001Thank you, Dennis. Who was second? Thank you, Katie. All in favor? All right. Please rise for the pledge. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. All right, good to see everyone. Um we can just start with any board announcements. Anyone have anything to share? No. Well, uh with the nicer weather, it's great to see these kids getting outside and and having fun. And um it's amazing to have state champions sitting in front of us. I know we're going to talk more about you in a little bit, but I just want to congratulate you since I have the floor right now. Um it's it's amazing to see just I'm sure years and
002years of hard work come together. And um you know, you really deserved it. So, congratulations. >> [applause] >> All right. So, we'll go ahead with superintendent's announcements. Good evening, everyone. Thanks for all being here tonight, especially our girls basketball team. It is a beautiful night, as you said. So, with this in mind, and knowing that we have students here and student presentations, I volunteered to be the timekeeper this evening. So, I'm going to keep everybody on task and on schedule, and hopefully we'll have a an efficient, productive meeting. So, tonight we have a number of things. One of the things we'll be doing is passing a resolution to adopt the 2026-2027 school budget for $116,688,270, as presented and discussed at our last Board of Education meeting and through many budget uh presentations and workshops, we
003arrived at a tax levy of 1.85% with a significant reduction in use of fund balance for this year. I'll talk a little bit more about the budget, but one thing I do want to say now is that the budget continues to support maintaining small class sizes, kindergarten teaching assistants, C-Tech BOCES seats, and a plethora of enrichment, elective opportunities, extracurricular activities, along with the opening of a second UPK class at William O'Shea for our youngest learners. I am incredibly grateful for the support and collaborative process from our Board of Education and entire team for the work that has been done since really early October on behalf of South Orange Town students, staff, and families. So, thank you for that. Tonight, as I mentioned, we have some presentations, and obviously our girls basketball team we want to
004recognize. We'll have a presentation from DECA, which is formerly the Distributive Education Clubs of America. And DECA is our club that prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management in high schools and colleges around the world. Ms. Lisa Jacobs is here, the club adviser, with her students, and she'll introduce the students before they present. So, tonight we are delighted to formally congratulate our girls basketball team for winning the Section 1 Championship, the Regional Championship, and advancing to the finals and winning the New York State Class A Championship, which took place in Troy, New York, against an undefeated team, Notre Dame. So, congratulations. IT WAS AN AMAZING. >> [applause] >> SORRY ABOUT THAT. I'LL WAIT UNTIL THE feedback just dies down for a second. Sorry. First time for everything. Still here.
005Not my mic. What happened? It was an amazing experience. Can you hear me? Yeah. Okay, good. It was an amazing experience to watch your team throughout the playoffs and season during your championship run and win the first in Tappan Zee High School history. Congratulations to coaches and assistant coaches who are here, Riley Chevrier, Sarah Cookla, Daryl Flynn, student manager Kelly Cookla, and the entire team on an incredible season and state championship. So, to celebrate the team's success, there will also be a parade happening next Tuesday, April 21st, at 6:30. I know Mr. Pilla is probably going to talk a little bit about that. It will start at the Tappan Zee High School main entrance and end at the town hall meeting for recognition, and that will culminate at 7:00 p.m. So, we're really excited about
006that, and they're excited to have you guys come. And the team was also invited to visit Albany to meet with Congressman Mike Lawler, and I know you guys have that trip planned, so that should be exciting to be able to go up to Albany. So, now I'd like to call up our athletic director, Mr. Pilla, who I know is incredibly proud to talk about the team and to congratulate all you. And we also have certificates. Dr. Kula, um yeah, uh I'm I'm extremely proud, as as our school is, um our community history being made. Um it it really is a wonderful thing that happened this year. Just a couple things about this team before we call them up. Uh the epitome of hard work paying off. Um I always like to say this about our
007greatest teams. It's amazing what can be accomplished by a group of people working towards a common goal when no one cares who gets the credit. And that's this group right here. So, uh this group of of student athletes, as well as coaches, um they really truly liked uh playing with each other. They like, you know, being with each other, and that really showed throughout the season. Win or lose, um they had a good time. They were always smiling. Uh and it was really just wonderful to see. Uh a wonderful blend of of uh younger and older players. We have uh student athletes as young as eighth grade on this team, and all the way up to uh seniors, which is just a a testament of of how much uh of talent uh that we have
008in this district, uh you know, in the sport of basketball. Our seniors, uh I just want to touch uh touch uh a little bit about this. They led by example. Uh we have some really great stories with our seniors this year. Um we had, you know, I think every we had a senior come back from injury and and was was an amazing player, and just showed uh that adversity sometimes is is something that can really bring you to new heights. Somebody once told me the obstacle is the way, and I love that saying. And that was something that uh that young lady uh showed and led us to to this. Um we have another senior We had seniors that were, you know, that are stars in other sports, and then maybe weren't the stars in
