001Good evening everyone. Today is Monday, June 8th. This is our regular board of education meeting. Please stand and join us in the pledge. >> I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. The mission of the White Plains Public Schools is to educate and inspire all students while nurturing their dreams so they learn continually, think critically, and pursue their aspirations and contribute to a diverse and dynamic world. Next, we will move on to any announcements from the board. I know we all attended the um national honors um yes we did uh ceremony inducting uh new students into the honor society that was it's always good to see our students excelling and continue to
002excel anything else >> anything I had the pleasure of attending the robo campus senior celebration uh this week and um Miss Morurell did a fabulous job with the students. We should be very very proud of them. Uh many of the students received scholarships for uh postsecary um education. Uh one student in fact received in total about $86,000 across multiple schools. They had to choose one, but that's fabulous. And really just congratulations to all the Rose Shambo uh seniors and of course we look forward to celebrating with them at graduation in just a few weeks. >> I I'll mention a few things. So um PTA council uh met and Dr. Rico went over the school budget and planning for 2027. Um, White Plains High School held its science research and engineering symposium and Kane and I
003got to go to some of that before we had to come to a board meeting. Um, I attended the White Plains High School Seal of Civic Readiness breakfast uh when our students received their chords 240 strong. We are just so proud of that number and our goal is to get every student uh you know receiving the seal of civic readiness. Um White Planks High School also had its pitch night as part of incubator uh edu and um you know different teams of students. It's sort of our shark tank uh presented and uh we have coaches and we have um advisors and uh Rocco Verolo is uh I guess I I don't know if he was called like the project champion or some title like that and uh teacher Jesse uh Drury and uh I also
004went to the NISPA webinar on the New York State budget which I encourage uh everyone to listen to the recording uh it's very very clear. The last thing I want to mention is um as a Southern Westchester Bosey's board of education member um they had their American Dreamers lunchon and they honor individuals who perform outstanding service on behalf of students with special needs and two of our white plains people received um this dreamers award and I just wanted to you know mention uh and read a drop from the program because really it I love when my hats come together. Um so Colleen Murrell uh who is the director of Ro Shambo and Colle here? >> Yes. >> Okay. And um >> what was written was we are so grateful to have such a strong partnership
005with director Kie Murell thanks to in thanks in part to our program's location within the Roshambo school where our program operates. Miss Murell has worked tirelessly to foster collaboration between our schools, positively impacting students with special needs by intentionally including our Southern Westchester Bosei students in schoolwide events. And the other recipient was Dr. Steven Chakouti um who is a technology and music teacher also at Ro Shambo and he was described as a passionate teacher who leads the music and technology programs at the White Plains Alternative High School. The partnership that Dr. Chetkudi has developed with Southern Westchester Boseies includes a mentorship program in which high school students teach coding robotics and other hands-on technology skills to the Southern Westchester Boseies students. Thank you. Excellent. Um just one more um one more thing that I wanted
006to announce on behalf of all of us here on the board is just really a hearty um thank you to everyone. Our budget passed um at a stunning 92 92%. And to just recognize all, you know, everyone that that played a role in establishing that and recognizing, you know, uh Dr. Ricker, uh Dr. Tish, all of the the uh assistant soups just and all the staff that really contribute to just making this budget just perfect and wonderful. And to have such a passing uh rate is unprecedented and I think it's our highest. >> It is our highest. >> Yes. >> Thank you. >> I don't know if you had planned on doing a show I should have mentioned but I really would like to thank our exeicio students. >> Um you know this year in
007New York State um it was required that boards have students sitting on the board. We've been doing this for a while and every year the voice that they bring, the excitement that they bring, um they're really um wonderful additions to the board in our conversations and we had two incredible students this year and one's going off. You're both going >> and just I was talking with them beforehand just about the journey that they're starting now, the legacy that they're leaving behind, the role models that they've been. Um just thank you on behalf of the board. Thank you very much. >> I have one thing. I just wanted to give a quick acknowledgement to the spring scholar athletes because all the spring sports teams made the scholar athlete um achievement which is I think 90 90%
008of the team has to have 90 a 90% average um so that's a hard thing with so many teams especially with the track team it's so big so I just wanted to make a really nice shout out to them and acknowledge their hard work and um dedication to not only sports but to their academics as public hearing. >> Good evening everybody. >> Good evening. >> I um this is a this is a great night. It's a it's a night of of celebration and recognition and hopefully joy and and I do also want to thank everybody for all the support rel leading up to and through the budget the budget cycle and the budget season. It's so important um to be able to to to have a a plan in place that supports all of all
009of our students and all of our educational programming. Um we all know and and unfortunately you see uh maybe even in some of the towns within which you live um educational programming is is uh is diminished um because of fiscal challenges and that's that's something that happens and you know I'm just so grateful uh to all of you and and to the entire White Plains community for being so supportive of our students and so supportive of our academic program. So thank you for that. I I also need to to shout out our PTA, all of our volunteers, WPTA, CSEA, ASA, uh the League of Women Voters, uh who offered uh that very same evening that that we had the uh the incubator edu uh pitch night. The very same evening we had a meet the
010candidates evening. Um, but I also want to draw special attention and thank uh Miss Melendez uh for organizing and Miss Shonfeld, Miss Guyger and everybody, all the pole workers and everybody who helped uh make that day successful. So, thank you very very much everybody. Um the the first item on the agenda this evening is a public hearing on the district-wide safety and emergency plan. Uh we have with us uh we're very fortunate to have with us Mr. Jeremy Harrison um who is our liaison, heads up that that team. Uh, and Jeremy is going to uh is going to open the hearing uh for this evening. Thanks, Jake. >> Thank you, Doc. Can you guys hear me this? Am I supposed to push something or we're good? >> I think we're good. >> All right, great.
