001I'd like to call the Lancaster Central School District Board of Education meeting to order. In the unlikely event of an emergency, if we have to evacuate the room, please note the locations of the exits. At this time, I ask you to silence your cell phones and rise for the Pledge of Allegiance. Please remain standing, lower your phones, and silence your lunches. 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. All right, moving on to 4.0 presentations. 4.0, 4.1, we have a presentation from our Culture, Climate, and Inclusivity, CCI. I'll have, pass it over to Ms. Bonnie Blenner. Well, here's the... Since the art department is following me, I've got to beef up this
002presentation a little bit. My name is Bonnie Blattner, and I am the Culture, Climate, and Inclusivity Coordinator. And today I have four fantastic presenters here with us. I have Kaylee Jackson, who is a senior this year, and she has been with us a long time. So I'm a little sad that she's leaving. I also know Sita Gikbal, who is a junior, Lucy Green, who is a sophomore, and Brielle Kajove, who is an E grader, here to present today. Unfortunately, Miriam Eloy could not be here today, so we sort of adjusted our sales a little bit, and we're going to be presenting with our four students. So, our LCSD goals for CCI, first and foremost, was to expand the opportunities to have students interact with people who are different from them, whether it's different backgrounds, interests,
003perspectives, to build understanding and acceptance and connectedness, and also for professional development for our teachers to start educating them on the different parts of CCI. And throughout this presentation today, we are going to be taking a look at how we try to meet our goals this year and looking forward to next year and the new adventures ahead. So, with this, our mission statement is to continue to cultivate a school community where everybody feels safe, valued, and connected. And we say continue to cultivate because we already know there's some amazing things going on out there in our classrooms. But we want to expand it and make sure that everybody feels seen. And these are responses from the students. as I have gone and taught and seen with the students, where we said, what does our school
004look like and feel like? If every single student felt safe, valued, and connected, things came up brighter, more exciting, louder. I'm always like, what do you mean louder? And they're like, well, they wouldn't be afraid to talk. They'd raise their hand more. They wouldn't be afraid to mess up. And I'm like, oh my gosh. Pay attention, increase eye contact, work gets done, achievements accomplished, better attendance. And if they're actually in school, they might actually do better. So that's super exciting. And then obviously better performance and work ethic. So every time I go and teach or the students go and teach, we always talk about that safe, valued, and connected. And the reason why, oops, there was more. This is the why. I was that student when I was in school. I used to be super
005shy and quiet. I know what happened to me. But I know what that feels like. And I think there's a lot of students in our schools that know exactly what that feels like. So what we want to do is when I say to the kids, do we all have to be best friends? And they're like, no. I'm just asking you to be a decent human being towards other people who are different from you. And we talk about that difference is uncomfortable, like me standing up here presenting to all of y'all. So if I can do this, you can do it too. And the more you do it, the better you get at it. So, Kaylee Jackson is going to speak to us on the history of CCI. Hello everyone, my name is Kaylee and I
006have been an active member since the very beginning. I'm a graduating senior this year and I'm very sad to leave, but I'm so excited to see what CCI can accomplish further. The Climate Culture and Inclusivity Committee began in 2022 with just five students who came together during the tragic, racially motivated Buffalo shooting on May 14, 2022. What started as honest and emotional conversations later about fear, unity, and community responsibility has grown into a powerful movement with over 50 active members between the high school and middle school. The committee was formed to create a safe space for students to express how national and local events impact them personally and to offer support, education, and action. From the beginning, the goal has been clear, to make sure every student feels safe, valued, and connected. CCI now hosts
007monthly meetings and smaller group discussions focused on encouraging empathy, understanding, and inclusivity. Topics include how to respectfully ask questions about someone's race, identity, or culture, how certain language and wordage can be harmful, and how embracing differences strengthens our community. The committee encourages open conversations, teaches positive communication strategies, and works to ensure that no student feels alone in their thoughts or experiences. What started as five voices has become a movement building a school culture fostering respect, empathy, and unity. As we continue to grow, our mission remains strong to empower students to become advocates for change, both within our school and beyond. We hope to inspire others to listen, learn, and lead with compassion. Together, we are creating a future where every student feels safe, valued, and connected. Thank you. Next up, we have Seda McCall talking