009this sport, knew what their role was, and took to it. It's really hard to do when you're a star in another sport. We had another senior that was just probably one of the most liked person people that I've ever been associated with in in Tappan Zee. Every single person says, you know, and she's a lovely young lady, says such nothing but great things about her. Uh and and the reason is cuz she's a great person. Um we also had somebody who um came out of nowhere and just started shooting uh in the middle of the season, and then just never really missed, and then just kept doing it, and always with a smile on her face. And it was great to see. And then last but not least, we probably had a our our last
010senior is probably the best all-around athlete in Rockland County right now. That's male or female that I've ever been associated with. So, seniors, you deserve everything, and you you did everything uh that takes to win a state championship. We're super proud of you, uh and we thank you. Um I'll talk a little bit about the eighth, ninth, 10th, and 11th graders. What a great group of of young ladies who um you know, worked really hard and were were huge pieces to this to this uh historic season, working tirelessly, um working out, you know, preseason, during the season. Um people who came up big in the biggest stage, in the in the semifinals and finals. Uh that kind of stuff uh is what makes history, and that's the reason why this team is sitting here. Um
011couldn't be prouder, and uh I think we're going to do a couple more before before our time is up here for uh for those underclassmen. Uh last but not least, before we uh we give out these certificates, that we have to, you know, uh pay a little homage to our coaching staff. What a great coaching staff. And sometimes, you know, an athletic director can take credit for that coaching staff, but I got really lucky. And I'll give credit to a couple of different people. I'm going to give credit to uh Dr. Arietta for hiring uh Mr. Flynn, who uh who has just been an an an absolute godsend for our athletic department. He's a wonderful person and uh and a and a great coach. Uh Sarah Cookla, who I've known for a long time, is
012somebody who's who's, you know, born in born here in in uh in South Orange Town, went to our schools here, historic career. Uh and here and in college, and then came back to give back. And it's just been a wonderful thing to see Sarah come in and work with Riley and Daryl and do such a great job. And the way she, you know, uh the relationships that she has with our student athletes is is wonderful. And last but not least, Riley Chevrier, who was the coach when I came here, uh and had already made history because she had already won a section title uh at a very young age, which is really difficult to do. Um but she is really the the epitome of what you want when it comes to uh an educator and
013a coach for young women. She empowers these women to be the best versions of themselves, holds them accountable, but with love. Um so, uh I can't say uh anything more except for that Riley has won a state championship as a player in the same arena that she was a coach uh she that she coached the state championship. So, and and I don't know anybody else who's ever done that from our section. So, that's just shows you how special of a person she is and special coach that she is. And she played for a really legendary coach in high school in Westchester and everybody would say that she is probably the greatest coach in in our section in girls basketball of all time, but I think when it's all said and done it might be somebody
014who's standing in this room right now. So, can't can't be more proud. So, if we could just give a round of applause before we >> [applause] [applause] >> Miss Luciano, can you help me hand these out while I read the names? Great. Thank you. I appreciate it. Um Emma McHugh, senior. >> [applause] >> Eve Gerardi, senior. >> [applause] >> Alyssa Sanchez, sophomore. >> [applause] >> Devon Conny, junior. >> [applause] >> Nieve Donnelly, eighth grade. >> [applause] >> Ella Pagels, senior. >> [applause] >> She couldn't be here tonight, but Adriana Diorio, senior. >> [applause] >> Abby Walsh, sophomore. >> [applause] >> Jody Long, sophomore. >> [applause] >> Maureen O'Donnell, freshman. >> [applause] >> Addy Zayak, freshman. >> [applause] >> Bridget Linehan, junior. >> [applause] >> Zaria Desire, eighth grade. >> [applause] >> Lilly Lennon, sophomore. >>
015[applause] >> And Savannah Nordstrom, senior, who cannot be here, softball. And for our coaches, Sarah Kukla, Darryl Flynn, >> [applause] >> and Riley Chevrier. So, last but not least, I just want to thank the district for their support for the team. Dr. Koolot for all of his his support and coming to all pretty much all the games. Miss Luciano, who made the drive up as well. It it really takes a village to to have something like this special happen and we really do have that support and I'm truly grateful for it. So, thank you very much. >> [applause] [applause] >> Thanks. Thank you, George. Thanks, everyone. All right. So, I'm going to continue on with my superintendent's report. It's awesome. So, every year Rockland BOCES hosts annual service guide dinner and it's their budget annual
