001Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I'm calling the meeting to order now at 5:38 p.m. Welcome school district monthly meeting through 17 2026. In attendance tonight is myself, Lis Johnson, board president, first vice president Leon, second vice president Chris Herring, trustees Leslie Cret, Carol Seahhawk, and Megan Methman is anticipated that Michael McDonald will be arriving. Also in attendance in attendance tonight is our superintendent, Dr. Talbert, our assistant, our assistant superintendent of curricular instruction, Mary Stevens, our director of human resources, Mandal, our interim assistant superintendent of finance and operations, Joe Bone. Also in attendance is the council, John Sheen. At this point in time, we are going to go into at 5:39 go into executive session for advice from council and particular persons employment district. Can I have a motion? >> Motion. >> Second. >> Chris Mer
002is first. Leslie Fretz second. All those in favor. >> I. Motion carries 6. We will see you out in open roughly around 7:30 p.m. Thank you for joining us >> for the monthly board of education meeting June 17, 2026. We are resuming open now at 720. Oh, I can't resume it. I'll be I'll resume open roughly about 2 minutes. I have to wait till 7:30. So, just give me two more minutes and then I'll resume open. center. >> Zoom open now at 7:29 for the June 17, 2026 board of education meeting. Um, please make a note of where you are currently sitting. In case of emergency, please silence your cell phone and join the board of education in the pledge of allegiance. Before we get started any further, just a quick note. Um some of
003the um the agendas will be coming. Um so please when they come, we'll let you know that they're here. That's number one. And number two, once the agendas do come, there are a couple of items that we're not going to be voting on tonight. So, I will wait till they come and then I'll make the announcement what's not going to be voted on tonight. So, Dr. Tom, I'm going to turn the meeting over to you. Good evening, Board of Education, colleagues, community. At this time, we are pleased to hear a report from our exofficio student board member, uh, Miss Aaliyah McQueen. Tonight is maybe her last meeting with us. She is a graduating senior and we're very proud of her accomplishments and all that she has contributed to our school district. And so tonight, she's
004going to provide us with her report. Good evening everyone. Now that the school year is coming to a close and I'll be graduating, I'd like to touch on the process of electing the exeicio student board members. First, applicants would have to complete a profile form detailing what clubs or sports they are a part of and how much time they dedicate to it. Next, they would have to write three essays about what attributes they possess that make them the right fit, what student voice means to them, and how they plan to advocate for students, and lastly, their involvement within the AMville community and the impact it has has had on themselves and the community. The application also included four letters of recommendation. After the application process was complete, they then had to go through an interview
005process with the officers of the student council and our student council advisor. It's a long process to do, but it's all worth it to ensure that the right fit will be selected and will uphold the position effectively. We can't wait to have our next exeicio student board member be appointed. And it is a pleasure to announce that our next one is upcoming junior Katherine Martinez Lopez. I would also like to take the time to thank the board and theu and the community for everything and for the experience I had while serving. I learned a lot about working collaboratively and being involved within the community and being a good leader. Thank you and have a good night. >> I just want to say thank you for your time on the board. You guys have really been
006an asset. you've um provided information to us as a board and we look forward to future individuals being involved on the board. So, thank you for your time. >> Yes. Thank you, Aaliyah. >> At this time, I'll provide the superintendence report. Across the district, students have been enjoying memorable end of the year experiences. Congratulations to the student musicians and directors of the Amityville Memorial High School and Edmund W. Miles Middle School for their outstanding achievements at the NISMA Major Organization Assessment Festival. Under the direction of Mr. Joseph Damato Garcia, the Amityville Memorial High School Chorus earned a prestigious gold rating for its level five performance. Recognizing yes, the exceptional talent, dedication, and hard work of our students and music staff, the high school jazz ensemble and high school band, both under the direction of Mr.
007Anthony Abate, also earned gold ratings for their level five performances. The high school orchestra under the direction of Miss Bianca Ferrante received a gold with distinction rating for its level four performance. In addition, the Edund W Miles Middle School 7th and eighth grade Orchestra earned a goal rating for its level two performance. and the seventh and eighth grade band received a silver rating for their level two performance. Congratulations, and we're so very proud of our high quality arts education that is fostering creativity and excellence in our student musicians. At Northeast Elementary, our kindergarten students enjoyed an energetic kerboom kids assembly that promoted fitness, movement, and healthy habits through interactive activities and dance. We encourage all parents and community to if you know anyone who has a rising kindergartener, please have them to register for kindergarten,
008which will be held at Northeast Elementary. Northwest Elementary students participated in a fun-filled field day, enjoying a variety of activities that promoted teamwork, sportsmanship, and school spirit. Park Avenue Memorial Elementary students celebrated the completion of the Girls on the Run program with a 5K event at Eisenhower Park. They showcased confidence, perseverance, and teamwork. Edund W. Miles Middle School students, staff, families, and community members under the coordination of Miss Patty Deak gathered for a meaningful peace pole installation ceremony that was sponsored by the Rotary Club. The middle school also hosted an outstanding drama performance, If You Were There High School Musical Jr. At Amityville Memorial High School, we proudly recognized our outstanding student athletes during the annual athletic awards ceremony and celebrated a cherished tradition yesterday as our seniors participated in the senior walk, returning to
009the elementary and middle schools that helped shape their educational journey. I would also like to extend a special thank you to all of our principles, assistant principles, director of special education, Miss Mary Stevens, family liaison, faly staff members, Amityville Memorial High School band, student clubs, advisors, our board of education, and many students who proudly represented the district at the North Amunville parade and family day on June 6th. It was truly a wonderful display of rising together. Everywhere you looked, Amityville Red was on display as our school pride shined throughout the community. The strong participation from our schools demonstrated our commitment to community engagement and the positive relationships we continue to build with our families and residents. Congratulations as well to Reynolds Hawkins, former social worker and legendary track and field coach and ATA president Nikia
