001Welcome. I'd like to call the meeting to order and take a motion to go to executive session to discuss the collective bargaining negotiations. Do I have a motion? Thank you, Dennis. Do I have a second? A second. Thank you. All those in favor? I I We will be back in 30 minutes. Good evening. I'd like to call the meeting to order. Welcome everyone on a gorgeous evening tonight. We're going to start with the pledge of allegiance. If we can all stand. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for it stands one nation under God. Indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Thank you. We'll start with a roll call. I believe all board members are here. I'm next. We'll have an motion to approve the agenda
002tonight. Can I take a motion, please? Make a motion, James. Thank you, Don. Do I have a second? Second. Thank you, Cindy. All those in favor? I approve of the minutes from the last meeting. I'm going to recuse myself since I was not here. I hear a motion to approve the m the minutes of the last meeting and executive session. Thank you, Dennis. Do I have a second? Second. Thank you, Trisha. All those in favor? I. Board announcements. Do I have any board announcements? [Music] Hearing none, we'll move on to correspondence. We did have some correspondence regarding the program change between the elementary schools. Um unfinished business, we have none. Dr. Frame, I'll turn it over to our Red Devil recognitions. Thank you, Mr. Baglioli. Um, and welcome to so many people who are joining
003us this evening. Uh, for those who haven't been to a meeting previously, this is something that we do every month. Uh, which is the our our favorite part of our time together. Uh, we live and work in a a great school community. And about a year ago, our board of education talked about being intentional about expressing uh, thanks and recognizing people who really go above and beyond when it comes to teaching and learning in Clarence. And so we had reached out to engage the school community asking about what are the qualities that are really important uh here in Clarence and four things came back loud and clear and they were the qualities of hard work, respect, kindness and compassion. And so on a rolling basis we have a group that uh reviews different red devil
004nominations that are made and they say these are people who just go above and beyond uh when it comes to those four different qualities. So, what we're going to do here in just a minute is we're going to call a number of people up to the stage. Uh, we'll ask the person who nominated to come up with the nominee and we're going to read a part of what they had written uh when they filled out a Red Devil recognition form and then we have a bit of swag. We have a certificate, we have a mug, we have a pin, and I do have copies of the full nominations that were sent in because I'll only be reading part of them tonight. Um, but we just like to say to everyone here um how much it
005means um that you give all of these different gifts to our school community. So this really is our favorite part of meetings um every month. So to begin um we're going to call Sonia Cislevich up to the stage. Sonia is a member of our Ledge View faculty, a kindergarten teacher with Siobhan Cuomo. And I'm going to head over to the screen with our board president, Mr. Balioli, and tell you a little bit about Mrs. Svage. We'll put you right in the hot seat, right in the middle, and you as well. So, for those of you who don't know Sonia, she's a member of our Ledge View faculty. And when Siobhan had filled out a nomination form, I'll read part of it. So, she had written and said, "I've been fortunate enough to work with Sonia
006as a sub in her kindergarten class for the past several years. She has a very busy and diverse classroom. The amount of dedication she shows to the children in her class is unmatched. Her compassion for doing what it takes to reach all of her children, no matter their level or learning style, is visible in every lesson she teaches. She is knowledgeable and has the ability to work with the most struggling learners and make it look easy. Her kindness and empathy for each student who walks through the door comes naturally to her. Any student or staff member who has the opportunity to work with her is truly fortunate. if you would help me in recognizing and thanking Sonia. And Sonia, I also have a copy of um Siobhan's nomination form for you. And Megan's going to
007grab a photo. We have um uh Gordon uh Block who does a nice job highlighting folks. So, he'll work on that press release this week. And then as you exit, we'll have you do uh sew in front of the board table so that you can take some handshakes from members of our board. So I'll give you a copy of this nomination for congratulations. Thank you. Next up is Anthony Dvoli, who was nominated by Dave Smith. Anthony is a member of our high school science department who has a cheering section with him this evening. [Music] I know. So Anthony was nominated by Dave Smith, a colleague in the science department. And my guess is that Dave is out on a baseball diamond somewhere scrambling to get uh sectional needed games in before the end of the
008season. But thank you Mr. Dvoi for being here. Um so just a bit from uh Mr. Smith's uh nomination says, "Anthony made an augmented reality sandbox for his and other students in the district to study topography, geography, natural sciences, watershed, and other topics. This sandbox is an interactive activity that um kids and adults will love. You can see kids interacting with the sandbox, and he gives a different YouTube address. I'll pass it along in my Friday email this week. If you haven't seen this or one like it, it's pretty incredible, and it's one of those things that gets kids hooked on science." Anthony had a vision that uh that can be used in the district to enhance the learning of all Clarence students and just an example of ways to get kids interested in science
009and hooked as they move through the uh their school experience. So, if you would join me in helping to thank Anthony [Applause] Doli. Congratulations on that one. Thank you. Next up is Mr. Shaw, who is nominated by Julia Gibson. Congratulations, Mr. Shaw. I believe you've been on this stage before. You may be the first repeat devil recognition recipient which comes you're collecting all the mugs. So, well, thank you for being here, Mr. Shaw, and thank you uh Julia for your nomination being here as well. So, to read part of what Julia had written says, Mr. Shaw truly exemplifies what it means to be an educator. He cares about each individual student and provides detailed personal assistance to each student uh in his orchestra so they feel valued. I have many friends in orchestra and they've
