001I brought Good evening and welcome everybody. Um just a quick note, we do take comments from the public. So if you'd like to make a comment, we have a signup sheet right behind us. So feel free to um put your name on there and say wonderful things. Going to reconvene to open session. It's a resolve that the board of education reconvene to open session. The time is 7 p.m. 7 p.m. Do I have a motion? Motion. Dr. Walsh. Do I have a second? Second. Mr. Maine. All in favor? I I That's unanimous. Peggy, please join me for the pledge to the flag. Okay, we're going to jump right in. Presentations this evening. We have Dr. Sweeney. Welcome. So pleased to have a member of our school counseling team here with me to present Dr. Sweeney.
002Thank you. And I'm pleased to have Deborah Ahern here who is a member of our school counseling team. She's over at our middle school as many of you know. So, thank you so much for having us here today. We spent a lot of work. We've put a lot of time and effort into developing the comprehensive school counseling plan for this year. We're really pleased to share all the good work our school councils are doing with your children at every grade level. So, beginning with meet our team, I am the newly appointed director of PPS here in Pauling and I have Audrey Feliciano who will be here in just a few moments and she's our administrator. At the elementary school, we have a leave replacement Liz Kohl's. middle school, we have Miss Ahern and Courtney Quinn.
003And over at our high school, we have Lisa Cassal Seaman and Pamela Hildebrand. So, beginning with a school counseling plan, the overview of this presentation, we're going to dive into some details so you really know what your students are getting at the elementary school, the middle school, and the high school at every level, the personalized supports that our school counselors provide. And in addition uh to this presentation, there's a link to the plan which also the board of education has asked to adopt. So at the elementary school, the school counseling program K to4 supports students academic and social emotional growth using the multi-tered approach through schoolwide initiatives, classroom level interventions, and individualized support. School counselor collaborates with teachers, school leaders, families, and outside resources to provide comprehensive and wraparound support. All grade levels receive weekly
004classroom lessons that encourage self-awareness, social responsibility, achievement, and self-management. Students are being introduced to mindfulness activities in the classroom with teachers and during lessons. Individual and group counseling targets individual goals, peer relationships, classroom behaviors, student growth, and crisis intervention. To give a more in-depth look, we utilize the second step social emotional learning curriculum, which is a researchbased intervention. um at K to4 there are four main units and you'll see under the units I won't read every single one of them but again as a parent if you really want to know some depth and breadth of what our students are learning um they're listed under those units unit one skills for learning unit two empathy unit three emotion management and unit four problem solving I will now turn over to Deb Aham who will describe our
005middle school counseling Hi. So, our middle middle school counseling program supports students academic, social, emotional growth through individual and group counseling, focusing on personal challenges, positive peer relations, healthy decision-m um and these are all, you know, of course, at the developmental level um that we look at and there's a big difference between fifth and eighth grade. So, um classroom lessons cover emotional regulation, empathy, self-discovery, and career exploration. Wellness check-ins are administered during the year to identify student needs and we respond to those needs. Counselors collaborate with teachers, school leaders, and families to provide a comprehensive um comprehensive support helping students build resilience, cope with challenges, and prepare for future successes. And we have broken these down by grade level because we do do different things for each grade level. in fifth grade. Um, we focus
006a lot starting with our students when they're in fourth grade, moving up to the middle school and focus on that transition. We start with our fourth and fifth grade math carnival. The students also have a tour on that day. We have a fifth grade orientation. Um, that is in the end of the summer. Uh, social emotional learning is taught to all students in fifth grade. Um, this year we restructured it a little bit differently. So I have every fifth grader um for 10 weeks for a quarter and then they rotate to other specials in that period. Our second step curriculum involves emotional intelligence, positive relationships, problem solving and I also have um included a career exploration unit within that time period when I'm with the students because we feel like it's really important for them
007to start learning about themselves, their interests, and just the thousands and thousands of opportunities they have as they grow older. uh students learn about personal and cyber security and making responsible choices online. So, and as our students are using more and more technology, that becomes more and more important. Sixth grade, um we have a health class that every student participates in, and that instruction is in physical, nutritional, and emotional well-being. So, there are some lessons taught at that uh time. Students receive lessons on digital and personal safety, cyber bullying, social media use, and personal safety strategies. We partner I partner with my ELA teachers in sixth grade and we do a more extensive unit on career development. Um, I teach them first we do an interest inventory. We look at where their interests lie. We
008match them to career clusters. We look at explore through a couple different websites what those what careers fall under career clusters. We have them pick one that they seem interested in and they research that career. They make a presentation on that and present that to the class. Um and that has been um a really enjoyable activity. I get a lot of positive feedback from the students about that. Um so um we're also going to this year I'm going to start doing an individual annual progress review with my sixth graders. Um that has been happening at the upper levels. Um our school counseling regulations now also includes that to start at the sixth grade level. So working on that but that will take place late spring. And uh we present and facilitate the world language selections.
009In seventh grade, students have their first chance to take a language. So, I go in and talk to them about what the options are. Um, we start talking a little bit about high school credits and how all of these things matter um for their future. And the students pick a language. Seventh and eighth grade. Um, Courtney Quinn is our seventh and eighth grade counselor. She also teaches an SEAL class in seventh grade. um those topics including managing emotions, building empathy, decision- making, uh developing interpersonal skills, and she also works on career research um and exploration at during her class. All students receive a lesson on digital and physical safety. And also in seventh grade, students will have an annual um review with their counselor that's individual to talk about their classes. Uh we look at
010everything what you're participating in. start thinking about building um those experiences that will help them in high school and start building resumes and things like that. Eighth grade um students also receive uh career guidance. We have inter session activities. There are college visits, career speakers, the students take another interest inventory. Um at towards the end of the year they also attend high school orientation to learn about classes, graduation requirements, extracurricular activities and all the um things that will happen as they move to 9th grade. Health is uh provided with topics related to physical, mental, and emotional well-being. All eighth graders take health classes and lessons are also infused into that class. Um and again in eighth grade students meet with the counselor individually um at the end of the year to look again and reflect
011on their personal growth and their academic growth um and select courses for nth grade and uh oh I do there we go and our high school counseling plan. So, the high school counseling plan also provides a range of services aimed at enhancing students well-being, academic success, and college and career preparedness. Those services include individual counseling to help students explore and navigate personal and academic challenges, career guidance, strength guidance to explore post-secary options, and assistance with college or vocational school applications. The program is committed to offering equitable support to all students, including those with special education needs and English language learners. The main objective is to empower students to make informed decisions, develop essential life skills, and smoothly transition into adulthood. So within the school counseling plan that the board of education will be asked to
012adopt, there are various appendices which includes our regulations um and the other factors that um helped us develop this comprehensive plan. So at each grade level again it's going to look different based on their progression through high school. 9th grade there's a nth grade information night for students and families. There's a scavenger hunt for students to find and locations important locations throughout the building. There's a get to know your counselor meeting. There's tips for success in high school and graduation as an overview that's presented. The PSAT grade 8/9 registration occurs and the administration occurs for those students who wish to take the PSAT in 9th grade. Um, every student meets in a small group uh with their school counselor to do what's called a strengths explorer. Again, really defining their areas of interest as they
013have evolved by the time they get to 9th grade. and then also outlining and detailing the 4-year plan for them which can change over the years but certain things are required uh to get that region's diploma. So those are reviewed with students. There's an annual individual progress review and course selection. Students are actively involved in making choices when they can for their sophomore year and counseling and advisement is available as needed. So every student meets with their counselor both in individual and small group sessions. Once I get to t 10th grade again there's that individual progress review and post-secary planning. This is when we start talking about the preac registration and uh we administer that. In terms of post-secary every student completes the career profiler which helps them understand kind of their strengths and interests
014and how that aligns to a personality type in a career or a major. Um there's an evening workshop for parents to describe the uh career and technical education opportunities Boseies what the Bosey's programs are and if your students would like to be considered for those. There's trips to the Boseies campuses to view the programs for our students. Students are involved in then selecting their courses for junior year. There's a college fair field trip over to Boseies again trying to help them really see what the future is and define kind of what they might be indiv uh interested in. And then individual counseling and adisement is also available as needed. 11th grade big big year for our students. Again, there's individual progress review, but here's when we're registering them for the PSAT. There's an annual alumni
015panel that comes back and talks to our juniors because this is the year really to bump up all of the remaining requirements for regions courses and really starting to think about that college application or career preparedness. There's a two-part workshop workshop that is presented to every student on college and career research leading up to course selections for evening year. Parents are invited in for an evening workshop to talk about college and career the research process and kind of figuring out what colleges might be uh interesting and uh beneficial for your students as well as career planning. The spring workshop series includes there's lots that we help our students with. We again we do that achieve works personality another interest inventory saying who are you and how might that fit with a career or major. We
016work with their students individually on their resumes start thinking about the essay writing that's required for college applications. We help uh students learn uh how to navigate college websites and applications and we have students begin to think about letters of recommendation. teachers um this when they're uh their senior year, teachers will often get bombarded at one time for college recommendations. So, we really ask our students to begin thinking about this their junior year, talking to the teachers that they'd like to have that letter so maybe the teacher has some time over the summer to write a nice robust letter of support and individual counseling and advisement is available as needed. Then for our senior year, again, individual progress reviews. This is when the college applications are due. So there's workshops provided for students and families.
017School reports are completed. Letters of recommendations um are received. They're all navigated in our Naviance system. Our college our school counselors host a financial aid night which is very important to families because the process for obtaining financial aid changes every year becomes very difficult and complex. So we host that night for our families and we also host a workshop for families about the college application prog uh process. There's a senior scholarship assembly. We award uh scholarships for our seniors. We have a decision day celebration where students come down and they celebrate the places where they've been accepted. And there's an exit workshop for seniors kind of preparing, okay, where where are you going next year? What do you need for students with IEPs or 504s? That includes making sure you have your latest finalized document.
