeah. Yes. >> And >> yes, >> it's really needed. I appreciate everything you're doing. >> Very much care. How long have you been there in this the center? >> District seven years. This is my fifth year >> in the support center. >> An incredible amount of growth. Great job. Thank you. Thanks. >> Hey, continuing on. Uh privilege of the floor. Nobody signed up for residence comments. Privilege of the floor. Anyone like to speak? All right. Moving out then to our consensus agenda items. Call for a motion to accept consensus agenda items 1 through 10 as presented. >> So moved. >> Second. >> Been moved and seconded. All those in favor please say I. >> I.
035Opposed. >> Motion carries. Continuing to our personnel items. Um few to separate here. So, I'll call for a motion first to accept uh numbers 1 2 4 6 and 9 through 20 as presented. >> Second. >> It's been moved and seconded. All those in favor, please say I. >> I opposed. Motion carries. Uh turn it over to the introduce the candidates. We have Say hi to me. >> So Maline is um recommended for the birth fifth grade long-term sub at Arab Road. She graduated from Niagara Wheatfield in 2020 and then she uh went on to pursue and graduate from Sunni tennis in court and she is graduating from up state in August with her lit as a literacy specialist. Um she's very close with her parents and older brother and her hobby is of course
036reading and volleyball which she likes to play year round and she's thrilled to teach at Eric Road where she went to school and um give back to the community. >> I like to >> you'd like to put her fourth as a candidate >> Ellen. So fifth grade LTS air. So I'll call for a motion to approve the appointment of Maline Ernie. >> So move second. >> It's been moved and seconded. All those in favor, please say I. >> I. Post. Abstained. Motion carries. Congratulations. >> Tom Rderick is recommended to the board for music teacher at Tuscor Nation Elementary School. He um went to Berkeley College of Music and um he's a husband and father of two boys. Um he enjoys hiking and camping and fishing. That's back to things of his age. >> True. uh
037rock and roll Steelers and Nachos. >> He hopes to bring to Tuscora Elementary um um to build on Tusora's history and traditions and um maintain a culturally. So I'd like to recommend um Tom to the music teacher at Tasora. >> Okay. And I'll call for a motion to approve the appointment of Thomas Rodrik as presented. >> Second. >> It's been moved and second. All those in favor, please say I. >> Opposed? Motion carries. Congratulations. >> All right. Next, I have Riley's. Hi. >> So, um Riley is recommended as a districtwide um speech language language therapist. Um she graduated from or from Rockport from Rockport, New York. Um she received her bachelor's in speech language language pathology and aiology from Ithaca College and then she received her mers in communicative disorders and sciences from TD Buffalo.
038She'll be the speech language pathologist at Tuspora and the surrounding parochial schools. >> Good. I'll call for a motion to approve the appointment of Riley Spur as presented. >> So moved. >> Second. >> It's been moved and seconded. All those in favor, please say I. >> I. >> Post. Abstained. Motion carries. Congrats. So Nina, sorry. >> All right, that makes me feel better. um she graduated from Niagara Beatfield in 2013 and then um she's thankful for the opportunity to work in the schools where she uh grew up and to work with students, staff and families to contribute to the school community. Um she's been a school counselor for two years and um has been supporting both general and general ed students and students with disabilities and she's um looking forward to working toward goals to
039challenge herself and grow. So, um, she likes to spend time with her husband Ryan outside of school. Obviously, school dog um, >> um, she likes to teach various styles of dance and she works for looks forward to all. >> Very good. Call for a motion to approve the appointment of Nita Dlippo as presented. >> So, >> it's been moved and seconded. All those in favor, please say I. >> I. >> Opposed. Abstained. Motion carries. Congratulations. >> Yes. >> Okay. Moving on to our standing committees. Uh capital projects committee club. >> Um as far as our uh auditorium, it looks like we're going to be kind of pushed out on our date. Most likely the final ribbon cut is not going to be until August sometime in August. Uh we had a couple issues that we
040we really couldn't have it done now. So unfortunately we're going to have to push it out till August. That's about it. >> Uh I got one thing. All the parks are done. the playground three of our our elementary school playgrounds are complete. The only one that is not Tuscora and the expectation is that that'll start this summer. >> Right. So all three except for Tuscar >> and the the plantings have to get done now at the elementary that were all part of the actual playground. >> No, thank you. Thank you. >> Um audit committee is on here. Is there an update from audit? >> No. Okay. >> Uh there's an external written communication to the board, an internal claims auditor report as anformational item there for you. Uh move to our ex officio student members
041board. >> Well, I would like to start off saying that the end of the year has ran very smoothly for all the school. I mean for us seniors, we had uh the last day was great. We went to the walkthrough through our elementary schools. Everyone was so excited. The kids were smiling, jumping up and down the halls. It was great. Um, but I think the schools ran great this year and especially during the end. I mean, teachers have been wonderful. So, yeah, I think it's been great. Everything's been great and this position's been great. So, thank you very much. >> You want to introduce your passing torch, too? >> Savon, he's going to be taking over for me next year. So, congratulations. >> Congratulations. >> All right. Nothing else more to say. >> Oh, yeah.