010Williams, who served as the grand marshalss of the parade. We thank them for their leadership, service, and longstanding dedication to the Amityville community. As we approach the end of the school year, I would also like to encourage families to take advantage of our summer bridge program for students entering grades kindergarten, grade 1, grade three, grade 6, and grade nine. These programs provide students with a wonderful opportunity to build confidence, make connections, and prepare for a successful transition into a new school year. Finally, I would like to wish all of our students the very best as they complete final exams and the remaining regions examinations. We are proud of the hard work, perseverance, and growth our students have demonstrated throughout the year. I encourage them to finish strong and continue striving for excellence. Thank you to
011our students, staff, families, community partners, and board of education for your continued support of our schools and our children. And that concludes our report. Thank you, Dr. Talbert. Moving on to presentations. The first presentation will be by Mr. Joe Dreon on fund balance options. There was discussion at our last meeting on June 3rd that the board of education would be voting on a resolution tonight uh regarding reserve funds and where the funds would be allocated. They will be addressing agenda item 3D2 when we get to the finance portion of tonight's agenda. Thank you, Mr. Drago. >> Thank you, Dr. Talbert. >> So, I'd like to start on the bottom of this chart. You should recognize that as the budget that was proposed for 2627 and the relative increase in the budget at 2.64%. And the
012voter approved tax levy increase that we've been talking about for months now of 1.56%. There is one additional piece of information I'd like to give to you, which is that when News Day reported our tax levy limit, they reported it as 2.23%. And the reason why that happened you can see in the last line of this chart. We were required because of what happened in 2526 and we did not do the energy performance contract that we were scheduled to do. Excuse me. In 2425, we were required to hold back $436,164 of the tax levy from 2425 and put it into a reserve which we're we were required to use in to reduce the voter approved tax levy from 66,954 964,28 to 66,527,864. That resulted in a increase according to the controller a levy limit increase
013of 2.2 23%. We levied 1.56% higher than the voters approved in 2526. And that levy 68,11,081 is exactly the levy limit that we were held to by the controller. It hasn't changed since the very first presentation we made on the budget back in March. So that explains the budget for 2627. Those numbers should be familiar to you because those numbers were actually published in the budget newsletter uh on our website etc. One more number I'd like to point out to you is the 2,892,915 number. That's what I was proposing we used from our endofyear fund balance to reduce the tax levy for 2627. In other words, to offset the tax levy that we would otherwise have to impose in 2627. In March, I thought we would be able to do that without touching, excuse me,
014by using the unexpended fund balance of 2.5 million and $310,000 from our reserves. Then come May, I did another calculation of our fund balance and found we're not going to have $2.5 million unexpended. We're going to have over $6 million unexpended. So now we're in the position of having more money than we need to apply to the fund to apply to reduce the levy. And you now have some options as a board of education as to what you do with that money. So now I'm going to take you to the top of the chart. The top of the chart, the lower right hand corner, shows how I'm accounting for the $6.7 million that will be unexpended in the 26 at the 2526 budget. I am proposing to you that we return to our reserves the
015amounts listed in the right hand column under the word authorization. Workers comp, for example, I'm proposing that we add $2 million to the workers comp reserve. By the way, this year in workers comp alone, we spent $700,000. So this is the equivalent of about three years worth of expense in the workers comp fund workers comp reserve. I'm also proposing we increase our unemployment insurance, our teacher retirement system reserve, our employees retirement system reserve by the indicated amounts. Now, I will tell you that each one of these amounts has been discussed with our auditor and with council to some extent to make sure that we're not violating the law by putting this money away into these reserves. Our auditor Alan Yu from Cullen and Denonowski has reviewed this proposal and tells me it is perfectly appropriate
016for us to do this. We had a problem last year in that this presentation was not made to the board when it should have been made in June. I don't remember the reasons why, but we did not make this presentation to you. And as a result, we had $8 million 8,85,841 sitting in a line called unappropriated or unassigned, excuse me, unassigned, which is limited to no more than 4% of the following year's budget. Unfortunately, that amount is too big. It's too big by almost $4 million. So, one of the first things I'm recommending to you is that we assign that 3,847,311. We assign that to some other reserve. The second thing I'm suggesting to you is that we create a new reserve. This reserve is called the insurance reserve. This is a reserve where we
017can put money away to pay for items that would normally be covered by insurance such as child victims act claims and other tors that the school district may be liable for. And we're allowed to create this reserve and put up to 5% of the following year's budget in the reserve in that reserve. So we could with $123 million put as much as $6 million into that reserve. I'm not proposing six million. I'm proposing four million. And the reason why I'm proposing 4 million is that that would get us to the point where we've absorbed into our reserves the full $6.7 million that we might have unexpended at the end of the year. That's not your only option, though. So, here are some options for you to consider. Instead of returning $2,892,915 in fund balance, you
018could instead return. Oops. Sorry. One of the disadvantages of getting old is that you can't see these silly computers anymore. You could return an additional million dollars. As a result, the tax voterapproved tax levy would be only 0.07%. Close to zero. If you wanted to add a few more thousands, you could get it to zero. I've said this to you so many times that I'm sure that you could say it for me. The disadvantage to doing that is that your levy will be permanently lowered forever. The advantage is that you will say to taxpayers, "We hear you. We're reducing our levy in accordance with your request. we still would need to put $3 million away in the insurance reserve. Now, the reason why that's important to keep in mind is that the insurance reserve will
019act as that buffer for us that we'll be able to use that insurance reserve and all of the other reserves to mitigate the fact that the tax levy will be lower. And in 2728, instead of having an unexpended balance of $6 million, maybe you only have an unexpended balance of $2 million. Well, then you could use some of your other reserves to make up the difference. And instead of returning only $2 million, you return the same $3.8 8 million, but you're starting to constrict your reserves. >> I just want to make sure that I've that that there are no questions from you guys before. >> I think Yeah. >> Is it is is it clear? >> Yes, >> I was clear until the end. >> Okay. So, instead of and then Megan Megan wanted to
020ask a question. I have other questions, but yeah, go ahead. >> Okay, go ahead. >> You you really have two choices here. You could levy the 1.56% that the voters approved. They approved that the budget was passed. Voters approved the budget. You would then put $4 million into the insurance reserve and you would use the reserves in the future to make up for the fact that your levy has been lowered by a million dollars. That's not a great way to do it, but certainly with $6 million left over this year, I find it difficult to say that we should levy the full 1.56% even though it was approved by the voters. >> So I >> sorry um Dr. >> Thank you. Thank you again for awarding the uh the doctorate to me. It's >> Yeah.