018How do you access uh support systems and the college environment? There's a senior awards night and individual counseling and adisement is available as needed. And before you know it, kids go from kindergarten learning how to play nice and share and take turns to seniors having discussions about this is where I'm going to go to college. This is what this is what job I'm going to obtain. And we have tears in our eyes as we say goodbye. So for next year, our plan uh is to continue this great work. I'm really impressed with the all the individualized supports that our counselors provide to our students in our meetings. The the counselors know their students really, really well, which is wonderful. Every counselor has interfaced with your child at least once, twice, or three times throughout the
019year, which is really impressive to me. In addition, we will put together our school counseling advisory council and we meet in the fall. we identify an area we want to take a look at with data and interventions and then we'll measure it again in the spring. So, I look forward to sharing out those results with you next spring. Thank you. Any questions? Thank you, Dr. Sweeney. Um, turn it over to any of my fellow board members. Any questions? No. Yes, Mr. Graic. Thank you so much for that. Um, I love the last slide and you know obviously the ideas of feeling of belonging, empathy, emotion management, like this is important stuff and I know it could be perhaps difficult sometimes to um to really evaluate the efficacy of how this stuff is working. Is there
020specific details you can provide as far as like data you and the council plan to look at to really say hey this is working or for example the second step curriculum or hey we need to modify this a little bit. Is there any more specifics you can provide in that data um to really see if this is working optimally? It's a great question. So, we've already begun talking about what data can we use to measure so positive social emotional growth, positive peer relationships. Some op some some things that we've begun to talk about, we'll finalize this more in the fall with an interd disciplinary school counseling team, but you take a look at absence data. If kids are happy, they're coming to school. If they're absent a lot, sometimes it's because of social emotional or
021family distress. So that's an important indicator of students when they're learning. We take a look at discipline referrals. Are students making better choices and our referrals going down? We take a look at in the past there have been surveys, social emotional surveys that students complete. Do I feel connected to a trusted adult? When I walk in the building and I'm having a bad day, would an adult notice? Things like that. So surveys have been done in the past. we have to be careful about how we word things to students to make sure they're developmentally appropriate. Um, but I would be very interested in presenting that to the school counseling team because again hearing from students is so powerful and that's a direct measure. How many you know what percentage of students feel connected to a
022trusted adult in the fall? we put to interfa place some interventions and then what percentage is that at the end of at the end of the year some uh in addition you know thinking about including our families you know sending out surveys what topics of social emotional distress or uh social emotional learning do you see as concerns for your family and then maybe having uh workshops for families describing in more in detail what we're doing in the classrooms for our interventions and tips for parents at home. So, if we're providing a lesson on how to organize and prioritize assignments for good executive functioning, what are the strategies we're using? And here are some tips for home. Do they have a special you do they have a separate work safe sped up? Do you have a
023timer? Do you have a checklist? Is it visual? Do you have a reward at the end? So, sharing with family h families how we're working with children to develop their skills so there's carryover at home. So, those are some of the things that I'm thinking. But yeah, those data points are very important because quantifying social emotional levels can be difficult, but it is possible. Thank you. Thank you so much. And just a comment after that, it it's great to hear cuz I think one of the most basic studies ever done in a school is a kid does not feel comfortable and safe in a school. It's very difficult to learn and this stuff is so important to achieve that stuff to then accomplish the learning and excellence that we look for. So, it's so great
024to hear all that and uh thank you for your presentation. Um, I just wanted to um say to you and to Mrs. Ahern and also to share with the public how impressed I always am with the um the ability of the counseling program to be so deeply connected to all of the schools. So the curricular connections that are made uh by the counselors reaching out and by the general education all the teachers in fact um all the career exploration that students are doing right now in grade six and grade seven and grade eight um the way our high school 12th grade teacher incorporates the writing of those college or other career um essays and applications and resumes etc. So, it's just a testament to the the importance that everyone feels in the work that you
025do that people really wrap themselves around it and create I think um a largely very thank you. Thank you for remarking on that. Um Dr. Fontana it um I did just want to add um you know I wanted to highlight that like the way that you're pulling the the thread through not just individualized classrooms but then throughout all the different classrooms and now hearing that there's a plan in place you know to to track because it's something that we've been talking a lot about this year about metrics and understanding you know what it is that we're monitoring you know and how that leads to program development and improvements. Uh it's uh really good to hear that there's a component that goes home, you know, with with this stuff. Um so that it's not just the
026academics that are coming home, but that there are, you know, there are uh there is a support in place that parents can access that's coming directly from the school. So I really, you know, looking forward to seeing the results of that work in the next year. Thank you. Thank you both. Next presentation that we have is budget. So we'll welcome Miss Heslin. Evening everyone. Okay. So tonight, um, we're going to do a quick recap of the superintendent's recommended budget for the 2526 school year. And the adoption of this budget is one of the items on tonight's agenda. Um, we're also going to review some um, questions that we've received from the board of education and their corresponding answers. Uh, so we're going to start by looking at the budget overall um, and how it aligns
027with our board and district goals. So, first and foremost, the budget is intended to empower student success. Um, and uh we've got the four B board goals. Um, and I feel like the budget really hits on each one of them. So, the board supports uh our continuing efforts to create a welcoming, supportive, and inclusive environment. Some of it you just heard about as far as uh uh social emotional learning and also uh providing professional development for our support staff. Uh the budget includes innovative curriculum and enriching learning experiences um because it continues to support all of our academic programs and it also continues to support all of our co- extracurricular opportunities for our students. Um, and it also provides uh resources to ensure comprehensive supports for all of our students. Uh, the budget includes resources
028directed toward the engagement of our community uh because we've included funding to increase um and improve our communication efforts. And uh the budget creates a safe and sustainable environment through exemplary stewardship of resources. As we continue to support our collectively bargained agreements, we plan for maintenance and improvements for our facilities. Um, and we do all of this while remaining within the allowable tax levy limit. So, the total recommended budget for 2526 is 49,89,437. Uh, this is a dollar increase of just over $1.8 8 million and a percent increase of 3.82. Um, you know, we talked quite a bit about this at our last presentation. Um, and we illustrated the com that the uh components of the budget related to instruction of course make up the largest portion of our budget. Um, we did make one
029minor adjustment to the budget since the last presentation. So, you may remember that I mentioned that we weren't able to fund um the great plan that Mrs. Fasheen had come up with for adding two extra days to our communication services. Um, but thank you to Mrs. Kazaka who unfortunately isn't here this evening, but thank you to her her keen eye uh because we realized that we were able to move $20,000 from our high school co-curricular uh chaperone line and put those funds towards Mrs. Fasheen's plan. So, we're actually going to be able to add not two days, but we'll be able to add one day um per week to our our communications plan for next year. Basically, this just moves funds from one line to another. It does not impact the overall total budget. It
030also isn't a cut to any uh any programs in the high school. It was an error in it was an error. So, people people need to understand that it's not a reduction anywhere. Thank you for that clarification. Okay. So when we move uh when we make that move between the budget lines, it also changes how we have to report our three-part budget uh because it actually moves the expenses from the category of instructional into administrative. So uh here you see the updated dollar amounts and percentages for the three-part budget. Okay. So, we're going to take a look at some of the questions that we received regarding the budget and we're going to address them in a a question and answer style. Uh, this first question is actually from last year, but I did want to
031make sure that people know where to go to find information on the budget. So, the the question is where can the community view detailed information regarding the recommended budget for next year? And the answer is that all the information about the budget is um on our district website. we have a specific page for the budget um and you can see it right from the homepage. Uh the next group of questions um relate specifically to the expense side of the budget. So one question was is the district budgeting for the Washington DC trip next year? Um, and just to make sure there's no confusion, the district budgets for all curricular field trips, and that of course would include the Washington DC trip. Um, this uh this next question, this is actually an abbreviated version of a
032very good question and its answer. Um, and I would encourage people to go to the website where we'll be posting the the full Q&A um to to see that full version. But in in short um how does the district evaluate course offerings and our capacity to maintain resources and excellence in existing programs. Um and you know we are very fortunate to be able to offer a broad range of courses um without incurring additional costs and that's really due to the broad interests of our teachers, our investments in professional development um and the fact that we have more than adequate staffing. So again the more in-depth question and answer is on the website. Um okay next uh what are chaperones used for? So chaperones basically um provide supervision to our students um during co and extracurricular
033events. So concerts um and athletic events. Um, and you know, the the budgets for these items will go up and down from one year to the next because it really depends on the the types of events that are being planned for. Um, and that that determines the number of chaperoons we need and those that that is actually determined by the principal or the athletic director or the adviser that's overseeing that particular event. Uh another question is the increase in transportation costs due to the purchase of buses. So most of the increase is in fact due to the purchase of buses. Um our bus replacement schedule includes the purchase of 266 passenger vehicles buses. So the larger buses are of course more expensive than the smaller ones that we had included in last year's budget. Um
034but we're also experiencing some increases in transportation salary expenses. Uh and really that's to accommodate um bus runs for both special needs students and also athletic events. Um there was a question have we been have there been efforts to explore shared transportation for students attending out of district placements? Um we every year we we participate in shared transportation contracts with the Brewster School District for some of our sports programs. Um and we also sign up each year for the Duchess Bosey's shared transportation services. Um as far as coordinating transportation with other districts for special ed students, uh it can be a little bit challenging um because there are a lot of different things we need to take into consideration. There's the individual needs of the students, uh the location of the program and and then
