001Good evening everyone and welcome to the Oyster Bay East Norwich Board of Education meeting tonight, February 25th. If I could please ask everyone to stand for the pledge of allegiance. To the flag of the United States of America and to the stand. Um, do we have any correspondence? All correspondents have been responded to. Okay. Thank you. Um now turn it over to Dr. Yanni for the superintendence report. >> Thank you Miss Castra Javannia. Good evening everybody. Um, in the wake of this recent blizzard and throughout uh what has been a demanding winter, we want to express our deepest gratitude to our custodial and ground team custodian Mike at the high school, Wayne of Vernon and Mike uh Theodor Roosevelt and supported by the tireless effort of Frank Gerard and Alex. uh the ground crew facility
002we remain secure and we were able to open and be ready for the students uh today. I also want to thank Moren Rainor for working with the grounds crew and head custodian coordinating everything and making sure that everything was set for the reopening today all the messages and the communication that went out. So thank you very much and great job on all the crew. Thank you. um like give a a few updated to uh the community and the board. We have some wonderful news. Uh students are doing well all across in every department. So we have so much to be proud of uh in music and art. Um huge congratulations to Julia Milos on being selected for the Long Island best young artist at the Museum of Art. A truly prestigious honor. Each year, students
003in grade 9 through 12 are invited to create original artwork inspired by the piece at the museum and submitted to this highly competitive jur ex exhibition and Julia was selected and is truly an exceptional achievement. So, great job on that. In line with the board of education goals, um I'm also proud to announce the music body days. It's a K to2 initiative designed to turn our individual schools into a unified feeder pipeline. By connecting our oldest and youngest learner, we ensure that moving from um elementary to high school is a continuous journey rather than a change of buildings. Following the successful vertical models of our athletics and robotics program, this three uh part series fosters mentorship across the district. Day one is an inspiration. High school chamber groups perform for third and fourth graders to
004spark early curiosity. The second day is a collaboration. to sixth grade students visit the high school to rehearse side by side with their future mentors in the band and orchestra and day three is a cavalcade of choirs where they all come together. This program does more than teach notes. It builds a culture where every student sees a clear exciting path for themselves from all the way from kindergarten through uh 12th grade. Uh thank you so much for for to the entire music uh faculty uh department and from Miss Erica Gopac for coordinating this entire event celebrating uh once upon a mattress uh is is coming. I'd like to recognize the incredible dedication of the 71 students that are involved this year into the spring musical. While they couldn't be here tonight due to the schedule
005change, they're currently rehearsing uh making the most of the lost snow days. Having even held a virtual rehearsal to to make sure that they were on track. Uh this production is made possible by their outstanding staff. We have Erica Gio, director of uh music and art. uh Terian Chapardi, Virginia Camp, Alex Dolan, Maria Randato, and Eric Kachinowski, Matthew Cizia, and Victoria Divine. So, please join us Saturday, March 7th at 7 p.m. and Sunday, March 8th. We have done a lot of publicity, so you'll find that online. in the humanities department. Um on Wednesday, February 11th, Miss Finey and Miss Sere's second grade performed Taki and Penguin and three cheers for Taki under the direction of Mrs. Gee, Miss Gee. The performance was a wonderful celebration of reading teamwork and student creativity. The readers theater showcase
006highlighted the students growth in reading fluency and communication skills. This year's program was further enriched by a community service component. Students partnered with the life enrichment center to connect with local seniors and it was nice to see the connection between our TR students and uh and the senior citizens. So, thank you so much for coordinating all of that. In the guidance, seventh grade family information night. Uh two weeks ago, the counseling department and special services welcomed 17 7th grade families for a presentation designed to educate on the important aspect of the journey through high school, including the detail of um high school transcript, New York State graduation requirement, course selection, course selection, and the uh college application. The feedback was positive. So, I want to thank uh Dr. Diana for coordinating this this event and
007all the guidance uh counselors in athletic with um the students are doing extremely well this week. Oista Bay has three wrestlers. They are competing in New York State Wrestling Championship tournament. We have Christopher Barbara, James Panetta and Jonathan Nuloa. They are going to um upstate in Albany for the championship and they leave on Thursday. Thursday. Wednesday. Thursday. Um and hopefully I will make a trip on Saturday like I did last year so we can bring back a champion. Zach Green of the boys varsity indoor track and field has been qualified the New York State Championship in the 1,600 meter race. He will complete he will compete in Stan Island on March 7th. And also I want to wish uh good luck to the varsity and girls basketball team. Uh they were they will qualify for
008the class B semi-final. Um so congratulations to all our students. [applause] Nothing is possible without our amazing teachers and one of them has been recognized through Long Island. Tonight I am proud to highlight Regina Dioro, a science and technology teacher at Theodor Roosevelt Elementary who has dedicated 28 years to our district. Regina is the embodiment of our mission empowering all students to achieve excellence. The work being done at TR under Regina's guidance provides the critical foundation for our students future success by transforming complex engineering and coding into hands-on discovery from building race cars to programming robots. She does an amazing job every single day. Her impact is best seen in the students she inspired to become educators. a true statement to the magical way she connects with and empowers every child. Regina was recognized in
009in the news day and we're very very proud. So congratulation Regina. You're listening. [applause] Tonight there is a resolution about the retirement of uh five teachers and Mr. Abbruto our director of uh special education. We will have a full recognition at the end of the year, but I just want to mention their name. They spend a lot of time over here and we're grateful for their work. Um, so we have Colleen Broncin, Lewis Castides, uh, Jennifer Ethine, Diane Hower, and Hely Camp. So, congratulation on their wonderful work. [applause] Uh just a quick uh few items uh to follow up on uh from the last meeting. Um an update on the athletics teams. As you see tonight, we have a resolution regarding the um elimination of JV softball and JV girls bminton. Uh those teams have