021>> Well, you spoke so eloquently, so >> Oh, thank you. >> So, my my question Well, number one, thank you for the presentation. And number two, are are you saying that the 1.56 tax le are you talking about offsetting the current tax levy or for a future? >> No, the the the 2627 tax levy. >> Okay. >> Yes. >> Very good. >> Did you have more questions? >> Sorry. I just so what you're saying is that we just won't collect the taxes because it was approved. So how does that what's that process? What is that? >> So again checking with our auditors and with council, you have until the levy is set in August. >> Okay. to make changes to the amount of money you put in reserves and the amount of money you use
022from fund balance to reduce the levy for the following year. You cannot do this after the levy. The levy will be set on August 12th. Okay, that date is the date at which the board of education will meet to decide on the levy because that's the date that Nassau County needs to set their levy, not Suffach. Suffach doesn't require us to tell them until October, but since we have to collect from both counties. >> Yes, I remember. >> No, it's Nassau. The Nassau deadline is is August 15th. The suffic deadline is October something. >> So I that's >> I do have a question. Keep rolling make you have more questions. >> Um I did but sure >> I just I just have it's still connected to what you're talking about. So just for my clarification
023so you were saying with the line that has the $2.8 million roughly if we add a million dollars to that particular line that would bring the levy down to 0.7%. >> 0.07. Yes. 0.07, but if it goes down to 0.07, that's where you're going to start. >> That's the base following year. >> And so the impact would be that. But if we take the remaining 3 million and put it into this new insurance reserve, if we if the money was needed, it could be moved over. >> Yes. >> To address the tax levy or we have to leave it the zero. There are there are limitations with how you could use money in the reserve funds, >> right? >> For example, >> you could next year when you build the budget, you could decide that
024you're not going to tax for the cost of workers compensation, but you're instead going to draw on your workers compensation reserve to pay that liability. >> Okay? And you guys know because I'm sure that every business official has explained this to you. You could only do that a limited number of times. When you've drained that reserve, you have no choice then but to go back to the taxpayers and ask them for money to operate schools. >> And then the second this the um the insurance reserve that's new. >> Mhm. If I understood you correctly, that would be utilized for any sort of litigation. Did you Okay. >> It's there. There is actually a resolution in your packet tonight. >> Right. >> That the board would act on to create the insurance reserve. Thank you very
025much, Mr. Sheen, for providing that resolution to us. and it spells out the methods, the things for which we could use that money. >> Thank you. That's Thank you. Any other questions? >> Thank you, Mr. Dre. Just a reminder to the board. Uh last year, May 30th, 2025, the business official resigned and there was a transitional business official joining us. So to answer your wondering and your question as to why it was not done last year, it was not done because of the transition of the business official resigning May 30th and the other one joining us in the interim. >> Thank you, Dr. Talbot. I just did not want to throw a fellow business official under the bus, but I did want to point out to you that this should have been done last June,
026and the reason why it doesn't was because of the transition. Yeah. Thank you. Any other questions? >> Yes. Yes. Thank you. Um, so what are we being asked to vote on? We're being asked to establish the insurance >> I'm so glad you asked that question. All you're being asked to vote on tonight is the establishment of the insurance reserve fund and the amounts under authorization not to exceed. In other words, I'm not asking you tonight to decide you're going to put $2 million into the workers comp reserve, $4 million into the insurance reserve. I'm just asking you for authorization to put up to those amounts so that if if my estimate of unexpended fund balance is accurate and we do have $6.7 million unexpended, we will have places to put that money, including returning it
027to the taxpayers, putting it into a reserve. All you're all we're asking for tonight is for you to authorize up to those amounts to go into the reserves. And then when our auditor comes in and does a real accurate assessment of what our unexpended fund balance will be, >> at that point we'll come back to you and say, "Thank you very much for the authorization. We didn't need to put $4 million into the insurance reserve. We only put $3 million. And on August 12th, you will be able to decide how much you want to apply from fund balance to mitigate the tax increase for next year. >> I So I thought that we had to before the end of the month of June deal with the fact that our unassigned fund balance was over the
0284%. That's exactly what we're doing here. June 30th, these changes will take will the the change will be effective June 30th, but we won't make the real changes until we know exactly what our fund balance is. >> I got it. So, we won't have like an on the 29th, we're not going to have a meeting to say no. Okay. Ma'am, the money ma'am. So, >> the meeting you'll have is on August 12th. at which point I with Dr. Talbert's permission will present to you the actual numbers that we're proposing to put into the reserves and applying to reduce the following year's levy. >> Okay. Can you just explain so in the recommendation pages like there's reference to grant money that's also being moved into reserves. What's that all about? General municipal law allows you to
029use various sources of funds to put into the reserves. One of the sources of funds may be grants, but that's that's not how that's not what we're going to do. What we're going to do is money unexpended from the general fund will be moved into these reserves on or before August 12th. But the I there's three references to $300,000 procured by a grant, $350,000 procured by a grant, and $100,000 procured by grant. So why >> I'm sorry. >> Oh, >> I'm sorry. Forgive me. I I misunderstood your question. You see the middle column, Megan? The column that says 33126. I'm sorry. Um my my eyes are not that good either. Yeah. >> So the middle column, the column that says 33126 >> reflects the fact that we received, if you remember, a grant fromwami uh
030Oaro, our assembly person, in the amount of $2 million. Just want to clarify the the term grant is referencing state aid grant a bullet grant from our assemblyman. It's not one of the federal grants that we use to operate the district with on an annual basis. So I just wanted to clarify you were inquiring about grant but he's referencing the one-time >> right. So that just >> so we're getting this grant money but >> it's not with a specific purpose. We got the grant money from Assemblyman O Farrell >> and we and the board approved it. We recommended to you that we use that money to replenish our reserves and in fact we put $300,000 into the workers comp reserve. We changed it from 1384 to 1684. We put 350,000 into the ERS reserve. We
031increased it from 2,589 to 2,939. We put $100,000 into the employee benefit acred liability reserve and we put 1,250,000 into our capital reserve. And that was a recommendation that we made to the board and that the board approved. Okay, >> go ahead. Go ahead. >> U, Mr. Done, I'm not sure if you have the information, but with that bullet grant that Dr. Talbert mentioned, are there any restrictions or parameters for the usage that you are aware of? >> No. Unless the assembly person told us a specific purpose for the grant, there is no restriction. >> Thank you. And a grant and a grant in aid by the way gets recorded in the general fund. >> Okay. Uh question I have is you know during the budget presentations you had a spreadsheet where you would change
