001I'd like to call the Lancaster Central School District Board of Education meeting to order. Please rise for the pledge and remain standing for a moment of silent reflection. 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. Tonight, we will remain standing for a moment of silence for Laura Pompilas, a bus driver from 1985 through 2007, who passed away on April 22, 2023. Before we get started, in the event of an emergency, please note the locations of the exits. Moving on to 4.0, we have a presentation. This is for the NISVA recognition program. Mrs. Cohen, you have been awarded another Board of Excellence Award for your participation in leadership development opportunities. Mrs. Cohen, I'm glad to present
002this to you. We have no correspondence record. 6.0, approval of bids. 6.1. Can I have a motion to approve the regular session limits from April 13, 2023? Any comments or questions? All those in favor? Anyone against? It carries. On to 7.0. Items from staff organizations. Anyone from the Lancaster Administrative and Supervisory Association? ... and ships that they have in Lancaster. I'm not going to be a part of it, but I also want to give a shout-out to the Lancaster... Thank you, Mrs. Marcinelli. All right, speaking of our amazing teachers, anyone from the Lancaster Central Teachers Association? Thank you, Molly. I do appreciate that, and our members also appreciate the kind words. Just wanted to say that the LCTA will be supporting this year's budget. We will be making contact with our NYSET members who do
003reside in the district to come out and support the district. I'm sorry, support a budget that benefits our students and the community as a whole. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Abraham. And anyone from the Lancaster Association of Service Personnel? And anyone from the Lancaster Association of Substitute Teachers? Moving on to 8.0, board reports. Any board members have anything to report? Yes. All right, just a couple of quick things. First to start, I just want to say that I so greatly appreciate the work that the administration does, as well as Jamie Phillips, in getting the budget together. It's a difficult thing. I mean, it's a $130 million budget. There's a lot of moving pieces. But one thing I just wanted to kind of reiterate is I kept hearing this kind of refrain today that there's some
004sort of $50 million slush fund. It's just not true. So there's not a $50 million slush fund. All the capital reserves are accounted for. All the reserves are accounted for in every different category, and they're clearly posted on the website in case anybody wants to take a look at it. So that's one thing. Now onto something a little bit more fun. I had the privilege the other day of going to the William Street Orientation. So my daughter is moving on from Hillview to William Street. It was honestly a lot of fun. I'll tell you that William Street, I've been there a few times, but like anybody I think in the district or a parent of a student, you can be... a little taken aback by the size of the building. So much like my daughter,
005I've also been very comfortable at Hillview. The administration there is great. Ms. Moller is a wonderful principal. All the teachers have been excellent to my daughter and her education over the first couple years of her educational journey. But stepping in and going to this orientation the other day really put a lot of my anxiety to bed. So the teachers there really seem to care. It's a wonderful building, and I'm truly looking forward to the next step in my daughter's educational journey. So I just wanted to give a shout-out to the teachers, administration, and all the students over at William Street for putting on an excellent orientation last Wednesday. Thanks. Thank you, Mr. Tellerico. I've got one for myself. I had the opportunity to... Watch the halftime and the second half of the unified basketball game.
006I was in a meeting beforehand, but it's my favorite sporting activity to go to. I mean, it is just so heartwarming to see everyone working together. I know we have lots of kids that just love that. I mean, the dance during halftime, if you haven't been to one of these games, is just phenomenal. Everyone gets on the dance floor, which is the Java Gym. They dance to the electric slide. I do not dance, so you probably will not see me out there. But it is the best thing in the entire world. So I definitely suggest look at our website, get the schedule, go to one of those games. It's just so amazing to see. I'll just give a little plug personally. I know that they're doing a little... fundraiser at DiBella's Subs if you order
007until the 12th, I think. And you put in the code Lancaster20 for the dine to donate. And I think that's just an amazing program. And again, definitely a highlight of the year. Thank you so much for that. And then on to 9.0, Superintendent's Administrative Report. I think I've spoken enough today, Mr. Sage. Thank you. Thank you, Dr. Valli. Alright, on to 10.0, Old Business. Does anyone have any old business to discuss? On to 11.0, New Business. 11.1 is Personnel Items. 11.1.1, do I have a motion on the Personnel Changes? Any comments or questions? All those in favor? Anyone against? Motion carries. 11.2 is our Education Items. 11.2.1, can I have a motion on the Committee on Special Education? Any comments or questions? All those in favor? Anyone against? Motion carries. 11.2.2, can I have a
008motion on the Committee on Preschool Special Education? So moved. Any comments or questions? All those in favor? Anyone against? Motion carries. 12.0 is our business and financial items. 12.1, can I have a motion to approve the financial items? Second. Any comments or questions? All those in favor? Anyone against? Motion carries. 12.2 is a policy adoption for 6130. Can I have a motion to approve 6130, evaluation of personnel? Any comments or questions? All those in favor? Anyone against? Motion carries. 12.3, another policy adoption. Can I have a motion on policy 6550, leaves of absence? So moved. Second. Any comments or questions? All those in favor? Anyone against? Motion carries. 12.4, can I have a motion on policy adoption 7150 for remote instruction? So moved. Any comments or questions? All those in favor? Anyone against? Motion carries.