011Um, first I want to say congratulations to everybody here for your tenure. You're moving on, your years acred. I promised I would keep this short and sweet so you can get all your celebrations and everybody get home to the Nick game. I know that that's important tonight. The good thing this year is that while there were a lot of changes to the building emergency plans that came from mandates from uh the state department of education, none of the changes that were required by SED affect how we do things in White Plains. We've been so far ahead of the curve when it comes to health that any of the changes they've asked we're already doing. The changes that we made in the district-wide plan, which is what we're here to adopt tonight, was just to ensure
012that we're documenting that we're doing everything they're asking us to do and we have been doing for years. One of the great things about working here in White Plains is that the board district office is always very supportive supportive of being progressive moving forward with technologies, with facilities, infrastructure, personnel in terms of keeping us ahead of what SED is going to require. We have a couple people inside SED that give us the heads up of what's coming down the pike. We like to stay ahead of it and we're always ahead of it here. So, there's not much for me to go over here today. I will just touch on two important factors that are changing or they're asking us to add and that is AED usage. That's our sudden cardiac incident arrest programming. We have
013more than enough AEDs in every school. We recently at the district-wide safety team decided that we were going to buy more AEDs to cover groups traveling, groups coming in, groups moving about in different different areas, whether it's the state trips further wide sports. We added more AEDs than most schools, entire districts we have in more in in just one school here. So, I wanted you guys to know that while they're asking us to, hey, cover these bases, we doubled, tripled the bases that we're covering. One of the other things that they asked us to do um that became important this year and they were seeing issues statewide is before and after school emergency reporting before and after school incident management. That's something we've always managed here and as Dr. Ricker knows, Dr. gran that uh
014unfortunately we do have some incidents, some of them serious, some of them just need to be managed, but we do that on a regular basis. So, it's nothing new to us. They're just asking us to document how we manage those situations and who's in control, who's in charge of those things and how are we reporting those out. So, within the confidential building emergency plans, those guidelines are set. The district plan, which we're here to adopt tonight, just asked us to set it. It's already been set. We're done. All those building plans, I've met with each building emergency response team individually. We've gone over those confidential plans. They've all been approved. So, we're ready to move on to the next steps, which really isn't until October, but as of tonight, we'll be set and ready to
015go. So, we'll be, you know, 3 4 months ahead of schedule. Does anybody have any questions on the district emergency plan? No. Great. Thank you so much. Congratulations. Thank you, Mr. Harrison. Um, you know, unfortunately, we we many of you know, we we had a situation where we needed to enact a plan. Uh, last week we had a a fire that uh that erupted at Highlands in the auditorium. Um, and thankfully we were able to navigate that situ. I I also have to say amazing amazing fast effort by the White Plains Fire Department. um and the flexibility of of our colleagues at Highlands uh to be able to work us through that. But uh really appreciate it and thanks again Jake and emergency team uh for all their work in in navigating that. Dr. Carol
016Tyish and our team who went in afterwards to conduct all the structural facilities and environmental study and work over the weekend to get us get our children back in on Monday. It was good. Thank you. Can you just talk quickly briefly about coordination with the city and the community, how we coordinate our plan with >> Yeah. >> city. >> Absolutely. Um so again with with Mr. Harrison as a as our lead liaison as well as our school resource officers, we are connected very closely with the Department of Public Safety uh in White Plains and whether it be training in our facilities or even training that Mr. Harrison um goes to the department of public safety to work with um the police officers, first responders in terms of our facilities and our process and our procedures
017for emergency management. That is an ongoing process all the time. Um the articulation is constant as an example with our zero eyes technology when things are happening in real time. Uh we're in immediate contact with the Department of Public Safety. Um, we also have the ability to share camera footage uh with the Department of Public Safety when when needed. They can't just access it, you know, on their own. Um, but but all these steps have have really uh helped us. And it's not just, you know, security threats, it's also emergency situations, medical situations, um, could be, you know, power outages, could be weather, uh, but but all of that is uh is is done in concert and work together constantly training. Thank you. >> Thank you, >> sir. If you like just I'll speak on
018that quick. So, there's um the White Plains Police Department has a inservice training every year. That's where their police officers will come into headquarters and get reertified in all the things that they need to stay up to date on everything from CPR to firearms. Every year they invite me to teach a class there. So, for about two and a half months, uh once a week, I'll go in and I'll teach a class and we will cover what our emergency plans are here, what um their access is, how we can help them, how this is how you can contact the principles to come visit, to come walk the buildings, learn the people, learn the facilities, infrastructure. The first time you're somewhere is you don't want that to be an emergency. The first time you have to
019ask someone for something, you don't want that to be an emergency. So these are ways for us to just maintain open lines of communication as well as training as well as meeting with them. And as Dr. Ricker said, the district has always been open to them when they need help. Training when they want to use our facilities, we're always open to them to make sure that they are ready to go and we are ready to help them help us. >> It's just great to see every year. Thank you. And that closes our public hearing. >> Okay. Okay. Well, the first uh the first, I guess, note of of recognition this evening is is for the board of education, and we have uh recognition from the New York State School Boards Association uh for all of
020our trustees. Miss Melendez has these beautiful certificates for you that she's going to she's going to pass down. And thank you for all of your service and the many many hours uh that you devote every every week really to our children and our schools. Miss Melendez has those set up for the full board. Also want to recognize and congratulate Trustee Brady uh who earned level four lifetime achievement award from the New York State School Board. So it's like a black belt from school board trustee and trustee Buck level two board excellence. Congratulations Buck. And and this is this is special. This is different. We we also were notified by the New York State School Boards Association that we uh one of our former students ha has been identified as a tomorrow's leader today winner along
021with um uh students from neighboring school districts and wearing her Area 10 director hat, Cheryl Brady um is going to uh present the award this evening. And I know you also have a colleague, Miss Petraella is here as well. Welcome And if I can have the the students come up as well. Um, Yanife Dardashti Weiss. Um, Henry Mashia and Dave Palmade. Do I have that right? I apologize if I've mispronounced the names. And are any of our Ardsley colleagues here tonight from the Arsley board? I didn't know if anyone had been able to attend. So, okay, I will start. Good evening, Superintendent Raa, President Eller, Vice President Leticia, fellow board members, administration, staff, students, and parents. So, I've changed my hat again. I'm up here now in my role of area 10 director of the
022New York State School Boards Association, otherwise known as NISPA, representing Westchester, Putnham, and Rockland counties. I'm the liazison between the school boards of these counties and NISPA. I'm completing my 19th year on the White Plains school board and my seventh year on the Southern Westchester Bosey's board of education. And I'm joined here by Rosemary Petraella who is our current area 10 representative on the NISPA awards committee and who serves on the Rockland Bosey's board of education uh and the Rockland County School Boards Association and who formerly served in the South Orangetown Board of Education and was connected to some of our administrators who we have in White Plains now. So, it's always a special pleasure to be presenting NISPA awards in my own district. And tonight, I have this pleasure again presenting an award to