042>> All right. um for my presence report. Um just like to say it's been a privilege to work with all of you. Uh it's been a privilege to serve in the district for nine years and uh yeah, welcome to everyone who's coming on board and hope to see good things continue here in Nagfield. With that, I'll pass the superintendent. >> Thank you. Um I just want to comment on the seniors. Um the the end of the year, they've just been incredible. I mean, I I I have to share this. Okay, we on the Friday, which is the last day of school, it is very typical for our seniors to decide that they're going to have breakfast in our parking lot. They circle the wagons, right? You know, like the Buffalo Bills, not the Pittsburgh Steelers.
043I heard Steelers. Sorry. Sorry. I had to get that in. Who would put that in the card? Congratulations for them appointing. I didn't get a vote. So, so, um, but you know, the the the students were incredible that day, but I I just want to move back up one day before that. On the Thursday before, my phone rang, I don't know, about 6:30 in the morning, and it was Marissa, 7:00 in the morning, and she said, "Um, Dan, we have some kids that are in the parking lot today." I was like, "Two breakfast in a row. They're coming two days in a row. What's going on?" I she said, "I'm going out there now." And and she texted me back and she said, "They're all good." She said, "They brought their own garbage can and
044garbage bags." I mean, those are our kids, right? Those are our students. Like, that's something to be really proud of. Like, that's super cool. I don't know how many places that would happen. Um, so it was it was a moment that kind of got me. Maybe I was still half asleep, but um on my way or in my office, but it was really cool. So to your to your class, Ethan, you've been a great representative this year, but that was a pretty cool moment, I think. And uh also prom um they had a venue that we had never been to before. Um it was an incredible venue and I want to thank our SRO's whose one's in the back right now, Alex Drake. Our SRO's are here for for everything. Our SSOs are also a
045big part of what we do. I mean, you heard about Rebecca Bright a little bit earlier, but Alex, the two of them, um, you know, if we have an event and we need them there, they're always there. And, uh, that was it was true, too, at our, um, our prom this year. So, huge credit to our senior class this year. Um, graduation, the the culmination of all that hard work is June 25th. That's Thursday night. Um, 7 o'clock. Believe the doors open at 5:30. Does that sound right? Okay. So, we let people start coming in. I say doors. The the field opens at 5:30 because it is outside. Um so, we're looking forward to that. Certainly, I want to um just a big thank you to uh our families this year, our school leaders this
046year. The the end of the school year in in in our school district's awesome thing. the things that are happening in our elementary schools, our middle school, our high school from, you know, field days to, you know, different uh parent parent group activities that are being run. It's a it's really incredible and there's so much work that goes into all that. So much planning and I just want to say thank you uh to roles that all those people play in helping make this a special place because it is it's truly special. Um, we have a draft calendar out right now for all of our board members. And one of the things that I'm going to ask the board to to act on tonight is the um or I don't think they've acted on it is
047the first meeting for next school year. >> We did act on it. We might need to change that meeting tonight. Okay. I think we initially had it for July 1. So, um, they're going to talk about that. The draft calendar, for those who have seen it also had a day in April next year, um, that April 21st would have been our regular meeting date. And, um, I was asking the board to consider April 20th instead of the 21st. That's something that the newly seated board um, at the first meeting in July, notice I didn't say the date, um, should act on. Okay. We also talked a little bit about I sent some information to the board and provided them some information ahead of time. They had asked me uh to to talk with our group
048about uh field usage. So I shared some documents with them, some draft documents. I'm just going to share out loud just a little bit what we discussed. Um, currently if you went to our website, there's a turf field use fee schedule and there's three different categories. The second category is NW based student or adult groups. Currently, that's it's $75 an hour for those groups. The board asked to consider and give a give a recommendation of something that was less for those NWbased student adult groups. And so we're we we're recommending dropping that to instead of $75 an hour to $50 an hour. Okay? So that's a $25 an hour drop, but also capping it. The board has to actually cap that at a total of six hours of cost. Not that they couldn't be here
049for seven hours or an eighth hour, but that it wouldn't cost them beyond that for the field usage itself. if they if if they need some a cleaner who's going to be there, let's say, working during those hours, if they wanted security, they have to pay for the full hours of that, but they wouldn't they would only have to pay up to six hours if they had an all day event. Okay? So, I'm going to make those adjustments on here and we'll come back at the next meeting with with that recommendation. I also provided them with a fee scheduled for the new auditorium and the usage of that. So, um they had an opportunity to look at that. I'll bring that back then as an action item at the next next board meeting, right? Um