00912.5, can I have a motion on policy adaption 7670, due process complaints, selection, and board appointment of impartial hearing officers? Second. Any comments or questions? All those in favor? Anyone against? Motion carries. 12.6, can I have a motion on policy adaption 8450, home, hospital, or institutional instruction, homebound instruction? Any comments or questions? Yes. Just for the general public out there who might be watching or listening, making it very clear to everybody that these policies and procedures go through a number of readings when we're amending them and when we're changing the policy. So it's important to note that we have all read these policies multiple times, reviewed them all, reviewed the changes before we all approved them. And largely the changes that we're making are, you know, refinements to language and things of that nature. So
010just wanted to put that out there for everybody. Thank you, Mrs. Cohen. Any other comments or questions? All those in favor? Anyone against? Motion carries. Speaking of policy readings, we have a policy reading. This is the second reading of 6121, Sexual Harassment in the Workplace. 12.8 is another policy second reading of 6160, Professional Growth and Staff Development. 12.9 is another policy second reading, 6215, Probation and Tenure. We'll go through several more policy readings. 1210 is 7317, District Technology Device Student Agreement Policy. 12.11 is 7350, Corporal Punishment, Emergency Interventions. 12.12 is Policy 7512, Student Physicals. 12.13 is Policy Reading 7522, Concussion Management. 12.14, another Policy Second Reading, 7530, Child Abuse and Maltreatment. On to 12.15. Can I have a motion on the contract with Alden Central School District? Any comments or questions? All those in favor?
011Anyone against? Motion carries. 12.16. Can I have a motion on the surplus library books? Any comments or questions? All those in favor? Anyone against? Motion carries. 12.17. Can I have a motion on the surplus equipment? Any comments or questions? All those in favor? Anyone against? Motion carries. 12.18, can I have a motion on the construction change orders? Any comments or questions? All those in favor? Anyone against? Motion carries. 12.19, can I have a motion on the bid award extension for waste removal and recycling? Any comments or questions? Anyone against? Motion carries. motion on 12.20 the bid award for cafeteria equipment any comments or questions all those in favor anyone against motion carries 12.21 can have a motion on the food service operating reports for march 2023 any comments or questions all those in favor anyone
012against motion carries On to 13.0, public hearing. Any person who notified the district clerk per policy 1514 may speak at this time. Speakers must be recognized by the president and then identify themselves by stating their name and address. The time limit to speak will be limited to five minutes per person. Sandy, do you have that list for me? First, we have Jennifer Virgioli. Thank you. Do I remain that way, alright? Okay, Jennifer to a core central lab. So there is a saying amongst people who work on problems in communities, and it says, those who are closest to the problem are closest to the solutions. And I was reminded of that tonight when a student asked a question on Book Day. I thought, that's the solution to the problem. They're asking about that. They're worried about
013that. And I also thought of it again. This weekend was a New York Times editorial by a woman named Patricia McCormick. And Patricia McCormick wrote a fairly remarkable book called Sold. And sold is the first person account of young girls who found themselves sold by their parents. in different situations. And so the book has some graphic detailing of situations, but it's the girls' stories, first-person accounting of their experiences. And in her editorial, McCormick wrote the following, and I want to share it with you as members of the board. She wrote, to ban this book, she meant my book, is to be disrespectful to the teenagers who want, and in some cases need, to read it. I've visited classrooms and juvenile detention centers all over the country since the book came out in 2006. In nearly
014every visit, a student comes forward to say that they have been sexually abused or are being sexually abused, and that seeing their experience rendered in a book for the first time, it moved and molded them to say so. But a surprising number of readers, boys and girls, open right up in class. She goes on to say, I always brace for a nervous or inappropriate reaction from other children. I wait for someone to laugh or scoff or gasp. They never do. Children unfailingly treat such revelations with respect and empathy. Meanwhile, the teacher can step in to provide help for a problem they may not have otherwise known about. And she concludes by saying, that's what is missing in the national conversation about book banning, the voices of those children, and teenagers who see their experiences in
015print and finally realize they aren't alone. and the ones who fortunately are not suffering such trauma, but now have a window into the lives of their peers who do. We talk at them, and we talk about them. We try to control what they can read, think, and do. What we don't do is listen to them. So the Quark's quote and the question from the students' evening reminded me, again, that the students are closest to the problem. They recognize adults are trying to ban their books. Adults can call it whatever they want. They can say whatever they want, but adults are trying to ban their books. And so I wanted to stand up today as a member of the public. I don't have children in the district. I'm just a member of the community. I don't
016know that these women are, I'm assuming it's a woman, I believe if I talk about it directly, but all of you are librarians. And so I want to stand up today with a public statement of support for our district librarians. They are the advocates who are standing closest to the students who defend their right to read. And so tonight it is my understanding that they want awards. We have awards for librarians. And that your librarians are diligently working to ensure every student can see themselves on the shelves. And they are all around awesome people. So it is my hope that this board will continue to affirm and support and defend our district librarians. Please let them know that the community trusts them and their expertise. Thank you. Thank you, Mrs. Burgiel. And second, we have
017Christine II. I did get a note earlier today that she would not be in attendance today. Effectively, that's going to end this evening's meeting. We do have an executive session after this. But before we go into executive session, I want to make sure that everyone remembers that the annual budget vote and trustee election is May 16, 2023 at the Java Gym right here at the high school from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Can I have a motion 14.0 to go into executive session to discuss the Lancaster Central Teachers Association contract negotiations? Any comments or questions? All those in favor? Aye. Anyone against? Motion carries. All right. Thank you, everyone, for coming out this evening and everyone listening and watching at home.