008about Legendary Day of Learning. My name is Seda, and I'm a junior in Lancaster High. CCI has really changed my life. When I first got here, I was super shy as being an English language learner. I didn't talk in class. My teacher would call home and tell my parents that I don't talk, and it was surprising to hear because you don't really hear that. And I was scared to ask for help, which really got my grades worse. And because of it, I joined the CCI community, Inclusive League Club, and I met Ms. Blattner. She believed in me. She told me I could speak up. And I did. On the legendary day of learning, I spoke in front of 500 teachers, which I never thought I could do. As being a student who never spoke in
009front of anyone or any teacher, ask for help that day really made me feel good. changed my life. I never thought I could do that. My E&L teachers said how proud she was from me and my growth. That day I talked about what students need from teachers like support and when we are struggling or being bullied. Sometimes just asking, are you okay, can really help. At the legendary day of learning, all students shared powerful messages with teachers, focusing on the improvement of inclusivity and respectful classroom environment. The day we addressed how to respond to comments and challenging assumptions about kids and their background, and they're encouraged to. Education to reflect on how their classroom setup, personal bias and may impact the students experience. Some feedbacks that we got from the teachers on the legendary day
010of learning. 154 faculty said that CCI was their favorite moment of the presentation that happened that day. They loved the CCI students and their expression of the school. My favorite moment was the CCI plane. The plane was amazing. Hands down, CCI was the best part of the presentation that day, hearing students' voice and their honest opinion. It was wonderful to hear their point of view of the students in the CCI. Now I feel more confident to ask questions in class and talk more. My grade side improved so much. I went from a D student to an A plus student. And thanks to Ms. Blattner, I couldn't have done it without her. I really appreciate this club. Next up, we have Kaylee speaking about our elementary CCI presentations. Hello again, everyone. As a part of our
011mission to promote that feeling of being safe, valued, and connected, the Climate, Culture, and Inclusivity Committee extended our work beyond the high school into the elementary schools within our district. We believe that the greatest change starts young, at an age when biases haven't formed yet, and children are still learning how to view the world and the people in it. By introducing the ideas of diversity and inclusion early on, we hope to shape more compassionate and open-minded future generations. We visited every K-3 elementary school in the district to read books and lead discussions with second and third graders. In second grade, we read a book called The Cranbox That Talked, a story about a cranbox that doesn't get along until they realize that by working together, each in their own unique color, they can create something
012truly beautiful. This story helps children see that everyone is different in their own special, unique way. and that those differences are what make a colorful and meaningful life. In third grade, we read where Oliver fits. Oliver struggles to find his place, trying to fit into each puzzle after puzzle, but none feels quite right. In the end, Oliver learns that he doesn't need to change himself to fit in. He just... He just needs to be himself. Throughout the story, we emphasize that being different isn't something that needs to be fixed, but it is something that needs to be embraced. Our goal in these sessions is simple but powerful, to teach young students that diversity is not a bad thing. It's a beautiful and necessary part of life. We break down the words diversity and inclusion in
013ways that make sense to the students. We explain that diversity means we are all different, and that is a very good thing. We also show them that inclusion means making sure that no one feels left out, looking for the word include in inclusion to help people remember. By planting these seeds early, we hope to prevent harmful assumptions, rude questions, or exclusion based on skin color, clothing, culture, or ability. We want to make sure that every child will understand that being different is okay. And even more than that, it's something to be celebrated. This year, our schools focused on creating a more inclusive and supportive environment by implementing three core themes. Unity, kindness, and acceptance. Through classroom lessons, school-wide activities, and daily interactions, students learned what it meant to treat others with empathy and respect. Teachers
