001session to discuss a personnel matter and collective bargaining negotiations. I'll make a motion, Mike. Thank you, Don. Do I have a second? Second. Thank you, Cindy. All those in favor? I I about 6:30. Heat. Heat. bring uh the public portion of the meeting uh back to order. Uh first off, as everybody could rise for the pledge. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Um, we are down two board members this evening. Uh, Mr. Bodoli and Mrs. Andrews are missing, absent this evening. Um, moving forward, can I have a motion to approve the agenda for tonight? I'll make a motion. Thank you, Dennis. Do I have a second? Second. Thank you, Don.
002All those in favor? I carries. Uh, in our packet, we have one set of meeting minutes to approve and that's from the board of education meeting and executive session that occurred on March 17th. Uh, does anybody have any questions or comments relative to that document? Hearing none, I'd entertain a motion to approve. Make a motion. Thank you, Cindy. Do I have a second? I'll second. Thank you, Adrian. All those in favor? I That carries. Uh, does anybody on the board have any announcements tonight? All right, seeing none, I'm not aware of any correspondence uh from the Cl Center. Uh, yeah, we did receive one email this past week uh concerning the uh relocation of some special education uh classrooms. uh in the district uh starting next year. Uh I'm not aware of any unfinished business.
003I guess uh with that, Dr. Fran, I'll turn over for you for red devil recognition. Thank you, Vice President Fuches. Um for those who don't attend meetings or watch meetings regularly, this is something that we do on a monthly basis, our red devil recognitions. About a year ago, our board of education talked about being more intentional about highlighting the good things that are going on in our school community. And we had done some outreach with faculty uh staff, parents and students and had asked them to identify qualities that are of particular importance importance to us here in Clarence. And so those four different qualities are hard work, respect, kindness and compassion. So of all the different qualities and attributes you could have, those are things that really resonate uh here in our school community. And
004uh what we have done is is um put out uh different survey mechanisms and said if if you bump into members of our school community that really go above and beyond in these different areas, we'd love to recognize them. And so we have a number of deserving individuals tonight. And what we do is in in a second, Mr. Fuches and I are going to move over to the screen. I'm going to take a microphone and we're going to call up the person who has been nominated uh to receive a Red Devil recognition as well as the individual who uh nominated them. If their supervisor or building principal is here tonight, we're going to ask that they join us as well. And we're going to read uh parts or all of the nomination that was submitted.
005And we're going to grab a photograph and turn that over to our communication specialist to share with our larger school community. And we also have some swag. We have a coffee mug and we have a pin. They are tokens of our thanks for the good things that go on in our school community. So without further ado, Mr. Fuches and I are going to head over to the screen and we are um pleased to welcome up Mrs. Lamfront and Senor O'Donnell who are both members of our high school faculty and Zoe Burgett who nominated them for Red Devil recognition. So come on up. And I should say that when it came through, because it was a twoperson one, the space was taken up and we didn't have Zoe's name. So, we had to track down a
006mystery nominator and we used the context clues and and figured it out. Whoops. I'm going to just duck past you, um, Zoe, for a quick second. So I, as I had mentioned before, Mrs. Lampron is a a member of our high school science faculty, Senor O'Donnell uh by the senors, a member of our load faculty in the high school. Um, and I'm going to just uh sneak over here and we'll read u the nomination that uh that Zoe had submitted. So she says, "Mrs. Lamprron and Senor O'Donnell are exceptional teachers who've inspired me to work hard and never give up both inside and outside the classroom. I feel as though I'm valued not only as one of their students, but also as a person. Mrs. Lamprron has taken time out of her free periods to
007meet with me, whether it's to talk about the day or to share her old notes from college and offer advice as I prepare for my own college journey and hopefully a career in nursing. Her constant compliments and encouragement always brighten my day. To me, she is a role model, kind, hardworking, intelligent, and selfless. I've had Seenor for two years now, and he consistently goes above and beyond. He arrives early and stays after school to grade papers or assists students with homework. If a student is hungry in the morning, he provides breakfast and water. On birthdays, he surprises students with gifts, cards, and even plays a special song. These actions are a testament to his character. Not only is he a great teacher, but he also is a genuinely caring person. Senor makes his classes engaging
008and fun, and he ensures that he knows about each student's extracurricular activities so he doesn't overwhelm us. He regularly checks in to see how we're balancing everything. Both Mrs. Lamron and Senor O'Donnell have made a lasting impact on my high school experience. Their kindness, dedication, and support inspire me to be to be more like them, and I'm incredibly grateful for all they've done to help me grow. If you would join us in acknowledging Mrs. Lambron and Senor O'Donnell. So, we have certificates and and mugs and pins. We're going to have the high school team come on up. And then we have our um resident photographer who's going to grab a picture. So, thanks for joining us, Mrs. Sutton. So, we'll um scooch in in front of the screen. Thank you. And so, um, build Sophia,
009as you grab a mug and maybe head this way so our board members can shake your hand and congratulations on, um, well, well-earned recognitions. And thank you, Zoe, for a wonderful nomination. Next up, we have members of our Rise program in the high school. So, I'd like to invite um members of our high school faculty up. Cindy Adams, Tim Fitzgerald, uh, James George, Michaela Morgus, Shawn Muldown, Alli Balow, Cassidy Gake, Laura Stanachevski, Dana Taylor, Gretchen Row, Shawn Burton, and nominated by Ken Smith, Julie Mampy, and Bob Gigglio. Welcome. So the the photograph could be challenging, although we managed to get it figured out with our tech department earlier in the year. So for those who don't know, about a year ago, the high school uh created what's known as the RISE program, an individualized school
010experience for students that uh that need a non-traditional path as they move through high school. And so that is not an easy uh program to create and these are the team of professionals who working with u Mr. Smith, Mr. Kiglio, Mrs. Mampy have created a really incredible experience for our high school students this year. So I'm going to read part of the nomination statement from Mr. Smith, Mr. Kiglio, and Mrs. Mampy. And I'll also say that when we get to our report section tonight, um, one of the reports this evening deals with the RISE program and gives a really comprehensive um, understanding of the different parts of the the program and as well as what their first year has looked like. So, this is part of the um, nomination that was submitted. We'd like to
