001meeting to exit executive session. >> So move second. >> It's been moved and seconded. All those in favor, please say I. >> I. Opposed. Abstained. Motion carries. Uh now call for a motion to enter into public session. >> It's been moved and seconded. All those in favor, please say I. >> I. Opposed. Stained. Motion carries. Please rise for the pledge of allegiance. I aliance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Okay, we'll begin tonight with our Falcons of the month recognition. first having you here. Um I need to start always saying this when we do these are our favorite meetings of the year. Um the board of education loves the opportunity to honor our
002students who do an incredible job um in their respective schools. So tonight we have the distinction of honoring our next group of falcons of the month. Each school in our district celebrates numerous students each and every month for being outstanding. We have asked our schools to select one individual from the many honored to represent the group. Therefore the students we we will be honoring tonight, they actually represent the best of the best. In other words, these students have personified exactly what it is that we're looking for in a Niger field falcon. All of the certificates read the same way. I'm going to just read one. What'll happen this evening is this. After I read your name, you're going to come up. I'm going to shake your hand. You're going to take the certificate. You're then
003going to walk down and shake the hands of everybody at the table there. Okay. Um so I'm going to start with reading the certificate. Whereas the philosophy of education of the Nigerfield Central School District calls for aiding all students in the development and achievement of their potential. And whereas the primary goals of the school district include encouraging each student to develop a sense of values, instill a feeling of responsibility to self and to others, as well as an appreciation of good citizenship. Be it resolved that the board of education the Niagara Wheatfield Central School District hereby recognizes the following students. Our first student tonight that we'll be calling up is Daniel Ashby. Daniel Next we have Malia Bra. Next we have Cororamoto. Next we have Xander Jacobs. And next we have Lily Daniels. And I
004know she I know she's not here tonight, but Justina Ouch. um she was also one of our falcons of the month. So congratulations. Give Justina out there. Hey, thank you very much. Uh, congratulations to all our falcons of the month. Uh, we're going to take a short intermission. There's some cookies and punch in the back if you'd like to help yourselves. And if you would like to take a picture uh by the backdrop, you're also welcome to do that. Congrats once again. Congratulations. >> Congratulations. Good job. >> Congratulations. You can make it. Congratulations. Still got a big Okay, we'll call the meeting back to order. Uh, continuing on with our uh, anybody sign for residence comments? No. Anybody like to speak? Resence comments. Okay, >> please state your name and address. >> My name is
005Jackson Tar. address is 2434 Charlton Street. Um, I have a couple of documents I'd like to share with the board members if that's okay. >> Sure. >> And then a statement to read. >> Please. >> So there there are two documents that are coming around. Um the the first set is from the grade three ELA assessments from spring of 2025. Um there's a scoring rubric included and there are what they call guides. Uh we used to call them exemplars in Texas. Essentially they're two out of two responses. Right. Um, the second document that you should have received includes the question itself with the reading passage as well as the question as well as a student's response. That student's response was scored two out of two. So, what I'd ask you to do is, if you
006don't mind, have a look at the students response versus the exemplar side by side. Now, for the sake of time to respect my three minutes, I'd like to read my statement and I can leave copies for you if that's okay. Uh, this statement respects respectfully requests the board's attention to potential scoring inconsistencies in the 2025 New York State grade three ELA assessment, specifically within constructed response items. The district doesn't score the assessment. Scoring is done and conducted by a contracted vendor that receives payment for their services. Given this arrangement, accuracy, consistency, and transparency are essential to protect students and to uphold assessment integrity. As I noted, I provided you with two documents. One is the rubric, the guide, so on. The other is an actual student's response. primary concern for me as a parent. Inaccurate