010thoroughly enjoyed being part of the Shaw squad. Mr. Shaw allows his seniors um to each do a concerto at the end of the year so each individual gets a chance to display their musical abilities that can only come from hard work and personalized lessons. Music aside, I've seen Mr. Shaw catered to his students when they're having a rough day. He truly helps them feel better. Mr. Shaw's rise sense of humor and consistent, ceaseless dedication to his job make him such a valued, important member of the CHS community. He's definitely earned a nice retirement and deserves recognition for his commitment to decades spent working at CHS. Please join me in recognizing Mr. Doug Shaw. Thank you for that. Next up is Mrs. Brotherton from Sheridan Hill and Alexis Beatum who nominated her. And Alexis's mom, if
011you want to come up as well, you can. Or this can just be your daughter. All right. He's got it under control. This is brother D. [Music] So, Mrs. Brotherton is a member of our Sheridan Hill faculty, and I'm actually going to read all of your nomination because it tells a really a really meaningful story. It is a bit long, but it's really important. So, it says, "I nominated my teacher, Mrs. Brotherton, because she demonstrated respect, kindness, and compassion by making me feel included by sharing about the Japanese imprisonment during World War II during our unit on the Holocaust. One way she made me feel included is that she recognized that I felt sad at the beginning of the Holocaust unit. I felt frustrated because my classmates didn't know about the unkind treatment of Japanese
012people in the United States and Canada during World War II, even though they didn't do anything. My great-grandparents were imprisoned in Canada during World War II just because they were of Japanese descent, which isn't fair because they had nothing to do with any of it. Also, Another thing Mrs. Brotherton did that made me feel included is that she bought the children's book about Japanese imprisonment that my mom shared, write to me and offered that I could help read it and share a little about it. Mrs. Brotherton read the book and had me share with the class. Finally, Mrs. Brotherton said that she was going to read the book every year as part of the Holocaust unit because it's an important part of history that doesn't get talked about much, which made me feel like my
013culture and history are important. I know this shows that Mrs. Brotherton showed respect, kindness, and compassion because she made me feel like I'd mattered uh and made sure that other people know about it. What a wonderful nomination. If you would join me in recognizing Mr. [Applause] before you take off. [Music] Next up is Mr. Michael Stonis uh from Sheridan Hill and Rachel Kaznowski who nominated him. So for those who don't know Mr. Stonus, he's a member of our buildings and grounds department at Sheridan Hill and he is everywhere. Uh if you have been to that part of our learning community. So thank you for the folks that had filled out a nomination. So I'll read you part of the nomination for Mr. Stonus. It says, "Every time I've been in the school, whether it was
014for an event or cafeteria duty, I've seen Mike go above and beyond for all the students, staff, and parents, too. Making them laugh, helping them open cheese sticks when necessary, and even digging into the trash for a lost spoon. He keeps our school clean, our teachers happy, and our kids laughing. He's always willing to help and does it with compassion and kindness. He is the first one there at the beginning of the day making sure that the building is safe for everyone. And thank you for acknowledging all the wonderful, important things that Mr. Stonus does. He's a beloved part of the Sheridan Hill learning community. If you will join me in congratulating and recognizing [Applause] Mr. Can. All right. Congratulations. Up next is another colleague from our buildings and grounds department, Mr. Eric Rhodess, who
015was nominated by Keith Store, a member of our high school science department. And Mr. Store had emailed me and said that he couldn't be here tonight um but that he thinks the world of Mr. Rhodess as do we all in the high school. Thanks for being here, Eric. So, I'm going to read a part of what Mr. Store had written. He wrote, "Eric has been here since I got hired. Every time I went into the hallways, I'd see him cleaning something, fixing something, or going somewhere. He was friendly and said hi, but this but then just got right back to work." As I worked here longer, I started talking to Eric more and more and realized he does a lot more than just push a dust a dust mop around here. Eric is an unsung
016hero of the high school. He knows all the nooks and crannies of this place and knows how everything works. If you need anything, Eric is the man who can get it, fix it, or somehow get it done. He takes pride in his work and somehow keeps a positive demeanor while cleaning up every mess that the high school can throw his way. I wholeheartedly believe Eric deserves this award because of his contributions to the CHS community and so appreciative that we have two members of our buildings and grounds department being recognized tonight. They're on the front lines when it comes to making sure that our students and staff and families have safe, clean places to come for learning every day. So, thank you, Eric, for going above and beyond. We're proud of you and we appreciate
017you. Congratulations. Thank you. Next up is Brady Kaufman, who is nominated by uh Chief Steve Pard, uh chief of the Harris Hill Volunteer Fire uh Company. I know that Chief, you didn't come alone tonight, and would like to invite you and your crew up as we recognize Brody Kaufman. So, we have a number of first tonight, a a repeat devil recognition recipient. I believe the first member of a volunteer fire company who's brought the whole crew with him. So, you could have topped it with a with a fire truck or a ladder or something like that, but we're we're thrilled that you're here to support to support a volunteer. [Applause] Some of you may be familiar with a story that I'm going to read. This is was submitted by uh Chief Pard. Um he had
018filled out a nomination form and said, "This past weekend, Brody was on vacation with his family in Florida. One morning while enjoying the sun, his family noticed a kayaker that had overturned and got separated from his boat. He was floating in his life jacket helplessly. Brody, noticing the kayaker's distress, immediately sprang into action. He borrowed a rope from a nearby fishing boat, made his way to a bridge and lowered a rope down to the man. In time, others came to help and lowered another line down. They were able to get the man to tie the rope around his waist. The kayaker was getting very tired quickly. Brody was able to organize a group of people to help pull the man up out of the water and to the top of the bridge. He then cared
019for the victim until the local fire department and ambulance arrived. This was a 17-year-old junior from Clarence High School and a member of the Harris Hill Volunteer Fire Company who came to the rescue. He took charge, borrowed a rope, organized a group of strangers to help him pull a man to safety, and waited with him until the paramedics arrived. Pretty incredible. Absolutely. If you would join me in recognizing while Mrs. Sutton is trying to figure out how to get the volunteer fire company into a photo without using the panorama. Before we let this group lead the stage, I just wanted to acknowledge the fact that um on an annual basis, we have a district-wide safety team of about 40 members that include uh staff members, board members, and members of uh local law enforcement and