050and there is a significant difference in what that fee schedule would be for NW student or adult-based groups versus outside groups. Good. any any questions on that or any comments? Um, at the uh meeting in July, we'll also give a a kind of a brief update on the electric vehicle bus study that was done. Um, I've noted a few times that the NISBA conference is in Buffalo this year. It's October 22nd through the 24th. So, uh, board members who are interested, what when does that information >> Usually August I start to accept registration for that. >> Okay, great. And, um, Bob already mentioned the ribbon cutting that we're going to have to push that back. And then, uh, finally, I just want to thank Ethan again. We had a chance to talk talk about it
051at the last meeting, but thank you. um the amount of things that you're involved and to also be here at almost every single meeting and come with a report is incredible. So, thank you. Um the person sitting next to you, Mike, I want to thank Mike Lee again. Um three years dedicated service to the board. Thank you. And Jason, >> six years. >> Is it six years? So, did you let me Did I say three at the the last minute too and nobody directed me? Six years. So, double the dedication that I just mentioned. Mike, >> if we're counting the Apple system, >> you should put a little sticker on there. I got it all. Let's go. >> Does it say three? That's where I got the three from. Mike, thanks for your six years
052of service. Thank you. Um, and Jason, nine years of service and then also leading as the board president. Not an easy job. So, thank you. We appreciate it. That's all I have. All right. Thank you. Uh let's see reports to the board. There is a financial report there uh as informationational piece. Um any other items for board discussion? Any old business? Yeah, I'd like to make a motion to uh change the reorganization meeting date from July 1st to July 2nd at 6 p.m. >> Second discussion or >> um that I'm >> Okay. Uh motion's been made and seconded. Uh all those in favor, please say I. >> I posted abstained. Motion carries. >> July 2nd. What time? >> Six o'clock. >> Six. >> Same time. >> It's a Thursday. >> Yes. >> Was there any
053more discussion that anyone had on any of the schedule? >> No, I think Dan presented very well and that it that serves the community very well with the community organizations. So, >> so we'll bring those back if that's okay to the next meeting is what I'd recommend to act on once you can see the final document. >> Sounds good. Uh, open up for public comments. Anybody? Any board member comments tonight? >> Yeah, I'd like to I want to thank all the staff, teaching staff, SRPs, administrators for a wonderful job they did for all our students and the district. Um, as usual, everything went well and we thank you for that because these are the nuts and bolts that do it. we just sit here and look good and vote things in that Dan recommends and
054uh so we thank you all for that. Uh Mike Lee, I've known Mike for 12, 13 years. We worked together on a town of Niagara. Mike just retired from the police force. Uh we got a good relationship. He yells at me all the time for spending money, but other than that, uh, he's got a lot of irons in the fire here, but Mike, I thank you for your time and it's a pleasure and we'll continue to be at the town in Niagara. >> Thank you, >> Jason. I've known Jason before I even got on the school board. He would come over with my son and there's a half a dozen kids. Um, and uh, a lot of times they have sleepovers and then in the morning I'm making 150 pancakes with chocolate chips so young
055kids can eat. But uh, we thank you for your nine years here and uh, it's been a pleasure and uh, thank you. >> I just like to welcome our new new hirees. Um, this school district is special. I can think it's special. Anyway, it's pretty unique. And, uh, as far as Mike, thank you for your service. >> Starting to cry now. >> I'll keep talking. >> You put us through a No, I mean, >> thank you for your six years and Jason doing a fine job here on the board. I appreciate all the you've done. Thank you for your nine years. >> Yeah, Ditto. I mean, same thing with you. Um, obviously when Mike started on the board, it was like he came on and had some good shoes to fill and he filled them
056very well. And um, Jay, good job leading the board past couple years and again, pleasure working with you and you know, you always have a spot back here at uh, in committees. >> Never know, right? >> Mike, >> I'll piggy back off a couple things. Good. You know, I s I've known Mike for 25 30 years. I'm not gonna say anything nice to them because they wouldn't be me. >> Jay, great job this year running the uh the board. It was nice to see, you know, how you took control of it and did a great job. Um I brought up in the previous executive session about uh how we watched Lewon take care of their seniors at Leport and how, you know, it says Niagara Wheatfield. Our police department hasn't really been involved with the
057students since Military Road uh school left the district however many years ago. So I would like to take our police department and provide that service to the seniors next year um moving forward for their lunchship that volunteers all the whole department. We'll figure out the logistics with that. But you know it's something that I think that is deserving for those seniors and that I like to see our department become more involved with. So awesome. >> That's uh that's my uh plan for next year. >> Marissa just happens to be in the audience. It's great. >> Filt burgers. >> S has spicy hot dogs. >> I heard anybody else wants >> uh congratulations and welcome to everyone who's uh we we voted in tonight and uh appreciate the presentation. It's great to see some of the
058wonderful things that are going on in our district and congratulations to uh the class of 2026. Uh look forward to seeing that at graduation and congrats to the district our staff uh teachers for close of another year closing the books on 2026. So that's all I have with that. I'll call for a motion to adjurnn. >> So moved. >> Second.