032some of the numbers and it would give us the the like five-year look ahead of what the um funds would be going down the line based on the tax levy. Would you be able to provide us with something similar to that before can before the 12? >> I didn't I didn't want to do it tonight because I wanted to try to get this all on one page, but yes, that might be useful for you to have >> the impact of following these recommendations. What will be our fund balance in reserves going forward? >> Right. When you presented that to us, it was based on the expected funds that we had at the end of this year, but now we're going to have additional funds. >> Correct. >> So, what will the >> correct? And I
033hope that one one of the things I leave as my legacy for Dr. Talbert is that we have a budget this year, next year 2627 that's much tighter that does not result in a $6 million surplus at the end of the year. And the reason why I'm reasonably sure that that's going to happen is because of the way we built this budget. We literally did person by person, line by line, we calculated health insurance benefits on the basis of real people receiving health insurance. I did not say, "Oh, let's just assume it's going to go up 8%." We actually went in and got every single person and retiree was getting health insurance and put that line one line at a time in the budget. So if you look at the budget that was available to
034the public, you'll see for example there were 81 individual coverages in the teachers association and they were paying 14.75% of the cost of their insurance and therefore the district's cost is 85.25% and that line is in the budget. It's not taking last year's number and just increasing it. Okay. So, I'm reasonably sure that next year's budget will be tighter, that we will not have $6 million left over, that um again, I'll come back and visit when it when it comes time to so that you could flog me if I'm wrong. Um, but that's also a cautionary tale because if you don't have $6 million left over next year, if you only have $1 million left over next year and you don't want to raise taxes, you see that 3,892,000 that we're proposing. Well, you'd have
035to make up 2,892,000 from your reserves or from, God willing, an increase in state aid or tremendous increases in interest rates so that your earned income will be higher, etc., etc. Right? That's why business officials are so cautious about the budget before the voters approve it, promising things that we may not be able to keep. >> Yes. >> Any other? >> Sure. Uh Mr. Done, slightly off topic, but on topic. You you had given previous presentations that showed a lot of fluctuation in the past the history of Amityville 10 years with the levy fluctuating sometimes at zero. We've had a negative levy we've had as high as by my own recollection something like 3.47. Your feeling because you work with this budget. Do you feel that we are now getting more stable in this regard?
036Does this budget move us towards that? >> I that's what I've been working towards since March 3rd to try to get us on a sound footing. Uh this budget increases by 2.64%. And I will tell you within that 2.64% 64%. You've added a lot of good stuff. Instructional coaches, department chairpeople, more clubs. You've absorbed the increase in the contractual salaries that have been granted to your bargaining units. You're getting we're by our estimate you're getting another eight 9% increase in health insurance for the second half of the year. We already got a 12% increase in health insurance for the first half of this year. All of that is built into a 2.64% increase in the budget. So that number alone tells me that we've contracted somewhat and made this a little more realistic that we're
037getting the budget closer to expense. >> Are there any any other additional questions for Mr. Done? >> Um Mr. you're going do you are you able to speak to what areas are ending with so much surplus just off the top of your head for a $6.7 million surplus? >> Yes, I can. Uh special education once again has a number of purchase orders that have encumbered money beyond what they're going to spend. understandably because special education never knows what students are going to be coming in, what services they might need based on cse recommendations, etc. So, special education is a big portion of that. Transportation is a big portion of that. As you know, tonight there's a recommendation on the agenda to transfer money from transportation to take care of some grounds repairs that we want
038to do. There was money left in transportation. I believe we're going to have money left in Boseis lines. About a million dollars left in Boseis's lines. There are hundreds of thousands of dollars left in each of the contractual lines for salaries. That is probably due to the fact that we replaced a number of teachers that we hadn't counted on replacing during the course of this year. And Dr. Lando and his staff were very successful in hiring quality people at lower salaries. So as as far as I remember, it's about $400,000 in the secondary teachers lines. Um, >> okay. Thank you. So, and while you're standing here, so I don't have to ask it later in the agenda, when we transfer money out of transportation to pay for some maintenance items, I was under the understanding
039from last year on the board that we could not reassign transportation funding for maintenance. Um, but in executive session, you advised me differently that that just be careful. I yeah my understanding >> well it is like funding so I don't say sorry >> could you just clarify why we can move money from transportation to maintenance items >> we are allowed to move between non-contingent items in the budget um and uh we're not recommending that you move into a contingent line we're recommending you move from non-contingent to non-contingent >> and that's what that's what's taking place. >> Yep. >> Any other questions on this presentation? You're welcome. So, we can move forward. >> I'm sorry, but just one more final question regarding regarding transportation. How how how did we save or not expend that amount of
040money from transportation? I don't know because I didn't build the budget. So, I don't know what assumptions were built into it. I do know that we had to go out for another contract and that that contract called for a 28% increase in the services that uh the bus company was providing perhaps the combination of Nate Spence uh looking at routes consolidating routes the fact that we didn't need as many buses as We thought we might perhaps that's the reason >> primarily we had budgeted 30% >> increase >> in anticipation of the inflation regarding transportation and the bid came in at 28%. >> And don't forget the bus companies were charging us because they thought they were going to have to provide electric vehicles. So, they were hedging their bets as well, thinking, I better get
041as much money as I can because buying a new bus that's an electric vehicle is 450,000, not 150,000. Okay. >> Any other questions on this? Thank you, Mr. Gone. >> My pleasure. >> Thank you, Mr. Dreon. At this time we are going to have a presentation uh by Miss Mary Stevens our assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction accompanied by Dr. Jessica Kimler our director of curriculum. This is centered around instructional technology and the work of our curriculum advisory committee. The curriculum advisory committee serves in an advisory role to the superintendent and district leadership on curricular matters and serves as a central hub for curriculum work in the district. So at this time we'll move on to our second presentation of the evening. Thank you and good evening. So the main part of our presentation is
042about the curriculum advisory council but I did want to provide you with a few updates. um one pertinent from the state education department and two at the request of members of the board. So first the New York inspires initiative which portrait of a graduate is part of on Monday the board of regents released further details about the next stage of their plan. uh they wanted us to know that the plan focuses on learning, not time, readiness, not compliance, and evidence from multiple measures. So, they're really looking at the fact that an exambased graduation measurement plan is based on time. So, what do you know at that moment in time? and where they'd like to move is to a place where students can show their readiness and provide evidence over the course of time. This announcement