014introduced lessons that encouraged teamwork, celebrated differences, and reinforced positive behaviors. Activities like kindness challenges, buddy programs, and inclusive classroom discussions helped students build stronger connections with their peers. Schools also celebrated themed months and spirit days that highlighted the importance of standing together, helping others, and appreciating what makes each person unique. By weaving these themes into school culture, our elementary students are learning to make everyone feel safe, valued, and connected. Not just this year, but for more years to come. Brielle Mujove, who's going to speak on our 8th grade, 7th grade presentation. And she actually taught her own fellow students, so it's pretty sweet. Hello everyone, my name is Brielle Mujove, and I am going to be an 8th grader this upcoming year at LMS. I am here to share about the presentation CCI did for
015the seventh grade classes on May 12th about bringing awareness to hurtful comments made and told to others in our school's environment. Our committee chairperson, Peyton Bianco, a ninth grader at LHS, noticed hurtful speech and slurs being used around the school. She created a lesson plan to address this issue. Herself, along with 13 other freshmen and 5, 7th and 8th graders, presented this lesson. In this presentation, we talked about the categories and topics of the hurtful words that were heard in the middle school, whether it was in the hallways or other places in the building. Most kids agreed to have heard these hurtful comments said around school. The topics of hurtful comments were on race, religion, ethnicity, orientation, body size, socioeconomic status, home life, clothing slash hair, looks, where they live, education level, and disability. We
016also played a video called The Lie, which was a very meaningful and impactful video. It addressed why they are being said, lack of awareness, peer influence, seeking attention or reaction, intentional bullying or harm, normalization in media and pop culture, and more. Lesson also talked about how they affect others and how we can stop others from saying them. Finally, we explored how those comments make students feel unsafe, undervalued, and disconnected from our school community. This presentation touched on very important topics of problems in our school community, and I believe it was very important for us to educate students on these topics. I'm hoping we can continue to give presentations like these again and touch even more kids of even younger ages or not, just these topics, but also other topics and areas as well, so we
017can prevent problems more often before they begin. I look forward to doing this again, if possible, and thank you very much for your time. Next up, we have Lucy Green speaking at our Best Buddies program here at the high school. Hello! Inclusion, acceptance, and diversity. These are three words that are commonly shared around our community. While everyone wants to feel like they belong, the hard truth is many aren't quite there yet. Best Buddies is a group of people who share the same passion, expanding on inclusion, acceptance, and diversity. This group has given countless individuals the opportunity to meet new people, learn about themselves, and become inspired by our mission. Best Buddies works directly with the self-contained students. We ensure that each student feels a connection no matter how big or small. Throughout my time here
018at Lancaster High School, I have personally worked with the self-contained students on various occasions. This past year, I was graciously given the opportunity to be a co-chair for the group I hold so closely to my heart. My personal goal for Best Buddies was to include the general population, and I did just that. I worked diligently to create a presentation on neurodiversity along with activities including a cocaine, a book, and a craft. During this event, a self-contained student was paired with a general education student. By the end of the event, when the partners said their goodbyes and I saw their raw emotions, I knew our goal was met. After the inclusion event, I saw students walking in the hall together. or even a simple wave in the hallway. Students may not have found their lifelong best
019friend. However, or maybe they did. However, they found somebody. Someone who was there for them during the good and during the bad. This is just one of many examples of us meeting our goal, including and accepting everyone and embracing diversity. I'm incredibly proud to say that this year, myself, along with the whole Best Buddies group, has met our incredibly important goal. Thank you. Thank you again. You have a place in my heart. I all know that. So with that, these are just some of the lessons that I pushed into between fourth and ninth grade, just because there was a space to do that. In fourth grade, we did a celebrating diversity, a little flower there. In sixth grade, in foundations for success, the diversity and differences. In sixth grade health, we talked about gossip, rumors,
020and slurs. Seventh grade, we talked about class meetings and how to help run your class. Eighth grade, we did a lesson on hate. Ninth grade health, we just did a basic culture, climate, and inclusivity. And then in foundations, I actually pushed in and did four different lessons about building our cultural capacity, about learning about different people's cultures and their hair and their dress and their names and their food and everything like that. We also looked at different winter holidays. And then also a little 716 history of right before the May 14th anniversary. And lastly, some different professional development that I ran and my high school friends here actually helped us at the high school professional development, which was awesome. Between summer professional development or within each of the schools, we're starting to work up that