010not been run for a couple years. Um and that's for the spring 2026. and we are closely monitoring the JV girls and the JV boys lacrosse enrollment. So I'll keep the board posted on that. Um we are working we have been uh working on the uh gymnasium at the high school. There's been a renovation of all the pads. There were um two different colors through the renovation over the years. So now we have one unified color um with the line of uh Oyster Bay on one of the sides. Uh so the gym looks really really good and um I'm very uh thankful to the custodial and all the work that they have done to maintain that gym in those conditions. Um and at this point I'd like to pass the microphone to Javana for the
011students report. >> Good evening everyone. I hope you had a restful winter break. Furthermore, I hope everyone stayed safe in this harsh winter weather and enjoyed the two snow days on Monday and Tuesday. I would like to highlight a few events that happened before our vacation. First, our photography students were given a photography master class. This class ended up in newspapers and taught our students about photography in creative and unique ways. Additionally, our AP seminar students finished their group research presentations. Congratulations to these amazing students on all of their hard work. To celebrate Lunar New Year, Mandarin classes hosted a Lunar New Year spring festival where students taught visitors about Lunar New Year festivities. Moreover, the high school celebrated PS I Love You Day with staff members handing out positive affirmations in the morning and
012students created Valentine's for veterans in their English classes. Finally, our seventh grade science fair was a success. I had the pleasure of judging some of these amazing projects and there were some very interesting topics covered. Congratulations to the winners. Your projects were truly commendable. And this is all the news I have for this evening. Have a wonderful night everyone. [applause] >> Joanna, thank you so much. I just want to go back and and make sure that uh I'm clear on this. The boys and girls basketball team made to the semi-finals. So, I thought I said that, but I guess I got a note that I didn't say. So, I trust you. Uh, so wish them uh wish them luck and uh we'll see them at the game. So, at this point, I'd like to invite
013to the podium uh Miss Reor about to talk about the to have the second budget presentation. Uh we have made several adjustments about the presentation from last year. So I know that Miss Reor and the entire team with Zach Nyberg and and the entire business office they've done a wonderful job uh putting it all together so we can have a clear understanding of the budget process. Miss Reo uh good evening members of the board of education and members of our community. Tonight's second budget presentation moves us from an overview into a clear understanding of the financial framework behind the proposed budget. In January, we grounded our conversation in vision, goals, and fiscal condition. Tonight, we focus on how the allowable tax levy is calculated, how revenue is structured, and how expenditures are organized, and why
014this budget reflects a careful balance in a constrained environment. Everything begins with our vision of empowering all students to achieve excellence. As introduced in January, our mission and focus this year are very clear to accelerate the momentum of our past successes while maintaining disciplined financial leadership. The budget focus was intentionally crafted to align with and to support the board of education goals. It centers on sustaining student opportunities, protecting protecting program excellence, and maintaining long-term financial stability, all within the framework of the allowable tax levy. One of the most important pieces of understanding our budget is understanding the framework we must operate within. Budget preparation remains challenging due to elevated inflation, also referred to as CPI. While CPI has decreased from prior year highs, the tax levy growth factor is capped at the lower of inflation
015or 2%. For the 2026 2027 school year, although CPI is 2.64, 64. The allowable levy growth factor for all school districts will again be capped at 2%. Historically, CPI, the tax levy and the tax cap moved more consistently as shown here. But over the past 5 years, CPI has fluctuated significantly through proactive planning. We have maintained very uh maintained le levy stability while protecting programs. The challenge is that that cost compounds. They do not decline when the inflation moderates. The allowable tax levy is the amount the district is able to propose as part of its annual revenue budget. It is calculated using the tax cap formula established by the New York State Office of Controller. The product of the formula is our tax levy. Tax levy is due by March 1st which we will be
016in compliance with. Here you will see the major factors of the formula which will be discussed over the next few slides. Going into detail, the taxbased growth factor is the key component in calculating the tax cap. It accounts for physical increases in taxable property base such as new construction and improvements. Pilots received by the district have remained fairly consistent, approaching about 900,000. Although CPI has fluctuated, the allowable tax levy growth factor just spoke about is capped at 2% again this year. The local capital levy shares remain consistent at approximately 2.2 million, which largely accounts for our debt service payment. Putting this all together, we're able to calculate our tax levy limit for our school district. For 2627, we have again been able to propose the budget that is within the allowable tax levy limit, not
017because costs have stabilized, but because a discipline resource alignment has been applied. So now let's step back and take a look at the revenue budget. As we continue to build the budget, simply put, the revenues must equal the expenses. Focusing on the revenue side, our district is funded primarily from the tax levy followed by state aid, reserves, and fund balance and a small amount of miscellaneous other revenue. Nearly 90% of our revenue is locally driven. That reality defines our fiscal landscape. Unlike districts heavily supported by state aid, our structure requires disciplined local stewardship. As we just reviewed, the allowable tax levy limit is determined by the tax cap calculation. The tax levy for the 2627 school year is $61,435,17. This represents an increase of approximately $1.5 million from the current year. Although state aid headlines
018often sound encouraging, when we look at district specific allocation, the story changes. Our foundation aid, which is the only flexible operating aid, increased at the minimum statutory level of 1%. The other increases this year we are going to receive is in the form of expense driven aid. Why the statewide and Long Island aid increases, our financial our foundation aid increased by 1% only $19,575. If we include our expense driven aid, the total increase is only slightly over $88,000. UPK funding remains strong and we are very appreciative of the state's support for early childhood education, but it is restricted aid and can't support general operations. Specifically, this slide presents the comparison of the 2627 proposed aid along with the current year aid. Foundation aid is the district's unrestricted state funding. This aid provides support to the