023a White Plains alumnist and the added pleasure of presenting awards to two of three Arsley alumni, one of whom uh could not be here tonight. She's traveling or he's traveling. So very briefly for those who may not be familiar with NISBA, NISBA is the New York State organization that provides leadership to our school boards through advocacy, information, and programs. NISPA believes it is public education's mission to grow future leaders. So NISPA decided to also focus on student leadership and created tomorrow's leaders today to do just that to recognize and celebrate acts of leadership that positively impact school districts and Boseies and community culture. So I am happy to present plaques which read and there are one there's one for each of you. Um, so I'm just pulling out one. This recognition is presented to either
024Yanni or Henry or Dave. Um, to honor and commemorate the extraordinary leadership shown through your initiative to propose, develop, and implement the Flavors of Greenberg Food Festival. We recognize your efforts and hope that they serve to inspire other students to bring additional positive change to New York State school districts and communities. It's signed by Christine Schnars, president of the New York State School Boards Association, and Robert Schneider, executive director of the New York State School Boards Association. So, please let's applaud these students for their work as interns. So for their work as interns last summer in the Greenberg Town Supervisor's office for organizing the town's first food festival with a goal of bringing the community together by showcasing the diversity of restaurants on East Hartsdale Avenue and thank you also to the White Plains Board
025and the Arsley board for your and their service and for being members of NISPA. So thank you Can somebody take a picture >> and and send it to me? You can take a picture with this. Yeah, let's take out all the plas. I got angry. >> Henry and David. Congratulations. Oh, and take your boxes. They're stuck in your boxes, too. >> Okay. So, one has your name, David. There's like a letter. Okay. Thank you. That's very nice of you. So, since it's a night of celebration, I just wanted to offer congratulation to Cheryl, the area 10 director of NISBA because at the Rocklin County School Board Association annual meeting, she was presented with the president's award and a week ago. So now we we are going to recognize our our colleagues who are retiring and
026then after that we're going to recognize our colleagues who achieved 25 years of service. Jordan, would you mind standing up again? So for both our our colleagues who are retiring and and our 25 years of service uh rec recognition winners, please don't leave. Jordan's going to take a picture of everybody outside. So, if you're willing, please stick around real quick um so that we can take a picture. I want to share with everybody in the school district um through our uh inter inter uh interd district newsletter. Yeah. Thanks, Jordan. >> Ready. >> All right. >> Okay. >> So, tonight is a special night. We have our 25 year milestones. We have some very special tenure candidates. And we are happy to honor our retirees tonight. and thank you all for being here. It is often
027said that two things can be true. I have my own version. Thing one, working in the White Plains City School District is amazing. Thing two, retirement is wonderful. >> Thank you. I can speak from personal experience. While I have not had the chance to work long with this stellar group of colleagues, I can assure you that they are very special. I had the opportunity to ask our retirees about some things that they have loved and some things that they will miss. For example, working with so many people who care deeply about students. Watching former students become colleagues. Wearing a cape on the first day of school and telling students that I'm a superhero and showing them throughout the year that they are, too. Teaching my sail class and watching them have fun and learn. hearing
028students say that they now love to read. Some retirees shared how the district has been a part of their entire life. One said, "I've spent a lifetime in these schools, not only as a student and teacher, but also as a parent, as my son attended White Plain Schools as well. That says everything about the love and belief I have in this district and this community." And one of our retirees said that teaching has been a source of joy for me, not just a profession. Another advice advises our newly hired teachers and staff to work hard and put kids first. There were so many wonderful sentiments. I'm sorry I can't share them all. To our retirees, I wish to prepare you for what lies ahead. Very soon you're going to hear your friends and former colleagues
029say, "You look 10 years younger." They may also say, "I'm so jealous of you." They will definitely say, "It's just not the same without you." And you you will find yourself saying, "I don't know how I ever got everything done before I retired." Your behavior will change. You will never go food shopping on the weekend again. You will travel whenever you want and you will get to sleep as late as you like. It's a pretty good deal. But we have had the better end of the deal. Thank you for all you have done for the students of the White Plains City School District over your many years with us. When you think about the multitude of students whose lives you have touched, I hope you can pre appreciate the true magic of our profession. I
030will close by saying again that two things can be true but in the reverse order. Thing one, retirement is wonderful. Thing two, working in the White Plains City School District is amazing. And that's my not so subtle hint to think about staying active with us in some capacity. I wholeheartedly wish you the retirement of your dreams and the sense of satisfaction of knowing you have left an indelible mark on this family that we call a school district. And and now for the real the real stars. I think what I'm going to miss the most about being here at White Plains High School is advocating for students who don't necessarily have anyone else to advocate for them. My favorite memory is when I run into people in the community, old students who tell me how much
031uh White Plains High School made a difference to them. And it's great to see them doing well now that they're adults. Okay. My best memory is when I had a student run a 10 10-minute jog, he said he would never be able to do it. He had asthma. And at the end when he actually finished it, he started crying and came over to me and gave me a hug and said, "No one ever believed in me that way." That is my best memory. Aside from the GCN training, of course, the memories I'm going to cherish most from my 34 years of teaching are most definitely going to be the laughs I've had with my students and colleagues. I've had an amazing career here in White Plains, and I greatly appreciate everyone. So, thank you so
032very much. >> I think what I'm going to miss the most about all my years at Highlands is my students and my colleagues. They're the best and that's the reason why I've had so many great years in the building. Thank you. >> The thing that I am most proud of is how many of our graduates, the photographs of behind me have reached out to me after graduation to let me know how the things we've taught them have enriched their lives after graduation, which has then enabled me to know what to use for the next cohort to help them move themselves forward and hopefully stay in touch. Um, my most favorable moments at Church Street is my beginning here at in kindergarten in room 129. And now I find myself retiring from Church Street. It's my
033beginning and my end memories of Church Street. >> I think I'll miss most the students, my colleagues, and the learning community in White Plains and the many families that I've met over the years. Uh, I've been blessed to do something that I've loved for 30 years. What I'm going to miss the most are my students. >> Hello, White Plains. Excited to start my new journey in retirement. I will miss my peers and colleagues. Best wishes to everyone in the future years. >> Been here for 29 years and when I think about what I'm going to miss the most, uh, for sure the kids obviously. Um, it's been a 34 year journey for me altogether and I love working with the kids. I guess my favorite memories would be all the relationships that I've built here
034at Church Street School and in White Plains with the students, the families and my colleagues who've become dear friends. Hi everyone. It looks like I'm going to miss this place. I will miss the kids the most. I will miss all of it. Most of all, I will miss that aha moment that I saw many, many times over 31 years. When people ask me what my favorite memory teaching is, it's so hard because I have loved the colleagues that I've worked with. I've had the best students. And I think that it's a privilege working in the White Plain School District because I think that the amount of learning you do as an educator is like no other district. Today I had the opportunity to participate in my last first grade musical with my students and it