016budget meeting. So, we had the opportunity to attend at Rockland BOCES to see their annual budget presentation. I just want to give a shout-out and thank you to Tracy Hollahan, Laurie Graham, Natalie Espinal, and Jennifer Osorio for attending with me and representing our district. It's always nice when we have a table of people there. And we value our strong partnership with Rockland BOCES and look forward to continuing to collaborate to serve our collective student needs. Now, he just left and I didn't realize he was going to leave, but Bill Pilla recently, maybe we'll do this when he's at the next meeting, was recognized as a national certified athletic administrator. I got an email. He doesn't even tell me about this stuff, but the email came through. Um so, our our own Bill Pilla, our athletic
017director, was recognized by the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association as a certified athletic administrator. It's a distinction awarded for a leading professional in the field and given to those who've demonstrated the highest level of knowledge and expertise through undergoing a voluntary thorough evaluation process of their educational background, experience, and contributions in addition to taking courses and a rigorous comprehensive written examination. So, congratulations to Bill. I do not have a certificate for him, so it's good that he left. I want to thank a bunch of people for the international trip that just culminated over the spring break. It was a huge success. So, thank you, Dr. Arietta, for for working with the team to make this trip happen. Suzanne Grinsberg, Jackie Ritz, Adolfo Godinez, Francis Duffy, and Steve Cohn for organizing taking the time during their
018vacation to take our students to Italy, Monaco, France, and Spain. It means so much to our students and school community to offer this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I'm so glad we were able to bring this trip back. Our kids had a safe, happy, and engaging experience that they will remember for the rest of their lives. Before the spring recess, Tappan Zee High School announced our valedictorian and salutatorian and our valedictorian this year is Lucas Wittek for the class of 2026 and Jaywon. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Oh, where is Lucas? Oh, he's hiding all the way in the back. Lucas, come on up for a second. You coming straight from the tennis court? Kind of? Just come just come up and say hello to everybody. We They got to see you on camera. There's a lot
019of people watching at home. Just wave. Say hi. All right. Awesome. Congratulations, Lucas. >> [applause] >> And our salutatorian this year for the class of 2026 is Jaywon Chae. Congratulations, Jaywon. >> [applause] >> Thank you, Dr. Koolot. Congratulations. Also, moving on to our Tappan Zee High School math team. So, they have secured the top score in Rockland County for the second consecutive year. And in addition to that, junior Delia Spiegelman was the highest scorer for the year in Rockland County Math League scoring a perfect 36 for 36 at the county meets. So, congratulations to the math team and to advisor Seth Resnickoff and the entire math department. >> [applause] >> All right. A few housekeeping items. So, we have a special board meeting that we're going to have next Tuesday, April 21st, and we do
020this every year and it has to coincide with the annual BOCES budget vote. So, we're going to try to get a quorum together. Um and that will happen so that the board can cast their votes. We will not be conducting any other business or conducting any other business, but I just want to let the public know when you see a special board meeting is happening next Tuesday, that is why we are having it. It's so that we can vote to pass the BOCES budget. All right. Now, I'm going to give an update on the district's policy committee's work on Board of Ed policies as well as some um uh information I want to share with the public. So, we have been made aware that some parents were concerned and are concerned about safety threats and
021communication when such threats occur, whether credible or non-credible. We take school safety very seriously and it has always been my number one priority. We're working on several policies with the policy committee that address safety, communication, bullying, and threat assessments, including Board of Ed policy 8130, which is called School Safety Plans and Teams. This policy includes threat assessment teams. We are also working on Board of Ed policy 0115, which I had mentioned at our last board meeting, which is the student harassment and bullying prevention and intervention policy, otherwise known as DASA, the Dignity for All Students Act. At the same time, we're establishing a Dignity for All Students Act regulation to strengthen our policy code of conduct a align it uh our code of conduct. So, the concerns that have been raised and the policies being
022worked on include again Board of Ed Policy 8130. This policy is going to be revised and it will include more specific communication procedure and protocols to families when these types of incidents occur. Additionally, we gathered communication letters and policies from neighboring districts to make sure that we're in alignment with other districts and it had been suggested that there were uh at least one neighboring district that had uh some information that might be helpful. The Board of Education tonight has one policy that's being put uh forward for a second read and adoption at tonight's meeting and that's policy 2210 and that's uh the board reorganization meeting. So, we have board a little bit more flexibility this summer. The commissioner um passed a I guess I'll call it a regulation, which is very helpful for school districts