019general operating budget using an outdated formula. We are expected to only receive that 1% or about $20,000. Expense driven aid is expected to increase by approximately $69,000. However, it is reimbursement for cost already incurred and it does not create any new operating flexibility. It only offsets existing obligations. Focusing on universal prek aid, these are grant funds that are used to offset the cost of only childhood early childhood education. Finally, the third main section of the revenue budget is comprised of revenues, fund balance, and miscellaneous revenue. Our restricted reserves protect against retirement cost instability and support capital and technology planning governed by statute. They provide stability and help prevent disruption to educational programs. Each year, these funds are reviewed by the district and the board of education to determine the best use of to support the
020budget and remain fiscally responsible while strengthening our long-term financial condition. These funds are also reviewed and audited by our external auditors each year and presented to the community each fall. >> [snorts] >> The audited financial statements are also posted to the district's website and to provide the community with details of the funding and the use of each of these reserves. Appropriating fund balance reduces the tax levy in a subsequent year. At this time, we're about to close our purchasing activity. Our revenue is becoming more predictable and we are able to anticipate a year-end fund balance exceeding $1.5 million. We are planning to appropriate that in the amount to provide tax relief while maintaining flexibility within our adopted budget. The 2627 proposed budget includes the same use of reserves and fund balance as in prior years
021shown here. As I stated earlier, a significant challenge is that the costs do not reset downward when inflation moderates. They grow on top of prior increases. The miscellaneous revenue includes pilots, lease of the property, interest income, and several others. However, the miscellaneous revenue combined only represents less than 3% of the overall revenue budget. Combining these three main sections, the tax levy, the state aid, and other revenue, we were able to present the revenue budget with a total of 69,378,79. This represents an increase of just less than 1.6 million from the prior year. In summary, tonight's revenue budget is 89% from the tax levy, 6% from other revenue, which is reserves and fund balance, and 5% from state aid. Now, let's talk about expenses. Going back to the simple equation where the revenues must equal the
022expenditures, but with that equation, some costs behave very differently than others. This year's increase is driven largely by contractual services as well as some salaries and benefits. Before reviewing the expenditures, it is important to understand how school budgets are structured. The three-part expenditure budget separates the budget into three components: administrative, capital, and program. The administrative portion supports leadership, governance, and compliance, ensuring that the district operates responsibly. The capital portion reflects what it takes to maintain and operate our buildings and manage long-term facility investments. The program portion, the largest share, represents our direct investment in our students, instruction, services, transportation, and classroom resources. In comparing the current year's three-part to the proposed three-part, it is important to note that the program component has again slightly increased. When you look at these graphs that represent each of
023the three parts in a multi-year look back, something becomes very clear over time. Administrative and capital percentages have declined. the program percentage has increased. This trend reflects the board's goals and demonstrates the deliberate shift towards increasing program investment and reducing administrative and capital share, aligning the resources with student priorities. This chart shows the proposed 2627 budget organized in the required three-part format so you can see how specific dollar amounts are allocated across program, capital, and administrative needs. This next section organizes the draft expenditure budget by function code, which represents the general purpose of each expense category along with the comparison to the current year's budget and two prior years actual expenditures. The 1000 series account codes represents general support, the non-instructional functions that keep the district operating, including administration, facilities oversight, and operational services. The
024largest increase in these codes is due to an increase in general liability insurance premiums. More specifically, looking at the line by line for this function code, we see that our unallocated insurance line increased by just over $70,000. The 2000 series account codes represents instruction, the core of our mission, including regular education, special education, student services, and the direct supports that impact students each day. Significant increases include IEP mandated programs, services, and staff. Again, looking at the line by line for this function code, we see a significant increase in instructional salaries due to mandated services on several of the lines shown here. Further down on this line by line section, we see additional sign significant increases for contractual services. As we mentioned earlier, this page of the line by line only has minor adjustments. Some of
025the line by line details of the instructional function codes show how there's a reallocation of resources. Some are due to retirements. Also included in the instructional codes is an increase of athletic supervision to reflect actual expenditures in prior years. Lastly, as part of the higher CPI costs we've been facing, we have seen an increase in other fees and registration costs. The 5000 through 9,000 series codes reflects a district-wide operational obligations which would include transportation, employee benefits, debt service, and other contractual commitments that support the overall functioning of the district. We have seen a significant in increase in transportation costs followed by an increase in health insurance premiums. Looking at the line by line for transportation, you can see here that the annual expenditures are very close to the budget and we are expecting to see