035was pure magic. Those are the moments I'm going to miss the most. Hi. What I'm going to miss are my children, my students, and all the colleagues and friends I've made through my 33 years here at Ridgeway. What I'm going to miss most about White Planks High School is the wonderful diversity of our student body. It's been an honor and a pleasure to work with them. And each morning when I wake up, I will be thinking of them. Retiring from teaching is sad and also happy. It's sad because I'm going to miss the children and the light in their eyes when they actually get it. I'm also going to miss reading to the students and having deep conversations about all the different genres and books that we have. It's happy because I'm going to be
036moving to Georgia to spend time with my grandbabies. So, I'm going to be uh missing the kids' energy, which I really enjoy and my colleagues support and their professionalism. And I just wish everybody the best of luck. >> My favorite memory will always be Post Roads nature's classroom outdoor experience trips. The thing I'll miss most of course I is the kids. Um, it's just the best job to be in an elementary school and to help students find books that will get them excited to read. So, on to my next chapter. But I certainly will miss everyone at um, Ridgeway and all the colleagues and students I've met over the years. So, I think what I would miss most about Highlands Middle School is the family, meaning staff, students, parents that come in and out. We
037have such a family feel here that I will definitely miss. >> Well, this is my 25th year here in White Plains and it's been um I'm just a very fortunate person. It's a great gig. I've been somebody who's been lucky enough to have a job that he appreciates and uh it's tough to say goodbye in many respects, but uh new challenges lie ahead and um always looking forward to the future. The most I going to miss is the student and the staff. Some of my favorite memories in the White Plains Public School District will be um graduation ceremonies as a fifth grade teacher, writing those speeches, summarizing our year, coming up with the theme. Those are near and dear and true to my heart. What I'm going to miss most is working and collaborating with
038my teammates and of course the laughter and the curiosity of my students. Yeah, >> thank you uh Jordan and thank you to the communications team though. It's a great really great video. Thank you very much. We're going to share that with everybody in the school district. Um, and uh, we'll put it up on YouTube, too, so you all can share it with with all your loved ones as well. Um, congratulations and uh, just thank you. What can you say uh for for all of the years and all the time and attention that you've put forward and supporting your students over the course of the years? Whether it's coming up with new and and creative ideas for graduation move up ceremonies at Ridgeway or whether it is thinking about how you're going to have a fun
039joke of the day every single morning. Every single morning, Mrs. Burmer. um whether it's knowing everything about the facility and being able to jump in and help at any point in time or being a calming force and and being able to help parents u who are struggling and and concerned. You you've done it all. Um and and you've done it with grace and professionalism. And I have to tell you, it's it's been an extraordinary honor to be able to work alongside you. And Dr. Cosgrove is absolutely right. Not right now. We're not going to ask anyone to sign any papers tonight, but for sure if you're interested in coming back when you're ready um and and subbing or joining in any way, please know that the door is always wide open. But first and foremost,
040do whatever it is you want to do. Uh and just know that all of us wish you the happiest, healthiest next chapter. uh enjoy every minute of it because you have really truly spent a lifetime in service um to this community, to our children, and to our profession. You've you've been giants and and you've been folks who we can all look up to and lean against. Uh and we're really grateful for that. So, congratulations to all of our retirees. We have We have certificates. And um I if if uh if you're here uh we would love for you to come up and and uh and and grab your certificate and be recognized. Uh again, Coach Mark Armag, >> congratulations. always the sharpest. >> I can tell you're out there on field. >> Um, Marshia Baker
041Eddie, >> congratulations. >> Thank you, >> Katherine Bose. Congratulations Dr. >> Thank you very much. >> Constants Brandon Take your time. Take your time. Congratulations, Connie. >> Thank you. >> Pleasure. >> Absolutely. >> Congratulations, Kevin Brown. >> Congratulations. Absolutely. Congratulations, >> Susan Bummer. I also uh should recognize and thank Mrs. Bmer who who served continues to serve on the White Plains Library Board uh and represents the school. Miss Brewer. What is uh Nacho's favorite dance? The salsa. >> No, wait. No kidding. Every single morning, Miss Boomer sends out a joke of the day. They're They're fantastic. Denise Cher, >> congratulations. >> It's exciting. >> Thank you so much, >> Yanjin Chiao. Christina Kamos. Kamos. >> Congratulations. >> Make your badge, right? >> Every day. Laura Crowley, Joan Cruz. >> I don't know. >> Congratulations. >>
042Yes. >> Congratulations. >> Thank you. Bonita Cruz. >> Exactly. That's that. Congratulations. >> Thank you so much. >> You got to do it on the way back. Susan Epstein. >> Congratulations. >> You're welcome. >> Congratulations. >> Thank you. Leandro Francisco Jr. >> Take your time. >> Congratulations. >> Thank you. >> Congratulations. >> Thank you very much. >> Daniel Ferry Thank you, >> coach. >> Thank you. Congratulations. >> I still can't believe it. I still can't believe can't believe Sonia Gomez. David John Jones Jr. >> Congratulations. >> Thank you so much. >> Absolutely. >> Congratulations. >> Enjoy. Laura Maziotti. >> Can't believe it. Congratulations. >> Thank you so much. Thank you. >> Thank you. Christine McMath. >> Congratulations. >> Thank you. Nice to meet you. Nice to meet you. Thanks so much. >> Congrats, Jacqueline Miller.
043Congratulations. Thank you. >> Charles Moore, >> Antonio Morata, Thank you. >> You're going to see Antonio running up and down North Street four or five times a day now. Laura Munchin, Karen O'Brien. >> Congratulations. >> We started the same year. Here you go. little. >> It's okay. It's okay. >> Congratulations. >> Thank you. >> Walter Ortega, Ha Prasad, Valerie Riddick, David Roar. >> Congratulations. >> Thank you for the help. >> You got it. >> Congratulations. >> How close are we? >> I defend in the fall. We're there. David's like five minutes away from earning his doctorate as well because he's just needs more. >> Congratulations, >> Rean Santangelo. Congratulations. >> Thank you. >> Congratulations, >> Rhonda Sailor. >> Congratulations. >> Thank you. Congratulations. Joy Schneider. >> Congratulations. >> Thank you. >> Congratulations. Thank you, >>
044Vicki School Mendes. >> Congratulations. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Best name for a teacher ever. >> It's my m It's my maiden name school. That's really official. >> I didn't make that up. I KNOW >> Wanda Sodto de Jesus. >> Congratulations so much. >> Thank you. >> Congratulations. >> Enjoy. Mike Sullivan, Helena Valdez. >> Congratulations. >> Thank you. >> I know everybody's Bonnie Mandola. >> Congratulations, Bobby. >> Thank you so much. Jennifer Valeri, >> Janet Vonstein. >> Congratulations Thank you very much. >> Congratulations. >> Thank you. Thank you very much, >> Linda Washington. >> Congratulations. Congratulations. Janet Wiggins Congratulations. Jeffrey Wilson. Let's hear it for our 2026 colleague retirees. And now we have the opportunity to recognize 25 years of dedicated service. This 25 years is a long time. But but truly blink of
045an eye, right? I mean, when we think about it, you look back and it's boom, 25, 30 years. It's it's fast. It goes fast. Um and and we are so grateful to be able to celebrate colleagues who have served in the White Plains City School District for 25 years. Uh first like to call Hassan Abdul Basher. >> Congratulations. Thank you very much. >> Congratulations. Thank you. KJ Braum, Donell Cabel, Michael Cherella, Jennifer Degrapher Reed, Tina Del Orleta, Emily Ducia. >> Congratulations. >> Thank you. Thank you so much. >> Andrea D. Camille. Congratulations. >> Patricia Espinosa Congratulations. >> Thank you. Congratulations. >> Goes fast, right? >> Yes. >> Karen Fleshman. >> Congratulations. >> Thank you. Congratulations. Donna Foli Galinelli. Take your time. >> Congratulations. Timothy Gianba Gileio. >> Congratulations. Thank you. Lisa Gdro, Laura Green, Stacy
046Pilowski Eert. >> Congratulations Lise Jackson. Congratulations >> Lisia Lugo. Lisio also sends out a message every single Friday of positivity punctuated by go Bills. Does not matter what the season is. >> No, it doesn't. No, it doesn't. >> Congratulations. >> Leslie Madden FLESHMAN That's all right. Take your time. >> Congratulations. >> Thank you. That's awesome. Congratulations. >> Congratulations. >> Judith Clint, Amy Plec, Claudia Roger. >> Congratulations. >> Thank you. >> Joanne Schmidt. Congratulations. >> Thank you. Congratulations >> Melissa Star, Michael Sullivan, Brenda Tinci, Carol Trip, Bagley Congratulations. >> Congratulations. >> Thank you, >> Joanda Weston. Blink of an eye, right? >> Congratulations. >> Thank you. Congratulations. >> Thank you. >> Angela Williams. Congratulations. >> Thank you so much. Thank you. >> Congratulations. >> Sonia Wilson Congratulations to all of our 25 years of service recipients.