035the coordination of school schedules. So, you know, bell times and uh when kids are coming from other districts, does that still work as far as that schedule is concerned? And we also need to be uh sensitive to the amount of time that may be added to a student's overall transportation, the time on the bus. So, we want to make sure that that's not excessive. Um but we you know we certainly will uh we do make efforts for that and we'll continue to do so. Um another very specific question uh why is the board of education section of the budget increasing by $20,600? So as many well certainly all the board members know but a lot of the community knows as well uh we've been going through the process of updating the district vision for this
036year. Um, and really the next step in that process is to potentially look at developing a strategic plan. So, we've included $20,000 in next year's budget in order to be able to do that. Um, and that is the last of our questions regarding the expense side of the budget. So, now we're going to look at revenue. Um, and the last time we met, we spoke about the different sources of revenue that the district uses to support the budget. And of course our largest uh source is the tax levy. And at the last meeting we went through the various steps um of how we go about calculating the levy. And that levy the budgeted amount is $ 32,224,475. That represents a levy to levy increase of 2.24%. This budgeted levy is below our allowable levy increase
037of 2.25%. 25% and it's also slightly less than our current year's levy increase. We also illustrated um that the capital portion of the tax levy remains below the 2020 baseline. Um and as we talk about the levy, I just want to take a moment to thank uh the members of our budget advisory group and that would be Dr. Walsh, Mr. Gratchic, and Mrs. Spiel Bogle. um they spent a lot of time with us and offered us help and insight as we looked at both the current and the long range impact of the tax levy. So, we appreciate that help. Um as far as the New York State budget is concerned, our state lawmakers passed um another budget extension yesterday which is set to last through tomorrow. So, we do not have a finalized New York
038state budget at this time. there are some sticking points um that are unrelated to education and then there's one item that is related to school districts and basically that's in reference to the statewide sta statewide standards regarding the use of cell phones in schools. So we have to wait and see where that ends up. Um and we did have a question um from a board member regarding the status of state aid. Um, and the question is, what adjustments will be made if state aid is not what's predicted? Uh, the New York State legislature has foundation aid included in their proposals at a slightly higher amount than the governor's proposal. So, we don't anticipate that state aid is going to come in at less than the governor's proposal. And that is the level that we have
039budgeted it at is the the governor's level. So if the New York State budget reflects an increase in foundation aid, we will realize that in that amount as savings in next year's budget. Um the I think the high end is uh the governor's percent is is 2%, the high end is the uh 3% from the Senate. So and if it did come in at that uh we're talking about maybe an extra $60,000 over and above what we've already budgeted. So, okay, that was the one question we had on revenue. Um, so I do want to make sure that everybody understands that we have a lot of resources uh available. We have some currently and there will be more coming. So, um, in reference to the budget, so as I mentioned before, we have the page
040on the district website um, that's dedicated just to the budget information. There's the budget calendar. There's copies of all the budget presentations we've had so far and the detailed budget information. Um, we also produce what we call the budget book. Um, and this has a lot of different information. It's got all of the financial information. Um, it's also got uh demographic information, student achievement information that we expect to be posted on the website um about the before the end of the month of April. And then we also put together a budget newsletter um and that gets mailed out to every household in the district and that happens at the beginning of May. And as far as next steps in the budget process, so April 22nd is our next board meeting and that's also the required
041date for the Bosey's budget vote. On May 6th, we'll hold the public hearing on the adopted budget. And on May 20th, all of this, of course, culminates in the annual meeting, budget vote, and the board of education election. That's what I've got for you tonight. If you have any questions, happy to answer them other than the ones we already answered. I'll turn it over to my fellow board members if anybody has any questions. If not at this time, just thank you and the rest of the team for all of the hard work. The budget advisory group as well. Definitely a a group effort, a lot of work, but we all come together and get it done. Thank you very much. Thank you. Okay, moving right along. I see Miss Saraphini out there getting ready to
042come up and chat. some hard acts to follow, but I'll try. Uh, good evening, Dr. uh, Fontana and school board members. I'm here tonight to provide you with an update on current activities within our transportation department and to outline the ongoing efforts we are making to ensure the safety and efficiency of our operations. As part of our ongoing commitment to student safety, we continue to monitor and adjust our bus routes in response to new student registrations. This process is essential in maintaining a safe and efficient transportation system for all students. We recognize that at times adjustments to the routes are necessary to accommodate these new registrations or ensure the safety of the students particularly during pickup and drop off. I'm pleased to inform you that my staff and I are finalizing our training on the
043newly upgraded routing system. As a matter of fact, this afternoon was the final uh class. This advanced system is designed to increase the efficiency of our bus routes while also improving safety. We are confident that these updates will further enhance our ability to serve our students and schools more effectively. On March 18th, we conducted a mandatory refresher training for our entire transportation staff. The curriculum for this session focused on pivotal locations, emphasizing the critical moments and locations that pose the most significant safety risks, such as when loading and unloading students at railroad crossings and other high-risisk areas. This training was particularly beneficial for our veteran drivers, serving as a valuable reminder to remain hyper aware of their surroundings and the warning signs of potential danger, ensuring the student safety remains a top priority. Due to
044scheduled field trips later this week, we conducted our final evacuation drill this morning. These drills play a crucial role in reinforcing to our students the importance of appropriate behavior while riding the bus. It is essential for students to understand how their actions on the bus can impact their safety and that their driver must be able to communicate with them clearly in the case of an emergency. To assist in these efforts, I have attached a copy of one of our drill sheets. hopefully you have them which provides insight into the key points our drivers will cover during the drills. And just to add to that, um I'm proud of the staff. Um we did really well this morning uh at both uh levels at the high school, middle school, and at the elementary school. Um the
045process is they speak to the students every day, but especially on the day of a drill. They remind them about emergency um exits, how to behave on the bus, how to use the seat belts, how to um use the radio if, god forbid, something happened to the driver, how to park the bus with the emergency brake. Um and they assign two um students to be their um when they get off the bus to assist the other kids getting off. And I have to say that they did an amazing job today. So super proud of them. As the spring season approaches, we are anticipating an increase in number of athletic and field trips requiring transportation. And boy are they. We are excited to support these events and ensure that students can participate safely and efficiently in
046their extracurricular activities. Additionally, I am pleased to report that we have hired a new driver and are currently in the process of training two additional candidates. Both trainees are nearing readiness for their road tests, which are next week, which will further bolster our team as we move into the busy spring season. Thank you for your continued support of the transportation department. And as always, we remain committed to providing safe, efficient, and reliable transportation for our students. Any questions? Anybody? Uh, I just want to say thank you for all that you do. Um, I want to let you know that I really recognize that the transportation department is part of our community and I think our students do too. I have to tell you that I have kids in all buildings, you know, and the bus
047drivers are part of our dinner table conversations. Um, you know, they know who they're talking about. They talk about who drove their sports bus, who was on their field trip. The bus drivers somehow find time to interact with them. Um, you know, they have some they tell us about the rules and, you know, who broke the rule that day. But, um, it's it's really great to see how important they are in our community. So, thank you for all you do. Thank you. I I will share this with you. Over the weekend, I was in one of the local supermarkets and there's one of our very special students who works there and he knows who I am. Um because he calls me the big cheese. Um I don't know where that came from, but um I
048asked him how it was going and I know that they transport him to, you know, some work programs and such. And I said, "How's it going? You know, are the drivers being good?" and he says, "Oh, yeah. But my favorite is Judy. We have a lot to talk about. Made me nervous, but I'm sure it was fun. Thank you." Oh, thank you. Upgraded routing system. That sounds fancy. And I'm glad that we're on the cutting edge of transportation in Paul. That's great. Okay. On to agenda order. Uh resolve to approve the following additions, deletions, changes, and order of the agenda as presented. There is no addendum. There's no Okay. Would anybody like to remove any items currently in under consent? No. Okay. Great. So, do we have a motion? Motion. Mr. Gratchic. Do we have
049a second? Mr. Maine. All in favor? I. Thank you. That's unanimous. On to visitor comments. Um, I'm just going to read this uh for everyone. You know, we value your input and that's why we welcome public comments. Um, the recap is as follows for the guidelines. Thank you very much, Peggy. Please introduce yourself by stating your name and address and let us know if you represent an organization. Remember, there is a time limit. Each speaker has three minutes. An unused time cannot be given to others. We respectfully ask that you direct your comments to the board president. And please remember that we're all here to listen. We may not uh respond tonight, but if necessary, we will follow up later. Um, we simply ask that you be respectful and avoid discussing individuals by name due
050to privacy laws. Thank you. So on agenda items, Mr. Mitkovski on retirement and budget. Good evening. Um, I thank you for um allowing me to um make a short some short comments on the um retirement of um Kim Fontana. Um I I was privileged to work um the majority of my 10 plus years on the school board with um Kim Fontana, a true professional. Um um when I sat down to say what comments I said well I I'll give you some highlights and um that that will be Kim's um legacy. First in academics um when Kim Kim came aboard we were at the bottom of um all the schools in academic performance in Duchess County. As she's leaving we are one of the top schools. um depend depending on what parameters you use financially. Um
051when um Kim came aboard or soon after um tax rates were going up but budget increases by um five six% a year. In fact, it was a three-year period when the increases were approximately 20%. Now they're in a 2% area. I think that's a a very big um achievement. Um I I I'm I'm glad um that that she's she's continued the budget advisory group. Um and um Kim and Mimi have um encouraged the board to get involved with the minutiae of of the budget that that's important is our construction project which is obviously very visible. a good part of it ac um across the road. Um we've got the gyms. Uh um we've um got the basketball court. Um we've got the band room. We've got new cafeterias. And um I I I have not
052kept up with um what is left, but uh um we're well on the road to um um um finishing it. And um it's my understanding it's pretty much on budget and um timing is never right. Um CO um we're almost 5 years from CO believe is amazing. Um my understanding and I think that's correct. We were the first school in Duchess County to go live for CO. I think we had uh um um we allowed um um people to work with computers. Um um thanks to um our our staff and um and and the work that Kim and her staff did, uh um we were very fortunate and our students hope hopefully did not lose a lot of um education time. 30 seconds, Mr. McCovski. Well, reserves. Um we were encouraged to and the budget