011recognize the incredible RISE teachers for their unwaving dedication and commitment to student success. Now in its first year, the Rise the Red Devil individualized school experience program was designed to provide a personalized approach to learning and these educators have gone above and beyond to ensure its success through their hard work, compassion, and belief in every student. The RISE teachers have created an environment where students are thriving academically. Many students in the program are achieving higher grades than they did in the general population and most passed their regent's exam in June. Their impact goes beyond academics. They are building confidence, fostering resilience, and opening doors for future success. We're incredibly proud of the work these teachers are doing to make a difference in the lives of their students. Thank you for your dedication and for embodying
012what it means to be a Red Devil. Thank you all. If you'll join me in [Music] Will Scooch, come on up. We have some taller folks who can stand. They have short legs. Thank you all and for this team. Uh, as Mr. Fuches is handing out a mug and a pin, um, as you leave to maybe just go down so our board of education can say thank you. So, thank you for everything and for being here with us tonight. Congratulations. Next up is Mrs. Regulski and Addison Long who is the nominator if they're here and would join us tonight. Hi there. So for people who haven't been here, this is a really good example of why it's our favorite part of meetings every month is that there are these quiet stories that come out of
013all corners of the organization where you have a whole program being recognized. Uh but I have to say our favorite oftentimes are when students nominate uh members of our faculty and staff and that's what we're going to recognize right now. Um so Addison Long had filled out a nomination uh for her teacher, Mrs. Regulski and it said uh in part, Mrs. Regalsski is in um in all is an amazing person. She's also so helpful, friendly, and compassionate in class. She's always there to answer your questions, gets back to you as fast as she can on emails, checks in on us and how we feel and asks about her opinions on her teaching technique. Mrs. Regolski is the teacher that I wish I could have had with me. I wish I could have with me for
014the rest of my life. She is straightforward but caring, a fashionista for sure and one of my favorite teachers ever. You'll never see Mrs. Regolski in the hallway without a smile on her face. And reading this, the group that reviews these just said that's what we're looking for uh to highlight these things. So, thank you Jessica uh Mrs. Regolski and thank you Addison for really thoughtful nomination. So, if you join me in congratulating Mr. So, Mrs. a sudden can go away from wide angle lens down to portrait mode as we get a a photograph. Congratulations. That was awesome. Thank you so much. We have a mug. So, next up is uh Mrs. Chelsea Beler, who's a member of our high school English faculty and Addison Urbanic, who had filled out the nomination. And Mrs. Beer,
015as you're walking up, I'll just note that as I was coming in tonight, I was talking with um Dr. Sosuk, who's a member of our board of education, and she said, "I don't know if you know this, but Mrs. Beer was like the best student that we ever had when she was teaching as a member of the faculty at Buff State." True. Well, what we were wondering is now what about her? Uh your experience with her in the program, my you know, heart clutch is all you really have to know. The best. Well, a very a very cool connection and I just uh had shared what you mean to our high school English faculty and faculty. But anyway, um this is reading from Addison's nomination that she had filled out filled out. It says, "Mrs.
016Beer is a very compassionate person. I had the pleasure of being her student for two years. In the 10th grade, it was my first time not being in a co-taught English class, and that was very scary for me. But she made me feel at ease and showed me how I belonged in that class in the beginning. She would check in on me and see how I was adjusting and offer me extra help if I needed it, which was so sweet that she did that due to how she wasn't required to. My second year, I had her for AP language. And in the middle of the year, I had to be out for surgery. So during my free periods and when Mrs. Beer didn't have class, I would meet with her and she would give me
017all the work that I would be missing, which helped ease my stress a lot. Even when I got my midterm score back and it wasn't the best, I've done so um she had explained it was okay to do due to how stressful a time it was for me and being out with surgery and how there was a lot on my mind and said not to worry about it, even taking time to go over my midterm so I could see what I needed to work on. She's really passionate about what she does every day and has helped me become a better writer, student, and person. So, thank you, Mrs. Beer. It means a lot with all that you've helped me with over the years. if you would join me in congratulating Mrs. P. Oh, okay. Thank
018you. Thank you. Thank you. That way. Thank you, Madison. And last but not least is Be Gonzalez, who was nominated by Mrs. Rperski. Come on up. Congratulations. Okay. I believe Mrs. Mr. Spearski, this is not the first time you've been up on this stage as a recipient. Well, um so cool that you had nominated be uh this evening. So, be is a student that volunteers in the 121 run uh class um daily in Clarence High School. Be is not only compassionate and respectful toward the students with disabilities in the program, but they work towards supporting these students and their needs. He was quick to learn um students abilities and needs, allowing them to form relationships. They work with small groups as well as a whole group supporting students. Be created a few mini lessons and
019activities to present to the class. These lessons involved them uh creating materials and were appropriate as well as gathering supplies and ingredients for crafts and recipes. Be's hard work outside the classroom in addition to their dedication to students has been appreciated and deserves recognition. Be is looking to further their education in the in the area of teaching and education. So thankful. Thank you for all the ways that you have strengthened our academic program and more importantly for making all students feel cared for and a sense of belonging. So if you would join me in [Music] [Applause] congratulating Thank you. All right. And if you would join me one last time in giving all our recipients tonight a final round of applause. Thanks [Music] everybody. And for our recipients and nominators, we always pause for a
020moment just to acknowledge the fact that people have really busy schedules as we come up uh through the end of April. If folks want to take a moment to head home to eat dinner and finish homework and see their families, we understand that. Um, if you want to stick around, you're more than welcome to do that. But thank you for all the different gifts that you give our school community. Uh, so, Vice President Fuches, that is it for Red Devil recognitions this evening. Thank you, Dr. Frame. Uh, next up, uh, on our agenda this evening is, uh, board reports. Uh, first off, uh, CEF update. Don, do you have anything tonight? um only Mike that we are going to have our pickle ball tournament over the summer and we will be having a summer party
021so watch for details on that. Okay. Thank you. Thank you Don. Um does any board member have any updates relative to uh parent teacher organization meetings in the last month? I guess I'll just add I attended the the middle school PTO meeting at the end of March. It seems like we've been a it's been a while since we've been together. um standard meeting update uh really focused on plans for the uh scoops for scholars event that uh will be coming up here in the short uh future. Um ECASB representative reports. Mike, just wanted to mention a couple weeks ago uh Dawn, Trisha and I had a chance to uh visit the Harkness Center and we visited the program was called Twist on Tech and they have about 40 different uh career and technical education programs