021road for the teachers to help make sure that all of their students feel safe, well, and connected. So I want to thank my students again. I want to thank you for the opportunity to speak with you today. And is there any questions? Thank you so much. Ms. Blattner and students, I want to thank you so much for coming to the meeting, your bravery and standing up and talking in front of a lot of people. That does show a lot of bravery. You all are doing some very important work, right? And Ms. Blattner, I'm glad that you're helping coordinate, but it really is you all that is doing this work and it's important work. And thank you for coming back after graduation. But, you know, Kindness is so important in the world today. And as you
022each go out and you talk to other students and other students feel more comfortable, that's how we all grow. So again, I appreciate this. Thank you all. Right. Now, 4.2, we have a K-12 district art show. Mrs. Melanie Berry. Good evening. How's everybody? Good. Great. Welcome to tonight's board meeting. You've already been here. My name is Melanie Berry and I am a middle school art teacher and this year's art department chairperson. Questionable, but here we are. It's with great enthusiasm that I have the honor of presenting a select group of students with this year's K-12 district art show award. This prestigious honor is awarded to one or two students from each grade level every year. These 15 special artists were chosen from thousands throughout the district. The stellar artwork is on display in our gallery,
023which is right outside here at the high school through the summer months. Please join us after the presentation to get a photo of your student with their artwork. Additionally, the work will be displayed for the entirety of next year in the Central Avenue Boardroom. When you hear your name, please come up to receive your award. Parents, get your cameras ready. So first, we have Easton Garlow with Beautiful Heart. He is in kindergarten from Como Park Elementary, and his teacher is Mrs. Thomas Ulopello. Easton, are you here? The trophies were made by Ms. Scappolato. She's my tech support. Her gallery kids, the classes. Made them. They're great. Next, we have Wesley Ertle with Falling Leaves. He's in first grade at Hillview Elementary, and his teacher is Mrs. Morrissey. Alexander Train with Flower Still Life. He is
024in first grade at Pomo Park Elementary with Mrs. Thomasulapelo. I teach middle school, so, like, I love the little kids. Okay. Next, we have Greya Lamphere with Winter Skaters, second grade, Hillview Elementary, with Mrs. Russo. Now we have Cassidy Wheeler with Color Blocked in second grade, Johnny Scholey, Mrs. Radka. Now we have Ryan Crow with Peregrine Falcon, fourth grade, William Street School, Mrs. Sigourney. Next we have Elliot Zavala with a self-portrait, amazing, fifth grade, William Street School, Mrs. Chambers. Next we have Zoe Reno with Untitled, sixth grade, William Street School, Mr. Kostecki. Now we have Cecilia Koznowski, my favorite place, 7th grade, Lancaster Middle School, Mrs. Groby. Next we have Ava DiMaioribus, self-portrait, 8th grade, Lancaster Middle School. She is my student. I don't think she's here. Clap for her anyway. Next we have Abby
025Howard with memories, 9th grade, Lancaster Middle School, Ms. Scappellato. Next, we have Maria Trophy Muck with Purple Lightning, 10th grade, Lancaster High School, Mrs. Dembski. Untitled, 11th grade, Lancaster High School, Ms. Haefner. Float in Your Stress, 12th grade, Lancaster High School, Mr. Miller. William Lum, Double Vision, 12th grade, Lancaster High School, Ms. Haefner. attending and supporting the arts, I will invite you to the gallery which is just outside and to the right for pictures with your artwork and we would love to have a group photo of all the students in front of the gallery wall. Thank you guys. Please feel free to get up and I know pictures are coming up, but also, you know, it might be a nice night for ice cream. It might be nice to have some great work to all
026of the students. This is one of my favorite nights of the year. I love to see all this artwork. Thank you all for coming. And with no objection, 4.3 presentation. I've got Mr. Grazer and Mr. Whitmire. Good evening. Tonight we have the distinct pleasure of recognizing an absolutely remarkable school leader who was recently recognized for receiving tenure. And that individual is none other than the principal of Lancaster High School. That's Mr. Michael Candela. Personally, I've had the pleasure of working with Mike my entire tenure in the Lancaster Central School District. From alternative program coordinator to assistant principal and now principal of Lancaster High School, it has truly been an honor and a privilege to work alongside this incredible educator. Along with his administration team and the faculty and staff at Lancaster High School, he is