047Can I just comment that I tried to add up all those numbers and I lost track of the uh number of years of service uh to the White Plains schools. It's a very large but finite number. And I do want to say that the love and dedication and commitment and the impact that our retirees, our 25-y year honores have had on our children is immeasurable and infinite and we are so appreciative. Thank you. Oh, okay. You guys leave. It's cool. But I just want to say that he didn't only touch the students and the families, but I've developed relationships with a lot of the people I can't. I'm going to miss Antonio running with his thumbs up. Kevin Brown, Sue Broomer, whoever takes over her class, please tell them to invite me to to lecture
048once a year like they do. Mike Sullivan, Joan Cruz, just amazing human beings who touched my life and the lives of the whole community. So, thank you all. Congratulations. Congratulations everybody. >> Thank you so much for coming. They're going to they're going to all tip off. They're fine. No problem. >> Yeah. >> We also on the agenda this evening, we also have some some colleagues who were uh being recommended for tenure. >> We have uh Erica Richardson, >> Meen Batista, Tara Daly, >> Jessica Maracella, Justine Shubaron, Jolanda Rodriguez. And then also on this evening's agenda, we have the recognition for the appointment of the new director of mathematics, science, engineering, and career and technology education, uh, Irene Auzi as well. Okay. So, >> well, I have a couple more things. >> We got a couple
049more things. Um, I I really also want to thank our exeicio student board of education members. Tonight is their last meeting with us. >> U, they're going to be graduating. Congratulations, uh, Miss Hussein, and congratulations, Miss Choy. Both amazing board members. Uh, thank you for all of your service, all of your efforts, your amazing reports every month. Um, and we I I also do want to uh remind you that your names are going to be listed forever in the Michelle Shoenfeld assembly room on the plaque of all of our student board of education members. Cool. >> And we're going to be welcoming in July our new exeicio student members, Miss Laya Hanbali, who's the class of 2027, and Miss Julia Umusen, the member of the class of 2028. >> Julia, congratulations. Um it was the
05026th anniversary of the singer songwriters club. Can you can you imagine 26 years? Um when they had a great program and they and Mr. Palano even had members come back from like the class of 2001 um and performed. He he sent me pictures really great. Uh we're going to put a a piece out about it. Um, as a reminder, we have the Junth parade uh here in in the city of White Plains on Saturday. Um, Senator Mayor's we're hosting Senator Mayor's civics fair here on Saturday as well. Um, and I just learned today, thanks uh to Mrs. Lions, that Senator Mayor has dedicated an additional $12,000 to the teacher preparation pathway program this year. Um, so we'll we'll be thanking of course Senator Mayor uh uh as we should uh in a in a couple
051of weeks here at the high school as well. Um I definitely want to uh remember to wish all of our White Plains dads a very happy Father's Day coming up. Um and year end activities abound and there are just so many great opportunities to celebrate our students. >> Okay. >> Yeah. Oh, okay. Okay. Great. Um, and move up days and commencement. Uh, all all coming up in the next couple of days. Now, we have a very special announcement from President Eller special made special awards for our exeicio board members. And again, thank you very much uh to Miss Melendez for putting this in designing and putting it all together >> uh in addition to certificates >> and free admission to every single board meeting from now into eternity. >> Bring that down there. Bring it
052down. Y says West City School District Board of Education proudly recognizes Joseary services as an excellent associate member of the board of education 2024. Thank you. >> That concludes my supervised report. >> Thank you, Dr. Ricker. Next, we're going to move into public um participation. The board will entertain comments from the public on any issue with a time limit of three minutes per person and a maximum time limit of 25 minutes. Do we have any public participation tonight? When you get please um when you get to the podium, please uh so state your name um and address um and as noted, we have a a limit of three minutes per person. Thank you. >> Hi there. My name is Julius Don. I live in four Manchester Avenue. I just want to quickly start by saying
053it's really nice to see the celebration. uh you can hire great teachers, you can tend great teachers, but then you got to get stick them to get them to stick around. So, it's really really nice to see and reassure. Um I'm here as a Church Street parent. I know it seems like ancient history since we talked about the start time last year. Um but my kids are little and I'm a Church Street parent for the next seven years. I just wanted to quickly share a a story from my day. Today was the day to sign up uh for before and after school care at the youth bureau. I understand the youth pair was separate, but um sign up started at 10:00 a.m. So, I took the day off from work. Uh then I got there
054and the line was at the door and I stood in this line for before and after care for more than 2 hours and when it was my turn, there were no more spots left. So, um when we talked about this last year, I know that start time is never going back. Um, when we talked about this last year, we said, "We understand this is stressful for parents and we're going to work with you and we're going to make sure the youth bureau has the staff it needs and can and can help parents, help working parents." There's a wait list at Church Street. Just for fun, when I saw the first person come out, um, I asked them what time they got there. 5:30 in the morning. So, um, there's a wait list. Parents at Church
055Street Treat need help. This is still stressful. This will continue to be stressful. Please, anything you can do, call the youth burrow, ask them how big the the the weight list is, and just, you know, the sooner the better. All right. Thank you so much. Have a good night. >> Thank you. >> Is there any more public participation? Thank you. Thank you for your participation. Okay. Next, we're going to move on to our summary of action items. We have summary action items 4 through 7. May I have a motion? >> Second. >> Are there any questions? >> No. >> All in favor? >> I donation. >> Oh, second. >> You have student reports? >> Oh, okay. >> Okay. Okay. So, >> you should go. Yeah, you should go and then we'll go into individual action
056items. >> Last one. >> All right. >> Good evening everyone. Um, as the academic year draws to a close, I'm excited to share what our schools have been doing to close out the year. At Post Road Elementary, students have been actively engaged in hands-on learning and community building traditions. The fifth grade class recently embarked on their senior trip to the outdoor classroom in Connecticut. Over the course of the 3-day campsite experience, students focused on teamwork and peer connection through activities such as building structures in an engineering class, participating in animal dissection and exploring nature hikes. Back on campus, the PTA sponsored a picnic and play social on the on the school field and playground. The warm evening brought families together to network while students played tag, soccer, and gaga ball. All while enjoying refreshing Mexican
057ice cream, and fruit treats. Athletics and physical activity also took center stage. Coach Deathwick, I think I said that right. I'm so sorry. And Coach Golden organized a highly successful field day during the last week of May. Thanks to the PTA, a grit ninja obstacle course was added to the to the event, allowing students to test and showcase their agility skills. Additionally, the girls on the run team successfully completed their 5K sequence, capping off their hard work with a metal Monday victory celebration. Looking ahead, Postro is set to finish the year strong with the count countdown to summer initiative featuring daily math challenges. The school will officially close out the year by celebrating its kindergarten and fifth grade moving up ceremonies. The month of May at MAS successfully balanced rigorous state assessments with meaningful community