043was just the beginning of this next phase of design and so they are going to begin working on regulatory changes which we knew were coming. um those will actually change the graduation measures and receiving a diploma will look different than any of us have ever experienced. Um they will be developing competencies. So they're going to look at our current learning standards and prioritize them. Based on those learning standards, they will create these competencies that students will have to demonstrate in order to be able to graduate. From the competencies, they will begin to develop rubrics. And then from those rubrics, they will have models of learning experiences and ideas about ways students are going to be able to demonstrate the competencies. So, we look forward to hearing more about the plan. They intend to get started
044very quickly on this next phase. As far as instructional technology, our technology committee will be focusing on enhancing teaching and learning across grade levels through the use of both instructional technology and technological tools that will ensure students are prepare prepared for college and career after they finish with us. As part of their work, the committee will review um instructional technology to ensure that it aligns with portrait of a graduate and make sure that students are appropriately equipped when those competencies are defined so that they will know how to demonstrate what they know and what tools will help them do that. They will um also be reviewing district plans for remote learning that can help to ensure instruction is not lost on days like snow days. Um so developing that plan so that we can have
045instruction if we need to uh in the case of inclement weather. And finally they'll prepare recommendations for balancing the use of technology both in the classroom and at home. This may include assigned days when technology is not used like the techless Tuesday, but also techfree spaces that students can go to in schools. It will include recommendations for sharing information with families about the impact of excessive use of technology on students well-being. And finally, this year, the wellness committee focused one of their meetings on considering the code of conduct's language on using the loss of recess as a consequence. The committee agreed that recess is an important part of a student's day and overall well-being. They recommend that the language be changed to indicate that the loss of recess should only be used as a consequence
046when the students behavior occurred during recess and presented a danger to themselves or others. And we believe that that aligns with the practice. But this will allow us to codify uh what we expect in schools as far as consequences. So in December, we were very fortunate to have Dr. Kemler join the team of curriculum and instruction. She hit the ground running. Dr. Kemler is in schools almost every day. She's connecting with leaders and teachers. She's helping us to make decisions that ensure that materials are in the hands of teachers that will advance achievement of our students. She is currently co-chairing the curriculum advisory council with Mr. Wolf and she's here to give you an update on the curriculum advisory council. >> Thank you and good evening. Uh so I'm so excited to be here. This
047is actually my first BOE presentation. So thank you for having me. And it's something I'm very passionate about. We're talking about curriculum, what we teach, how we teach, why we teach it, when we teach it, right? the most important questions for us as instructional and school leaders. So as part of our work with the committee, the first thing we really needed to look at was where are we right now? And to do that, we really started looking at student data. We looked not only at this past, you know, this current year data. So I data um you know uh curricular measures that individual teachers and students um and schools have have gathered. But we also looked at more formative and you know state assessments. We looked I did a three-year historical analysis and we started
048to look about trends over time. Um but then we really wanted to hear from the teachers who are in the classrooms living and breathing with this curriculum every single day. What were their thoughts, right? What was going really really well? What's not going so well? What do they want help with? What do we really need to revisit? So in addition to the data, we got some really great feedback from teachers that included things like addressing found gaps in foundational skills, thinking about um curriculum supplementation, what are we supplementing, why and how, what resources are we using, thinking about a need for vertical alignment, K12, thinking about increased support for students with disabilities and for multilingual learners, and thinking about professional development. So with that in mind, we started to craft a future direction of thinking
049about strengthening professional learning, thinking about formalizing some of the curriculum. In some cases, we do have formal curriculum that we purchase from a publisher. In some cases, we have teacher made or teacher created curriculum. So just really thinking about what are we using and being very purposeful in that design and thinking about accountability and transparency including progress monitoring, timelines, and methods. So with that being said, the committee came up with some next steps thinking about a process of systematically and formally evaluating our curriculum. So what curriculum are we going to evaluate and what tools are we going to use? Research-based criteria that we're going to use to evaluate the effectiveness of our curriculum. Thinking about publishing pacing guides, ensuring that we have clear expectations for what we're teaching and when. thinking about our co-planning structure
050not only in our special education ICT classes but also for our multilingual learners. How do we support that model and strengthen our core instructional practices? Thinking about MTSS and ensuring equitable intervention pathways and also thinking about our curriculum website. So right now um if you go to the curriculum website in Amityville, you don't see a lot of information there. My goal would be to be as transparent as possible and to start uploading um information for families, for teachers, for students even to say, "Oh, what am I expected to learn by the end of this course? What is the next unit of study so I can help prepare myself?" Um, so making sure that we have all that information available to everybody. And with that being said, by honoring the expertise of our educators, strengthening our
051systems, and maintaining a focus on continuous growth, we will create a more coherent, equitable, and enriching educational experience for every student. Together, we are building the conditions for instructional excellence. Thank you for letting me be a part of the team. >> Thank you. Um, thank you for the presentation. I just have one question. So as we move forward, there will be more presentations that will take place through the course of the year in terms of like for example you said the next steps. So there'll be more presentations in terms of followup Dr. Okay. Any other questions from the board? >> Um yes. Uh thank you so much for the presentation. It's really refreshing to talk about curriculum and the curriculum advisory committee. I'm just curious a few things. um the curriculum advisory committee I think
052we had approved for a certain duration of time. So is it I'm curious about the timeline of these initiatives and when we will start to sort of see some of these things like the expansion of the website and further presentation. So um so the committee was appointed for this current school year. We do anticipate a posting for next school year as well. So it'll be an ongoing project. they were able to meet twice this year. >> Um the website, just as an example, Dr. Kemler, I think, has it all mapped out in her head. Okay. >> Um so she's been working on the plan for that already and I think we'll be ready to start in July working on that. >> Oh, great. That's awesome. And um and just another thing, the code of contact,
053super great to hear about the removal of recess um as a consequence. Um, is that something that we would hope then the board could see the modified code of conduct this summer so it's ready to be imple like adopted for next year? >> Yes, we believe we're we're finishing our review for the year and we can make recommendations for a summer approval. >> Okay, thank you so much. Any other questions for any former members? Dr. Talbus stays with you. >> Thank you, Miss Stevens and Dr. Kemler. Curriculum is well underway and progress is in motion. At this time, we would like to move forward with acknowledgements. We would like to recognize and thank three members of our board of education whose terms are ending June 30th. Serving on a board of education is a significant