027the captain of an incredibly huge ship that works incredibly hard to truly make Lancaster High School a very special place. Mr. Candela is a charismatic leader who puts students at the forefront of his decision-making process. He works tirelessly to create an educational environment where students are empowered to be leaders, take calculated risks, and challenge their abilities to grow for the future. In addition to his passion for student empowerment, he has high standards for his own performance, as well as for the team in which he leads. He works collaboratively with his administrative team, where he emphasizes values, perspective, and character. to make decisions, formulate programming, and execute procedures to maximize the experience for students at Lancaster High School. Mr. Candela is also a strong supporter of the faculty and staff at the building. With over 175
028certified professionals and an additional 100 support staff at the high school, he treats everyone with dignity, respect, and is always available to provide assistance and support as it is needed. Mr. Candela has high expectations and does everything he can to make sure that everyone on the LHS team holds to those same expectations and are given the appropriate level of support to achieve them. His decisions are firm, fair, and thoroughly examined before being finalized. He is not one to jump to conclusions, as he always handles himself in a professional manner. In addition to Mike's incredibly strong leadership skills, he's also an incredibly reflective practitioner. He consistently examines practices, decisions, and interactions to better understand their impact on students, teachers, staff, and the school community as a whole. Mr. Candela reviews various data sets, analyzes student and
029teacher outcomes, along with constantly self-assessing his work. And truth be told, he's his own hardest critic. And it's all in an effort to continuously improve. He models the values of lifelong learning, adapting to meet evolving needs, and make intentional changes to help create a high-achieving school culture. In my 24 years as an educator, I'm incredibly thankful for the opportunity to work and get to know Mike as a professional, but also as a person. He's a member of this community, a family man, who loves and values his wife, his daughters, and you work as hard as you can, I'd make LHS a special place for them. At Lancaster, we say hire the best. Without question, Mike's the best. And without hesitation, I stand by the decision that we did to give him tenure earlier this month.
030Congratulations, Mike. We do. We always say hire the best. And we do. We hire the best out. I specifically remember... I don't know why we were in room 122 when Mr. Candela was hired as the principal. I don't remember anything else about that night except for how much heart he had in the speech that he, you know, when he talked about being the principal of Lancaster and how proud he was. And you could just feel it. This school is a special place, and Mr. Candela, you're a special guy. Thank you. I was going to save it for my report, but I'll just chime in and echo everything that's already been said. I'm proud to work with Mike for now, I think, nearly a decade, if not a decade. This is a small city, right? We
031talk about that all the time. Mr. Marc, you already talked about that. There's 2,000-plus individuals here when you put together our faculty, our staff, our students, and all that support the kiddos here. and Mike, Mr. Candela, his team that's here today to support him, which speaks volumes about him as an individual and as a leader. So thank you guys for being here. I know Mike appreciates for sure. The things that I'm going to say are just really just hammering home. He puts students first, right? And I have here, cares deeply about the entire high school community. And Mr. Sage is talking about that passion, right? That drives. Mike and that was on display on 122 because I remember it as well and then that's that Desire to make this the best school it can be
032for our students that community is on display each and every day He's driven by it by his principles Dad joke there maybe but and strong values. Thank you for catching that but he does You took the words versus the grade. No, they're the focus on continuous improvement and never settling, right? Never really settling for, which is a gift and a curse. I get that. But it's also very thoughtful, very intentional in everything that he does and everything he does for the students of Lancaster. In short, I have two words here. He's awesome. So keep being awesome. Congratulations. All right, 5.0 score correspondence. We don't have any correspondence on to note. 6.0 approval of minutes. 6.1, can I have a motion to approve the regular session from June 9th, 2025? So moved. Second. Any comments or
033questions? All those in favor? Anyone against? Motion carries. 7.0, ratings from staff organizations. Anyone from the Lancaster Administrative and Supervisory Association? Anyone from the Lancaster Central Teachers Association? Good evening. We just have a couple of congratulations and welcomes tonight. We'd like to congratulate Mr. Tresmond on his new position as Assistant Director of Special Education. We want to welcome Amy Beshalem on her new position as one of William Street School's Assistant Principals. We would like to congratulate Mr. Tallarico on his return to the board seat. And we'd like to welcome Mr. Van Nordwyk and Mrs. Payne Smith on their new seats on the board. And we'd like to congratulate all of our seniors on their graduation last Wednesday. And we wish all of our students and their families a restful and safe summer vacation. Thank you.