058growth during inclusion month, an initiative dedicated to promoting diversity, equity, and belonging. A major highlight of the month was the launch of Talker Tuesday. Designed to highlight diverse communication methods, this initiative featured students using their augmentive and alternative communication, also known as AAC, devices, to lead the morning announcements. Classrooms throughout MAS learned about AAC devices, fostering insightful peer conversations and strengthening a schoolwide culture of respect and empathy. Learning expanded beyond the traditional classroom through several PTA sponsored field trips, including educational excursions to Cranberry Lake, Legoland, and the Hudson River Museum. MAS also looked to the future by hosting its kindergarten roundup. This event allowed incoming kindergarteners to experience the classrooms firsthand while their families met with the staff and began building their connection to the school community. In sports, MAS celebrated a successful soccer season
059characterized by excellent teamwork and sportsmanship through through a partnership with Backyard Sports. Every player on the team was awarded a free week of MVP soccer camp to continue their skill development over the summer. Looking ahead, June will focus on final celebrations. MAS is particularly excited to host the White Plains High School graduating class of 2026 as they as they return to their roots for their traditional final farewell walk through the hallways. Ridgeway Elementary has seen a packed calendar filled with musical achievements, cultural education, and an extensive field trips. On May 11th and 12th, the Ridgeway Musical Ensembles delivered a beautiful series of spring concerts. The performances showcase the talents of the fourth and fifth grade chorus under the direction of Miss Homez, the fifth grade band directed by Miss Fusco, and fifth grade orchestra led
060by Mr. Orsino. Students across all grade levels participated in unique educational assemblies and visits. Kindergarteners traveled to the Stamford Nature Center. First graders received special inschool literacy visits from the White Plains Public Library. Second graders enjoyed a five five a day show, a nutrition assembly blending magic, comedy, and music, and received a visit from New York State Agriculture in classroom in the classroom to read Seasons on the Farm. They also took a field trip to the New York Botanical Gardens. Third graders spent May the 20th exploring the Bronx Zoo. Fifth graders traveled to the Edith Reed Wildfire Sanctuary and Chelsea Piers and later joined peers from across the district for a massive fifth grade field day at White Plains High School on May the 29th. Cultural enrichment was highlighted on May 18th when the PTA
061sponsored a schoolwide visit from the Red Hawk Indigenous Arts Council introducing students to traditional arts, music, dance, and history. The school also wrapped up its one school, one book initiative with an interactive humorfilled STEM and robotics assembly titled Bot, the Secret World of Robots. Finally, the Girls on the Run team celebrated a fantastic season, completing both their practice 5K at East View and their official end of season 5K at Rockland State Park. Church Street School channeled high energy into academic competitions and community celebrations throughout the spring. The school hosted an enthusiastic math week which featured intense math competitions for grades three and three through five, a specialized parent workshop, interactive math games, and visits from guest readers sharing their favorite math themed books. Academic talents were also on display during the school's spelling bees. Second
062and third graders showcased excellent focus and mutual encouragement during the traditional spelling bee. This was followed by the fourth and fifth grade Spanish spelling bee where 40 48 students competed to demonstrate their bi bilingual spelling skills. The church community also enjoyed the musical talent of their fourth and fifth graders during the annual spring concert alongside high energy outdoor activities during their recent field days. Looking ahead, Church Street School has a memorable lineup of events to conclude the year. The school will host a moving up ceremony for both the kindergarten Tigers as well as the fifth grade class. A special portion of the end of year celebrations will be dedicated to honoring retiring staff members Joanne Cruz, Rhonda Sailor, Jackie Miller, Joy Schneider, and Jeff Wilson for their years of dedicated service. Additionally, Church Street School
063alumni from the White Plains High School senior class will return on campus for their final school walkthrough. The school will officially celebrate the academic and personal growth of all its students with grade level mini dance parties as the year comes to a close. To continue, East Middle School is incredibly proud to recognize sixth grade student Sebastian Galarza for his phenomenal academic success. This year, more than 2,000 students from grades three through eight competed nationally in various academic events, including history, math, and geography. In the National History B competition alone, over 160th grade students participated. Sebastian earned first place in a gold medal in the novice division for the 2026 International Academic Competitions National History B, which is a division specifically for firsttime competitors. In the overall national competitions, Sebastian narrowly missed qualifying for the quarterfinals
064by just one point, ultimately finishing 65th out of 162 competitors and placing him in the top 40% of all sixth grade participants nationwide. In addition to academic competitions, East View hosted a highly successful talent show that showcased the diverse creative skills of the sixth grade class. The audience enjoyed 20 amazing acts, including vocal solos, dance groups, Broadway favorites, a ventriloquist performance, piano and saxophone solos, and a gymnastics routine. Students also participated in the annual Spring Tiger Fest, an exciting day dedicated to learning, teamwork, and community engagement. Highlights of the fest included Math Madness trivia games, the grit ninja obstacle course to promote physical fitness and perseverance, and basketball fundamental training provided by coaches from the Junior Knicks program. The festival also featured a special safety trio event where representatives from the local fire department, police
065department, and EMS shared valuable safety tips and provided students with an uplose look at their essential work in the community. Further, the East View spring concert series showcased the dedication of the band, chorus, and orchestra students who performed a variety of entertaining and inspiring selections for parents and community members. They also held the walk, bike, or roll to school events. Held in partnership with the PTA, this initiative encouraged students to start their day with exercise. Looking ahead to the final weeks of the school year, East View students will visit the White Plains Public Library to engage in hands-on STEM activities, explore the innovative teen space known as the Edge, and receive their personal library cards. Furthermore, the school will continue one of its favorite annual traditions with an educational field trip to the medieval times,
066where students will experience Middle Ages history and jousting tournaments firsthand. At Highlands Middle School, experiential learning and career readiness took center stage as students were once again invited to participate in the New York State Judicial Institute's New York Leo Day of Service on June 8th. This annual event offered approximately 70 selected Highland students an authentic day in Law School experience, allowing them to engage in legal professionals, learn about the justice system, and explore future college and career pathways. Entrepreneurial spirit will also be on display at the annual business fair on Wednesday, June 10th in the Highlands North Gym. Under the guidance of Miss Ena Pascal, students enrolled in the spring semester introduction to entrepreneurship course will present original inventions and compete for top honors. As the school year draws to a close, Highlands is actively
067celebrating its transitioning eighth grade students through a series of special events. The eighth grade awards and honoral ceremony took place on June 4th, followed by the grade 8 dance on June 5th. The students will also enjoy a class picnic at FDR Park on June 12th, culminating in the formal grade 8 moving up ceremony at the Westchester County Center on June 25th. At Roshambo, the month of May began with the celebration of tenure appointments for three dedicated teachers, Miss Gonzalez, Miss Oriana, and Miss Paradise. Throughout the month, Roshambo faculty also engaged in continuous professional development and coaching with IDE facilitator Jillian White, focusing on problem based learning and executive function. Community partnerships flourished as representatives from Grandpa's United visited the students to discuss communication with the importance of appropriate language while also generously donating two chest