022there. We had a chance to uh visit three of the programs. Uh really impressive not only because we got to see the programs and the teachers but actually meet with the students who are are going through. Um and I had a chance to do the uh animal science, electrical systems and aviation. And to see what these students are are learning is just fabulous. Uh they also gave us a a little uh sheet that has QR codes with as I said about 40 different programs they have. And if you uh if you go to the Air1 Bosey's website, you can click on uh the description there's a short about a minute video just introducing a little bit of each program. So, I tell you, it's it's a fabulous program that our our students go to and
023and to hear from the professor, the the teachers, you know, the critical shortage for uh some of these uh students that graduated, they're they're placing 100% of them and even in summer jobs between their junior and senior year. It's it's really impressive to see the work that they're doing. So, it was a great program. A great program. Yep. Thank you, Dennis. Okay. Um I guess with that, Dr. Mr. Frame, I'll turn it over to you for the superintendent's report. Thank you, Mr. Fuches. We have three different reports tonight. The first involves the RISE program that you heard a bit about a couple minutes ago. Um, we have a final just brief budget planning update before our formal board adoption tonight and then a student body update as always. Um, I just offer maybe a couple
024thoughts before turning things over to Miss uh Mrs. Mampia, a member of our high school administrative team, is that as a school district, um, our core purpose is to provide a high quality dynamic supported education for all of our students, 4,200 students in the district, close to,300 students in the high school and Clarence has a proud record of being able to do that. Uh, Mr. Priori, you just talked about Harkness programs. We need to be able to support vocational opportunities for students. We need to support advanced placement offerings. We have more than 20 classes uh that are AP uh courses in the high school. Dual credit opportunities, interesting electives, a vibrant arts and music program because we know that those are things that help kids find their passion and make their school experience meaningful. Um
025we also know that kids learn in different ways. And so uh this team that you had a chance to meet with tonight, Mrs. Mambi, Mr. Smith, Mr. and Mr. Kiglio um had come together beginning at the start of last year and really began began looking at the rise program and the core purpose uh as you'll hear tonight is providing an alternative learning setting for students who may not thrive in a traditional high school setting. So as Mr. Priori is talking about a Harkness vocational program. We have the different types of course offerings that I had just listed. An alternative uh program that you'll hear more about with the RISE program is not just a program that is created uh with the idea of a return on investment in mind. Sometimes we think about if you
026make an investment in an area, you're going to see a demonstrated improvement. And I would make this argument that with RISE, we would expect to see a return on investment. When we look at something like our graduation rate, we would expect to see that increase over a period of time, but we're also looking at a value on investment. We're looking at the quality of experience that students have. It's the connections that they establish with the adults in their lives that they are able to uh flourish and find what they care about. Um, so it's not just the numbers, but it's the experience that students have here in school. And I'm really proud of this program. Uh I know that we that you had taken time uh Julie Ken and Bob to recognize colleagues here in
027the high school but this wouldn't have happened without your vision, hard work and leadership and appreciative of you being here tonight to give us an update on how RISE went for its first year in existence. So Julie, I'll turn things over to you. Thank you. I appreciate it. Um I am super excited and proud to be here today um a year later after we presented the idea and show you the results of what we've been able to accomplish. But really, um, thank you for for the, you know, kind words. Um, but the teachers that you saw today up there, they made it happen. Like, if I didn't have this amazing team, we wouldn't have gotten the results we have. And they really have gone above and beyond. Um and other people besides the teachers who
028are up there, Penny Connors from the family support center has joined us for our bi-weekly meetings every week or every um time we meet bi-weekly to tell us information about these students and provide us with insight and provide supports when needed. She's been fantastic and our guidance department has come in regularly to meet with these teachers and give them more insight into some of the things that are going on with these students. That's been this big team approach that has really sort of cocooned this group of students and we've seen great results from them. So, just a reminder, this was what our purpose was. This is a setting for kids who don't do well in a traditional classroom setting. A lot of them just get stressed going through the halls. Um, you might have noticed
029earlier during your recognitions, there was a student that I had my hand on her back. She doesn't do well in these kind of settings. This is the type of kid who needs that additional comfort, that blanket to wrap around them. And that's what we're providing. And really, it's the teachers that created that. We had three goals that when I came in and met with you, um that personalized academic success, it is basically like we have created similar to an IEP, like what are the needs for each of these kids? And every teacher in this group is aware of where they're at. There are times where I think I've got a grasp on something and one of one of them will remind me like, oh no, they don't need that exam. They have it so together
030and we are collectively so united and getting them what they need and getting them to graduate. It's a great those meetings are they're some of my favorite meetings even though I canceled this mornings because we came back from break. Um I do enjoy interacting with them and talking about kids. um the well-being and support. Our counselors, the family support center have been fantastic and it's just really provided this home for kids. This group didn't like coming to school. They like coming to school now. Like that's the big thing that we want everybody to feel like they belong. They finally feel like they belong. And then that community and life readiness. Um this is something where we are trying to get them ready for the real world. There's been times where um some of our teachers
031realized that our kids don't have the supports at home and so they're helping to fill in those gaps. Um one teacher took time during our planning to work with one of the kids and get them ready for his um driving exam because she knew he wasn't getting that support at home and it was really important he passed the test. This is the kind of stuff that some kids have that at home and some of these kids don't and we're filling in the void. These are the classes that we offered. This is not we're not giving them easy classes. We're not giving them an easy A. They are working hard and they are doing the same work that they would in a regular classroom setting. We're just doing it with more support and with um more