026an increase of over $400,000 for our regular contractual transportation costs. Some of the employee benefit codes are much harder to predict due to the difference between the school fiscal year and calendar year rates. Although we are expecting a slight decrease in the teachers retirement system cost, we are expecting a significant increase in health insurance premiums. Now, let's move forward into the structural building blocks of our budget. These increases are not driven by new initiatives, but by contractual obligations with more than 70% committed to salaries and benefits, and even modest adjustment can create pressure. Transportation, healthcare, special education mandates, and insurance are all required cost, not discretionary choices. Salaries represent the largest investment in this budget, reflecting that education is fundamentally delivered by people, teachers, administrators, support staff who serve our students every day. This accounts
027for 50% of our budget, almost $35 million. Benefits include healthcare, pensions, and other legally required contributions that support both current employees and retirees and essential obligations tied directly to our staffing model. This accounts for 23% of the budget, just over 16 million. Transportation reflects the cost of safely transporting our students to and from school, athletics, and other approved programs. A contracted service that is both necessary and largely market driven. This accounts for 8% of the budget, just over $5 million. Contracted services include professional and technical services that can support the district's operations, compliance, and specialized student programs that cannot be fully staffed internally. This represents 7% of the budget at just under $5 million. Boseies represents cooperative services provided through Nassau Boseies that allow the districts to access specialized programs and operational efficiencies through a
028cost-effective manner. Debt service reflects the district's long-term financial obligations associated with past capital projects and short-term cash flow management planned and structured over time. The facilities category represents the cost of operating and maintaining our buildings, utilities, equipment, repairs, and routine maintenance to protect our district's assets. The equipment and supplies portion supports our classrooms directly, including instructional materials, supplies, and resources necessary to support teaching and learning. Transfer to federal funds represents the required local share that supports fedally funded and mandated programs. When combined, these are the cost core cost drivers that add up to the total expenditure budget of 69,378,79, resulting in an overall increase of nearly 1.6 million. Because the allowable tax levy growth is capped, the expend expenditure budget cannot simply grow at the pace of costs. It must be thoughtfully balanced and adjusted
029to remain within the tax levy limit. Salaries and benefits reflect our commitment to maintaining program quality because they are contractual and long-term balance requires disciplined staffing and strategic reallocation, not short-term cuts. Many efficiencies have already been implemented, which means continued sustainability will depend on careful multi-year alignment with the levy constraint. This comprehensive view of the full expenditure budget highlights that the budget is already tightly aligned around essential services. Each category reflects the necessary components of delivering education at the level that our community expects. Most importantly, the budget maintains structural balance. The expenditures are fully supported by our projected revenues. When revenue growth is capped and most expenditures are structural, even a handful of rising cost drivers can create an imbalance. This next section will highlight some of these specific pressures. A significant portion of this
030year's expenditure increase is concentrated in transportation and contracted services, which account for just over 1.1 million. Combining that with salaries and benefits, these four categories alone make up almost $1.6 million of that increase. A multi-year high inflation has created a higher cost base and even as CPI moderates those compounded costs continue to rise. These are contractual and market driven obligations that must be managed within the tax cap. Despite these structural pressures, we have remained within the voter approved tax limit as shown here with a 5-year average increase of about $1.4 million. That discipline reflects thoughtful multi-year planning, strategic staffing alignment, and careful expenditure management. To better understand our pressures, we looked beyond a single year, and we analyzed five-year trends. Over the past 5 years, the average increase in the tax levy has been approximately
031$1.4 million. During that same time period, just five expenditure categories, including transportation, health insurance, retirement system contributions, IEP mandates and services, and liabilities insurance, have averaged nearly 1.3 million in annual growth. And that's before accounting for any salary increases. This trend illustrates how a small number of structural cost drivers consume nearly all the allowable revenue growth. Many structural efficiencies have already been implemented. While these actions have stabilized the budget and protected student programs, future sustainability will depend on continued discipline, multi-year planning within the constraints of our tax levy. We are addressing immediate pressures through strategic staff alignment and retirement planning while simultaneously advancing long-term workforce strategy tied to enrollment and program priorities. This dual approach stabilizes the current budget while positioning the district responsibility for the future. Despite the structural pressures we've just discussed, the
0322026 2027 budget maintains the programs and opportunities our community values most. It prov preserves small class sizes at the elementary level. It sustains our arts and music programs. It maintains all athletic and co-curricular activities and protects all academic course offerings. This budget continues to support the comprehensive educational experience our students deserve. As we think about staffing strategy and long-term sustainability, enrollment trends are an important part of that conversation. Enrollment shifts are not unique to our district. As this graph demonstrates, our enrollment pattern aligns closely with the statewide trends, which is an important consideration in long-term staffing and budget planning. We recognize that small class sizes are one of the defining characteristics valued by our community. These guidelines support maintaining that standard while aligning resources thoughtfully. This slide shows our current and projected enrollment for Roosevelts,
033including our continued continuation of our four pre kindergarten classes. Here we have our current and project enrollment for Vernon, also maintaining small class sizes. So, we reviewed the operating budget, how it's structured, what's driving the increase, how we've aligned with the tax levy cap, and how enrollment and staffing connect to long-term planning. The next major component of this presentation shifts from operating expenses to long-term infrastructure planning. Specifically, we will review the proposal to establish a new capital reserve fund, a planning tool designed to ensure the district can responsibly address future facility needs without unnecessary borrowing. A capital reserve fund is a voter authorized planning tool that allows the school district to set aside funds over time for future facility and infrastructure improvements. Capital reserves provide a structured way to plan ahead for large projects, reducing