020first responders. Chief Pard is always a presence at those meetings and we appreciate his service to our school district as well as our community. Um because we have so many volunteers, this is a really compelling and moving story, but it's what this group of people does every day whenever needed. So, as they're here, we may not have swag and mugs, but I wonder if you'd join me in another round of applause for Brody, Chief Pard, and the volunteers with us this evening. [Music] Thank you for being here. Just hoping Mrs. Sutton can edit that photo as I'm standing next to Brody and he looks 2 feet taller than I do. Not helping my self-confidence, Brody. Our last uh our last first tonight is that this is the first time we're recognizing a student and a
021parent at the same meeting with two separate nominations. And we're excited to welcome Katie Kaufman to the stage. Katie is a member of our Clarence Center, our student special uh department of student special services program. uh who's a special education teacher in Clarence Center and the her colleague who nominated her Emily Schoolcraft. So Katie was sitting a moment ago as a proud mom and now is being recognized in her own right. So welcome Katie. So the nomination uh part of the nomination reads to know Mrs. Kaufman a teacher is to know kindness, compassion, support, and love. To know Mrs. Kaufman is to know flexibility and adaptability in the classroom. She's truly admirable in the way she cares for her students, always going above and beyond every day to ensure they feel loved, cared for, and
022supported. She tirelessly works to meet her students complex learning needs with dedication. But to know Katie, the colleague and mentor, is to know support, reliability, and care in a different light. As a colleague, Katie teaches not only the students, but also me. Whether she realizes it or not, she's teaching me how to be a better teacher. She's earned every bit of appreciation and recognition for the profound impact she's had on both her students and colleagues. We're incredibly lucky to have her at Clarence Center Elementary. If you would join me in recognizing Katie C. And if you'll join me one last time in recognizing all of our recipients here tonight. And we always take a moment to say after Red Devil recognitions that individuals are welcome to stay for the entirety of the meeting, but we
023know that folks have busy lives, it is a gorgeous spring night. Uh, and if people need to get home to families and homework and meals, um, please feel free to do to do so. So that's it, Mr. Balioli for Red Devil recognitions this evening. Thank you, Dr. frame. I'll give everyone a second to leave if you'd like. Or if you want to stay, you could stay. We're going to move on to board reports. So, we'll start with CESAF. Dawn. Um, just a couple things. Just a reminder that we do have um two upcoming events. We'll have a pickle ball tournament um coming back by popular demand. We still don't have that date set, so hopefully I'll have it at the next meeting. And we do have an end of um summer fundraising party that's going
024to be held August 9th at the Town Park Clubhouse. And we're going to be able to utilize that really beautiful new patio they set up outside the facility. So, we're looking forward to that. And tickets will go on sale soon. Thank you, Don. We'll move on to PTO organization meetings. I can start. I attended the Clearance Center PTO meeting last week. Um, they're planning for their year-end events. They just come off Western night, which is a clearance center tradition. Um, which dates back to when my kids were there a long time ago. Um, even before that, it was wonderful. And I just want to say that our PTO's do so much. If you're in the audience and you want to get involved in the school, it's a good place to start. Anyone else? hearing. None,
025we'll move on to Erie County Association of School Board Representatives. I have one, James. I um attended delegate assembly um for Trisha um the meeting where we they were presented with many committee reports um throughout the districts. We approved the 2526 executive board nominations and then we did a round table with other districts on initiatives and great things happening in other schools so we can come back and share with our district. and I am um pleased to announce that I was nominated to be vice president and serve in that role next year for Erie County School Boards. Congratulations. Thank you. Any other announcements? Hearing none, we're going to move on to the superintendent report. We're going to start with the public budget hearing. Dr. Frank, thank you, Mr. Buckley. We have two different reports tonight.
026The first is the public budget hearing. I'm going to head down uh to the podium and then we'll have our student body update after that. And Olivia, I thought you had a softball game tonight. I thought I did, too. Is it too too sunny? Yeah, it was way too way too hot for it, you know. All right. So, uh, the first report this evening is our public budget hearing. Um, and we'll just preface it with a a pair of comments. One is that if you've been following our budget development process, we've had three different public sessions, public conversations and and presentations where we've looked much more closely at different components of our proposed spending plan that goes out to community residents for a vote next Tuesday. Um, so we've done a deeper dive with different
027parts of of our budget for next year. Um, so I'm going to give a more general overview uh for that. And then the second piece is this is a public budget hearing. So after the uh presentation, I'll pause and generally we'll open it up to questions and comments from members of our board of education. I'll do that, but it also will be open to members of the public if they have questions or comments on the proposed spending plan. Um so to begin with, uh we always provide an agenda. Uh we'll talk a little bit about uh who we are as a learning organization. Uh we'll touch on our the process that we've used, some district highlights. As always, we'll review uh different revenue uh recommendations, expenditure projections, and then vote day information. So, that's where
028we're headed this evening. Whenever we begin the process of developing a proposed spending plan, it's important for us to be aware and cognizant of who we are as a learning organization. And for us, that means going back to our mission statement, which I've displayed up on the screen. And we think about who we are as a school district. And when we adopt a financing plan, a spending plan, and it goes out to our community, it needs to be able to support the things that we value here in Clarence. We do have two different specific goals that have been driving this process. And the first one is that from the start, our board has maintained a focus on preserving the programs and services that exist in our school community and are valued by our school community.