032understanding of what their needs are in that moment. So, for example, if we have a kid who's out because they're they are struggling with something and they can't be in school at that time, we can easily fill in what they're missing during what we call wind time. That's towards the bottom here. It's what I need. And that would be how we get them caught up. And so, our attendance has actually increased because of that. Um because the kids know it's not going to snowball on them when they're out, which is huge. I know like you leave your laundry for a little while and all of a sudden it starts to snowball. You don't want to look at it again. This is worse for a teenage kid. These are all the teachers. I just want to
033recognize them again that are part of the program. They are the real heroes of this program. And I put Penny Connors in there because she is just as in tune to what these kids need and who's in this program. And she's interacting with the teachers a whole lot more to see what she can do to support. When I presented last year, these were the things that I was saying was personalized for this. When we talk about an individualized school experience, these are the things that are part of that. So the lower studenttoteer ratio, that increased flexibility, if we have a kid who needs to go for counseling or needs to see their guidance counselor or just needs to take a break and go for a walk, we can provide that during this time. Or if
034they're absent for a while, we can go ahead and fill in those gaps with that wind time. Um that's kind of our catchall for them during the day. um the early January regent exams. This was something where I gave creativity to the teachers and said, "What do you want to do? This is a different setting. How do you support kids differently?" They said, "We'd like for them to try to take the exam in January. We think they can do it. We can prep them for it and then we want the rest of the year to be us just exploring new stuff." And they did. And I we're going to talk about a little bit later, but they did English 11, US history, and algebra. They all passed the English 11 and the algebra. one kid
035didn't pass the US history. So, like right away it was a huge success and they were feeling, you know, proud of of the accomplishments of the kids, too. Um, we're using the Apex online learning to fill in any gaps or any electives that we have in there. Although, I do have some kids who are leaving the rise room occasionally to go for like music or one kid didn't want to use Apex for English 10. He is taking English 10 in the regular classroom. He's flourishing there because it's not overwhelming all day long. He can handle one class. Um, so we're working and that again, that's how we individualize it. And then that enhanced student engagement and comfort. Um, I I have to put a big um, shout out to Gretchen Row who came up with
036all this furniture and um, some rugs and some cool lamps um, and made it cozy. It feels a little bit like home in there. And then the art department made individualized paintings for that room. So, it's kind of it's not your typical classroom. It's more of that comfy space that they need. So, we'll look at numbers. We have a total of 24 students in here right now. We started with 10 um when we were meeting in the spring and then over the summer. Midfall, we added five more. In December and January, six and so far in the spring, we have three. That does increase because right now, I I know I had talked last year, I have those struggling seniors that I'm worried about if I get them across the stage. We're going to be
037adding more because of that and that's where that win time will probably come in more. Um I did have for example a senior who's doing poorly in English 12. She has Gretchen for English. She's taking that English 12 with Gretchen one period and the next period she goes into the rise English 12 and gets a double dose of it and she's able to get her work in. It was basically work completion that was a problem or sometimes she'd get a little frustrated and get confused. Her grade is now increased dramatically. So she's on track now. we don't have to worry about her. Um, we have nine 11th graders and 12th graders. We had one returning senior. Um, he just needed US history and English 11. We got him through those exams. So, he was able
038to um graduate in January. You're going to notice grade 10. I did not plan on 10th graders being in this program, but I had two tenth graders who needed biology and I had space within the program. we were able to um incorporate them in and they're already planning on being part of the program next year because they enjoyed the experience. Um and then our two ENL uh nine 504s and six special ed. So I looked at the data of just the original nine students. One of our students unfortunately because of some circumstances outside of home had to leave the program. So I did not count her grades in this. Um but the first marking period grades and please keep in mind that all these students pretty much all of them are used to going to
039summer school. Um so their grades kind of gives you an idea of what their grades were at. First marking period average was 81.9 second 80.8 and six out of nine of those students go to Harkness. So they're getting those skills as well. And again that January exam we were just glowing when we got the results from the January exam. Um, and one of our students, he recently came to me and said, "This is the first year I'm not planning on going to summer school and I can actually have a summer vacation." So, he was just jumping up and down. So, last year I made the promise that we were not going to add additional staff and we were going to limit the cost. We did not add additional staff, very minimal cost. And again, thank
040you to Gretch and Row for helping us out with that. I said that we were going to aim for no more than 20, but we're going to start really small at first and hopefully grow it. We've gone above and beyond that with now having 24 and probably increasing more. Um, and for next year, it's already planned that we have about 17 students that are going to start the year off in the rise program. Um, and many of them have already heard about the program and are asking to be part of it. So, that's kind of the we're already the word's out. Um, and then the focus on graduation. Right now, all the students we have in this RISE program should be on track for graduation. I feel like I need to knock on wood as
041I say this so I don't jinx it, but that original grouping is on track for sure. The ones that we have added in throughout the year, they they're working on it and I think we can get them closer to it. It's basically the more time we have with them, the more successful we can be. So, um, and then our next steps, what am I looking to grow with this? Um, I obviously want to add more flexibility to this program to keep on making it as individualized as possible. And I know as we get more kids, that can sometimes be a struggle, but we're going to try to make that happen. Um, we've already talked Penny and I um, and the counseling department about how we can increase mental health support. Those connections with students, teachers,
042and community leaders is something big. Um, Evanation has actually been a great help for us recently with the family support center and getting us connected for some of our participation in government community. Um, they need to do the community service piece. So, he's been helping with that even with transportation and we did a field trip um to get them that experience. Um, and then the life skills. Obviously, these are kids that we are helping to support, but we know that when we let them go, they're going to need some skills to help stay on their feet on their own. So, we want to put more in place there. And then we want to monitor and help them for their post-graduate experience. And eventually I'd love to add 10th graders to it. So that's kind of