034Thank you, Mrs. Farr. Anyone from the Lancaster Association of Service Personnel? And anyone from the Lancaster Association of Substitute Teachers? 8.0, board reports. 8.1, we've got a review of the 2024-2025 district goals. Mr. Tellingham. Real quick before we get into the district goals. Last meeting, I actually completely forgot to mention in my board report that I was invited to the Project Lead the Way final presentations back in May by Mr. Matthew Baird. I did attend one of the sessions. It was incredible. I went last year as well. But it was in the Black Box Theater. It was an incredible production. The kids who presented did an amazing job. It really goes to show how the entire class ends in this final presentation as a senior where you pick a project, find a problem, and then
035essentially create an invention to fix the problem. Our kids do a really great job and if you do get invited to it as a faculty member or administrative member next year, it's worth it to go because the kids do a really, really great job. So I just wanted to give a shout out to the Project Leadenway staff and Mr. Becker. In the last, I think it was last week or the week before, I was invited to attend Squirm, put on at Hillview by Mr. Doody's class and Ms. Blodgett. It was a very cool presentation that they did in a little theatrics. A lot of singing and dancing and fun stuff. That was very fun. And I just want to mention, last week was graduation. We all attended. Just the it was an awesome. It was
036my first graduation here with Lancaster. That's awesome Whatever was in charge of putting it in they did a phenomenal job and it was it was awesome to be part of so great job All right Back to the review of the 2024-25 district goals Want to note that each of the reflections for the goals are online this year that you'll be able to review those online and then 8.2 I wanted to take a moment to recognize one of our own, Mr. Davenport. I want to thank you for the six years of dedication that you've put forth for this district. It takes a lot to become a board member. It's a super important position. Not because we're important, but the district is so important that you've got to have good people that are willing to stand up
037here and to put the work in and to volunteer for the school district. And Mr. Davenport, I really appreciate the six years that you've put in, the care that you have for the students of Lancaster and the students of all students, really, the work you've put in education even before being on the board. So I can't take any credit for the sourcing of this gift, but I wanted to provide you something. 9.0, Superintendent's Administrative Report. Right, kind of picking up where we left off last meeting in terms of this, the season of celebration, I want to thank Mr. Davenport for his years of service, his perspective, his thoughtfulness, his sacrifice, right? Because it's time away from family, time away from loved ones. But as Mr. Sage said, hugely, hugely important position in that helping shape
038the future of our district and help shape the future of our district. So thank you. So, celebrations continue. Moving up days. Kindergarten celebrations, class picnics, field trips, kickballs, plays, as Mr. Lyman mentioned, field days at Hillview, Sholey, Court Street, Comble Park, and William Street School. So just, once again, echoing what we said last time, another big thank you to all the faculty, staff, parents involved in making these events a reality. It doesn't happen without the hard work, the effort, the dedication of so many. And that's, that's, that's... appreciated and certainly noticed. A few other things that occurred since our last meeting, the Academy of Visual and Performing Arts ceremony, Healthcare Academy Satch presentation, Seal of Biliteracy Awards, all wonderful events that allow our students really to shine, to connect, as you heard earlier, with some
039of our other students who are like-minded and that set them on a journey, on a path towards where they hope to go as their journey continues beyond Lancaster. You know, to use the leave a legacy, we had the grad walk actually at William Street, talking to Mr. Hare. And one of the students, if you don't know what the grad walk is, that was a nice precursor to the graduation ceremony. And the grad walk is a wonderful event where our seniors go from building to building, all of our K-3s to William Street, and essentially high-five, shake hands with our youngest students. And I'm not sure who looks forward to that and enjoys it the most. Our graduating seniors, the kids who get to high five are graduating seniors, or our faculty and staff who get to