054commitment that requires countless hours of dedication, thoughtful decision-making, and an unwavering focus on our students success and well-being. Board members are often called upon to navigate complex situations, make difficult decisions, and serve as stewards of the community's trust. On behalf of the Amityville Union Free School District, I would like to express our sincere gratitude to President Lisa Johnson, Trustee Leslie Cretz, Trustee Carol Seahhoff, and last but certainly not least, our exofficio student board member Aaliyah McClean for their service and commitment to the children, families, faculty, staff, and community of Amityville. We want to say that your leadership, your guidance, and your dedication have helped the direction of our district in a positive way. and we thank you for your support of educational initiatives, for advocating for students, for overseeing our district finances, and for engaging
055with the community. Your efforts have made a meaningful difference. We recognize that public service often requires personal sacrifice and we are grateful for the time, energy, and passion you have devoted to this important work. Please join me in thanking these outstanding individuals for their service to the Amityville School District and wishing them continued success in their future endeavors. We have a token of appreciation that we are presenting to each of you on behalf of the district and to our continuing board members. We are grateful for your leadership, your support, and to you too, we also have a token of appreciation as you continue on in your term for next year. Thank you, Miss Stevens, for helping us out. President Johnson, how long have you served? Do you know? I served from 2008 to 2017 and
056then 2020 to now to 2026. >> And what would be your lasting remarks to our future board? I look forward to the new board members and the ones that are currently here to work together collaboratively for the purpose of the students in our district. Um to stay focused on why you were elected to the board and continue to do positive things and to present yourself positively to the community. >> Thank you. Trustee Critz, how long have you served on the board? >> Six years. And uh ditto, exactly what uh President Johnson has said, but one more thing >> to speak more to the mic. >> Oh, sorry. There I I kept on thinking about a little bit >> more. >> I can't get it. Okay. Um there really is no I and me on the
057board. It's definitely unity. I don't know if um through the years this it has been unified. I just hope in the future our four new board members I think they're going to bring a lot of strength, a lot of professionalism and a lot of knowledge and I wish them the best of luck with our two three sorry three present members. Um, but you have to work together and um, it hasn't always been that way, but I think we've tried our best and I thank you and I thank the um, all the support we've gotten also through the community and staff and the administration and of course the students. They're the most important. So, thank you. >> Thank you. And trustee Carol Seahhoff, how many years have you served? So after giving myself one year after
058retiring as an Amityville teacher um I have been on the board since 2020 until now making it six years. Um I have learned a lot. I pray for unity for this board and that all board members listen and adhere to the guidelines of New York State Board Association because I am sure it's very evident to the public that it has been a divided board. Um but NISPA New York State Board Association they do speak to unity all of the time. They speak to, you know, board members should not be grandstanding. It's not about board members being individuals. You ought to work together. Um, I am confident that our new board members that will be sworn in on July 14th >> first. >> Great. Thank you. Thank you. Um, after spending time with these new board
059members, I am confident, especially with their backgrounds in education, which you know, you can't ask for more to know the educational structure. Uh, and I also want to personally thank the Amityville Teachers Association that through thick or thin, you guys are always here supporting the community, working hard within the district and it's just evident to many people in the community and I I really do appreciate that. Thank you. We wish you continued success in your future endeavors and please keep us posted on the great things that'll be happening in your lives. Thank you so much. Thank you Dr. Talbert and and the cabinet of course and legal. So before I do committee input on agenda items, just want to note to the committee for agenda item 2A 1 through 11 as well as 2B 1
060and two, they're not going to be voted on tonight. So at this point in time, is there any committee input on agenda items? Nikia Wolf, president Emityville Teachers Association. Uh good evening, Board of Education, central office. Um all those in attendance this evening. Uh the the comment or the concern that it is that I have unfortunately is not an agenda item. Um, but considering the fact of how long these board me uh these meetings take, I'm not going to say I'm not going to speak on it. >> Okay. >> Considering how long it is that these meetings take and that there are teachers and others in the audience who would like to hear that. >> Um, I am hoping that we will be able to move forward with the agenda so that um, this um,
061concern that we have is able to be heard by all of those who took the time to come this evening. Thank you. >> Thank you. Any other input on community input on agenda items only? >> Um I need Deak 86 Union Avenue. Um just a quick question and comment about the budget presentation that we had. Um it concerns me somewhat that we might consider as a board and as a district not going forward with the voterapproved tax increase. Um I am of the understanding and of the memory of what has happened in the past when we have not um gone where we could with our increases. And in the interest of I'm not sure what political agenda, we left our budgets at zero and at very very small increases. And that is exactly to my
062recollection and I think it's a pretty good recollection of what got us in the situation we were in two years ago when we had to excess a great number of our teachers. We are only just crawling, climbing out of the deficit that we were in. And I would urge this board to listen to this community member and others that are like-minded that we are at a very small increase. It is a very manageable increase. A zero would not return enough to the community to make a meaningful difference. But potentially putting us in the same position again is a very grave danger and I consider I ask you to consider that very cautiously. Thank you. >> Thank you. Any other committee input on agenda items? Seeing none, I'm going to move forward. As mentioned, we're not
063going to vote on agenda items 2 A 1 through 11 um as well as 2B 1 and two. So, I'm going to move for agenda items 2 C 1 through 3. Can I do all those items together? >> Yes. Okay. >> I have a motion for agenda item 2 C1 to 2C3, please. Motion. >> Second. >> Chris Nan is first. Leslie Cretz is second. Any discussion on any of these items? No. >> All those in favor? >> I might just have to just say speak into my ear. Motion carries 70. Just Yeah. >> Can I do agenda items 3A1 and 3B 1 and two al together? Have a motion for agenda item 3 A1 and 3B A B C and 3 B2 >> motion >> there's nothing on >> I'm sorry 3 A1 3B 1
064ABC >> motion >> Chris Narren is first Carol >> Sehoff a second any discussion on these items Hearing and seeing none. All those in favor? >> I. >> Motion carries 70. >> Can I do agenda item 3 A? >> I'm sorry. >> A to Z. 3 3 B 3B 3 A to 3B 3 D and then 3B 3F through 3B 3K. Can I do them all together, please? >> Um Megan Nesman is first, Lizzie Cretz is second. >> All those in favor? I I motion carries 70. And congratulations to the new assistant director of PPS and special education. >> Can you can you please stand? >> Teresa Randerillis. >> Yes. >> Okay. Congratulations and welcome aboard. And also >> can can I do agenda items 4 A? Let me go back. 3B 4 A through