043the know it's a lot and it's the big pie in the sky, but at least you know my vision for it. So what questions do you have for me? I know I threw a lot out there. A students comes to you and and says they'd like to try the program. What process do you go through? What are some of the steps? So we talk about what the program looks like and what it entails because they have to understand they do have to get the work done. It's not just a gift. Um, and they have to understand that there is already a culture that has been created within this program and they cannot in interfere with that. The kids who are in that program have the climate and the culture within that has been established and
044they don't want you messing with it, you know. So, there's that piece as well. Um, and then there's a uh the communication with parents about do you understand what this means? because you're not you are in a little bit more secluded setting and if a kid wants to be socializing with their friends, it does make it a little bit harder. Um that was a struggle for some of them at the beginning, but then they did share that they kind of liked not having that as a distraction. Didn't get them in as much trouble sometimes and then they could socialize outside of school more. So, thank you. Other questions or comments for Julie? Outstanding results. Very impressive. Yeah, I appreciate your support. We couldn't have done it without you. Well, I'm thinking about uh a year
045ago when you were here presenting and and the board had given the green light and the thumbs up on moving ahead. If you had predicted the experience of the students and where you are today, I'm not sure anybody would have believed it. That's an that's an incredible first year. Um and you went above and beyond by nominating colleagues for Red Devil recognition. And I think everybody here knows that you're the straw that stirs the drink when it comes to our Rise team. I had the opportunity to sit in on a meeting that Julie had led earlier in the year and she is the facilitator and coordinator making sure all of the pieces go together. So, it's not just her presentation tonight. It's playing a leadership role with this particular program. It would just reinforce the
046fact that you're changing the school experience of students in the high school. And as you're talking, I'm really proud of what you have been able to accomplish with colleagues. Um, it would just note for people who are here that that the teachers that were here, it's not their full teaching load. It may be a period or two a day. Uh, so it's just reallocating their schedules a bit differently. And then you made this point and I think it's so important is that the bar doesn't change. When you talk about an ELA exam and a US history regent exam, that's the same bar for every student in New York State. What changes is the supports that we pack around students. So for a lot of our kids, they're able to be in a class of 25
047students and one teacher and they can sit in a desk that was built 20 years ago and they can experience success. And for other students, it's sitting in a much more comfortable environment. It's it's a much lower uh teacher-to- student ratio. It's having uh Penny pop in to provide some support, not uh purely in the form of mental health, but it's an academic strategy so that students can be in a good place when they're engaging in the learning. And again, uh we're going to give you a round of applause because we're so proud. Just keep up the good work. We're excited to see where the program goes. So, thank you. I just would like to add that just one thing that I know that when we started that you know you were thinking we're going
048to have small amount of students and to be able to accommodate that level of students is just remarkable. So thank you. Thanks. It is the flexibility of the teachers though because I don't have to teach them. You know what I mean? So but you can't be a good leader if you don't have a good team behind you, right? And that is a rockstar team you saw. So thank you so much. I appreciate it. Thanks Julie Ken and Bob. Uh and have a great evening. We'll see you bright and early tomorrow. All right. Second report this evening deals with our uh budget planning update. Uh as you know when we look at our budget planning calendar, we put three different focus sessions uh on our timeline and calendar each year and in some ways it culminates
049tonight uh with a recommendation to the board to adopt a budget that would go out to the community for approval in May. Um so if people are expecting a 4550minute presentation uh tonight, you're in for a treat. Uh just kidding. Uh it's not that type of report this evening. For folks that have joined us in previous meetings, we've done a deep dive in different departments and programs. Tonight should be more of a summary and a recap uh than anything as we ask for the board's approval before putting this uh proposed spending plan out to the community. So you can see an agenda of our conversation this evening. Uh as always, we take a quick look at our budget budget calendar and timeline. You can see those different focus sessions. For folks who have been with
050us the last couple meetings, you know that we have done a deep dive in three different departments of programs. um a piece in in our most recent meetings and culminates in our our budget adoption tonight. Um if you have paid attention to education financing in recent years, you know that New York State has come very close to passing its budget by April 1st in recent history. That's not something that has always been around. Uh there were years where the budgets were weeks, months late uh which which present some unique funding challenges for public education. this uh this year we're moving closer to that. So in New York State there should be an on-time budget by April 1st. The governor is still negotiating with the Assembly and Senate. And so a challenge for schools is to
051meet the required timeline that they have uh to put a spending plan out to the community for approval. You have to back up with different required steps to do that when you don't know for sure what state funding will be for for K12 schools. So, as we make a recommendation tonight, this is what we um this is our best estimate in terms of what revenues and expenditures will be for next year. Recognizing that there has not been a formal budget approval uh that has come out of Albany, our recommendations are based on guidance that has come from New York State in terms of where we think that uh foundation aid and aid formulas will end up and different numbers that are are factored into some of those different calculations. So, as always, we're going to
052talk uh broadly about anticipated revenues, anticipated expenditures. Again, tonight will not be a line by line or a department by department, but really taking a step back and trying to capture um big picture uh general things that are involved in the spending plan. So, with regard to revenue, uh we know that public school funding in New York State comes from primarily two places. One is local revenue that's levied in the form of property taxes. there is a property tax um uh calculation in New York State, a tax cap that exists and so proud to share that um for I believe it's the 15th consecutive year, Clarence would come at either at or below the tax cap. So that's been an important part of the board's work throughout this process. Uh you can see the the