068sets to the school. Roshambo students benefited from various specialized opportunities including a trip on May 19th where three students came to the White Plains High School historically black colleges and universities panel to ensure student safety during the milestone season. Health teacher Miss Grant coordinated a special assembly on May 20th for students attending prom featuring an impactful presentation by Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Civic engagement was highlighted on May 22nd during the annual Stony Hill Cemetery Cleanup and beautifification service learning trip which was coordinated by social studies teacher Mr. Lugo. Roshambo students and staff also earned significant recognition this season. At the Wife Plains High School Awards Night on May 14th, five Frosts were named scholarship recipients, securing a collective total of $17,500 through the Raphael Panteneelli Family Scholarship, the Frank Terrone Vocational Scholarship, the Hiller Educational
069and Leadership Scholarship, the E. Glenn Local Scholarship, and the Harry Jefferson scholarship. On May 29th, Miss Morurell and Dr. Dr. Trudy were honored at the board of cooperative educational services 33rd annual American dreamer lunchion which celebrates educators who support students with special needs. That same evening, seniors enjoyed attending prom at the surf club. The seasonal celebrations concluded on June 5th with the annual senior celebration. The evening featured a keynote address by 2020 Roshambo graduate Elvis Diaz and served as a powerful celebration of learning with a distinct focus on student problem based learning projects. At White Plains High School, 22 student leaders proudly represented the district at the New York State Education Department's My Sisters Keeper Spring STEM Day at Sunni Old Westbury. Joining approximately 650 young women from across New York State, the students participated
070in workshops, panel discussions, and college focused experiences designed to inspire future leadership in STEM fields. The participants conducted themselves with outstanding professionalism and maturity, making a wonderful impression on all in attendance. On campus, the wonderful White Plains High School PTA provided a lunchion to celebrate faculty and staff appreciation day, honoring the tireless work of the building's educators. Academic and extracurricular honors continued at seniors awards night on May 14th, where an incredible $360,000 in scholarships was awarded to over 90 graduating seniors. The high school also hosted an informative historically black colleges and universities panel to help students explore future educational paths. The National Honor Society successfully ex executed two benchmark events including the senior court celebration and the formal national honor society induction ceremony. In the performing arts department, the honors ensemble and the chamber and
071orchestra earned high praise at the Nisma Majors Festival at the Marin High School on May 19th. Both groups earned a prestigious silver rating and had the unique opportunity to perform an original composition by Zachary May, making the experience especially, excuse me, meaningful. Finally, the athletics department has completed an extraordinary spring season, highlighted by three spring league championship titles won by the softball, boys lacrosse, and girls lacrosse teams. The boys lacrosse team had an impressive postseason run, defeating Suffren 10 to7 in the quarterfinals on May 26th before concluding their season in a hard-fought semi-final match against Scarsdale on May 29th at Lao Stadium. During the standout season, student athlete Eddie Ryan reached his 100th career point and broke the all-time school assist record with more than 87 assists, while teammate Alex Vista successfully reached his 100th
072career goal. The girls lacrosse team also advanced to the postseason, playing a competitive game in the section 1 class A quarterfinal round against Mamarin on May 27th. The softball team enjoyed a phenomenal playoff run, advancing all the way to the tournament semi-finals against North Rockland on May 29th. The softball season was highlighted by extraordinary individual milestones as Alexis Te reached her 600th career strikeout and both Ava Ritterman and Nila Older reached their 100th career hits. In other varsity sports, the baseball team put forth a strong effort, concluding their season in the opening round of the playoffs against New Rochelle. In tennis, Christian Bautista represented White Plains proudly as he competed in the first round of postseason play. On the golf course, Robert Partn demonstrated excellent skill while competing in the sectional championship tournament on May
0739 18th. Meanwhile, the track and field athletes finalized their season by competing in the sectional championships at Arlington High School. As for the summer months, registration is officially open for the athletic department's summer academy. This specialized program bundles speed training, strength and conditioning, and academic preparation featuring units of nutrition and physiology. Complete enrollment information can be found on the athletics web page, and any questions may be directed to Mr. Chapas in the athletic department. As Caris and I approach the end of our term as the board of education student trustees, we would like to begin by expressing our sincere gratitude to Mr. Martinez and Mr. Vidiello. Thank you for selecting us and for trusting us to uphold the values of our community as student representatives of this school district. >> In that same spirit, we
074would also like to extend our deepest thanks to Dr. Rea and all of the board members. Thank you for guiding us through this journey, for teaching us about the structure and vital work of the board and for always being approachable mentors we could turn to for support. We we are equally grateful to our community. Thank you for tuning in on our updates, listening to our reports, and generously sharing your stories and perspectives with the board. Finally, we would like to offer our warmest congratulations to the two newest student representatives, Leila and Julia. We are incredibly proud of you both and we are excited to see the impact that you will make in the upcoming school years. So, on behalf of the board of education, it was our absolute pleasure to work with you and partner
075with you and really get to know you. Uh there is no doubt that big things are going to be happening for you both and I can tell you we are already proud of you and we welcome our incoming um student representatives as well. Thank you. >> And I just want to say thank you to you two as well. Um there was there was a lot of time even be outside of board meetings that we we worked together to to talk about what board of education work looks like, what policy development looks like and um both of you have uh have really been tremendous contributors. Um also can't forget the amount of work that you did uh with regard to the policy for self cell phones and cellular devices in school. And of course, while ultimately
076the state of New York passed a a law, um you helped to develop and to solicit feedback um that helped to inform our initial policy. Um so, thank you and uh I know that you're going to continue to do amazing things in the future as well. >> Thank you. Yes. So, we'll be back to our agenda. We'll recognize our donations. Uh, thank you, Madam President. Um, on page three, item B, uh, would like to thank the for thank the community for the generous donations. $3,000 donated for the Rita Varian art scholarship from Mr. and Mrs. Mark Varian, $500 donation for the Louiswis and Rose Misero scholarship from Jack Misero. The following donations were made for the Dorothy Anne Peters Memorial Scholarship, $5,750 from Andrea Robinson, $190 from Carol Lee Lashley, and the following donations were
077made for the Edward class of 1957 scholarship, $500 from Raymond Hayes Global Account, $200 from Steven Holden, $250 from James Levy, $195 from Edward Sun, $100 from A. Williams Nikolai, $100 from Judith Peters, $100 from Arlene Dam, $100 from Suzanne Erskin, $65 from Nancy Mayers, $50 from Natalie Warner Steinbach, $50 from Dr. Marietta Sarah Via Shore, an $863 donation for the David R. Cultist Memorial Fund from Daniel Cultus, and a flute with a case to the music department from Jimea Perez. Thank you so much for your generous donations. Next, we're on to our individual action items. Um, our first is to accept the district uh safety and emergency management plan and school building level emergency response plans for the 2026 2027 school year. May I have a motion? >> So move second. >> Any questions?