029And if someone says, "Well, we would really like to have uh exciting enhancements or that doesn't seem like all that robust a goal." I would make the argument that this year's proposed uh spending plan is much more about stable stewardship than exciting enhancements. And for certain people who check and and follow news developments that uh that involve education around New York State and the country as federal funds have gone away that were first issued during COVID a lot of schools went out and made exciting different hiring plans and added to different programs and as those funds have gone away they've had to cut back and to to the credit of our board of education from the start they've said any personnel additions that we have we want to make sure that we can support them
030in the long term. So that's an important part of the budget that we're reviewing tonight, making sure that we can absorb finally all of those positions into the budget. And that has been the focus, not additions, but really making sure that we can support those additions that were made during and after COVID with federal funds. The second piece is recognizing that every tax dollar is hard-earned and that fiscal stewardship is an important part of an elected board's uh responsibilities and one that's not taken lightly by the group in front of you. So, those are two specific goals that have driven the work of our finance committee as well as our full board of education. We begin by walking through this calendar and timeline back in the fall. We're close to the end of it, as
031you can see, our May 12th date and then our May 20th date for the vote next week. The creation of a budget is not something that happens in a weekend or a week or a month. It's something that happens over a period of time. It starts in some ways as a general process and gets much more specific as we learn more detailed budget information throughout the process. So we remember our mission statement. We have our budget goals and we're also cognizant of the fact that we have a lot to be proud of in here in Clarence. You got a taste of that tonight with our Red Devil recognitions. But it's important for us to be aware of the fact that every single day we have 4,100 students that experience a world-class education. And if you're
032looking for evidence of that, I would direct you to the screen. Whatever the ranking system, uh, Clarence has a lot to be proud of. And I've just highlighted a couple different things. One is that if you're looking at niche rankings, for example, the Clarence Central School District is, uh, ranked second in Western New York. I believe the high school is ranked five by the US uh, News and World Report in this corner of the world. We just learned today that we've been, uh, acknowledged as a best community for music education for, I believe, the 20th year in a row. That's something to be really really proud of. Uh you can see the level of participation that our students have in county and statewide different musical events. They have opportunities to perform with students and and
033fellow musicians going from Sunni Fredonia. They have a Kleinhands concert coming up here in a couple of weeks. Things that are really valued experiences by members of our music department. And then with regard to athletics, last year our Clarence teams won 12 team sectional titles and one I believe individual title and are adding to that uh this current school year. We know that when people look back on their school experience, athletics also often generates many of the memories that people take with them for a lifetime. So when we think about putting a budget together, it has to be able to support that a level of service and a level of excellence that that matters here in Clarence. So, we're going to talk about revenue in terms of where resources come from. We're going to talk
034about uh recommended expenditures, what we recommend spending it on, and then we'll talk about next steps as we move closer to Tuesday. Um, so, as you all know, when we talk about the funding of education in New York State, it comes primarily from two different sources. One is that it's levied locally in the form of property taxes, and it also comes from New York State in the form of aids. The base aid in New York State is something called foundation aid. There's an incredibly complex formula that's generated that directs aid to to different districts based on a whole variety of factors. And then there are certain expense driven aids where if you ex if you purchase more of something, it would generate more aid back from New York State. And then there's some other sources
035that we'll highlight as well. Rather than get into the real specifics in terms of revenue, I'm going to show this uh slide, make some comments on it, and then go fairly quickly through the next few slides uh in the deck. So, we have been able to um generate a a a t a property tax cap, a levy amount for uh several weeks now. This is a formula that New York State communicates. There's a portal districts input a certain amount of information and it generates what your property tax cap will be. Our property tax cap this year is 2.46 and the recommendation is that we go out at that property tax cap. So, we've known that for a period of time. You can see the budget-to-budget increase when it comes to that to that tax levy.
036So, it would be going out at the tax cap of 2.46. Information coming back from New York State with regard to aid has been a more complicated process. Uh if you've been following the state budget process in the news, you'll know that they missed an on-time budget and it came in fiveish weeks late uh in terms of what New York State would be funding as well as a certain number of legislative changes that have been a part of that budget process. We've been using early numbers that was gen that were generated by New York State um and they didn't change too much with the final runs that we got from Albany. So the numbers that we've used in the planning process are pretty consistent as we meet here tonight. And then the additional numbers you
037can see are sales tax generated in Erie County. There are some federal funds. There different miscellaneous amounts of uh of resources that are collected. U there's a designated amount of uh fund balance that comes from this year's budget into next year's budget. That's the same as what we saw last year and similar to years prior. And you can see the year-to-year budget from this current year to next year. If you're talking to friends, neighbors, members of the community, and they're asking you about the tax levy and they're asking about tax rate, they're two different but related things. A tax levy is the amount that can be levied from a community and the tax rate is the amount per thousand that is collected to get there. Uh we're proud to say that New York State has
038one of the lowest uh tax rates in New York State. It's uh estimated to be 1032 per thousand dollars of assessed value. Um you can see where it has been historically. Um and I I've said this a number of times that I would encourage people to go out and review the tax rate for different school districts. A credit to the Clarence community and to the governance team is keeping that rate um really really low for members of the residents of the Clarence community. I should also just uh highlight the fact that when Dr. Grupka generates that tax rate, it won't be finalized until the summer. It almost always is lower than what she estimates. Um, so we anticipate that when we get into the summer months, it may be slightly lower than the 1032 you
039see in front of her. So if you're talking with somebody and they say, "What are the key facts and figures?" I might direct you to a tax levy increase of 2.4%, a budget-to-budget increase of less than 2% 1.8% 8% and then an estimated tax rate of $1032 per thousand of assessed value. With regard to expenditures, we are a learning community with about 4,100 students and we're proud to share that that number has been relatively consistent for the past few years and we anticipate it being relatively consistent perhaps with small amounts of growth in the years to come. So, a lot of our expenses will be fairly level from year to year or or relatively the same year to year. You don't see huge swings because we're talking about educating approximately the same number of students,
040the same types of programs. There may be certain changes in terms of contractual obligations or certain costs, uh certain staffing needs that uh that are made with a data review, but many of the things are similar year-to-year. In New York State, school districts break expenditures out into three different categories. The first is instruction. It is it is always the largest component of a budget and rightfully so. This is the people, business and resources and public education go into the education of students. The second piece involves capital recognizing that we have seven different buildings, six schools and a transportation facility. Uh we have hundreds of acres that we maintain and a lot of different things that come with that so that we have safe and secure um uh facilities for our students and staff every day.