023because summer is a very busy. So, we have a little bit more of a window to have our reorg meeting and uh we'll be passing that policy tonight. And the policy committee also has two policies that were readopted at the March 24th board meeting, but they require a motion for the readoption at tonight's meetings and that's policy 1130, which is media relations and communications, policy 2160 school district office and employee code of ethics. Policy 1500, which is use of facilities, was the third policy that was readopted on March 24th that requires a motion. However, since then, I received some helpful helpful public feedback about that policy and therefore I'm bringing the policy back to committee. Uh there was a parent that was cross-referencing the facilities use policy with two other policies and had pointed out
024some I want to say inconsistencies, but certainly language that we need to revisit before we we adopt the facilities use. So, I'm bringing that to policy committee. All right, the policy committee again is in the process of up updating policy 0115, which is the student bullying and prevention and this uh includes changing the name of the policy to student harassment and bullying prevention and intervention and that's recommended by the New York State School Boards Association. This regulation is going to address reporting and investigation, confidentiality, which is something that prevents the district from disclosing specific information about uh specific students in certain instances, investigations and regulation resolution procedures, communication, initial building level procedures, district level procedures, uh and discipline penalties, training, code of conduct and and so on and so forth. So, I want to thank
025Ann Quigley for locating the DASA regulation and and resurrecting it from many years ago cuz it was something the district was working on a long time ago and and it was helpful that now we're going to be able to bring that policy and regulation forward. Our next policy committee meeting will be held on April 22nd, 2026. And to conclude um my superintendent report, so I just want to share I got an email from a a parent and you know, we get a lot of emails. I get a lot of emails. Sometimes the Board of Ed gets those emails, sometimes they don't depending on on if it's through feedback or sometimes it's directly to you, but then sometimes there are emails I get that you don't get and I thought I would share this one. >>
026[clears throat] >> And it was on the return from break and it said, "Thank you for so much Thank you so much for all the work that was done on the Selms baseball field. The boys were going on and on about it on the way home from practice today. I know a lot of the parents appreciated it, too. So, I just want to take this opportunity to thank uh Jean Carlo Vinziguera and Matt D'Apollonio, who's here, because it was their hard work and the team's hard work that actually got that field ready and usable and in safe conditions for our team. So, it did not go unnoticed by the parents and the administration. And I will tell you that that baseball field, I think I told you this, has never ever looked better. And so,
027we're looking forward to the project this summer. I Dr. Arietta, myself and the cabinet actually went out today to look at um some safe routes to school, so where where we could possibly create some uh more sidewalks to make it easier to access uh South Orangetown Middle School and also to look at we're doing a construction project this summer on the upper baseball field. We're putting irrigation in, but we're also putting a walking path and so we were taking a look at where that walking path will start and it might make it a lot easier for kids to get from wherever they're coming from uh to the middle school. So, just wanted to conclude with that cuz you don't always see all the emails and that concludes my superintendent's report. All right. So, we can
028move to public commentary. We have a few people speaking, so I'll read the protocol. Protocol for public commentary is as follows. All opinions are heard. Everyone should be an active listener. Each person is responsible for his or her behavior. Respect diverse perspectives. Be conscious of your speaking time and tone. A limit of 3 minutes is an appropriate time frame to state your issue. Speakers may not give unused time to other speakers. Issues of specific personalities, either positive or negative, cannot be discussed at board meetings. References, comments, or discussions that does or may identify a specific student or students by name or situation will not be discussed publicly due to FERPA law. Issues pertaining to specific students should be addressed privately with the student's teacher, principal, or school counselor in accordance with policy 1400 or public
029concerns before bringing the issue to the superintendent's attention. The board reserves the right to close comments on an issue if residents become unruly or disrespectful or if the topic is something that the board is legally unable to discuss in public. If an unusual number of people are attending to bring forth a specific issue, the number of speakers could be limited. Depending on the number of people wishing to speak during public commentary, the board reserves the right to reduce the time limit on each speaker until everyone is heard. The sole purpose of public commentary is for the board to actively listen to the community. Meeting protocol requires that questions presented to the board during public commentary will be responded to when possible. At the board's discretion, questions requiring investigations will be referred to the superintendent and
030will be responded to in a timely fashion through future board meetings, electronic mail, mail, or telephonically provided the contact information is supplied on the public commentary sign-up sheet. At this time, I ask Sarah Helmke to come to the podium. Hi, everyone. Hello, members of the board. My name is Sarah Helmke. I'm a parent of a first-grade student at William O. Schaefer. Thank you for your time this evening and for your continued efforts to support the well-being and safety of our students. I'm here to express serious concern regarding involving threats of gun violence at the school and the communication to the families about these situations. Shortly before February break, I became aware of two separate incidents involving threats of guns and violence at William O. Schaefer. In both cases, families did not receive communication from the