034reliance on borrowing and helping pay protect taxpayers from unnecessary interest costs. The current capital reserve fund was established by voter authorization in May 2006 with a 10-year term, a maximum funding level not to exceed 10 million, and annual transfers limited to no more than 2 million in a given year, and for the specific purposes I've shown here. It was then amended in May 2011 to expand the purpose, extended again in May 2013 to extend the term and increase the maximum amount and further extended in May 2017 to a maximum of 30 million. Here you can see these authorizations and extensions listed on the ballot from last year's vote. This slide provides a list of many of the projects that we have supported by the current capital reserve fund over the past decade. They include HVAC
035upgrades, casework renovations, playground resurfacing, just to name a few. The June 30th, 2025 balance of the capital reserve fund, not including the technology fund, is approximately $3.8 million. The balance of the reserve fund changes each year as the reserve is funded using year-end fund balance and used for projects as approved by voters each May. As shown here, details of the funding and the use are also included in the March budget presentation each year, summarized during the auditor's presentation each fall, and in detail on the district's financial statements, all of which can be found on the district's website for the community. If any community member would like a further review of an in-depth accounting of these funds, they can be found on the business office section of our website in the orders presentation and the full
036audited financial statements. If the proposition passes this May, it will only authorize the creation and funding of the reserve itself. A separate voter authorization would be required to spend these funds on specific projects as we have been doing in years past. The current recommendation is to seek voter authorization to establish a new capital reserve fund with a maximum funding level not to exceed 25 million, a term of 15 years, and annual transfers not to exceed 2 million per year. The recommendation of a new reserve instead of extending the current one is to clearly define the purpose, scope, funding limits, and duration by being more transparent on what the capital reserve is for. Creating a new reserve enhances transparency because it requires a voter approval proposition that clearly states purpose, maximum funding level, and duration of
037the fund. Rather than extending the fund established 20 years ago and amended three times since then, creating a new reserve will allow us to reset the parameters, clearly define the purpose and the duration and enhance transparency moving forward. If approved, any remaining balance would of the existing reserve would be transferred into the newly established reserve to ensure continuity. Establishing a capital reserve does not raise taxes. It simply creates a legal mechanism to set aside funds over time for future capital needs. Funds for the reserve would come from available year-end resources, not new taxes, only when fiscally appropriate. The district has been committed to first using our year-end fund bounds to offset the tax levy and return funds to the taxpayers when appropriate. This recommendation has been reviewed with legal counsel, our external auditors, and by
038the audit committee. Tonight provides additional detail with a final board consideration anticipated in March. If the new reserve is not approved, existing funds would remain. The district could still seek photo approval to spend the remaining balance. However, the current reserve current reserve would expire, eliminating the ability to deposit funds for future capital planning and limiting our proactive infrastructure planning. The technology reserve is a separate reserve established for technology devices, security system upgrades, and capital projects as they relate to technology enhancements. Since the technology reserve was established with a separate set of parameters, it would not be affected by any decision on this capital reserve fund. So we are still early in the budget process. The next presentation will include a detailed expenditure analysis and proposed capital projects followed by a complete review of the budget
039in April. On May 5th, we will conduct a budget hearing concluding the budget season with a vote on May 19th. We will continue to follow and adjust this timeline as needed, supporting the community and listen carefully to their feedback. Before we conclude, I'd like to take a moment to highlight where the board and our community can access budget information throughout this process. All budget presentation, including tonight's materials, are posted with the meeting agenda on board docs, so it is available for review before each meeting. A dedicated budget page on our website provides ongoing access to all related materials and updates throughout the process. As the board has discussed, in addition to the budget vote, the upcoming election includes the opportunity for the community members to run for the board of education. Information regarding petition requirements,
040submission deadlines, and eligibility is outlined here and also available on the district website for the community. The next section provides key information for residents regarding the annual budget vote. The information on these next slides are also posted to the district's website under budget information. The information here outlines the eligibility requirements for voting in a school district election. Included here is also information determining whether you were able to vote, but the last day to register vote is Thursday, May 14th, 2026. Information on absentee and early voting options is also provided here. And for residents who may not be able to vote in person, thank you for your time and thoughtful engagement this evening. This proposed budget reflects discipline leadership, responsible financial management, and a continued commitment to the students we serve and community we serve. We
041appreciate the partnership of our board and community as we move forward together in this budget process. Thank you. Board have questions or comments. >> Thank you, Mr. Thank you. We're now going to move on to the approval of minutes. >> Do I have a motion to approve meeting minutes as listed and attached below? >> So move. >> Do I have a second? >> Second. >> All in favor? >> I. >> All opposed. Motion carries. We'll now move on to public participation of agenda items. In keeping with the philosophy of open communication and informed decisionmaking, the board of education welcomes input from the community. However, it is important to note that while the board of education meets in public, it is not a meeting of the public. Respectful input and behavior by each member of the