053advisory group to um rather than give a few pennies back in tax relief um to to our taxpayers, we set up reserves. Obviously in the next couple of years, I think these as as was this year um the reserves are going to be very very important to keep the um projects and and the curriculum um um that that we've um had. Okay. Um um important things that Kim will be recognized for are the staff that she's recruited. You got Dr. Kirkus top-notch um uh um um educator Helen Kalen um made the recruit recruited was a made to be principal absolutely terrific um and and and that's what you're remembered for Kim um I'm sure you're going to be missed please enjoyed the time um with your family and then Um, as to the budget, I
054would hope that um, in the current vote that all of the seven board members um, vote to approve the budget. Thank you very much. Thank you, Mr. Midkovski. Next, we have U. Jeff Asher on retirement. Good evening. I'm Jeff Asher at 34 Coulter Avenue in Pauling right across from Guido and uh of course I read about Dr. Fontana and Miss Generoso's um impending retirement and um it brought me down some memory lane as a past school board member and president. I want to roast them no toast them right now while I have a chance. So, uh, first of all, I was, um, a school board member for about four years and then was elected to be president of the board beginning in July 2018. And in 2018, September, Dr. Ward, who had been hired in
0552012, decided to retire. I had never run a search in my life, let alone in a school board. So, all I could think of was Yikes or something like that. But we scrambled and uh got an outside search firm that did a nationwide search for us and we generated 28 candidates from as far away as Kansas, but it really wasn't close. The internal candidate, Dr. Fontana received unanimous support of the board and became superintendent starting in July 2019. I want to repeat 2019 a date um if you remember March 2020 that was co so with very little preparation as a superintendent she just dove in way she did that innumerable the testing the insights into how to work with people with the community we really got through that as well as any uh school district
056she was able to get digital devices to everybody in a record time and I remember the buses even dropping off music instruments. Uh it was just just really well done. She had run a visioning exercise already during her her tenure and we used that in uh in developing uh what we needed to have as capital needs. And I remember being very much against this actually as a board member. Well, we wound up, thanks to Miss Hessel, with a total of 47.8 million capital campaign. Nothing like it in this district's history. And the reason was because we really looked what at what needed to be done to start to leverage our education, not to just repair the buildings. And I remember um M Mrs. Burker and Dr. Fontana going on public uh polling public radio and
057really getting this out to the public because it was a tough time. We were in the middle of pandemic and the the capital budget vote was in December of 2020. Hard to believe that the same year that it started and it passed a whole thing. all three different uh areas that uh we we were uh hoping that would uh would get the money. So we now have a multi-purpose field. We have STEM infrastructure that's been built, new music facilities, new food and science and agriculture. All this was imagined under Dr. Fontana's reign. Dr. Fontana is about to begin uh uh being of service to youth. Uh she's always had that in in the uh foremost in her mind. She joined me in as a Rotarian where we serve our local youth and now she's going
058down to Florida for her own grandkids who will be enriched by her I'm sure. So thank you Dr. Fontana. I wanted to say a word about Mrs. Generoso. Uh Peggy, thank you so much as a as a board president and a board member. I learned a great deal from you. It was a you you know how to run a a meeting for me many times and I'll never forget how early in the morning you get up for the elections to make sure that that works. So you too will be missed. Thank you. Thank you, Dr. Asher. Next we have Miss Karen Burka on resignations Burka when Aspen Court in Pauling forget how cold it gets in here so I'm just a little shivery. So I am here to discuss two agenda items. The resignations for
059the purpose of retirement of the board clerk and the superintendent. First I want to echo some of what's been said. I want to thank Mrs. Jenner Roso, I'll say her name once, um for her many years of service to the district. We take for granted that our school district elections run smoothly, but we shouldn't because it is because of her tireless efforts that they do. During my four years as board president, I relied on her expertise and experience in proper board meeting procedures and behavior, and I know that is true for many previous boards as well. I also want to offer my sincere thanks to our outgoing superintendent who is one of the hardest working, most inspiring and passionate educators I have ever known. She's been a tireless advocate for all of our students and
060has helped our school district empower previously marginalized students. She implemented the measures we value dashboard which aggregates data about student participation, engagement, and achievement in an effort to eliminate the systemic barriers to success that are in all of our systems. These metrics have become foundational to the district-wide counseling plans that we heard from our new uh director of pupil personnel services tonight and uh the board is a tool that the board continues to use. She promoted and recruited a culturally competent staff. Even with the competition we face from larger, more affluent school districts in Putnham and Westchester counties and amid nationwide shortages of education workers from teachers to bus drivers and the majority of the instructional staff hired in the last 5 years under her leadership have been granted tenure. She is respected statewide as
061a vocal advocate for public education and represented us on the board of regions blue ribbon commission on graduation measures and that she was just one of six New York school district superintendent invited to participate. She's been a member of the steering committees of the Lower Hudson Education Coalition and the Lower Hudson Council of School Superintendent right here in Pauling. She has sat on the executive boards of both the Pauling Rotary Club as mentioned by Dr. Asher and the Chamber of Commerce and has built strong relationships with Pauling business owners and elected officials that we all benefit from. As a parent whose two sons graduated from Pauling High School, I also want to thank you for spearheading the successful capital project and providing our school community with an athletic field and track that is the envy
062of the Hudson Valley. The investment in our school buildings that continues today will be enjoyed by students for years to come. During your tenure, the quality of public education in Pauling significantly improved. For the first time, Pauling Middle School and Pauling High School were each recognized as among the nation's best by US News and World Report. Kim, you make the people around you better versions of themselves. I know that I became a better board member and a board president as a result of your knowledge, work ethic, compassion, and commitment to our students, staff, and residents. So, thank you both. Thank you, Mr. Burka. Uh, next we welcome Mr. Zach Morris on resignation. Uh, my name is Zach Morris. I reside on San Susi Drive. Um, and I'm echoing the gratitude that we've already heard. Uh,
063Miss General, so I' I've been learning this district and time and again I've heard from all corners how much you are valued and uh what a loss I think you'll you'll you'll be uh so I so thank you for all of the work um Miss Fontana um thank you so much we've already heard of your incredible legacy the academic excellence the facilities and capital project the exceptional core of teachers and staff that have been assembled here. Uh, and the fact that, uh, again, as I'm learning the school district, um, I've heard from so many corners, uh, how this district has transformed over the course of these years. Um, on a more personal note, um, speaking on my on behalf of my family as well as many other parents, um, I wanted to thank you, um,
064for creating a school district where students feel safe. Um, academic excellence and the ability for students to thrive is predicated on being able to come to school and feel comfortable, feel seen, and feel heard. And I think that's part of the legacy that you're leaving behind. There is continuing work to be done. Uh, but thank you for creating a place where our kiddos want to come to school. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Morris. Very nice comments. Thank you all. Um on to board remarks. So see if anybody would like to make any evening. No. Oh, I'm sorry. I apologize, Mr. Carino. Thank you. Um, uh, Kim, I'm not going to repeat the litany of accomplishments that people have enumerated very, uh, eloquently this evening, but I just wanted to add a couple of sentiments. Uh,
065first of all, I really value that you always putting kids first. Whatever decision uh, we're thinking about or whatever issues come to the four, that's always your core. That's always the question that you ask. You know, what about kids? What, you know, how is this going to impact kids? And you know that is great. It's a great reminder to all of us in our work to to always keep that in mind. Uh another another uh feature of your management style or your approach that I really value is always seeing the good in people. Uh even even in difficult times, even when perhaps a situation might be unreasonable, you always assume good intentions and look for for the good in everybody. Uh I've as a teacher myself uh you know my whole career I've learned so
066much about education from just from working with you. So I thank you for that. Thank you Mr. Garberino. Anybody else? I weighed you know whether to prepare some remarks tonight about uh your resignation but uh I've I've had the opportunity to spend quite a bit more time with you over the last several months Dr. Fontana. uh on the various committees and subcommittees that we work on. So, uh we still have quite a bit more to do before you depart. So, I'm not ready to say goodbye yet. Um so, I will reserve my remarks until a later date, but thank you. Thank you, Mr. M. Anybody? No. Okay. I was just going to say that I was thinking the same. It's definitely too early for thank yous and goodbyes. So, um we'll save that for later.
067Thank you, Miss Filog. Mr. Did you graduate? No. Okay. Dr. Walsh, uh, board vice president, uh, comments. Good evening, everyone. Uh, as usual, there is lots going on in our schools and with our community partners. I want to congratulate our high school science research students and our middle school science fair winners who participated in the Duchess County Science Fair this past Saturday. We had a really impressive showing. We had several award winners. Um students pres presented work that quite honestly was over my head in many cases. Um you know brain receptors, disease research, a dry ice tornado, machine learning. Uh they spoke with confidence and grace and certainly made our district proud. Similar to when I spoke last time about the musical, I really want to highlight the best part for me which was speaking
068with our science research teacher about the camaraderie that she sees among our students and the way that they really support each other and cheer each other on. And that was very evident being there and watching them present. Um, and I can assure you that that does not happen everywhere. Our eighth graders are in the middle of their intercession week, which continues to grow and provides great opportunities for students to learn about themselves and about career and college opportunities. Since we last met, our second graders visited Bowden Park to learn about the production of Maple Syrup. And this week, our high school music students will be attending a Broadway show. The PTA recently sponsored spring picture day as well as the very popular snackarooa which gives students a chance to try tasty and healthy treats prepared
069by the health health and wellness committee. The PTA is running a spring plant sale and they have many other great spring events uh to look forward to. The PTSA has several spring fundraisers as well, spring spirit wear, spring candles, and they have their annual spring clothing drive coming up on May 18th. Um they are gearing up for their pre-prom event at Lakeside. If you've never been, this is a really great example of community and everyone coming together. Um, which is really, I think, one of the best things about our district. They also have several end of the year events to look forward to, like the honor roll, high school scholarships, and eighth grade celebration events. The Tiger Club um is continuing their away game snack bags, and they have a cornhole tournament planned for June.