041and then an administrative cost in terms of supervision at the building level. Different insuranceances are uh categorized here and you can see the increase from year to year. So again uh the overall budgettobudget increase of 1.8%. There are a couple slides that give um additional information in terms of the it's called a tripart budget. What's included in those different parts uh of our expenditure budget. If you have been here or you've watched or heard about different uh prior budget planning sessions that we've had, we've done a deep dive into areas like transportation, buildings and grounds, instruction, technology, athletics, looking at the changes that would take place on an annual basis. Uh for us, some of the largest changes take place with regard to personnel. We had reviewed at a previous meeting some changes at the
042building level related to staffing. Those were made though due to student enrollment and interest in programs. So you can see those different parts of the uh tripart budget. It's also important to acknowledge that we do have funds that come to the district from the federal government. You can see those listed here with anticipated numbers. If you're saying, you know, wow, it's sort of interesting that they're the same from this year to next year. The reason for that is we don't learn the final amounts until we get further into the year, until we get into May, June, or July when we're notified what those final allocations from the federal government will be. So right now we're using our best estimate and we use current numbers to do that. So we anticipate that this will fluctuate as
043we get into summer. I would I should also just make this comment that as we read the news and we follow things that are developing across the country, federal funding that's coming from Washington DC, we're more confident in some of these funds than others. So for example, if you look at the slide, the idea 611 and 619 grants, we're fairly confident that those will continue. We don't know if there will be reductions in different areas that are focused more specifically on things like professional development, mentoring programs for educators. So, we'll take a close look at those. Uh, but the changes likely won't happen until after the budget vote. You can see a slide on the history of fiscal conservatism here in Clarence. And I would go back to the idea of stable stewardship from our
044governance team. Uh, being respectful of of funds that are levied, but making sure they can support the learning needs of all of our students. So when members of the school community come to vote on Tuesday, they'll be voting for the first proposition which is the overall budget. There is a second proposition that involves uh different vehicles. There are three different SE uh 70 passenger buses, two 35 passenger vans, and one snowplow. Um important to note the fact that when it comes to transporting students, those vehicles are aided uh at a rate of 58.4%. So if we spend $100, we'll get 58.4 4 cents back from the state government. And uh it it's in alignment with our vehicle purchasing plan so that we don't have 30 vehicle needs one year and zero the next. It's trying
045to make sure that we're constantly looking at the safety of our fleet and would like to thank Dr. Grupka and Miss Forester and our transportation department of their good work in that area. So vote day information. Um it is this coming Tuesday, May 20th. A lot of this information should look familiar. It's the same footprint that we use on an annual basis. The vote will be from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. in the Clarence High School gymnasium. You can see that first proposition involves the budget. The second the vehicle purchase and the third, there are two different board of education seats. Uh Mr. Bleoli and Dr. Castella Sulich are both running for members of the uh of the Clarence governance team. Um so that's a lot of information in a relatively short period of time.
046There are some areas that are more detailed than what has been uh previously available and some areas that don't go as deep as what we've had in in prior budget conversations. But I'll pause to see if there are questions or comments from members of our board of education or members uh from the public who are here with us this evening. Any questions from the board? Been at this for a while. Any questions from the community? going once. Come on up. You know, Mrs. Rott, I know we all know who you are. I need you to step up to the microphone. Hi. Hi. Lisa Rat somewhere in Clarence here. Um just you know I was just wondering I see the increases which are totally expected the our you know everything increases as time goes on. Is
047there any way we can see where the increases are very specifically because I'm on the website and I'm seeing the same slides that you've shared and I would just like to know because I mean a million dollar very close to a million dollar increase in the building the uh the building and grounds I think. No, no, the uh you know what I'm talking about capital which is all building grounds and everything else that runs it. So I guess what I'm wondering is where can we as taxpayers see where the increases are specifically cuz I mean I can understand like you know theoretic cost of living increases so and yes I know insuranceances are more etc. Yeah a a great question I would just highlight one thing and I'll then turn things over to Dr. Grupka
048in the specific area of capital. It involves maintaining six different school districts, transportation facility, uh grounds, all that sort of stuff. Um if you go back to a prior presentation, we get more specific in terms of where some of the anticipated increases are. Uh things like the rising cost of fuel as a as a large driver. There's are some insuranceances that are there. There increased costs with regard to safety that are all incorporated there. School districts are also required to provide very specific uh and transparent budget information. Dr. Grupka, if you would be willing to share where that is available. So, they're at the public library. We have one of our budget mailers. You can also come to district office and we have one there. We have one at each main um office or you
049can call me and if you'd like to sit down, I'd be happy to go through our budget with you. And on the topic of looking at sort of line by line readings or analyses of budgets, important for us to re to remember that these are anticipated expenditures for next year. We're sitting here in May and there could be things that look different in August or September and so this is our best guess. We uh expect that things will be fairly close to what we reviewed tonight. U but there may be different needs that that have to be accounted for. One uh program component I should have highlighted easier uh is an expansion of our school resource officer program in partnership with the town of Clarence. For people who are familiar with the program, we currently
050have three different SRO school resource officers. Um one individual whose primary responsibility is the high school in Sheridan Hill, anothers is the middle school and Clarence Center. And then our most recent member of the team splits her time between Ledge View and Harris Hill. Uh the board has talked from the beginning about adding a fourth school resource officer who can dedicate their time to the elementary level so that each elementary school would have at least 0.5 staffing of school resource officers and just wanted to acknowledge our board for making that a priority. Uh but also to acknowledge the the town of Clarence uh supervisor Casilio and the town board have been incredibly supportive uh and this is important to them as well as it is for members of our school community. So other questions, comments
051for members of the board or members of the public? Any other questions from the community? Going once. Going twice. Dr. Frame. Thank you very much. Thank you, President Baglioli. I'll turn things over to Olivia Collins for a student representative report. Yeah. So, my game got cancelled, so I got to come here tonight. Um, best way to spend my night this week, but roughly 90 students at the high school participated in the boat races on May 1st. 32 engineering design and development students spent the past three months building and testing the boats for the third annual race. Each boat had their own theme and three passengers they had to take back and forth for the prelim rounds. And for the final round, the goal was to fit the most students in the boat. The stands were
052packed and the energy was high. I would say there were at least like 300 students watching. So, it was very fun to um be a part of. This week marks the end of AP tests for sophomores through seniors. This is really the end of the year is coming up because after APs, I feel like everyone is taking a step back. This Saturday is junior prom with the venue being the columns on transit in Elma and it is a change from the past two years. On May 22nd, high school seniors will be sent to the stadium for donuts and decision day hosted by the student council, an event where seniors can take pictures and chat with their friends wearing gear for their next adventure. And also on May 22nd, our high school unified program will be
053hosting its very first pep rally where our unified basketball team will be playing a game and the whole school will be cheering them on for support. Harris Hill is having their color run this Thursday and next week during the budget vote. All all elementary schools are participating in the track meet, a time where students can show off their athletic abilities on the track and art abilities in the gym. This event is definitely a prime childhood memory for me. Thank you. Thank you, Olivia. Thank you, Dr. Frame. Mr. Buglei, can I uh just note that board members have at their tabletops tonight, um a document from NISBA that outlines a requirement that schools have a student representative to the board of education. Olivia has done such a wonderful job this year. We're going to miss you.