042community is appropriate and expected at all times and should observe the following rules at board of education meetings. Board of Education will listen to comments and input from the public. Deate members of the audience andor the board members will not be permitted. The board will not address personnel or individual student matters in public. No person shall present orally or discuss at any board of education meeting charges or complaints against individual employees directly or indirectly. The speaker shall identify themselves and confirm their residency in the district. On the signin sheet, we have one person who has signed in Amry Longa. >> Okay, I'm going to start backwards. So, with the capital reserve fund, um you've stated numerous times in your presentation that changing the fund to a new fund would enhance transparency. Yet in your presentation
043I have you have not shown in all what you're going to change it to to define clearly the purpose and scope of the funding that is in the current fund. So I understand the need to extend it because it is expiring. I don't understand why and I don't understand why the community does not know the verbiage that you're going to be putting on this fund that you want to fund it for $25 million. Agree that we should continually have it, but to but to state that changing the fund will give more transparency and yet not once have you told us what it's going to state. So that I'm concerned about and I'd like to know what it is that the fund is going to read. Um, and why is that going to be different than
044what we're currently have you? We have to outline to the community. You can't spend any money without it being done. So, I'm a little confused with that. Um, number two, I'd like an explanation for the community on the three budget, the three different levels of the budget on the $ 8.5 million in the administration budget. I'd like to know um, you have 2.8 of general support. I want to know how many administrators in that is in that $ 8.5 million. I'd also like to know um who they are, how what the heads are. I also know that what is the legal portion of that because that's what it state it is and how much money are we spending on legal looks like it's going up and I'd like to know on the administrative budget what
045is the breakdown on all of that. Um, in addition to that, I see in your enrollment you are stating that this year prek is 72 kids. I'd like to know how many people so far kindergarten registration was open. You showing on your projected class sizes an increase of 26 children from prek to kindergarten 2026 27. Is that because we got a huge influx of children who are not in universal prek? I don't see that. I mean, that's a 25% increase. It also it would be the largest class size we've had in five years. So, why is that number so large? Um, I'd like to know what that is. And, um, uh, in addition to that, universal prek. Last year's budget presentation, it showed that universal 3K um numbers was 1 22 21 1 million21,000 in
046um the number in this year's budget presentation. You're showing that 2526 universal prek is 692. Where' the $400,000 go? And why is it that you also projected that in last year's presentation that it was a million something in universal prek? Um, why is this year down to 708 for 2627? And um, what's the money? How much you getting per for the state from the state on that? >> Thank you. Thank you very much for your questions and comments and Dr. will be responding to you and the public. Now move on to approval of instructional personnel items. Resolved upon the recommendation of the superintendent of schools. Board of Education of the Oyster Bay East Norwich Central School District hereby approves the instructional personnel items as listed in their entirety. Do I have a motion? >> So
047moved. >> Do I have a second? >> Second. >> Any questions or comments? All in favor? >> I. All opposed. Motion carries. I'll now move on to non-instructional personnel items resolved upon the recommendation of the superintendent of schools. Board of Education of the Oyster Bay East Central School District hereby approves the non-instructional personnel items as listed in their entirety. Do I have a motion? >> So move. Do I have a second? >> Second. >> Any questions or comments? >> All in favor? I. >> All opposed? Motion carries. We'll now move on to business items resolved upon the recommendation of the superintendent of schools. Board of Education of the Oyster Bay East Norwich Central School District hereby approves the business items as listed in their entirety. Do I have a motion? >> So moved. >> Do
048I have a second? >> Second. >> Any questions or comments? >> All in favor? >> I. >> All opposed. Motion carries. Now move on to special services resolved upon the recommendation of the superintendent of schools. The board of education of the Oyster Bay East Norwich Central School District hereby approves the special services resolutions as listed in their entirety. Do I have a motion? >> So move. >> Do I have a second? >> Second. >> Any questions or comments? >> All in favor? >> I. All opposed. >> Motion carries. New business. I'd now like to call for a motion to amend the agenda to add the following item. 12.11. business student discipline appeal. Be it resolved upon reviewing the appeal of a student discipline matter, the board of education affirms the decision of the superintendent in
049all respects and be it further resolved that the district clerk shall notify the parents in writing of the board's determination. We'll now move on. resolved upon the recommendation of the superintendent of schools, the board of education of the oyster bay. Oh, just separately. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Apologize. So, sorry. So, >> I think you're making a motion to add that. >> Sorry. Sorry. Made a motion to add that. Sorry. So, do I have a motion to add? >> So, moved. >> Do I have a second? >> Second. >> Any discussion? All in favor? >> All opposed. >> Motion carries. I apologize. Now we move on to the rest of new business. >> But you include that in that. You know what I mean? Include up to 1211. >> Resolved upon the recommendation of the superintendent
050of schools, Board of Education of Oyster Bay, East Norwich Central School District hereby approves the new resolutions as parent. This will go from 12.02 through 12.11. >> Do I have a motion? >> Do I have a second? >> Second. >> Any questions or comments? >> I just had a question. Dr. Yanni, you mentioned in your superintendent report about the elimination of the two athletic teams and which other two teams did you say were we're monitoring? The one that we're monitoring are the uh JV girls and the JV boys locos. >> Thank you. >> Any other questions or comments? All in favor? >> All opposed? Motion carries. I would also like to thank our elementary PTA for their donation. Okay. Why don't we now open it up for a discussion regarding the football program and then