070All three of our community partners, the PTA, the PTSA, and the Tiger Club, will be part of two big fundraisers, which I think are also really going to be more community building events. So, mark your calendars for the May 15th Harlem Wizards game and the May 31st color run, which is also, uh, part of community day at Lakeside Park. Spring sports are well underway. Uh, our girls varsity lacrosse team is coming off of a 4-ame winning streak. Our girls varsity softball team had a nice win on Saturday. The boys lacrosse team was outside freezing today playing and they play again on Friday. Our outdoor track and field team competed at Aening on Saturday and they hold their first home meet of the season this Thursday. And remember that for runners, this is only the second
071year they've ever been able to have home meets. Our golf golf team has been practicing at Centennial. They had their first uh match yesterday. Our boys baseball team has battled some um weather and field cancellations and postponements, but they know they played tonight and they have a game at Duchess Stadium on Friday. I also saw a great video of an out of the park home run hit by one of our sophomores at their Valhalla game. So, they are definitely a team to watch. Modified sports are happening, so please continue to check uh the athletic tab on the website and have a great week. Thank you, Dr. Walsh. Dr. Fontana, superintendent comments. Um, I'm going to start by asking Dr. Kirkus to share some updates on our multi-tered systems of support work this year. I've asked
072her because working on our MTSS plan has been a tremendous amount of work on the part of every instructional administrator and every instructional staff member in the district, all led by Dr. Kirkus. Uh, the work we're doing as a district this year is typically honestly hired out to a consulting firm. um to the tune of a at least a five figure cost in a district our size. But nonetheless, our own staff is undertaking this work informed by experts in the field and a rich research base. Uh so while the board has heard a lot of updates, regular updates throughout the year, I thought it would be helpful if Dr. Kirkus could share some of what um she and the staff and the other administrators have been doing with the public. So Dr. Kirkus, would you
073update us, please? Sure. Thank you. Um, as Dr. Fontana said, uh, MTSS work has been progressing all year in the district and throughout all three buildings. As a district, we have a team of four administrators, Miss Feliciano, Mr. Titus, Miss Dulan, and myself who are attending a year-long professional development opportunity through DC Boseies titled developing high functioning MTSS teams. We're joined by teams from Arlington, Beacon, Weebok, Pikipsy, and Red Hook. Our last session of the year will be on May 20th. The purpose of this year-long workshop is to support districts in building and improving upon MTSS teams in their schools. Much of the focus of these workshops has been on tier one and tier 2 classroom teacher instruction interventions and best practices. In add in addition, I arranged for a consultant with DCOC's to attend
074each of our superintendent conference days this year to work with our entire staff on identifying and developing tier 1 and tier 2 supports that teachers can incorporate into their instructional practices to support students at the high school level. Mrs. Ken and Mr. Titus have used faculty meetings to continue expanding upon MTSS work. In October, they led a meeting where teachers brainstormed tier one strategies by content area and held a faculty discussion about the top strategies that should be incorporated into classroom practice. In December, Mrs. Horn, Mrs. Moore, and Mr. Oen turnkeyed in information to staff from a PD session they attended through Bosey's titled high expectation teaching. And finally, Miss Klsby and Mr. Dr. Titus presented at a recent faculty meeting on best practices of pro progress monitoring which was information they gathered from a
075PNW Boseie session they had attended. The goal at the high school is to work towards developing a set of non-negotiables for classrooms when it comes to tier 1 and tier 2 instruction and interventions. At the middle school level, Mrs. Doulan and Mrs. Gleason have also worked with the staff on their MTSS initiatives. Some outcomes from faculty meetings throughout this year include building a needs assessment and next steps based on current strengths and challenges, reviewing and self- assessing differentiated instruction being used to benefit all learners and to continually assess student learning to make instructional decisions and curating a list of data collection practices currently in place throughout classrooms in the middle school. And finally, at the elementary school, the staff has been involved in a in a very um lengthy data team initiative uh under the
076leadership of Mrs. Rivas and Mrs. Feliciano that actually started last year. This team looked at state test results and honed in on specific standards where there were gaps. From here, they developed a schoolwide initiative that led to universal writing prompts that were administered to all students. Teams of teachers reviewed the results to gauge progress and uh determine next steps. As part of this work, a file of resources and digital materials to support the schoolwide goal is goal is being developed. In addition, the instructional support team has also bolstered its work by supplying guidance and support to to strengthen tier one and tier 2 instruction in the classroom as well as structured plans to monitor students while using the LL platform which is a digital platform. Learning walks were conducted to gauge literacy practices evident using
077the New York State Education Department's best practices and literacy instruction guidance. At our last superintendent conference day, all classroom teachers in grades preK through 4 utilized the New York State Education Department's literacy instruction practices self-reflection tool to assess their own work in the classroom and to articulate next steps and their needs to strengthen literacy instruction in the grade in each grade level. Our building leaders will be joining me in June to share with the board um the work and that they've done and additional details about the MTSS team and building plans and supports. So stay tuned. June. Thank you Dr. Kirkus. I want to provide just a brief update on where we are with the 2025 2030 vision. Um as I mentioned last time I I think it was yes I did mention this la
078the last board meeting. um a group of um a diverse group of folks from school and community with a majority of um our faculty worked for two full days uh with our consultant Mrs. Judy Wilson and out of that work came um some draft vision statements that that core team is still providing feedback towards uh two with Mrs. Wilson and uh she's extended some time a little bit to give everybody a chance to weigh in from that core team on the vision statements. Um I think uh the board members who participated shared last time that they found the work rewarding and meaningful and and that's what I've heard from our staff and uh community members as well that uh those vision statements when uh Mrs. Wilson gets the final comments from all the core team
079members um will be presented to the board um for your feedback and hopefully endorsement and at the same time I'm convening um co-chairs of each of the areas of the vision and those co-chairs will be an administrator and a teacher and they will be working with Mrs. Wilson to um help based on some of the data collected in the broad process and other data within the school district propose uh some action steps under each of those areas and that will be the next material that will come back to the board. Um and that work depending on the area um will involve uh maybe quite a few staff members, maybe relatively fewer depending on the area, but that work will be done internally uh with Mrs. Wilson and then brought back to the board, those co-chairs.
080Um so that's the work that Dr. Kirus and I actually have to do over the next week. And I'm just letting her know that now. So, but hopefully she'll forgive me uh because we have to set that up pretty much at the same time they're finishing their comments. So, people who know me well know that I'm very seldom um at a loss for words. That's not usually a problem that I have. Um it happened to me the first time last Monday when I was sharing with the leadership team my plans and um I'm going to correct Mr. Mikovsky on one point in telling the story. Um, so I was at a loss for words and and really had a lot of trouble speaking to this group. And uh, part of that comes from the fact
081that I had actually had the privilege of hiring or promoting or hiring and promoting every single person in that room with the exception of our exceptional high school principal. She would be the only person that I did not have the privilege of doing that with. Um uh the our exceptional high school principal is part of a package, but uh if I had had the chance, I surely would have. Um so um that was tough. And of course tonight I feel um some of the same ways kind of at a loss for words. So the the support of prior boards of education and this board of education is something that's very special uh to a superintendent. I had a second grader recently uh little guy in uh Mrs. Schweiser's class asked me if I had a
082boss and I said, "Well, I had sort of a weird job and I have seven bosses." And he looked at me so like he was so worried. He just thought that was a really really scary idea. And I said, "Well, it's really it's really all okay. We just all worked together and and the uh we just all worked together for the kids." So, um, he was re he was reassured by that and, um, I have every confidence that Pauling will continue to do exactly that based on the phenomenal people, um, that are working here to cause good things to happen for students. A life in public education is absolutely a privilege and it's been my privilege to work here and I'm not stopping tonight. Um, so it's it has truly been a privilege and I
083am a little bit at a loss for words. Um, nothing does happen in school without a lot of help from adults. So, I'm going to break some rules tonight. Some other people have too, but I'm going to break some because I I'm not really sure what bad thing could happen to me if I do that. Um, so I'm going to uh begin by just sidling up to a rule to say that I'm so proud of the staff members being recommended for tenure this evening. Um, El Casilia, Jeffrey Easter, Lisa Farand, um, Alisa Malone, Jennifer Rae, and Natasha Vanor. Even their subject areas, science, music, world language, elementary, serving in preK, special education, and English as a new language, all represent areas in which our school district has grown in its ability to serve students well
084and will continue to with them joining our work. So, I want to congratulate all of them. Also on the agenda is the retirement of Diane O'Brien and our district clerk Peggy Generoso. And I do want to say just a little bit about both of them. So um Peggy was of course one of the first people I ever met in Pauling as she ushered me into my board interview as assistant superintendent. Um, I have uh shared with her prior that uh in the intervening years that I was pretty convinced that Peggy didn't like me because she offered me the opportunity to use the restroom in the district office, which is not a place that you send people if you want to impress them. I later learned this about Peggy that she always treats everyone equally and
085she had offered the same opportunity to all the candidates that evening and she also likes people to know what they're getting into. So, uh I want to add my thanks to Mrs. generosa for the years of service to public education, the wisdom, and especially for her commitment to uh the transparent conduct of the business of public education and the equitable treatment of everyone. Mrs. O'Brien worked with me on the very first day that I came to Pauling. We were partners at a workshop together. As lots of people know, I've spent most of my career in professional development and curriculum and focused on teacher learning. I I know I've made a contribution along with all of my colleagues uh to hiring and choosing and retaining exceptional teachers in Pauling and nothing makes as much difference to
086a student success as a teacher. But I also know how lucky every one of us is for the veteran teacher who like Mrs. O'Brien never gets done learning and finding new ways to engage and educate the young people in front of her. Right now, Mrs. O'Brien has a promising student teacher whom she's teaching what it means to be a learner for your whole life. She's a model I've carried with me for over a decade and I I want to thank her for that. We began a program of locally developed curriculum in this in this district in 2014. And Mrs. O'Brien was our first elementary ELA curriculum leader, a position that she still holds to this day. I have a book in my office that her class wrote to me um in 2014 in 2015. Those
087students are now sophomores in college. And uh the topic of the book is courage. And um what I want to say about courage is being always ready to learn something you don't know is an exceptional example of courage. And that's what I want to thank Miss O'Brien for embodying in front of every student. She has taught here in Pauling for over 33 years. And now I think it's probably time for us to get to work. Thank you, Dr. Fontiana. Okay, moving along to consent agenda. Resolve that the board of education approves all asterisk items as the consent agenda. Do I have a motion? Dr. Walsh, do I have a second? Second, Mr. Maine. All in favor? I unanimous Peggy on to minutes. Resolve that the board of education approve the minutes of the following meeting
088March 2525 business meeting. Do I have a motion? Mr. Gratic. Do I have a second? Miss Spiel Vogle. All in favor? I. Any abstensions? Mr. Garberino. Thank you. 16. Right. Adoption of All right, everybody. Be it resolved that the board of education of the Pauling Central School District upon the recommendation of the superintendent of schools hereby adopts the proposed budget of expenditures in the amount of $49,89,4370 for the 2025 2026 school year and be authorized to levy the necessary tax thereof. Do I have a motion? Motion, Mr. Maine. Do I have a second? Miss Beiel Vogel. All in favor? I. That's unanimous. Sand to share some comments on that. Thank you, Mr. Gratchic. Please do. Cool. So, I just want to share some commentary. A lot of budget work's been done, so I typed something
089up. I've been thinking about for a while. Uh the proposed 2025 20226 budget represents the culmination of months of thoughtful analysis, collaboration, and strategic planning by our district's administration and staff to lay the groundwork for transformative opportunities and improved outcomes for our students. To me, this budget is designed not just to sustain our district's efforts, but to propel our district forward, ensuring we provide the support necessary for every student to thrive in an everchanging world. This process involved countless hours of work by many of our district staff, including our superintendent, Dr. Fontana, our assistant superintendent for curriculum instruction, Dr. Kirkus, and our assistant superintendent for finance, Mrs. Heeslan. Now, we the board of education just voted whether we wish to adopt the budget this evening. I just want to take a few minutes to provide
090some explanation and commentary regarding my vote in which I confidently vote in favor of adopting this budget. For context, I had the honor of serving as a member of the budget advisory group where we had meaningful discussions about the tax levy and its impact on both the district's current financial needs and its future sustainability. While this group does not create or develop the budget, it plays an important advisory role by providing feedback to inform the administration's recommendations. Our conversations were thoughtful and thorough, allowing us to ensure the recommended budget aligns with the needs and the values of our community. I'm grateful for the collaborative efforts of my fellow group members, Dr. Walsh and Mrs. Spielval, and for also other group members that are here in the audience who I learned a lot from, former board
091members that served on this committee. Even though I'm in education, coming in, uh, school budgets an intimidating thing, but there's many people here sitting tonight that I learned a lot from in order to do the best for the community. Uh I also want to thank the informative uh detailed information provided by district leadership including Dr. Fontana and Mrs. Hessen. Together we approached this process with unwavering diligence leaving no stone unturned as we examined every detail and considered every perspective. Our discussions were guided by a shared commitment to a budget that not only address today's challenges but also prepares us for a thriving future reflecting our community's priorities and aspirations. As we as we've heard a lot tonight, despite being a district of approximately, 1100 students, Falling Central School District continues to offer opportunities that far
092exceed expectations for a district of our size. From advanced academic programs to extracurricular activities and innovative initiatives, I believe this budget empowers every student to succeed and provides extensive opportunities for each and every child to pu pursue their passions and expand their horizons. I see the work done on this budget as a critical step forward in realizing our vision for excellence in education and fostering an environment where students can thrive academically and reach their full potential. In conclusion, I'm confident that this budget will be a catalyst for growth and excellence in our district. I voted in favor of its adoption this evening with optimism, believing that it will provide our students with the resources and opportunities they need to excel academically and personally, setting them up for a brighter future that benefits all of us.
093Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Graic. Anybody else on budget? No. Thank you. Okay. on to um second reading uh and adoption of policies. Oh, I don't it's not asterisk. That's why I brought it up. That's okay. Okay. Any unfinished business? Yes, we have new business, but any unfinished business? No. Okay. On to new business. I guess Peggy, you can go first. Thank you. Um, you guys all need to discuss and figure out the calendar for your meetings next year. If you are not having your reorg meeting on the first Tuesday of July, we have to have a resolution to move it to a different time. I have it down here as July 8th. And if you want to keep it at that, we have to put a resolution on tonight. We don't need the resolution
094tonight, do we? Have it. I see. Okay. I mean, it it doesn't matter. It could go the next meeting, too. But so, you all need to look at the calendar. It's Tuesday nights as you've done and it has to be be it has to be by that early date. It can't be what? By the 8th. It can't be like later that week or the following Tuesday. You guys can move it to any week you want, but it needs to be a resolution. Yes, you can. If you don't have the reorg meeting on the first Tuesday of the month, the only reason why you could move it to another day, which would be the Wednesday, is if it was a holiday and the first Tuesday is not a holiday. So, if you want to move it
095to a different day, you have to have it done by res. The other reason that we bring this to you is um it's important for um this calendar to take into account your summer plan. Um obviously boards change every year, but in order to set these meeting dates, they have to be they have to be set before the new board is seated. So it it's really uh you know your ability to attend meetings in the summer and to ensure that we have a quorum. Uh that is the reason that we raised this and you I think this meeting or the next meeting would definitely be timely to do that as you evaluate your summer plans and know whether or not the reason to move the reorg to July 8th is because that would be your
096last day and we'd have someone new. Yes. Yes. So, so then you could swear in your new superintendent on that evening at the reorg meeting. At the reorg meeting. Yes. and that and often we do move the meeting just because the July 4th holiday. It's a pretty good day anyhow. I believe though Mrs. Generoso is always the expert. I think you can't have it after July 15th. So the answer to your question is there there is a there is some limit um to how late you can have it but I I mean I would we would recommend the ETH to you. Uh but you also need to look at those other summer dates and make sure that you can deliver or we we have a comfortable quorum. It just happened to be that that was
097a Tuesday um where we normally would hold a meeting regardless. Correct. So I mean Oh, Zach. Yeah. I had a question. So I understand fully make sure we have a quorum in the summer, but I is what's the latest we can do this? Because obviously not the reorg. saying set a date because obviously we have a potential of up to four new board members and that there is a quorum that potentially uh those dates that we we say work for us might not work for them. Is there a way to loop in? Well, and that's always true, right? So that's always the case. So you can always change a board meeting date. You need to you certainly need to establish the rework. Um, and I you can certainly change a date if you have to
098to achieve a a quorum with the new board members that are if there are new board members who are seated at reorg. Um, but we historically uh do these dates in March. So Peggy reminded me that we're a little behind and it is challenging because individuals do have vacations and um so that's the reason that we need to bring these to you. I think I think my advice to you is to set dates and understand that if you can't achieve a quorum after new board members are seated with those dates that then you would change those dates at reorg. That sounds unsimple. I I mean what I'd like to maybe propose to you all to think about is maybe to actually lock in dates at the next board meeting so that we have a little
099bit of time to check our schedules um and see if the ETH does work. Then you know we we lock that in and should that not work for members of the new board then we can at that point look to reschedu that make sense. Want to have the reorg meeting as soon as possible in July though. I mean I the 8th was picked because it is a Tuesday but understood. Okay. Yep. Understood. I think that was clear to everybody. Well in the next meeting Mrs. Kazak would be here. you'd at least know three, you know, you'd be able to confirm three people's um, you know, attendance and and I I do think you should look at those um, summer meetings al you know, also with the same eye. So, and uh, we've looked at the
100we've obviously in proposing these two, you've looked at the school calendar for once the school starts. So, we've done is we've done good vetting in terms of how it lines up with uh, school calendars. It's usually the summer that's hard for the board members. Yeah. And thank you and thank you for bringing this up. And and I also should point out that there is a crucial element to the August meetings that is um it's when the the you know the levy is set and so um there are very significant limitations around that first August meeting. So um should should you want to move that, Mrs. Hesla needs to be involved in the conversation which will happen at the next board meeting I hope. Yeah. Let's aim for the next board meeting to lock in to
101lock in these dates. And um can we get this to Miss Kazaka via email? Yeah. Yep. Okay. Thank you. Thank you, Patty. Um we have a board meeting on um July 20 on June 24th and I have been asked to work with the board of elections on day. So I need to let them know if I can if we could move the meeting to Monday the third but you have time to think about that because I don't have to let them know immediately we could instead of having it on a Tuesday on a Monday otherwise my priority is here because I this is my job so have no problem telling them I can't do it. Um does anybody have any thoughts or objections? Well, no, you should look at your calendars and see if you
102can do a Monday. That's great. Thank you very much. So, we will we will also address that at the next meeting. Absolutely. Okay. For sure. So, that's June 23rd. You need to move it to that is the only day that would work for us to move it. We we could not move it to the Wednesday, for example. Great. Thank you, Peggy. Any other new business? Yes. One more thing I want to remind everybody if they have a petition, it needs to be returned to me on April 21st. I'm in the district office that day from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Here, look into the camera and let the folks out there know if they if they picked up a packet, they need to return it to your office when again on the April 21st between
1038. It's a Monday. between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 pm and it has to be back before 5:00 p.m. All right. So, I hope everybody on YouTube heard that. Please subscribe, like, and share. Thank you. Any other new business? Peggy? No. You sure? All right. Um, okay. So, does anybody else have any new business that they would like to bring up? because I think that we have probably some important things to talk about regard to Oh, thank you. with regard to um you know what our next steps are, you know, having received the news from Dr. Fontana um about her resignation. So um maybe we can spend a little bit of time about uh talking about what we have in front of us by way of a search or you know an interim position uh an
104interim superintendent. Um, so I'll open it up, you know, for, you know, for discussion. I mean, I can just start by letting everybody know that, um, you know, we have been working with our legal counsel to make sure that we, um, you know, that we're following all the right procedures, that we have all the information we need. Um, I think that we are, um, in a good spot in the sense that we do have a plan in place. Um, and you know, we're we're interested to hear everybody's ideas and thoughts, but I I feel good that we have um, you know, we've had a chance to talk. We've had a chance, like I said, to meet with our legal team and to get their advice um, multiple times. And so, I think, you know, I
105think we're in a good spot, and I look forward to anybody's thoughts or suggestions. So just to you know to talk a little bit about sort of broad strokes what we're looking to do is you know the first step really was to talk you know to bring it to the open forum for discussion um you know so that is tonight we do have a couple of local resources including internal folks that you know as Dr. Walsh mentioned our legal counsel. You know, we also have Bose. He's available to us and we're consulting with all of the folks that are available to us. Um, you know, Dr. Fontana obviously, you know, helping in and pitching in as well. Um, so that we can identify, you know, some immediate candidates. Uh, we will probably, you know, tonight
106discuss the idea of forming a search committee um that will, you know, take on, you know, the the brunt of the work. Although um to date just about every board member here has already reached out to their contacts um and has been you know educating themselves and bringing information back to all of us so that we can really try to understand what you know what it is that we need to do as an immediate next step and you know how do we go about you know maximizing our reach here. Uh so we will you know discuss the search committee or the the idea of forming a search committee and then we'll talk about we'll have to really figure out over the next couple of weeks um you know what the role what it is that
107we're looking for um in that interim position and then subsequently the permanent um superintendent. So, those are just some broad strokes um in terms of what we're going to be looking uh to do over the next I would say probably six to eight weeks. Our plan is to hit the ground running in July um well sooner than July um to appoint an interim so that they can be in place um and work with Dr. Fontana on on transitions so that we can hit the ground running on like by July 8th. Um any other thoughts, comments? Just a clarification for the public's benefit. So within 6 to 8 week time period near the end of that or at the end of that is when we're looking to appoint an interim. I think that that is probably
108sound timing for us to be considering. Any thoughts on that, Dr. Fontana? to certainly point the interim uh in the month of June. That puts us in that time frame. I I was just going to add that I find tremendous value in bringing that interim on sooner so there's a bit of overlap which I think would be very beneficial to to everyone collectively and then um continue. Anybody else? Um you know I would like to um reassure the you know the community that we're very lucky here in in Pauling in the sense that we have um three board members who work in education um who are administrators who have um you know make who have a lot of connections um and have experience um to some degree in you know in this process um you
109know Dr. Fontana um and the rest of the team are also graciously pitching it and helping and so we're very confident in our ability to be able to move forward um you know and identifying the right candidate for the interim position and then working with that individual even you know to help us lead the permanent search just going to comment my my initial reaction was similar to Dr. crash or like yikes. Uh but you take a step back, you realize we've done this before in this district. Um there's, you know, a blueprint of sorts to to utilize that has been utilized that's been successful successfully utilized. Um and I think that it's going to take a lot of people to make this successful. Not just the people sitting up here, but community members. We're going