054You have one more meeting and that's it and then you're out of here. Um, if if you're a long-erving member of the board, you'll know that our student council adviserss, I believe three years ago, had approached the board and talked about the idea of adding a student representative. So, they had done that before uh it was required by by um school districts in New York State. Um, and we'd had a conversation with the adviser about the fact that Clarence students are off often really really busy. And I think Olivia is a good example of that. uh tonight. She's got uh she's got a game. She's got uh likely exams in in different classes that she's getting ready for student board stuff. She's in the musical. She's a really really involved student. And so currently the
055student council president also serves as the board rep. And the student council adviserss had talked about the possibility of creating a separate position so that it was an additional leadership opportunity for students. And it also lightened the load for individuals who may be able to commit to a student representative position or a president position uh and not to a a board of education representative position. So I had also shared some draft bylaw language from our student council representatives. I'd asked for some fe feedback. I had some conversations with board members who had asked the question of uh if the individual still has to be or or still would be a member of the executive team. Is that lightening the load enough? Might this be something that is just open to any uh senior in the
056high school who has been enrolled for at least a year? And that's a fair question. And so what I may recommend is um giving me an opportunity to touch base with our student council adviserss and check back in about that point of um separating the position from student council so that it's open to any um student who qualifies in the high school. And again, you have some NISBA information that that gives a bit more information in terms of the position and what their duties would be. So if that sounds okay with everyone, I'll touch base with our adviserss and get back to you. That sounds good, Dr. Frank. That sounds good. Thank you. All right, we're going to move on to the public comment session. There are a few ground rules. Public comments are limited
057to three minutes. If you're getting close to three minutes, I may signal you that you're getting close. I would ask that you not name any teachers or students, and we take those conversations offline if you want to specifically talk about one person um and ask all your questions to the um board and the superintendent. So, I have three people signed up to speak. The first is Sher Rushford. I was really hoping to not go first. It was the luck of the draw. Hi everyone. As you know, my name is Sheri Rushford and I am a teacher aid at Clarence High School. Uh I have held this position for the past 11 years and I would love to take a few minutes to share with you a little of my journey and how it has evolved
058through the years both professionally and personally. When I came to the Clarence School District, it was after a hiatus as a charity director to be a mom. When I was ready to reenter the workforce, I was looking for a position that would allow me to have a mirror image of my children's schedule because as a full-time single parent, that was essential for our family. I began my time in the 1211 New York State Alternately Assessed Life Skills Program, working with young adults with developmental and physical disabilities, both ambulatory and non-ambulatory, verbal and non-verbal. Working on life skills was the crux of the curriculum. Working towards a level of independence that was appropriate for each individual student while integrating social skills, problem solving, and personal safety as well as academics. Supporting students alongside their OT, PT,
059and speech therapy sessions was a routine part of the day, as was toileting and hygiene as necessary. As a pair professional working with students who are reliant on wheelchairs, lifting students in and out of oh my goodness in in their chairs, Hoyer devices and on and off of mat tables is a regular occurrence throughout the day and can be physically challenging but also provides a good workout. I learned how to drive power wheelchairs and how to use assisted technology devices to encourage the students I worked with to use their voice independently. We pushed into general education classes which are beneficial to all students. General education, special education, and teachers alike. We all have something to learn every day, and it's not always academic. I established relationships to facilitate community-based learning opportunities and I independently took
060students out several days a week to put what we learned in the classroom into real life practice. Dashes, Sisters of St. Joseph, Clarence Center Elementary, Hope Closet, and TJ Maxx are just some of the locations our students have been able to fine-tune their job skills. During my years with this program, I put on my bathing suit and got into the pool and held our non-ambulatory students in my arms so that they could participate in the swim unit that is so loved by all. I also worked alongside Coach Braun and our unified basketball and bowling teams for five years, coaching and cheering on every player from both teams as they saw their dreams of being part of a school sports team come to fruition. Every minute was rewarding particularly particularly because I was able to share
061this experience with my daughter who was a student coach and along with Mr. Fuch's daughter created our unified club at here at the high school that's still going strong. From there I began moving around the building and working with students in different areas of the building from 1211 academic settings to the 1511 setting to being a personal aid for the past 5 years. It's important for me to impress upon how vital the personal aid role is and how proud I am that as a district we take this student need so seriously. Some of the experiences that I can share with you about being a personal aid are not necessarily about the personal supports provided which go without being said but the minutiae of the job that is required. Students that have a personal aid also
062have an IEP or individualized education plan which will require materials to be adapted in some way. This can mean time spent with each teacher to make appropriate ad adaptations. It can mean reading materials and tests to the students, supporting the student academically as needed, whether that be with executive functioning skills as a scribe or a plethora of other functions. Data collection is also a [Music] big part component of the teacher's daily workload as the at the secondary level. Communicating information to case managers, completing behavior intervention plan notes when appropriate, and even working alongside our school psychologists and social workers is a regular occurrence to implement strategies to ensure the success of our students. It can mean having a level of awareness that might not seem obvious to others, but being tuned in to your student
063is essential when there are behaviors or situations when the student will need additional assistance beyond that which might be apparent to others. This requires additional training such as TCI or therapeutic crisis intervention. This training prepares staff to manage situations and keep both students and surrounding individuals safe and is an integral part of working in today's school system. As special education within the public school setting changes and more and more students with emotional, physical, and developmental disabilities remain in district, schools need to adapt. And I commend Clarence for doing just that and offering TCI training is one example of supporting both students and staff. I could stand before you today and speak adnauseium on why I love my job and the fulfillment I feel each day, especially when a particular goal is achieved or feedback is