007or inconsistent scoring can have direct educational consequences when scores do not reliably reflect student performance. Students who need targeted interventions, including but not limited to literary support, literacy support, small groupoup instruction, supplemental services, they may not be identified accurately. Conversely, students may be misidentified for supports that they do not require. These mismatches affect instructional placement, eligibility determination, progress monitoring, resource allocation, and ultimately it can undermine equity and student outcomes. I have two requests. One is transparency and documentation. I think it's important to require the scoring vendor that we've hired essentially to provide written protocols for their scoring, their quality control measures, interrator reliability statistics, and then secondly, independent audit. Commission an independent audit of a statistically valid sample of these constructed response examples, including the one I've provided. having scored blind by trained educators using
008the NICE rubric. Compare those findings to what the vendor provided. In conclusion, vendor-based scoring demands rigorous oversight. The attached rubric, guide papers, and student response together indicate a plausible scoring inconsistency that merits review. Prompt action will help students who require intervention and are and are appropriately identified and supported. And it'll also ensure that assessment results remain a trustworthy foundation for instructional decision making. So if you don't mind, I'll hand out a copy of my statement. So you have it if you want to refer. That's all I >> Okay. Uh, moving on to our consensus agenda items. I'll call for a motion to accept consensus agenda items 1 through 10 as presented. It's been moved and seconded. All those in favor, please say I. >> I. >> Second. Motion carries. Call for a motion to accept
009personnel items 1 through 47 as presented. Second move and seconded. >> All those in favor, please say I. >> Posted. Moving on to our standing committees. uh table products in >> uh yeah um we as a group um meeting were able to review the auditorium and uh it's starting to take shape. We're kind of it looks like we're going to be close to down to the wire getting to our due date but uh it's really starting to take shape. You can actually see what all the infrastructure is pretty much done except doing the all the chairs and everything else the surrounding area. Uh we also went to the tech tech room in the high school and uh that's that's completed now. So that's up and running and so it's starting to look good there with
010the tech rooms that we got now in middle school and the high school. And that's about all I have for >> Thank you very much. Uh there's an external written communication to the board. Aformational item will fundraiser. Move on to our exeicio student. Hello. I would like to say that for the last week of December, we had a fantastic spirit week with all the students at the high school and I thought it was fantastic and everyone from what I'm seeing is very happy to get back to school and they're doing all really well. That's all much uh president's report. Um I don't have much other than our NOSA legislative breakfast is coming up the end of the month on the 31st on Saturday uh 8:30 I believe it weekends uh and the program starts at
0119 which is appreciate coming out and with that I will pass it to >> thank you I'll start with happy new year to everybody. Um certainly happy to have all the students back, but I want to go back to 2025 for just a minute. At the end of 2025, uh before we left for the before students left for the break, there was a high school um music concert and that I was able to attend. Our students sounded awesome. I mean, just here, but um they did they did an incredible job. It was wonderful. great um event to be part of just prior to the holidays and uh the week prior our high school play um the students did an outstanding job. So just hats off to them to the teachers um for the work that
012they did getting our kids ready for all that particularly during that busy uh season for many talked a little about the auditorium. I do want to say this. Um, one of one of the things we're really hoping for is to be able to have our musical in the auditorium. We also know that we need to make sure that the auditorium is ready and that we can um make it so that the musical will work. The we have set a date uh at the end of January to make that determination. Sunni Niagara has been holding uh the dates for the district. If we have to have it at Sunni Niagara, we will we'd of course love to have it here in in our own auditorium, but we we can and will only wait so long. There's
013a lot of um things that are impacted um by the date of the musical. Um in other words, you know, our sports season and students who are participating are doing that. Once they get a few weeks into that, it's a lot harder for them to to do both. So, um so we'll see where we're at. Um, but what I won't do is um push that work to the point where it's not getting done right or push that work to where it's done, but we don't get a chance to to get in there and practice and know that all the equipment is going to work because these kids work way too hard to not have um our our equipment that's in the auditorium work. So, those are the things that we use to make this decision.