040see the kids come back full circle from when they're in kindergarten, first grade, second grade, third grade, to now on their next adventure. But what I will say is you don't know what's your legacy. That started as a pretty small graduation walk. I want to say two or three buses. In this year, I think there were seven buses, I believe. And one of our current substitute teachers started that as her leadership academy project. And that was probably five, six, seven years ago. Time was all running together. But kind of a neat piece when you say leave a legacy because she was actually at William Street when I was there seeing the kiddos do their thing. State champions in softball, first time in district history, and I believe one of the only times a team sport
041has won a state championship, girls volleyball a few years back. Quite an accomplishment that occurred a few weeks ago, and then just echoing beautiful ceremony in Shades. Unbelievable culmination of the hard work, the commitment, the dedication of so many leading up to that moment on June 18th. that occurs not just when they're seniors or in ninth grade here at this building, but all the way through from our youngest kiddos before they even enter kindergarten in some cases. So an amazing, amazing ceremony, the first of its kind for Lancaster. A big thank you to all the administration, the music department, school resource officers, the police department, support staff, teachers who volunteer and dedicate their time to really make that a memorable occasion for our kiddos to celebrate them. Speaking of celebrations, I will say a very
042quick one here. John Armstrong was riding off into the sunset, most likely on his tractor. And after nearly 30 years of service to the Lancaster Central Schools, our students and the community, it is a well-deserved retirement. He's been the director of special education since 2003. John, along with the help of so many others, because we can't do it alone, has really built a special education department that is second to none. That is the envy of those around Western New York and around the state. I know John is always looked at as the wise sage in his regional and statewide committees. So I know his colleagues will miss him from around the area and other districts. but he will be missed for the work that he does on a day-to-day basis, but basically, but more importantly,
043for who he is as a human being and as a person and as a friend. So John, I just want to say thank you for everything that you've done for our kiddos and for the Lancaster community. And then lastly, I'll just say a lot goes into a school year and we're coming to the last few days, right? We have nearly or over a thousand employees, 5,500 students. Just thank you to the entire Lancaster school community because a lot goes into a school year. In Lancaster, it's beyond the academics, right? And it's the experience that these students get. And you probably felt a little bit of it from the presentations today of how Lancaster is certainly special. So I just want to say thank you to everybody. Certainly be safe. Enjoy the summer months. And we'll
044be back here soon. So plenty of meeting left, but enjoy the summer months. Thank you, Dr. Kuth. And I don't regularly speak after your comments, Dr. Kupel, but I just have to echo your sentiments about Mr. Armstrong. There's a special place in my heart, as I say this often to you, John, for special education. And the amount of work that you've done for the students of Lancaster is just insurmountable. So I really enjoy when people get to retire. So I wish you the absolute best, and you definitely deserve it. Thanks, John. 10.0, old business. Does anyone have any old business to discuss? 11.0, new business. 11.1, personnel items. 11.1.1, can I have a motion to amend the Director of Special Education probationary period? Any comments or questions? All those in favor? Anyone against? Motion carries.
04511.1.2, can I have a motion on the superintendent's employment contract? Any comments or questions? All those in favor? Anyone against? Motion carries. 11.1.3, can I have a motion on the personnel changes? Any comments or questions? All those in favor? Anyone against? Motion carries. 11.2 Education Items. 11.2.1. Can I have a motion on the Committee on Special Education? So moved. Any comments or questions? All those in favor? Anyone against? Motion carries. 11.2.2. Can I have a motion on the Committee on Preschool Special Education? So moved. Second. Any comments or questions? All those in favor? Anyone against? Motion carries. 12.0 business and financial items. 12.1, can I have a motion on the financial items? So moved. Any comments or questions? All those in favor? Anyone against? Motion carries. 12.2, can I have a motion on the policy
046adoption 7556, equal educational opportunities? So moved. Any comments or questions? All those in favor? Anyone against? Motion carries. 12.3, can I have a motion on policy adoption 7471, student government? So moved. Any comments or questions? All those in favor? Anyone against? Motion carries. 12.4, can I have a motion on policy adoption 8340, instructional materials and non-public school students? So moved. Any comments or questions? All those in favor? Anyone against? Motion carries. 12.5 through 12.9 are all policy readings. 12.5, 12.5, policy second reading 6470, acceptable use policy. 12.6, policy second reading 7316, use of internet-enabled devices during the school day. 12.7, policy second reading 5685, maximum temperature for school buildings and indoor facilities. 12.8, policy second reading 5672, information security breach and notification. 12.9, policy second reading 5673, employee personal identifying information. These are all for