0653B 4 CC al together. >> Can you just go >> and then 3B 5 A to 3 B >> O Is it O? Yes. >> O all together. Hold on. Not I'm not done. Let's keep going. Hold on. >> Let me just do >> and then then 3B 6 A. Thank you. 3B6 A through 3B 6. >> Oh my gosh. >> FF. Okay. >> I have one more. Another F. Six F. >> 3B 6 F F >> F and F. >> Six Fs. >> Okay. Motion. We got it. >> No, not not they keep going. >> No. >> Okay. All those in favor? >> Well, we only keep going. >> Motion. Leslie had the motion. I'll second. >> Okay. All right. Sure. >> Okay. Right. So, any questions on any of these items that I
066just did? >> No. Leslie Cretz was first. Chris Ner is second. All those in favor? I I motion carries 6 70. Sorry. Have a motion for 3B. >> Bear with me. 3B 8 A through 8E. 3 B 9 A through 9 H G No H Mhm. H 3B A through G. >> Yeah, I do them all together. Can I keep on going? >> Keep going. Keep going. >> Okay. 3B 11 A through J 3B 12 A through S 3B 13 A through H >> motion >> second >> Chris Ner is first Carol Sa second any discussion on any of these items >> Carol said first any discussion any of these items All those in favor? >> I. >> Motion carries 70. >> I'm getting there. >> Can I have a motion for agenda items? Can
067I do agenda items 3C1 through 3C6 al together? Does anyone need anything done separately? I'm sorry. Three I'm 38. Sorry about that. 3C1 to 3C8. Can I do them all together? >> Motion. Carol see office first, Chris Near and second. Any discussion on the items? All those in favor? >> I. Motion carries 70. >> Can I have a motion for agenda item 3D 1 and 3D2, please? >> Motion. >> Second. >> Chris Ner is first. Lesie Crest is second. Any discussion on these items? All those in favor? >> I. Motion carries 70. Can I have a motion for agenda items 3 E 1 A through G? >> Motion. >> Second. >> Any discussion on any of these items? All those in favor? >> I I motion carries 70. Any old and new business? >> Yes.
068Go ahead. >> All right. Okay. >> Um, so just quickly I um the scope enrollment for the summer I was curious because I think there was a recent email to the board of where we stood with that because I think there was minimum enrollments requirements and where the program stands. >> Yes, I asked Miss Stevens to give us an update as to where we are with the scope program. So, SCOPE had given us through June 15th and they did reach out to us to let us know they only had two students enrolled. Um, so they're not able to run our program. Their minimum was 15. They did issue refunds to the two families who had registered. >> Okay. Sorry to hear that. I So, are we still going forward with are we going to gauge
069interest for next year as far as needing it for before and after care? So, Scope has prepared a survey that we can send out to see what the interest level would be, but we are working with them on developing a contract for before and after school. >> Okay. I just wonder like with the summer program if it just came it all kind of fell into place a little bit too late for families to, you know, be able to participate. Um, I think it was like even after like Town of Babylon camp registrations like that we were actually like were ready to announce. So I I don't know that it's necessarily like a bad thing. Um, and maybe if the survey if we do the survey, maybe we if we see how it is throughout the
070school year, if it's worth thinking about for next summer, too. >> And they're willing to work with us and advertise for it and see. So we're happy to continue to partner with them. >> Okay. Thank you. Um I just um just gonna I have two more and not that many today. Um as far as the summer bridge program enrollment, like where does that stand? >> With the exception of high school, we have enough uh for one class at each of those grade levels thus far. >> Okay. So then if we you're saying with So high school, we don't have nth graders. >> A smaller number >> or I guess it's eighth graders, right? th grader is moving into nth grade. >> Okay. And what are we saying is our minimum for >> um so to
071run one class we're estimating that that would be 15 to 20 students. >> Oh, so so far we have 15 for the rising grades. Correct. >> Oh, okay. >> But what do we have for the incoming ninth graders? >> There were nine last time I checked. >> Okay. So we just So if we approved a lot of people, but we're going to decide how many we actually need type of thing once. >> Correct. Okay. >> I'm sorry. Can I jump in real quick? So does that mean that we will have um remaining grant funds to use elsewhere? >> This is general fund, not grant funded. >> Okay. And one more enrollment question. Uh, is UPK at max capacity for next year? >> Yes, they are. Yes. >> Yeah. Okay. Oh, so we have a we
072had a wait list last year, right? I think. Yeah, it is similar for this year. >> Okay. Thank you. Any other old and new business? Community input at this time or non-aggenda items? Nikia Wolf, Amity Bell Teachers Association. Good evening everyone. Uh first and foremost, Teresa, congratulations. Um it is always great to see um an ATA member uh rise up the ranks. It's always great when we have an opportunity to grow our own. >> You just have to speak this way. >> It gives us an opportunity to grow our own. Sorry about that. And um it also helps to bridge that connection between our buildings and central administration. So, uh, these are things that we look forward to. >> You have to address this way. >> Oh, sorry. These are things that we look, uh,
073continue to look forward to, um, and hope that we can, uh, make sure that we continue to grow our staff members so that they can become future leaders. So, congratulations to, uh, you, Teresa. I'm sure that you are going to be, uh, great at this next chapter of your, uh, educational career. Um this evening I have to say that um one of the most difficult realities that I've had to face is to accept is to accept that every step forward that we take um we often have to take several steps backwards and today for me was a proverbial straw that broke the camel's back. So, for decades, the district has followed an end of the year procedure that follows secondary students um to complete their school year without falling below New York State required instructional
074time. So, we have to have 180 school days and 990 instructional hours. Uh this requirement is not simply calendar days like I just said. The requirement also is based off instructional hours. Secondary students must receive 990. um our students will have exceeded that by June 23rd. Historically, once these requirements were met, the middle school uh much like many secondary schools throughout New York State um did not have students present during the portion of the final week of school. Not all of it, but a portion of that. It still doesn't mean that school was not in session, and it does not mean that we do not go to the end of the school year. It's just a matter of how uh when students are actually in the in the building or not. Um, this is not
075a new practice that has this has been a practice uh in all of the 27 years that I've been in this school district. The only difference or the only change that has been made was around 2014. Uh, the middle school went from mirroring mirroring exactly the high school schedule to um having a schedule where it is that after the flax B exam uh the students were uh no longer in the in the buildings. So the question is I don't know how it is that the students um if they didn't fall below the 990 last year or the year before or the other 25 or 26 years that preceded it. I don't know how it is that that could be a rationale for um them falling short this year. So what is troubling is that this
076year those procedures were changed without meaningful Wow, that was quick. >> Yeah. Sorry. >> Okay. >> Thank you. Frank O'Brien 684 Parkway and the old teachers association. So good evening Dr. Talbbert leadership team members President Johnson the school board and our community. So to follow the recent changes to the academic calendar at the Edmond Miles Middle School leaves me perplexed in my career. I try to follow the management practice of Steven Cuffy and try to seek first to understand then to be understood. But there's been no information given to understand this change. I also try to follow the four agreements and not take things personally. But this event challenges both of those beliefs. The change is unnecessary as no evidence has been given that the middle school is lacking in hours for the school year.