110to rely on our assistant superintendents, our outgoing superintendent. Um, and I'm confident after talking with the attorneys and and after trying to find information myself, talking with contacts I have in in education, obviously as a teacher, um, there's a lot of people that do a very good job getting this done and and I think the more we just make sure every stone is overturned and we look at what Boseies can offer us, we look at what a private search firm can offer us, we look at a local versus a regional versus a national, we look at different mechanisms to get survey u data via surveys or whatever from the community. I I think that the sky's is the limit and uh the one thing we agree on is that this is an awesome community and
111there's many people in this community that can help us get the the best candidate possible. So uh I'm looking forward to to diving into it to say the least. I think we got a good group to to at least start this process. I think we agree on more things than just that, but that's a good one to agree on. Um I also uh want to offer to everybody um the opportunity to speak to a board member from a different um board up in Chadam who has volunteered to reach out or to uh make a presentation to us about um their experience. They I think a little bit over a year ago went through this very same process. Um and so you know they much in the same way that we will you know they turned
112over every stone they talked to um all of the resources available and so uh I want to offer that to the group um here uh and so if there's interest you know now would be a good time to you know to hear so um then I'll be reaching out to make sure that we get you know a zoom together with her to talk to us about their experience or her experience. I think that's a great idea. All right, we'll make that happen. Thank you. Um, any anything else at the moment for interim? Any other questions or ideas or thoughts that you anybody'd like to share? The decision to post solicit for the position. Is that something that we'll collectively decide here? Hey, we're doing it or is that something that the subcommittee will decide? No,
113I think that we ultimately decide, you know, distribution channels uh the way that we're going to, you know, what we need to put together that um that piece, right? I think we also need to talk about sort of what are the qualities, the experience that we're looking for in that interim. Um and I think that that is all sort of to come. At this stage, the way that I would look at it is the next week or so, you know, it's really information gathering, getting, you know, getting ourselves organized, making sure that we've reached out and tapped every resource available to us. So then with all that information, we can, you know, get together and really put our, you know, action plan in place with specific next steps, who's going to be doing what. You
114know, we're working, as you know, with our legal counsel to help us. um you know identify track information, vet some folks initially and um you know get a good pool of candidates moving you know um behind the scenes. A question who who would make contact with like say aboseis to um because obviously there's interim superintendent currently working throughout the Hudson Valley. who would who would be the contact to reach out and say, "Hey, this is what we are looking for by June or in June to appoint an interim starting July 8th. Um, you know, what do you have for us or who might be interested or like what would be that contact point?" That's that's a great question and um well, maybe I'll turn it over to Dr. Walsh because she actually made a phone
115call today. So, u Mrs. Kazaka serves on the um as our representative on the Duchess um school board. So, she did reach out um to the new superintendent there today just as a like you said an information gathering. She's waiting to hear back from her. Uh when I last spoke to her, she hadn't heard back, but as soon as she does, she's going to give us what information she gathered. Um I think that if we can kind of pull all the information together in one central place. I know that um you know, our legal team can kind of keep a list of everything for us. Um, and then we'll begin reaching out to candidates as we hear and present sort of to the whole board what we know about them and how they fit, what
116we're looking for, and then we'll go from there. But Mr. Graic, things like, you know, um, the criteria that we're looking for in that individual, right? Like what's important to us. We need to come together and sort of have some guidance um you know right here from our you know superintendent and and other folks that can you know that can help us understand you know what it is that is available what it is that is important for us to look you know to look for in in that interim position. I would only add that I'm sorry go ahead. Um I'd only add that the district's also represented by the Lower Hudson Council of School Superintendent which is an organization of 80 districts. So we and we have a com we can compile the existing u
117folks that are leaving interims right now in the five counties of the Laura Hudson Council. Um the I can ask the executive director to do that tomorrow. So um that's more than a handful of people that will be leaving interim posts in July and are you know actively looking for subsequent ones and um well known how they've served those communities and uh because we're a pretty close group of those five counties. Thank you Dr. Fontana. I think it's important to highlight for everybody and to make sure that we're all really approaching this task and the task of um hiring the permanent superintendent methodically. You know, that we're not rushing to market simply because we're feeling pressure or um um the need to fill the the spot immediately. I think that we do have not a
118ton of time, but we have some time to do this and do this methodically with purpose uh and fill that seat with somebody that is going to help us keep the ground running. We just approved um the budget, endorsed the budget for for the vote. So, we're confident that we have something great, you know, in store for next year. We want to make sure that that person comes in and is able to execute on that promise. and then also help us in that search for that permanent um position. So, um there's a lot of work ahead of us and you know, as I look around this room, I'm I'm happy you're all here so that we can all share responsibilities and get it all done uh and get it all done quickly and do it
119well. Um anything anything else uh with regard to this point? No. other than the fact that I'd be happy to volunteer as much time as needed to participate in any of those committees, subcommittees. Um, and then also um just so we don't lose sight, how are we also going about uh are you going there? Well, that would be next. So, the you know the the superintendent the interim superintendent search you know first order of business. No, no, no, not at all. But this of course, you know, we're also um having to address the loss of Miss Generoso and so we will need to do a similar thing. So, actually, if nobody else has anything else at this point regarding the interim superintendent search, maybe we can turn our attention to filling the district clerk. Um
120yes, so we have posted for the district clerk. So, um I'm I'm sure that link is on our website and it's also can be found at schoolfront. Um district clerk is a unique position. Um it is a position that does not require a civil service title. So that's unlike any other position that's similar to it in the district. It's a it's a part-time position and it's an incredibly important position. It has certainly um it has some constraints in terms of scheduling, but I think Mrs. Generoso would say it has quite a lot of rewards. Um the person um people who are interested should be folks that have a a keen sense of confidentiality, a high value for public education and a real willingness to learn a very considerable body of education law. Uh luckily there
121is a consortium of district clerks that support one another and um Mrs. Generoso isn't going terribly far away which is another another source of support. Um, but it's an important position and I hope folks that are interested in thinking about it will contact me or contact Mrs. Generoso. Um, and the information is on the website. Thank you. Any additional questions regarding district clerk position fulfillment? No. Thank you. And just for the public's benefit, that's in the same section of the website as all the other the the HR postings typically are. I assume so, but I haven't actually looked today. But um Okay. Well, it it will get posted. We've posted it probably internally and it'll be up on the website shortly and we also post those to School Front. Um but people can just contact
122me and I'm not sure that we said it is a part-time position so it works well uh for someone just returning to the workforce or somebody who wants to work it around another job. It just it does have some uh pretty significant scheduling constraints. So the other position, if you're holding two positions, the other one needs to be kind of flexible. Thank you. Any other new business to to discuss this evening? I just have a question, Sandra, if I may. So obviously this process is going to take some time as you said, methodical approach and all that. Um, moving forward, the the item of the interim superintendent or the superintendent search is going to be have a permanent home under unfinished business until it's on the thing, right? Like, so we're just going to put
123it in there, you know, uh, superintendent search watch. Yes. Superintendent search updates, all that. Uh, I just think that'd be beneficial as a as an agenda item that's listed very clearly. It gives people opportunity, really two opportunities to comment on it, speak on it per the per the guidelines of public comment, too. So, um, yeah, that's an excellent point. So, thank you, Peggy. Um, uh, do we need to, uh, do a resolution to amend the order of the agenda? No. No. Okay. Sure. Yes, we can. We Yeah, we can add it under unfinished business as a sub bullet. I can put it under unfinished business for every it'll be there every every topic it'll be there. I I think that's what I just think like if someone was coming tonight to comment obviously the only
124comment we've had so far is on agenda items and technically I don't see this on the agenda written out. Um so it would have to be written out underneath unfinished business specifically to then give people two opportunities to comment on it which I think yeah just I thought so but I just want to make sure I think that would be beneficial. I want to just kind of remind the board of that if you are all meeting together discuss this you have to have a special meeting. So you have to let me know because we have to post a special meeting. You can meet as a group to discuss the employment of particular persons but that would have to be has to be a special meeting and it has to be posted. Yes, this is what
125the board member from the other board explained to me as well. One thing I took from the meeting with the attorney is really differentiating like what belongs in public and then what is obviously private per you know uh privacy laws and all that. I thought that was really helpful. Um so I think all of us aim for a really transparent and uh thorough process. So that's that's good to hear and I'm happy to hear that's going to have a permanent home give people a more latitude on comment and all that. So thanks. Thank you and thank you for reminding us of that Peggy. Okay. Any other new business? No. Okay. So, we're moving along to second visitor comments. Um, it's been a long evening, so I'll just read the the the visitor comment. Uh, the
126Ari, would you like to add your name to this list? I wrote it down there. Oh, I It's It's written over there. Okay. Oh, I sub I only did that. I only did that recently. All right. You did that recently. But there are other folks that that that have comments. I'm a firm believer Harvey Matovski again. And um um just one moment if you wouldn't mind. I'm just going to reread the visitor comments. Um so just hang tight for a moment here. Okay. So the just the recapping the guidelines. Okay. So introduce yourself uh by saying your name and your address and let us know if you represent an organization. Mr. Macakovsky. We have other folks that have comments. So I would like for them to hear it. Thank you. Remember that there is a