053proposed tax levy moving from this current school year to next school year. Uh you can see our best estimates in terms of foundation aid and different expense driven aid. So the more that you spend in certain areas in New York State, the more that you would receive back. Again, these are subject to the the final budget that's passed in Albany and they are the best estimate that we and any public school can provide at this particular point in time. And then there's some additional revenue that come in the form of sales tax and then uh some designated uh reserve fund balance that would be appropriated not just this year but next year. Um so again, I'll I'll hold that slide up for just a couple uh extra seconds. Some important terminology if if you're talking
054with uh neighbors, friends, family members, and they have uh questions about a proposed spending plan is the difference between a tax levy and a tax rate. So, when we're talking about a tax levy, that's the total amount that is levied from a local community. And how we get there is that as properties are assessed, uh people pay a certain amount per $1,000 of assessed value, which gets us to the levy. So, some of the numbers that are important for us to pay attention to would be our tax rate calculation, the amount per thousand of assessed value. Uh, I've put up the past 10 years in Clarence, so you can see where that number has been and where we are currently. Dr. Gruffka will calculate to the best of her uh ability where she thinks that
055T rate will shake out. At this particular point, we think that it would be about 1032 per $1,000 of assessed value. We won't know the the final number until we get into the summer. I would just share that in recent years, the number has always ended up being lower than what has been predicted. If you survey public school districts in New York State, certainly upstate, and you pull what their tax rates are, you will find a handful of schools that are in uh this neighborhood, and this is a credit to the school community in terms of being steady stewards when it comes to um fiscal navigation with regard to school funding. So, that's where the tax rate, predicted tax rate is. Again, some of the numbers that that are important for people to know as
056we put this plan out for approval is that the tax levy increase is 2.46%. That is at the property tax cap. So, not going above the property tax cap, it would require just a 50% plus one community vote for approval. The budget-to-budget increase from this current year to next year would be a 1.8% increase. As we all look at our home bills and expenditures, we know that it's tough to stay in that area. So, we're proud of that 1.8% increase. And then again looking at the estimated tax rate u one of the lowest that you're certainly going to find in Erie County uh and even upstate New York if you expand your search. So those are some key revenue figures um that that are important for us to understand. When it comes to expenditures, there
057are um many of our programs that are required in in K12 education. We're also in a school community that has thankfully relatively stable enrollment. When we predict out five years, we actually predict a slight increase in clearance. We're not experiencing declining enrollment like many schools in upstate New York is. So what that means is that yeartoyear most of our expenditure should be relatively consistent. We shouldn't see wild spikes in terms of overall spending. So I'll highlight a couple things as we move into expenditures. In New York State, there's some requirements in terms of how you report out expenditures. New York State requires that at some point you report them out in three different categories: instruction, capital, and administrative. So when we talk about instruction, there's the day-to-day teaching and learning. There's the transportation of our
058students. There also are some obligations that we have to meet with regard to transportation and support for students, for example, that enroll in private or parochial schools. So that would be captured in the instructional part of our budget. It's the largest by far and should be that way when you're talking about K12 education. With regard to capital expenses, we acknowledge the fact that we have close to um I I believe close to 900,000 square feet of buildings that we have to maintain and make sure are safe and appropriate for student learning on a daily basis. Uh in addition to uh close to 200 acres of property that we maintain. So we have to make sure that our buildings are in good shape and and can support the type of learning that are important to our
059school community. And then administrative the administrative oversight costs uh that are involved in our spending. This also captures some other things like insuranceances, uh legal fees, a number of other things in terms of K12 spending. So you can see the u the uh increase proposed increase from this year to next year with regard to expenditures. In terms of proposed additions or reductions, again, these have come up in previous presentations, but wanted to uh make sure we touched on them tonight. uh we'll make sure that our human resources department is reviewing on a regular basis our projected enrollments at the elementary level uh as well as the middle and high school level when students have made their course requests for the next year. So our human resources department will meet with our building level leadership and
060we'll make sure that we have the appropriate staffing in place. So again when we look at having uh 750 fuller part-time employees in the district we would expect that that number is relatively consistent year-to-year. There are some changes that we wanted to note uh with regard to additions. Uh we anticipated this needing to happen. Uh the addition of a 1.0 classroom teacher and Clarence Center due to an increase in enrollment, a small fifth grade class leaving, and a larger fourth grade class moving to fifth grade. Um needing to provide a bit of additional speech support for mandated services, and then a 1.0 0 school resource officer addition that has been a focus of the board of education and something that has been uh an important partnership with the town of Clarence. Uh when we're looking
061at petition uh potential additions, we also look at at needed uh efficiencies or reductions. Uh because of enrollment at Harris Hill, there's a grade level where we would go from four sections to three sections based on enrollment. And then at the high school we had a math retirement and wouldn't replace that position due to attrition and then also a combination of a resignation and reassignment would also absorb another position. So there would be essentially a 2.0 decrease at the at the high school level. So again a relatively staffing report uh with those minor changes and again you can see instruction capital and administrative given a bit more detail not just with the numbers but some of the things that they cover. So when members of our school community go to the U ballot box uh
062later on in May, there would be a first proposition which is the overall proposed spending plan which we're talking about tonight. A second proposition would be our regular vehicle purchase. So uh uh schools um tend to develop uh vehicle replacement schedules not just for buses but other vehicles that they would use in in the district. Uh it's important to recognize that we have an aid uh an aid rate of just over half when it comes to vans and buses that are used for student transportation. So if we spend for example $100, we would get over half of that back from New York State in the form of aid. Um but this is um an approved uh purchase plan that we use yeartoyear. So the second proposition would be for these vehicles. Maybe one additional comment.