014Okay. Um in your folders you should have a draft uh joint management team calendar. For those not familiar um the joint management team are the four Boseies that our Boseies is one of the four um that we're connected to. Those four the the four Boseies all put together this this calendar. Idea being we share a lot of programs locally and and the goal is to align our calendar as closely with their calendar as possible so that our kids aren't missing out on things when they participate in the Boseis programs. You might remember last year me saying that um next year is going to be a lot different. If you notice, the first thing that you'll notice when you look on the calendar are those three dates that are in red are all in September this
015year. Those are our professional development days. Normally, those are in August. The reason they're not in August is because our students come back the day after Labor Day. The day after Labor Day is the 8th. Labor Day is as late as it can ever be, the seventh. Okay? So what that means is it compresses the number of days that we have that we have to get our 188 days in. Some districts have 185 days, 176 days, 189 days, right? We have 188 days. We have to get our 188 in. It just so happens that our Boseies Orleans Niagara um just went to 180 day 188 day calendar as well. um the many in the JMT have approximately that number. This draft calendar is actually based off of 188 days. My recommendation is that we that
016we take this calendar as it is. Um you don't have to make that decision tonight if you don't want to. You can certainly take a look at it, make any recommendations, any changes. It's certainly the board's discretion. I will say two things to note that are very different for next year and again it's because of that compressed schedule. If you look at November um we've and I think our families our kids probably very well our staff have become spoiled that the day right before Thanksgiving has been off for a number of years. Okay, that's not the case. And then if you look at um December um the day before uh Christmas Eve we've had off for a number of years. that's not the case for next year. Okay, those are the the things that I
017would highlight. If you have any questions, I'll certainly take those. Um, if if you want to act on it, that's up to you. Or you can certainly make um on January 20th, the Erie Niagara School Superintendent Associate Association is hosting um an electrification seminar. Okay. We've asked um National Brit Nice um Naerta uh to all take part. We're looking for their expertise. This is not about the buses themselves. Okay, that everybody knows they cost more. Everybody knows all those things. What we're looking to get from them is a good understanding of where the current technology is now. um as far as the ability to electri to electrify the fleets that need to be electrified, right? So, we're looking to get that information. We're looking at what the future soon, next couple year technology might bring.
018Um, and we're looking at what they believe the upgrades are that need to take place for the electric companies, but also for the districts. Now, um, we've invited the 98 districts in Western New York to take part. Each one's able to bring three representatives. Um there's four of us who are part of the uh Niscus Legislative Committee that we're going to be the ones um facilitating that day uh with the questions with the with the group. This is not a um in any way uh an attempt to put these people in bad position when they come to speak to us. We want to know from them what they believe is capable and and what the potential is in the in near future because all of us districts will need to start making decisions about what
019we're going to do with our buses. Now, many of us are in the process of getting our individual surveys back. As a matter of fact, the N and I just got our verbal report um on Monday. T Tuesday. >> It's been a long day. That was yesterday. >> Yesterday. Okay. And um we should be getting the the final version of that sent over to us. They're also going to send us the presentation that they provided to us that we can then share with you. But my thought is that we get through our budget season and then we talk about it. Maybe we'll talk about it a little bit once we get the report that we then get through our budget season and we really talk about it because it would be something that we'd really
020be considering for next year's budget and the future budgets. Okay. Um I sent something to all the members of the board asking if you're interested. Bob sent me something said he was interested. One more person could come along if you are. If you're not, I'll certainly ask Deanna if she'd like to like to attend. Um, but I'll certainly be there, but I'd have to be. >> Anybody interested at this point? When you look at your calendar, January 20th, 1 to 2:30, it's good. So, you're Oh, I'll send everything to the county. Okay. Um Jason already mentioned the legislative breakfast. Um tonight we will talk a little bit about finance. We're not going to give an official budget presentation until our next meeting and um next month we have Boseies come and give a presentation here
021to our group. Okay, that's all I have. >> Thank you very much. Uh moving on to reports to the board finance reports. >> So we are working on um compiling the budget information that we can at this time. The departments and the buildings have their budgets due to next week and so we're working on salaries and all those productions. Um we're still waiting on state initial state numbers. um and some components of the property tax cut will be that compilation which will help us determine our threshold for our budget. And and I'll just add that that the expectation or what we're seeing um out there right now is that the executive budget which is the the governor's budget and for those that don't know in New York state what happens is the governor will put
022out a budget and then after that the legislature will then put out their one house budgets. Okay. So um the executive budget we're expecting to come out at the end of January. Thank you. Uh any items for board discussion? Any old business? Uh new business. Um does anyone have any particular feelings on this of wanting to review it any longer and prepared to take a vote? >> Okay. All right. Uh >> Steve, you won two weeks in a row though, didn't you? Easter. Thanks for bringing that up, Bob. >> Okay. Um, with that, I'll call for a motion to accept the GMT regional calendar as submitted. >> So moved. >> Second. >> It's been moved and seconded. All those in favor, please say I. I. Opposed. Motion carries. >> Uh, any other new business? Anybody?