051if it's okay miss long you can come up after in case. Thank you. >> Thank you. So the Oista Bay uh football program has experienced a steady decline in athlete participation over the last several years. Uh for the upcoming fall 2026 season season, we anticipate only 22 uh returning players. Under the New York State uh rules, a minimum of 16 physically fit players is required for interchool contest. With our current numbers, we will only be able to field a varsity team. A few weeks ago, I was approached by athletic director and a football coach with an idea that will help to preserve the long-term viability of the sport and ensure a developmental pathway for our students. They believe that entering into a partnership with Friends Academy for the 26 27th school year would help uh
052the overall football program at Aista Bay. There are some key logistical details that we have to take into consideration. Allowing students from Friends Academy to join the Oyster Bay team will allow us to feel the junior varsity team, which we were unable to do during the 2526 school year. And for the fall 2026, Friends Academy is estimating approximately 9 to 16 athletes for JV and varsity and approximately 5 to 8 uh for middle school. The Friends Academy will assume all cost for their students transportation, addition additional coaching staff and game supervisors, making this cost a neutral expansion for our district. Uh if okay with the board, I will follow up with our legal team and make sure that an agreement will be set in place. Um, so please note that if this is approved by
053by the board, uh, this would be a a one-year agreement, year-to-year agreement. Uh, if Oyster Bay internal enrollment increases sufficiently to support three independent programs in the future, we maintain the flexibility to decline renewal of the contract. At this time, however, um this is a proactive step forward uh to re revitalize the Oyster Bay football and ensure a safe and more sustainable environment for our athletes. So, um, when I was approached by the, uh, athletic director and the football coach, um, we asked some questions and and those are some of the, um, clarification that I received and I'm in support of their recommendation. I'd like to hear from the board. Um, if you have any questions or concerns or anything that u that we didn't think that I didn't think, but >> Dr. Yani, >>
054one question. Sometimes when you combine schools uh number of students make you in go up in a conference or or change your scheduling. How will this impact that? >> So um because of the few players that we will have on our team it will not change uh the conference that we uh that we are we stay whatever conference we are right now we will continue to stay there. I just want to confirm this our players and the friends players everyone would be wearing an Oyster Bay jersey uniforms continue >> correct yeah >> and you mentioned I just wanted to be clear they they would provide transportation to um to their students to bring them here for practice >> correct >> practice and they would also provide um coaching staff additional coaching staff and also So
055any supervision that is required >> would the Oyster Bay coaching staff numbers remain the same? >> Um they will remain the same as as it is right now. So we will have just additional uh coaching staff from the friends academy >> and equipment will additional equipment be needed and who if so who will pick up that? Um, I could follow up on that question, but I think in the past we had enough uh uniforms, but I'll get back to the board on that >> in terms of elmets and uh uniforms questions like to call forward for discussion for non-aggenda items. question about football. >> We'll wait for the question and then I get a consent. >> Just will we have a JB team then with the two schools? >> Yes, this would be able to
056field um to have a JV. Yeah. >> Good. Um, I would like to know how do community members who want open discussion at a board level publicly to everybody get >> M. Longo, can I just stop you for one sec? >> So, in terms of >> stop the clock. >> So, um, in terms of this uh, conversation, can I move forward with the legal team to draft an agreement so we can bring it the next board meeting? I think we have to make a decision soon if we decide to go in that direction. >> Yes, it sounds like this agreement would allow all participants from Oyster Bay to continue whereas if we didn't have it um the sounds like the program would be in jeopardy. So I think it adds opportunity for students and I
057agree. >> Yes, I'm fully supportive. I think it's in the best interest of us students. >> Okay, thank you. I'll move forward. Okay. I would like to know the process and procedures for community members to bring agendas or questions or topics that they would like discussed openly for all the community to hear and explanation of whatever their agenda item is or their topic is to a board of education instead of just coming up here asking a question and not being responded to. Is there a process and a procedure in which a topic can be addressed, investigated, and fully discussed in depth at a board meeting? And if it is, what is it? >> So, in terms of responding to the questions, I think that every question that has been asked um has been responded. Even
058>> that's not my questions. That's >> I'm just finishing up. And then we also have a policy uh that has a section in that policy that talks about who drafts the agenda for for the board meeting which is the board president in conjunction with the superintendent. I don't have it in front of me right now but if you have any questions and you bring it up um we always follow up. >> I it's okay. So there if there is the community is concerned about something that's going on in the district or the way things are being held in the district. Okay. The the communities wants to know how do they how do they get items openly discussed investigated and presented based on the question that's at hand to the school board to be discussed for
059everybody in the community to hear and to follow whatever their question is and understand the program, the policy, whatever it is, the community is feeling from what I'm hearing and understanding that all it is is a matter of bringing questions to the board of education and they get answered individually, which I appreciate fully my questions being answered. They're not being answered publicly and it's not a matter of bantering about questions about a budget item. It could be fully an investigation into something that they want to know a program, a process or a procedure and they want an indepth discussion so the entire community could hear it discussed a topic to the board of education that people may want discussions to be heard. How do they do that? I is it up to the board to
060decide whether or not their questions or concerns or are even valid that it'll even bring it to a board or can a can a community come together and say we would like this to discuss we would like to understand the policy the program I mean I think we do a good job at this school district going over programs but there may be instances where they want more in depth of different programs and specific programs that maybe you haven't thought of in your agenda making thing. So is there a policy and a procedure where they can have that addressed? >> So Miss Longo, public participation which is occurring right now is the opportunity for community members to come forward to ask us questions >> that you don't answer. >> We do answer every question. >> That's