063You'll see 370 passenger buses, two 30 35 passenger vans, and we found that those are very effective in terms of transporting small groups of students who may be traveling to Rochester to create to compete in a business program or traveling to a tennis match or a group of teachers that are going to attend a conference. They're flexible vehicles that uh that that mean we don't always have to be sending a full-size bus. and then a snow plow living in Western New York to make sure that we're uh ready to be open as as much as possible in the winter months. Uh we also have two different uh uh board seats that are open to vacancies. There are two candidates that have uh submitted the necessary paperwork and um and petitions to be able to run
064for those. So there are two different board positions that are up as well. So when people come to the polls, the first proposition, the overall budget, the second vehicle purchase, and then the third would be for voting for board of education candidates. So again, that is an overview of our proposed spending plan. Uh what we would recommend is a board adoption tonight and then our focus would turn toward um continuing to to monitor predicted course enrollments and program needs. Uh all public schools in New York State recognize that the budget that's adopted in May have to support different student needs that exist in the fall. So this is our best guess. And within this budget, there may need to be flexibility based on students that move into the district or needs that arise. Uh we'll
065f follow budget developments in Albany. They've been positive when they come to school funding, but until that final budget's approved, um there's a certain amount of hesitation. And then the third bullet is prepare communication materials. We'll make sure that we're communicating with members of the Clarence community uh through our website, social media, our annual mailer, and we'll also have our public vote or our public presentation, I'm sorry, that comes at uh at our um our board meeting in May, and then get organized for vote day. And vote day uh information should look pretty similar to what people have come to experience in recent years. The vote day is Tuesday, May 20th. It's the same for all public schools in New York State. The polls will be open from 7:00 in the morning until 9:00 at
066night. They will be in uh Clarence High School gymnasium. It's a great opportunity to come and check out some student artwork as well. And again, you can see the different propositions and the board of education seats that will be up. So, I will pause to see if there are questions or comments from members of our board. And again, asking for uh approval of this proposed spending plan tonight. Any board member have any questions? Uh doc Dr. frame, you talked about uh the upcoming uh budget hearing formally in in May at May 12th, I believe, is the date. Um I know we spoke or you you sent a communication to the board uh very recently relative to the mailer and trying to get in front of the rush and make sure that yeah, we have that
067out to the community so if they have questions they can they'll have it in advance. Is that that's the plan? Correct. Correct. Um and important to I guess important to just give maybe a quick overview on that. So there are certain requirements in New York State of the window when a budget has to be adopted by a board, when it has to be communicated to residents, and when the vote has to occur. So when you look at our annual report to the community, there is a page that's our budget report card. So that is the required mailer that goes out to families. What we've chosen to do is provide additional information in terms of our school community and the programs and services that are that are important here in Clarence. So when we look at
068when that will be mailed, it will it will be delivered to families in that window. Uh that's required. Um I would just give uh credit to Mrs. Sutton who has spearheaded our organizational efforts. So we are at the top of the pile at Erie One Boseies when it comes to printing. So we should be ready to sign off on a final uh version of the budget mailer by the end of the day tomorrow to get in the queue so that we're uh keyed up with our uh with their print service and then with our mailer service. So we're we're right on track. We're actually a little bit ahead of schedule and that is a key to Megan's leadership or due to Megan's leadership. And then we'll also make sure that we just share it in
069different ways. So it'll be out in social media. It'll be on our website. Uh as always, if people have questions just to encourage them to call or email myself or call or email Dr. Grupka and we'd be more than happy to have a phone conversation to meet with somebody who has questions or concerns. Thank you. And I I would just um maybe offer one last comment that for members of our board, you have received an electronic copy of our proposed uh report to the community. You have paper copies tonight. If you have an opportunity in the next 24 hours to give it a close read if you uh catch any issues or have feedback to pass those along and we'll incorporate them as best as possible and and move along from there. So uh thank
070you for your support. One just last acknowledgement to uh thank the members of our finance committee uh who have a much more detailed understanding of this uh proposed spending plan and their recommendations and feedback along the way. So, thank you for that. And last up for reports this evening, uh Olivia Collins as always. So after a much needed break from the seventh weeks of school, we are finally back and in the home stretch. Um APs are starting in two weeks for students in 10th through 12th grade and um they're getting busy studying and we are reviewing classes at the high school or at all levels. Um the district had choirs in the round which is had the high school trouble chorus, the corral, the clearance middle school sixth and eighth grade choruses and the ledge
071of view fifth graders and hairsil fourth graders. And this is a great opportunity where younger students can see where they will eventually end up at the high school and see how powerful and beautiful their voices can become. The Clarence High School orchestra concerto concert happened the week before break where multiple seniors were featured in the concert and they not only um showcased their string abilities but also their voice and piano. Orchestra is heading to Chicago this weekend as well for a weekend filled with um many music experiences and learning about music in that city. NHS students participated in the kids escaping drug drugs bowling event on Sunday, April 6 at Transit Lanes where students raised money for KED and played friendly games of bowling with prizes. Future Teachers of America students shadow teachers all over
072the district, giving students the ability to see what a day of teaching is like. My sister did it and she loved it. Um, really solidified her like love for doing things like that. Clarence High School art students had um their art displayed at the stores all high art show in Lockport at the Keenan Center where some students even won awards. Sheridan Hill had a leadership night where students set up stations regarding skills that would be useful from when they were growing up and um that can help um they can use in their future. Harris Hill put on Finding Nemo Jr. and I don't have any um ocean jokes tonight, so I apologize for that. But um hopefully these students got a head start on their middle school and high school theater careers. And finally, Joshua