047information only. We'll vote on these at a subsequent meeting. I just want to go back for a second here to... our personnel changes. It appears we have one of our new social studies teachers here, Riley Cromer. I want to congratulate you and I want to thank you for wanting to work with our kiddos. We have a saying here, we said it earlier, about a few people, but hire the best, right? So if you made it through the interviews and the committees and were hired here at Lancaster, you truly are the best. So I congratulate you and I can't wait for you to get to work with our kiddos. 12.10, payment from employee benefits, accrued liability reserve. Can I have a motion? Any comments or questions? All those in favor? Anyone against? Motion carries. 12.11, can
048I have a motion on the bid award for tires? Any comments or questions? All those in favor? Anyone against? Motion carries. 12.12, can I have a motion for the bid award for transportation of students with disabilities? Any comments or questions? All those in favor? Anyone against? Motion carries. 12.13, can I have a motion on the bid award for printing and stationery? Any comments or questions? All those in favor? Anyone against? Motion carries. 12.14. Can I have a motion on the contract with Lancaster Youth Football and Cheerleading for facility use? Second. Any comments or questions? All those in favor? Anyone against? Motion carries. 12.15. Can I have a motion on the contract with Lancaster Youth Football and Cheerleading for storage? So moved. Any comments or questions? All those in favor? Anyone against? Motion carries. 12.16, can
049I have a motion on the contract with Sound Transformation Music Therapy Services? Any comments or questions? All those in favor? Anyone against? Motion carries. 12.17, can I have a motion on the contract with OG Instruction, Reading Instruction for the summer? Any comments or questions? All those in favor? Anyone against? Motion carries. 12.18, can I have a motion on the contract with OG Instruction, Reading Instruction for the 2025-2026 school year? So moved. Second. Any comments or questions? All those in favor? Anyone against? Motion carries. 12.19, can I have a motion on the contract with Pediatric Home Nursing Services, Inc., DBA, Pavina Healthcare? So moved. Any comments or questions? All those in favor? Anyone against? Motion carries. 12.20 can have a motion on the contract with the Summit Center Behavior Consultation. Any comments or questions? All those
050in favor? Anyone against? Motion carries. 12.21 can have a motion on the contract with the Summit Center Parent Training. Any comments or questions? All those in favor? Anyone against? Motion carries. 12.22, can I have a motion on the contract with the Summit Center for Parent Training? No. Any comments or questions? All those in favor? Anyone against? Motion carries. 12.23, can I have a motion on the contract with Buffalo Construction Consultants? No. Any comments or questions? All those in favor? Anyone against? Motion carries. 12.24, I have a motion on the contract with Eric Lehman. Second. Any comments or questions? All those in favor? Anyone against? Motion carries. 12.25, can I have a motion on the contract extension for summer transportation? Second. Any comments or questions? All those in favor? Anyone against? Motion carries. 12.26, can I
051have a motion on the contract with Kenmore Town of Tonawanda Union Free School District? So moved. Second. Any comments or questions? All those in favor? Anyone against? Motion carries. 12.27, can I have a motion on the surplus equipment? Second. Any comments or questions? All those in favor? Anyone against? Motion carries. 12.28, can I have a motion on the surplus textbooks? All those in favor? Anyone against? Motion carries. 12.29, can I have a motion on the separation agreement? Any comments or questions? All those in favor? Anyone against? Motion carries. 12.30, Lancaster Central Teachers Association, a random of agreement. Can I have a motion? Any comments or questions? All those in favor? Anyone against? Motion carries. 13.0 is in our public hearing. We do not have anyone signed up to speak this evening. 14.0 is an executive
052session to discuss the employment of a particular person. That effectively will end the meeting, but I do want to, before we go into executive session... Mention that we have our annual organization meeting on July 14, 2025 in the Lancaster High School right here at 7 p.m. 14.0, can I have a motion to go into executive session? So moved. Any comments or questions? All those in favor? Anyone against? Motion carries. All right, that effectively ends the meeting for this evening. Thank you all for coming out.