064received that a strategy was successful. This job is hard and sometimes frustrating, but nothing worth doing is ever easy. I now work in community re rehabilitation in my free time and maintain a friendship with a young woman with Down syndrome who continues to teach me new things every day. And it's a relationship I cherish and it started at Clarence High School. The role of teacher aid may just be a job for some, but for those of us who have been here for any length of time, we can tell you it's much more than that. We love what we do. It's a career that requires passion, the desire and ability to give each student we work with the best possible chance at success. We are their champions, their cheerleaders, their teachers, their advocates. We do all
065we can so our students can achieve everything within their potential. And at the high school level, that means getting students across the finish line or stage and ready for whatever chapter lies ahead for them. We've all heard the phrase, "It takes a village." And it's so true. We're all parts of a whole, and I believe in this village. I am proud to be a Clarence School District employee and a CSEA union member. Thank you for your time. Thank you very much. Thank you for your time. Sorry, my papers got messed up. That's okay. Thank you, Hannah Muller. Hi, my name is Hana Mueller. I've been a proud CSEA school nurse for nine years here in Clarence. If you don't mind, I'd like to tell you my professional journey. I graduated from UB in 2006 and
066I knew that women's services was going to be the field for me. I spent nine years at women and children's hospital and I was a 1199 SEIU union member as there as well. I worked on a high-risisk maternity floor and then on the mother baby care unit. People might believe I spent my 12-hour night shifts snuggling babies, fluffing new mom's pillows. I did not. Instead, I was watching fetal heart monitors for decelerations of babies's heart rates. I was monitoring postpartum hemorrhages, teaching new moms about their changing bodies, comforting moms who had babies born sleeping or gravely ill. I was helping newborns feeds, packing wounds that didn't heal correctly, start starting IV antibiotics for moms whose water broke too early. But my most memorable night, I delivered a 33-w week pre-term baby all by myself with
067no doctors. What a night. Hospital nursing was hard. I would come home from a 16-our shift exhausted and I would feel like I how would I ever go back to that job? I had a young family and I had just moved here to Clarence and I had a co-orker at the hospital say uh she was subbing in a local school district and said why don't you look into that but I was a women's health nurse and I had never thought of anything else and then I tried it. Um, I started subbing for Clarence Schools in the fall of 2015 and was so lucky to take on a position at the Nativity and Mary school in May 2016 as part of Clarence School District. Now, my days are not spent delivering babies anymore, thankfully. But now,
068I'm caring for sweet little ones who struggle with their anxiety, and I'm guiding my students with diabetes to make good choices and making sure they're doing their boluses that they need. I'm checking on my upcoming kindergarteners for their vision and hearing issues so they're successful in the fall. I'm collaborating with my teachers on what they notice in their classrooms. I'm prepping my eighth graders for their transition to high school next year. I'm reading New York State policy and I'm active in the New York State School Nurse Association to be sure that we're giving the best care for our Clarence students. I'm supporting co-workers because now I'm one of the senior nurses here in the district. But mostly, I'm serving my community, and that makes me the most proud. All while I'm still giving out my
069band-aids and ice packs and helping the minor boooos that you'd expect in a school. We will have some positions coming available for Clarence School Nurses soon. I would encourage any nurse that might be in the same position that I was nine years ago to look at this career. It's been challenging and wonderful and fulfilling, and every day is an adventure. I am so proud to be a Clarence nurse. Last week was National Nurses Week and I'm so grateful to our governance board and to the Clarence community for recognizing that. Um, being a school nurse in Clarence is wonderful. Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you, Becky Ratigan. Hi, my name is Becky Ratigan and I'm the parent of a child in Clarence Center Elementary's kindergarten class that is in the 812 behavior
070program. The people behind me are some of the other parents who were able to break away from their family commitments tonight to join me to discuss the move of the two 812 behavior classes from Clarence Center to Ledge View. Now, not all the families were able to join us, but we still spoke with each and every one of them and conducted a vote to determine if this move were to happen tomorrow and all of our kids would be impacted, would they be for or against the move. The result of the vote is 100% against the move from the eight of 14 families with children in either of the two classes at Clarence Center that responded to our vote. We can appreciate that you are faced with a population concern at both Sheran Hill and Ledge
071View and are working to determine a solution. However, moving the kids in the 812 behavior program from the smallest school in the district to the second largest school that also has an anticipated population concern in the coming years is not the solution. The reason why the parents are deeply concerned about this move include the impacts it will have to the established structure and routine these kids heavily rely on. The kids in these behavior classes commonly have a diagnosis such as autism or ADHD, which means they have severe challenges to changes to any small part of their day. For example, having a substitute teacher or an unexpected snow day can cause them to have a very difficult day. And it isn't something they can just adjust to. Moving these kids from CCe to Ledge View will
072change every single aspect of their day. You will change the building, their familiar classrooms, specials, lunchroom, bathroom, hallway. Change all of the buildings and special teachers, their music, gym, art teacher, principal, lunchroom staff, everyone. Potentially their classroom teachers, special education teachers, aids, therapists, psychologists, etc. Every single aspect of these kids' day would change. One of the effects of having the kids in the behavior program at TC move to Ledge View or any school in the district for that matter would be regressions. Regressions and skills that they have been working tirelessly to catch up to their peers on, especially the behavior and social emotional skills that are crucial for them so that someday they can be successful at integrating into the general education population. Another effect would be worsening anxiety and mental health challenges. The kids
073are already faced with anxiety and fears of coming to school and having to do even simple tasks which for their peers are easy. They have so many additional hardships that they have to overcome compared to the neurotypical students and you will be creating a massive new set of challenges for them. It is unfair and unrealistic that to expect that they will move schools and be able to function at the level the district just spent the past two years and for most many years before that investing in them to get to. These are the most vulnerable kids in your district and you will be creating significant unnecessary hardships that they will not be able to break through with transitional supports. I cannot stress enough the detrimental impacts you will put these kids through if you move
074forward with moving them out of CCE. I implore you to please put yourself in the shoes of the parents of the kids in these classes. We advocate and try to help them as best we can and we put our trust in the district that they're doing the same while our children are in your care. I cannot comprehend how the district can overlook the devastating impacts this move will have on our children. Some of the benefits of Clarence Center over Ledge View include the weekly morning program where kids have the opportunity to practice integrating with the general education population in a different environment other than the classroom. In addition, it provides a strong foundation of inclusion and makes the kids, especially those that have very limited integration with the general education population, feel like they're part