023Hey. Uh, any other public comments? I'm so sorry. Can I can I one more thing? Um, but I meant to start with this. This morning, this is for particularly the families at Colonial Village. This morning after students were already in the middle of being picked up, we found out um that the power was out. The power went out. Um, we obviously had an important decision to make. We would never just turn those buses around. We don't know if they're going back to empty houses. We bring all the kids in. Um, get them in, get them breakfast, and then make a determination as to whether or not we're send them home. Normally, when the power goes out, it's 30 minutes, an hour. They're our partners, uh, with the electric company, they know it's the school, they
024try to get on that one first, right? Um, this one, they told us that it was going to be five to six hours. So, we made sure that we put out another communication to families saying that we believe that we may end up having to send students home. We were going to make that decision at about 11:00 and then we'd start sending them home about 11:30. About 15 minutes before 11:00, I got a call um saying that power should be up in a minute. It wasn't a minute. It was a long long seven minutes, I think. But whatever that was, we were all waiting. The power did go back on. how they were able to keep kids. I I just want everybody to know our goal is always to keep kids here. Particularly when it
025comes to elementary kids when they're here for the day, sending them home, even if we send multiple messages, we don't know that all the parents get those messages. And so it's always a concern for us. We we want to we want our kids to be here. We want to be able to educate them. We don't want to send them home. We're not looking to to to send them home when something like that happens. Our goal, we have emergency power. We're our goal is to let that go until the regular power kicks back on and keep kids in. But the real reason I wanted to talk about all of that was because I wanted to say um thank you. I was um on the phone during all these conversations, but I was actually out of the
026district to Tom and Deanna. Um they did an incredible job leading today. Jeff Cassishia, who's the principal of Colona Village, who's here tonight to honor one of his students. Um he did a phenomenal job. and our staff, they they just respond incredibly well. I want to thank Mark Place. Um Dave Caldwell, our electrician, they they got all over really quick. Um who am I missing? Deanna, probably a lot of people, but you know, the group and you know, our our food service, our transportation, they were all ready, okay? They had we had multiple plans on how we're going to feed kids, how we're going to feed them differently, um if we needed to, how we're going to use other schools. So that's the kind of work that goes into it. But they did an outstanding
027job today and I just want to tip my hat to them. >> Thank you. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Okay. Uh moving on. Uh any public comments >> and board member comments tonight? I just want to acknowledge the if you saw with our personnel agenda the number of retirees that we had on there and the names that were on there for many of us that had kids that go through the district you could probably recognize a lot of those names is because they're a lot of those teachers that have been here for a while and they getting picked on our kids and I just want to congratulate all of them on on their retirements and their service and thank them for their service to the district for all these years and what they've meant
028to Nagal too we remember you want to mention that in June we always honor >> right we we yeah we yeah we yeah we yeah we yeah we yeah we yeah we yeah we yeah we yeah we have we have the the honores in June for them. But I just want to because it's on our our agenda tonight, I wanted to just bring it up. Good. Anybody else? Right. With that, I'll call for a motion to adjourn. So move. It's been moved and seconded. All those in favor, please say I. I. Post. Motion carries. Thank you.