077We have asked for the district's calculations to compare to ours. According to our calculations, we are well over the required number of hours for the 2526 school year. Now, that doesn't mean that there isn't more to be done. We can always teach more, but it needs to be planned. This change will be unproductive as we have already completed our final exams. If the schedule change was necessary and communicated, then teachers would gladly continue working with our students. There is so much more we can teach but simply don't have the time. It's not simply curriculum. It's also about life skills and what is actually waiting for these students when they enter the real world. Time with our students is the most precious part of our jobs. But this time at the end of the year is
078necessary in order to properly fulfill our end of the year obligations and responsibilities and to plan for the incoming students in the fall. Lastly, and most importantly, this is unprofessional and I must direct this to you, Dr. Dobbert, as this was your decision to treat your staff and community members in this manner. I do believe the ATA and the administration have made many improvements this year in terms of communication and planning. This action will set our relationship back significantly. Thank you. >> Thank you. Any other input on non-aggenda items? you have the form. >> I gave it to her before. Both sets were on there. >> Okay. >> Very efficient. Thank you. >> So with regard to the change of calendar at the middle school for the end of this year, um I have to
079start by echoing the sentiment that it feels from our perspective in the building extremely unprofessional, even professionally disrespectful. Um, we've been blindsided and every teacher in that building, I can tell you firsthand and from what was communicated with me, felt sucker punched when we got a parent square message that went out to the community instead of communication directly from our leadership. In my opinion and my first question is regards to the fact that if this was a district level decision that was made to a district level calendar that may or may not have had shortcomings. I understand that the Park Avenue schedule had to also be adjusted for parents. Should this communication not have come from the district level to the community at large just simply going over all of the changes to the last
080week of school? it in my opinion should not have come from our building leadership. She should not have been put in the position of having to relay that message. My second question is again to my knowledge not one of our buildings has ever been closed when the others remain open. Therefore, I find it very difficult to understand how the high school and the middle school could have differences in hours of instruction, especially given that the high school will not be giving regions for 5 days next week and yet the middle school will now have children in session for 5 days. And if you'll just forgive me, my phone closed. I have one other question. My last question is about when exactly were the calculations of ours done in in in everyone's thought process today and
081again it comes from a place of feeling like we were just thrown under a bus that no one else saw coming. Um we've had since September to know what June looked like. We put out a calendar in August. Math is math. We had two contingency days in that calendar, which again to my not poor memory. That's the first time in a very long time that we've actually built contingency days into our calendar. Could these calculations not have been done prior to the Friday before a really rainy and nasty Memorial Day weekend when we all could have dealt with it then and not have to be dealing with it now? So, I thank you for your time, but we would like to know when the calculations were done and why it's only affecting one building. Thank
082you. >> Thank you. Any other committee input or non-aggenda items? >> Same topic, Mia Wolf. Um, basically what is most uh troubling about this is that procedures were changed without meaningful communication and without a rationale that appears to align with either state requirements or school district own. The middle school learned of this today. Um, again, as we said, staff members were blindsided. Over the past couple of years, the middle school has worked incredibly hard to improve morale, rebuild trust, and establish a positive culture. That work has not been easy, but progress has been made. Unfortunately, today's decision has had a significant negative impact in that progress because it reinforces a concern that many staff members have voted repeatedly. There is often a disconnect between district level decision-m and the realities of building level operations. What
083makes this especially frustrating is that this issue was entirely avoidable avoidable. Had there been communication, collaboration, or even an effort to seek input from those familiar with the building's long-standing procedures, much of this frustration could have been prevented. I'm tired of having to question whether wellestablished practices will be suddenly changed from year to year. I'm tired of uncertainty. Most importantly, I'm tired of decisions being made that affect staff and students without adequate communication or consideration of the impact those decisions have on the people expected to implement them. This is not simply about a few days at the end of the school year is about consistency, transparency, institutional knowledge, and respect for the professionals who work in our buildings every day. Staff deserve to know why this change was made, what educational or operational purposes it
084serves, and why there was such a lack of communication surrounding a decision that has such a direct impact on morale and trust. We deserve answers and we deserve better. >> Thank you. Any other committee input on non-aggenda items? We'd like to thank you for coming tonight to share your sentiments. It is disappointing that our sentiments would be shared in this environment. I do understand your expectation. I want you to know that there was no intention to violate any inst any institutional practice. I believe there were assumptions that were made but that were not communicated from us as assumptions. It is our responsibility to adhere to the New York State regulations. It appears that our computations of the hours perhaps may differ and as we have in the in the past I do welcome us to
085sit and to go through that. Um, our team has done the calculations based upon the model template from New York State and if we were to grant any additional days, it would be a violation of the 180day attendance that New York State expects public schools to adhere to. Being that your calculations are different, I encourage us to come together tomorrow. Let's take another look at it. We do not want our staff professionally uh feeling like they've been disrespect disrespected or overlooked. That has not been our past exchange in terms of working together. And I do not want that to be the perception of our interactions moving forward. So I extend the olive branch and let's sit tomorrow and let's talk through this. look at our calculations and see where we end up. Thank you. Can
086I have a motion to adjourn at 858, please? >> Second. >> Lizzie Kretz is first. Carol Sehoff a second. All those in favor? I I motion carries 70. Thank you for coming out.