075of the school versus just being contained to their classroom. Another benefit of Clarence Center over Ledge View is that Clarence Center is by far the smallest of the four elementary schools in the district. Having over 100 fewer kids in Ledge View, having this smaller environment ensures the kids have less distractions, clearer communication, and more individualized supports. I know that my son in particular has a very challenging time in both the school or community environments. If there's too many kids, he'll shut down and he won't participate. Another benefit of Clarence Center over Led View is that the special education teachers that teach the behavior program have been at Clarence Center for years and have had the opportunity to work with one general education teacher per grade level over those years, training them how to effectively work
076with the special education kids as well. This established relationship between teachers throughout the grades will be non-existent at Ledge View. It will hinder the chances of the special education students being successful with integrating. Another benefit of Clarence Center is that the kids in the behavior program have a very challenging time with social skills, turn taking, sharing, waiting, etc. They receive counseling from the two psychologists at Clarence Center to work on these skills. And the psychologists are working on some of the most challenging skills the kids in the program have trouble with and therefore had to work tirelessly over the years to establish a trusting and safe relationship with the kids. in order to have them be open to working on these crucial skills. The two psychologists collaborate constant with one another and have a very
077effective working relationship and ensures that all the needs of the kids in the behavior program are not only met but exceeded. There's unpredictability in their days and if one child is having a hard time and might require more one-on-one support, the psychologist is able to step in and ensure there are no gaps in the support that the kids are receiving and the kids have worked very hard to feel comfortable with both of them. I know I'm running out of time for my time slot, but I could go on for much longer about all the benefits Clarence Center has for these kids over Ledge View or some other school in your district. I applaud you for the program you have created at Clarence Center. It is one of a kind and we are so thankful our
078son has been able to be a part of it. You would dishonor the standards that Clarence Center is known for. If you tear apart the program at Clarence Center and shift it to another building, it will never be the same. There has to be another solution to the population concerns you have at Sheridan Hill and Ledgeville. Thank you for your time. I implore you, please take these considerations and determine another solution. I have with me the voting results from all the other parents in the district as well as a note from a parent that wishes to remain anonymous. If it's okay, can I bring them to you? Yep. Thank you very much. Thank you very much for your comments. President Bugli. Um, oftentimes when we hear public comment, the board just receives information every now
079and again. It may be helpful to offer a couple thoughts. One is just, um, I wanted to, um, thank you for your your feedback here tonight. Um, we're sorry that we're in this position. We have a commitment to providing, um, a relevant and supportive, uh, education for all of our students in the district. One of the challenges is that there are times when we need to look at the different location of programs. Uh for the past year, we have done a deep dive in terms of enrollment trends, uh building trends in the community, special education trends, homeschools for different students, and we've had a group of stakeholders make a recommendation that was communicated to staff and and to families. Um I would be more than willing to sit down and meet with um any family
080of a child in the program if they had questions or wanted to talk in more detail. um and could just tell you that you heard tonight and that we have a commitment to supporting each and every one of our children now and moving forward. Thank you, Mr. Bug. Thank you, Dr. Frame. There is no further public comment. We're going to move on to finance. Dr. Grupka, thank you. Today, I'll be asking for approval of our financial reports, bills, and check warrant for the month of March. approval of a transportation contract for our afterchool music program and approval of our lowest bidder for our capital work and high school pool repair. The lowest bidder was William Watson. Any questions or comments on items F1 through F4 hearing? None. I'll take a motion to approve items F1
081through F4. Make a motion. Who is that? Senate. Do I have a second? Second. Thank you, Don. All those in favor? I personnel Mr. Michelle instructional thank you Mr. The first part is that we have an an amendment to the one salary and an orientation leader change. There are four resignations this evening to instructional and two club positions. We have four requests two requests for teachers to go on leave and also two to return. Our prior appointment this this board meeting is for an home instruction teacher appointments this evening. We have five of our new teaching staff being recommended. U Miss Goo is in attendance and I invite her to come up at the end of the meeting to meet the board. AIS and regions review instructors. P7 is the review of the 10-year recommendations
082for 28 instructional positions and they will be for your approval next meeting. P8 is presentation compensation and P9 changes to our substitute list. Thank you, Mr. Michelle. Any questions on items P1 through P9? Hearing none, I'll take a motion to approve items P1 through P6 and P8 and P9. I'll make a motion, James. Thank you, Adrian. Do I have a second? Second. Thank you, Trisha. All those in favor? I I Mr. Michelle non-instructional. Uh, we have one amended retirement date. We also have two retirements. Tammy Durkovitz has served the district for 16 years and Mark Zadel for 21 years. Thank you to both of them for their service. Changes in status. We have a cleaner and custodian making building changes. Prior appointments for this meeting, one aid, a student tech support, and an aid substitute.
083P14 begins the appointments for our ESY summer school. So, this includes our aids, our kodas, and our nurse. P15 are changes to our substitute list. Thank you, Mr. Michelle. Any questions or comments? Items P10 through P15 hearing. None. I'll take a motion to approve items P10 through P15. I'll make a motion, James. Thank you, Don. Do I have a second? Second. That's good, Cindy. Thank you. All those in favor? I um Miss Shushka, special needs and student activities. The committee on special education met for eight days and is asking for the approval of recommendations for 17 students. And the committee on preschool special education met for four days and is asking for approval on the recommendation for six students. Thank you. Any questions? I have S1 and S2. hearing. None. I'll take a motion to
084approve items S1 and S2. Thank you, Dennis. Do I have a second? Second. Thank you, Trisha. All those in favor? I. Dr. Frame, board development and policy. Two different items tonight. The first isformational. As you all know, uh the New York State School Boards Association, NISBA, has a board recognition program where they recognize board members who uh are engaged in professional learning in their own skill and leadership development. and they are proud to rec uh to acknowledge and and present um Mrs. Cindy McGara with a board achievement award for her ongoing commitment to learning. So, if we can give Mrs. McGara a quick round of applause. Thank you for all the work that you have put into professional learning with regard to your board service. The second item is a field trip for the Academy
085of Business and Finance to Orlando, Florida in January of 2026. And that is an action item. Thank you. Um can I have a motion to approve item B2? I'll make a motion. Thank you. Do I have a second? I'll second. Thank you, Adrian. All those in favor? I I In our packet, we have a schedule of upcoming meetings and upcoming events. I will note that our next meeting is June 9th at 7 p.m. Not at 6:30 p.m., but at 7 p.m. Um, for all um that's the end of the agenda. I'll take a motion to adjurnn, please. Thank you, Dennis. Second. Thank you. Um, Dawn, all those in favor? Hi.