073Vicanti from The Voice was a special guest reader for the kindergarteners at Clarence Center, which is a very unique experience for them. Thank you, Olivia. Will you ever play softball this spring? Is it going to stop raining? So hope hopefully we'll see more and more of our sports teams out on on the fields and the courts. And then one other question. Have you figured out next year stuff yet or you're still have you committed to a place? I did. Where are you headed? I'm going to Dukane for physician assistant. Very cool. Congratulations. They locked out. Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. And that is it. Mr. Fuches for reports this evening. All right. Thank you, Dr. Frame. Um next up is public comment session. Uh we don't have didn't have anybody sign up this evening. Uh so I
074guess I'll move forward. Uh Erie one Bosey's budget and trustees. Uh we have two actions. Um I don't know if you want to take the lead on that or if you want uh just their administrative budget that's required to be sent out to uh for approval for different component school districts. It has to be today. So that's why we're meeting on a Tuesday as opposed to a Monday. And then they have three uh different board vacancies and three um interested candidates. So would make a recommendation that the board uh approve both. Okay. Any discussion from the board? Hearing none, I guess I'd entertain a motion to approve um the Bosey's 2526 administrative budget uh for $4,127,759 and the casting a vote for the three board vacancies from the three candidates in her packet. Mr. Hall,
075Mrs. Buucy and Mr. Mecca. I'll make a motion. Mike, thank you. Don, do I have a second? Second. Thank you, Cindy. All those in favor? I I carries. Okay. Dr. Grupka, finance. Thank you. Um, I'm requesting approval for the financial reports, check, bills, and check warrants for the month of February. I would request approval of budget uh proposed budget for next year of 98,92712. attached. You'll also find the budget report card and uh property tax cap report card. We're asking for approval of the contract with Tact Staffing, which provides nursing, OT, and PT services. We would use them only as needed. Um I would ask approval for the Title 9 compliance officer, and this would be for Christopher K Martin at the middle school. Um there's a contract attached for approval for the town of
076Newstead for tax collection. This is an agreement that we engage in every year. Um, we have two scholarships that I'm requesting approval for. Um, the Wifford Gillah Memorial Arts Scholarship and the Jennifer Lee Lassman Memorial Scholarship. Um, those uh, the first one is $500 annually uh, for a student proficient in art. And the second one is approval of two $500 awards um for students um who have a disability wanting to pursue further skills or for someone who um has worked with students with a disability. Um, and finally, I well, not finally, I'm asking for approval of a transportation contract for an individual individual transportation contract. And then I'm asking for approval um of an IPA, which is an industrial in instructional purchase agreement for technology devices through our local Boseies. This is part of our
077long-term technology plan. That's all I have. Anybody have any questions on the financial items? I don't have a question, Mike. I'd just like to say that it's really nice to see the Jen Glassman Award. I know I've seen her out in the community um with special ed students and it's a a great tribute to her. So, it's a it's a wonderful scholarship and she's very much missed. Thank you, Don. All right. Um, I guess with that, I'd entertain a motion to approve items F1 through F10, which would include um the approval of the budget that Dr. Framer reviewed a few moments ago. I'll make a motion. Thank you, Dennis. Do I have a second? I'll have a second. Thank you, Adrian. All those in favor? I I That carries. Uh, Mr. Michelle, instructional. construction this
078evening. We have one termination of a coach that did not show up for the sports season they were contracted for. Two resignations of other coaches that are not currently in season. Uh prior appointments, we've decided to do a big batch of substitutes since there are so many meetings going on this spring that try to help with coverage. Uhformational items are a list of transfers for teachers around the district. Appointments this evening, we've already started appointing for now next year. So, we have secured a technology teacher and a world language teacher. Miss Barry, I believe, is in the in way below by Morgan. Congratulations. Uh, Morgan, I'd invite you at the end of the board meeting to come up and meet the board. A fax regular substitute position, spring sports from Mr. Lebeck, summer orientation, AP
079proctoring, some training, and AIS courses. P6 are the summer school administrative appointments. P7 is the presentation compensation and P8 are additional changes to the substitute. Thank you, Mr. Michelle. Any questions on items P1 through P8? Seeing none, uh, can I get a motion to approve the same? I'll make a motion. Thank you, Cindy. Do I have a second? Second. Thank you, Dennis. All those in favor? I I That carries. Uh, non-instructional. Non-instructional. We have one resignation clear status. One is for position support buildings and grounds. The other's additional hours for student support. Prior appointments. This month we had two bus drivers, a bus attendant, a head custodian, and senior clerk for the family support center appointments. Just simply the summer orientation aids for uh middle school and P13 is the substitute teacher uh substitute for
080instruction. Thank you, Mr. Michelle. Um any questions on P9 through P13? Hearing none. Could I have a motion to approve? I'll make a motion. Thank you, Adrian. Do I have a second? Second. Thank you, Don. All those in favor? I that carries. Uh, Miss Schnuska, uh, special needs and student activities. The committee on special education met for 17 days and is asking for approval on the recommended services for 39 students. and the committee on preschool special education met for nine days and is asking for approval on the recommended services for 20 students. Thank you. Uh any questions on items S1 and S2? I get a motion to approve S1 and S2. Make motion. Thank you, Cindy. Thank you, Don. All those in favor? I I um we have one item in board development and policy.
081Um, it's a field trip. Uh, Dr. Frame. Yep. Uh, recommendation of an overnight field trip for our high school band and coral program to Boston. It's not an annual trip, but it is a regular trip that occurs every couple of years. And this is for next April. Correct. So that they can begin communicating and raising funds, collecting funds for Okay. Thank you. Any questions on the field trip? Can I get a motion to approve B1? I'll make motions. Thank you, Cindy. Do I have a second? Second. Thank you, Don. All those in favor? I I All right. Um in our packet, we have a schedule of upcoming meetings and events. Uh we do have um as a reminder, we have the student forum coming up uh next week, uh Wednesday, I believe it is, maybe
082Thursday, 30th, um high school library. Uh we're going to recognize uh volunteers on May 7th, and then we have our next board meeting on May 12th. So with that, unless there's any comments, um I'd entertain a motion to adjurnn tonight. I'll second. Thank you, Dennis and Don for motioning. All those in favor? I I have a good night, everybody.