061okay. I understand that. But I think the concern is not a question Mrs. It's they want what if the community people want indepth understanding of programs within the school district >> again they can come forward during public participation and ask those questions or comments. >> So there is no way in the town of Oyster Bay >> I'm sorry go ahead >> there so I guess clarify for me there is no way this community asked that a full discussion be had on a topic at the board meeting unless they come here and ask the question. No. And you wouldn't know what the question is until they got here. >> Again, they can come to the public participation and ask us questions or they have their comments. >> Okay. >> So, can I just add something, Miss
062Longo? if if there is a an operational program or there is something that needs to be investigated, right? As as the leader in this district, I can we can have also parents or community members send me an email and say, I would like to have this item discussed at a board meeting. So if it is a a program or something that we're not thinking of any program that we have in school, we'll try to follow the board of education goals and trying to present every month on from the me from different schools, from the arts department, from the technology department. So my point and I don't mean to jump in but my point is if there is an item that you or any community member would like to be discussed right an email to me
063or a public participation say datayani you're running the school district I would like to hear on this item and I can have a conversation with the board president and the rest of the board and say a community member has expressed expressed interest in learning about some of the programs that we have, the robotics program, the technology, the how do we use the technology in schools and anything um that we can follow up and bring clarity. I I think that um we have been pretty consistent in terms of doing things in a different way when there is a need to and and and I think that the budget presentation that you've seen tonight is a clear representation of that. Last year's presentation was different. This year we received some questions from from community members to see
064more to change it and we did. So I will be more than happy to work with the board and say if there is a program that we can share to get feedback or to share how proud we are of the staff that we have I would love to to do that. I hope I I answer your question and I didn't. >> So I I think you did. I think if I understand what you're saying is that if there is a question or concern and I'm not even going question and concern if the community wants a more better understanding of programs that we've implemented in this school district and a and a full discussion and presentation on that with the community able to ask questions they're to come to you send an email to you to
065say this is what we would like and you would discuss it with the board of education is That's what I heard you say. If I look at other school districts and I have Sioset, Locus Valley, Roslin, there is a process and a procedure on how community members can have dis open discussions at the a closed board meeting, which is what this board of education has decided these meetings are. They're your meeting where we can come, but don't ask too many questions because you're not going to answer them. And then we can come and ask a threeminut question and you'll decide whether or not you're going to answer them, present on them, or discuss them. I I think that I'm sorry to say this and I don't mean to be rude to anybody, but we've lost
066sight of what a board of education and the people in this community have voted the board of education in to do. We want to know about our schools. Our our children want to know about our schools. The parents want to know about their school. It's not here to complain about an individual child and to come here and ask questions and not to have answers or not to have an avenue in which we can get answers by asking two weeks and it's be asked 10 days in advance. They'll put it on the agenda. There'll be an open discussion about what the community member member members group want in Oyster Bay. Come to a meeting. We won't answer your questions. You get three minutes and Dr. who does a perfect job, I must admit, of answering all
067my questions within a week, but the community is not hearing his answers to me. They're an they're hearing the questions, but they're not hearing the answers. So, I appreciate it. Thank you, Dr. Ayani. Not tell the community to do that. Okay. So, Dr. Ayani, I just want the um everyone here and everyone listening to know that, you know, I've been on this board for 12 years and we've recently implemented a process where um the leader of each um uh sector within the school such as science, social studies, guidance puts forward a very in-depth presentation. We recently had the leaders of Roosevelt and Vernon put together a presentation that is the best presentation that we've ever seen. I really have a sense as to what's going on in those schools, which is important to me as
068a board member who do not have children in those schools. And we also have had a process where when we've received many emails on a particular subject, we've identified that the community is interested in it. And we have actually approached you Dr. need to put that on the agenda. So, we certainly have that process of, you know, ensuring that we're providing relevant information to our community. This is the most in-depth budget presentation that we've ever had um with the assistance of Mr. Schindler's inputs. Also, we have expanded that bud budget presentation to um address some of our community members questions. So, um I really do think we have done an excellent job in putting forward information and also we had never done a deep dive in the past into what our scores look like, how
069they were improved, the details of our AP, the regents. We've put all that forward for transparency purposes. We tried to be as transparent as possible and um I believe that we are doing a good job in presenting to our community what is relevant to them. But if there's something that we're missing, we certainly review all emails and take it into seriously consideration to put on our agenda. >> Dr. Johnny, I'd like to clarify. when um community members have come up and asked questions, we answer questions that we can, but the other ones that involve some research and a detailed answer, you do provide back to our community members in an email, but then at the following meeting, you do summarize that back in your superintendence report for the entire public to hear the answer. So,
070we do provide the answers to the individuals that ask and we do provide the answers to the public. So, I just want to clarify that. So, now I'd like to um adjourn the meeting. Do I have a motion to adjourn our meeting? >> And a second. >> Second. >> Thank you everyone and have a nice evening. Good night.