078All in favor? >> I. Next we have um item B on individual action items, the authorization of the 2026 2027 tax warrant. This will enable us to uh collect our school taxes. May I have a motion? >> So move second. >> Are there any questions? All in favor? I uh next we have um next we have a motion Oh, okay. I'm sorry. Uh next. Okay. Next, we have item D. To approve and ratify the terms of the memorandum of agreement and authorize the superintendent of schools to execute a collective or bargaining agreement effectually effective July 1st, 2026 through June 30th, 2028. I skipped one. >> Yeah. >> Can I say a word about that before you go back up? >> Yes. just like to thank um the board of education uh negotiations committ human resources
079committee and and also um our colleagues in the WPTA um negotiations uh this year was uh again you know the the the goal of course is to identify a an equitable and sustainable um successor agreement and uh really fortunate and and thankful um that we were able to do that. So thank you uh very much to the board of education for your support as well. Thank you. All in favor? >> I. Next, um we'll just go to item C. Um uh appeal authorization. It's resolved that the board of education hereby authorizes Keenan Bean and Moroni Okconor to file appeals and all necessary documents as appropriate on behalf of the district in connection with a certain civil lawsuit identified as index number 63833/2023. May I have a motion? So move. >> All in favor? I >>
080All right. Next we have um uh item E. The recommended action is to the approve the establishment andor abolishment of positions effective July 1st, 2026. And um this is really part of our financial um stewardship in terms to look at where we can combine positions or maybe position is um not needed or needed at a different title. >> So may I have a motion? >> Are there any questions? >> Just because we like to to say this this is not this is not the abolition of anybody's uh role within the district. I know the board is always uh wants us to make sure we're really clear with that for our community is watching. >> Yes. Thank you. All in favor? >> I. Next, we are to item F, board policy adoption. Uh recommended action is
081the adoption of the following policies. number 9520, 9320, 9320-R, and number 8130. All of these have already had um first readings and um updates as necessary. >> Yeah. I just also want to thank the policy committee for for uh moving through all of these policies and keeping our policy manual up to date. Appreciate it. >> May I have a motion? >> So moved. >> Second. >> Any questions? All in favor? I >> I >> Next we are going to move on to board discussion on our brief uh update on our board committee reports. Anyone any anything special to add? >> Sure. Curriculum committee um we did a uh a little class trip to Post Road School few weeks ago. It was awesome to get out into the schools. >> Uh we observed we visited classrooms.
082We saw some dual language classrooms. We saw some of the programs that we approve and saw them in action being implemented. Um we had discussed in our rounds with Mr. Spafino um and the teachers there that we noticed you know there's an article in the times about the dependence on technology in the early grades K through three. And what we saw was that wasn't the case in in our schools. The kids were actively writing. They were discussing. They were collaborating. It was just really great to be in the classrooms from kindergarten, no pre, no kindergarten up to uh fifth grade. I think we ended the day in a fifth grade classroom. >> That was fun. >> Yeah. >> And also a focus, I would say, on data as well. We were able to see some
083of the results of of data and the really intentional um efforts to to improve student outcomes. And as Kane said, I mean, really students talking to each other. There's a real focus uh at Postroad School. So sorry took us right through all that data. Dibble's data NWI >> special push. >> Okay. Finance >> finance. >> Yes. Yes. Craig. Finance. Craig. Craig. Finance. >> Finance committee. First of all, very pleased to announce uh White Plain School District had a very successful bond offering last week. The district sold um almost $29 million worth of bonds and $20 million worth of bond anticipation notes. Because of the absolute tremendous support of our taxpayers, the district has been able to maintain, it was just reaffirmed, a double A1 rating from Moody's. Uh just by comparison, um the only other
084school district that offered anything of the size of our school district uh was New Rochelle with a the equivalent of a double A3 rating. So it's great um for White Plains to have that. It was we had 13 bids for our bonds. Uh resulted in an in a true interest cost of 3.326%. and it allowed us to reduce our bond um effective offering from almost $29 million worth of bonds to $26.6 million worth of bonds using our premiums that we received. With great appreciation to Dr. Vicario Tish, Marcy Moswitz, the entire team here at White Plains, thank you very very much. U we're indeed very lucky to have you here. Thank you. Thanksgiving. The other the finance committee also had the pleasure of um having a presentation from Maggie Porto, director of food services. All
085of our parents should know that your children are eating very well. Um they are eating with no cost to you thanks again to the tremendous work that's been done by the school district. Um on the financial side, the snack program that we have in the high school for um e um late afternoon um food for the students is being transferred into a full meal instead of just snacks. So that's in process. Um we've been fortunate enough to sample the food at some of our board meetings. Your children, trust us, are eating well. In addition, the finance committee was presented our taxiary um exposure report. We went over the general fund balance. Um and the audit committee met and we affirmed our internal claims auditor and our internal auditors for the next school year as well
086as our external auditors. So, thank you. >> Thank you. Thank you for being so thorough. Thank you everyone. >> Yes. >> Would um Miss Daly, Miss Mar, uh Dr. Marcallo, Miss Sherbaron, Miss Rodriguez please stand up so we can recognize and celebrate you. >> You've hung in there to the end of the meeting. >> I have. >> Thank you so much. And congratulations to all of you. Thank you so much. Are we good? >> And if if I might add as as well on behalf of the board, our our additional collective um congratulations. It's just an honor to have tenure and to know that you're somebody's favorite teacher >> and they'll be they'll be my age one day and you'll always remember that that special teacher because I still remember special teachers. So congratulations and
087and for what you do and the gift that it is to bring you to this point and we look forward to more. >> Yep. >> Congratulations. >> Uh uh oh, almost time for basketball. So, thank you to John Shepard and John Mavage. Thank you. And with that, may I have a motion to close our last meeting of this school year? The next time we meet, >> three weeks, we'll start the 26 27 year. >> Yeah. Yeah. In three weeks. >> Another one down. >> Yes. >> Budget already started. >> May I have a motion to close our meeting? >> Second. Second. >> Any questions? >> Go next. >> All in favor? I. Thank you. Congratulations. Heat. Heat.