127time limit and each speaker has three minutes. Unused time may not be given to others and we respectfully ask that you direct your comments to the board president. Please remember that we're here to listen uh and we may not respond to you tonight, but if necessary, we'll follow up later. We ask simply that you be respectful and avoid discussing individuals by name. We made a dis distinct uh um um we put that aside this evening. Um um so thank you. Okay. Go ahead, Mr. Mikovski. Thanks. Okay. Thank Thank you again. Um, I'm a firm believer in if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Um, I was um proud to be um on the school board on two occasions when we hired both Dr. Bill Ward and Miss Kim Kim Fontana. We used a search firm
128and wrote a check. Um, my suggestion is um go to them first. I'm sure the records are all there. Um they they were they were very very helpful. Um um and um as was mentioned before, they reached out all over the country. We got candidates from well out of New York and um all it it was a very very tough job for the board to pick and and we we we sat for many many u meetings to decide but that was because the search firm reached out uh um so um that tentacles went way out and they found us so many qualified candidates that had made the decision very very hard and then and then I and then I you you've started this the procedure very well by um o openly discussing what procedure you're
129going to follow and um I I I'm not going to suggest what you do and and h and and how you do it but except to keep the community informed because ladies and gentlemen over the next years you boys and girls you're going to be known for the the man or woman who you choose. This is a rough decision and um it it it's okay but um to take please as was suggested before take your time. Nobody's in a hurry. If you're going to hire an interim for a year, you got plenty of time. Thank you very much. And and and and for the sake of the community and the students, good luck. Thank you, Mr. Mikovski. Next we have Amanda Dykeman on the topic day of silence. Hello, Amanda Dykeman, 7 Dyman Lane. On
130March 20th, 2025, I had emailed me emailed my son's middle school principal regarding any potential GSA day of silence or other GSA events that could be upcoming. The principal responded on March 25th, 2025, saying that the GSA and Human Rights Club was meeting that week and that she would inquire if they were planning anything for this year. I assumed I'd be given an update once the club had a chance to meet. I followed up this past Tuesday, April 1st, because I still had not received a response. On Thursday, April 3rd, at 1:14 p.m., the Pauling Central Middle School sent out an email regarding a student-led day of silence that would be occurring on Friday, April 4th. I am disappointed that I wasn't notified of it by the principal since I had asked several times. I'm
131attempting to follow the chain of command. I've had a lot of communication, including an opt- out letter to the principal at the beginning of the school year. So, there is no reason why she wouldn't have known that I would not want my son to be part of this. Last year, I had expressed my concern to the principal about parents not being told about the studentled event and that a high level of participation from the teachers, which I believed would then make it a school sponsored event as well. Last year, all ELA teachers were pulled in to help coordinate participation by handing out the stickers to students who chose to participate. My son also told me that one of his teachers handed out whiteboards to the students who were participating. It is my understanding that the
132GSA day of silence is to be coordinated directly between the student and the students teachers so that they may be able to make up classroom participation points that they would potentially be losing by participating in the day of silence. This non-curricular event at Pauling Middle School that is supposedly studentled has way too much school participation to not be considered a school sponsored event. Again, this year teachers handed out stickers. The manner in which the middle school is handling the day is misleading to the students. They do not have the right to remain silent during the class time if a teacher asks them to speak. If they want to stay quiet during the day of silence, it is recommended that the students talk with their teachers ahead of time and tell them that they plan to
133participate in the day of silence and why it's important to them and ask them if it would be okay for them to communicate in class that day in writing. Schools are not required to sponsor the day of silence. When educators at Pauling Middle School handed out stickers, it made it school sponsored. Teachers, while acting in their official capacity as representatives of the state, not only handed out the stickers this year, but also last year. At least one teacher handing out those whiteboards while acting in their official capacity as a representative of the state last year, too. I would like to know why Pauling Middle School would purposely choose to misinform parents. My son doesn't go to school to be an activist. He goes to school to be a student. I would like to ask for
134the middle school's participation in leading the non-curricular event be investigated. Thank you, Mrs. Stakeman. Okay, next up we have Mr. Morris again, student voice. Hello. We've heard a lot about student voice and student choice in these board meetings and one of the examples of this that comes to mind is the day of silence that we just heard about. My understanding is that this is a studentled uh event. Uh and what happened as far as I understand is there were a number of students who wanted to send a message sending a message both to their peers and to us as adults. The message that they were sending is that me students who are in the LGBTQ community are being harmed. And this isn't an abstract concept. If you look at uh some of the surveys that
135exist in uh University of Wisconsin, including the CDC, uh anywhere between 10 to 25 students who are in this group miss a day of school because they're afraid to go to school. Anywhere between 15 and 25 of these students have reported being bullied, threatened with a weapon, or suffering bodily injury. So, what I hear is that students wanted to send a message. They wanted to send a message that said, "Please protect me. Please protect my friends. Please protect my classmates." And I understand that there is a lot of political things that are happening in the world right now. But when a student, when a child says, "Please protect me. That's what you do." Thank you, Mr. Morris. Happy to correct some some points. Okay. Thank you. So for the um for the benefit of the
136public um our at the Pauling Middle School, we have a human rights GSA club as we do at the high school and those clubs are of course like all of our clubs intended to help students have a sense of belonging and participation. So all clubs have faculty adviserss and as a school district it's important that we um try to support all of our students and all their interests equally. So we try to make sure that we don't bring a a particular scrutiny to um particular interests nor marginalize particular interests. So, one of the things that the principles need to do and they pay very close attention to is to make sure that they're informing parents in similar ways. So since we send information out that says that the student council, which is a student club
137with a faculty advisor, if the student council wants students to wear green on Tuesday or celebrate a college that they want to go to, we provide that information to parents. That's a way that we share what a student club is doing. And that is the approach that our principles take when providing information to families about the activities of students clubs as well as as well as what we do to celebrate what they do. Um, so we try to do things in an even-handed way so that all the students feel treated equivalently and um they're equally honored and that we uh avoid marginalizing anyone or paying undue attention to any particular set of student interests because as we we certainly value student voice. It's articulated in board goals and district goals and has been for nearly
138a decade and it's very important. So we are always proud of the students who advocate for themselves in a variety of ways including so many of the things that we talk about here at board meetings where they are taking on problems that they see in the world and working to make it a better place. So, our job as educators is to be evenhanded in the way we provide information, even handed in the way we support students, and to celebrate what they are able to do with the powerful literacy skills and advocacy skills that we hope that we're building for them here. And um as always, I'm happy to hear people's concerns and see what I can do to help mitigate them. Thank you, Dr. Fontana. Okay. Um, it's been a long evening, so I will,
139um, make my comments as brief as possible. I do want to, uh, begin by acknowledging the news that we received, uh, you know, from Peggy. Um, you know, we thank you. We've got still a lot of time left to, you know, to continue to work and see one another, but it's always, you know, a little sad, you know, to to to get news like that. Um, but thank you for all that you've done. I've been on on this board for four years, and so you've been a regular part of my life over that time. Um, and so in closing, you know, I want to also obviously acknowledge that we're in a pivotal transition. um for our school district. Superintendent Fontana, as you approach your retirement, the board wants to express our sincere appreciation for your
140many years of dedicated service to our school. Your leadership and commitment to our students, faculty, and staff, and the community has been instrumental in guiding our schools. We're grateful for your contributions and wish you all the very best for a happy and fulfilling retirement. You've earned it. uh and we thank you for your steadfast work on behalf of Pauland and we will continue to look for that guidance and leadership over the next several months. Um I also tonight want to acknowledge and recognize Mr. Gratchic for his comments uh on the budget uh that he made earlier this evening. So thank you for outlining the thoughtful work that went into its development by the administration and the budget advisory group alongside Dr. Walsh and Mrs. Spielval. your perspective underscored the commitment to providing strong opportunities for
141all our students and I do appreciate you sharing it. Um, looking ahead, you know, as you heard this evening, we're focused on ensuring a smooth leadership transition. the superintendent with superintendent Fontana's uh upcoming retirement. Our immediate task is to secure that capable interim leadership and our plan uh is to have an experienced uh interim superintendent in place before um that July date. So, we'll be working hard over the next several weeks to identify those candidates. Um you know, and our objective will be to make an appointment by late spring or early June as Dr. Fontana recommends. you know, allowing time for proper transition. Um, we have already started to lay out the groundwork um, you know, for that comprehensive search. As you heard, we've been speaking to our legal team. We're going to be talking
142to a board member from a different board that just went through this. So, we're really readying ourselves and you know, we're committed to maintaining uh the stability and focus for this district uh during this time and we'll keep the community engaged and updated on our progress with both the interim appointment and the permanent search. Um so, I'll just close by saying thank you to my fellow board members, our administrators, our staff, our faculty, and everyone here tonight and at home watching. um you know we really value your continued engagement uh and we do all realize that we have important work ahead and we appreciate the partnership that you offer. So with that I'll end my remarks. Thank you. Move resolve that the board of education adjourn tonight's meeting. Do I have a motion? Dr. Walsh.
143Do I have a second? Second. Mr. Maine. All in favor? Oh, I apologize. The time is 9:03. All in favor? I I Good night. Thank you.