031school and many of us learned about these situations secondhand. After speaking with school administration and Superintendent Dr. Kool Aid, I understand that there is currently no clear or consistent protocol to notify families um and that communication is often limited to those directly involved. Families should not be learning about serious safety concerns secondhand from their children or through informal parent communication. I appreciate the complexities involved, but I believe there is an opportunity here to strengthen communication in a way that supports both transparency and trust. When situations involving potential safety concerns arise, families would benefit from timely, general notifications shared in a way that is factual and protects students' privacy. I have also learned that neighboring districts, as Dr. Kool Aid mentioned, such as Pearl River, take the approach to provide general notifications to family in similar
032situations, which demonstrates that a more transparent approach informing parents while protecting confidentiality is possible. I respectfully ask the board to consider establishing a clear, direct, wide protocol for communications in these situations. I would also appreciate any insights and the next next steps and potential timing and I kindly request that this topic be considered for a future board agenda. Clear and consistent communication is one of the most meaningful ways we can work together to ensure the safety of our children and the trust of our community and I look forward to partnering in that effort. Thank you for your time and consideration. >> So, just a quick response. Some of the policies I mentioned including 8130, which is the one we talked about, that is definitely the vehicle that we're going to use to to do what
033you're suggesting and we definitely have different policies to talk about communication protocols, but to your point, there's there's work to be done and the policy committee's tackling that. >> Yeah. And just to be clear to you, this would not just be just for William O. Schaefer, it would be district-wide, so benefiting both students and teachers and really um everybody in the school district. Absolutely. Thank you. >> And then um I think you mentioned it will be reviewed back on April 22nd. So, some of the policies are coming at the next board meeting, which is the 28th. This particular policy 8130, we're bringing to policy committee on April 22nd. On April 22nd. Yes. Yes. >> All right. Okay, great. Thank thank you. And in any By the way, sorry. >> Yeah, go ahead. Sure. Sorry, go
034ahead. You can go. Oh, okay. Sorry. [laughter] Superintendent. In any of those policies, does it state anything about notification to the parents? And is it something that we should possibly cross-reference with the security committee before, you know, to to possibly put forward? >> I thought about that. So, the safety policy, definitely, we would bring to the safety committee at some point to look at. >> for any sort of What does Pearl River do if Pearl River is one of the districts that doesn't Well, Did they have a specific >> Without specifying a particular district, I will tell you that the policies that we collected are very similar to the policies that we have, and there's possibly some language that we can take. Okay. Um our policy, I think to the point that was made, is
035not very clear. So, if I'm a parent and I'm looking to see what happens in this instance or that instance, there's work to be done. So, >> can work on this. [clears throat] This will be discussed. We can work on this policy on February 22nd. >> 100%. Yep. Thanks, Deanna. >> [clears throat] >> Okay, was that the only speaker tonight? Yes, that's it. Okay. Thank you for your time. All right. See, so we can move on to board presentations. We have uh the DECA club presentation? >> Yep. Miss Jacobs. Hey, you guys can come out now. >> [laughter] >> Good evening, all. Thanks for giving us the time to present our what DECA is. So, um just a little background. DECA was a very large club when I went to school here, when my kids
036went to school here. And then in about 2021, I think it stopped. And last year, I had not for this year, for the previous year, two students, can you please be our advisor? And I said I'd be an advisor, and I told them I know less than nothing. And we went, and I had about 12 members at the time. We went to regionals, which was at RCC, and I had two students qualify for states. And we went up to Rochester, and those two students the last year did qualify for ICDC, which is internationals. We were unable to go. This year, I have 25 members. We had 15 students at regionals. Nine qualify for states, and two qualify for ICDC, which is at the end of April. We are going to Atlanta. So, thank you for
037that. Um >> [applause] >> I'm going They will tell you all about it cuz now I know nothing instead of less than nothing. So, we'll have Emmett Clark begin. Member Well, sorry. Members of the board, my name is Emmett Clark. And tonight, I'm here to introduce you to our branch of DECA here at Tappan Zee High School. DECA stands for Distributive Education Clubs of America, and is an international nonprofit organization that spans throughout the entire United States and through many other countries. Uh it is also focused on business management and finance, and that it teaches uh students how to use these in experiences very much so that it gives tests and qualifies people to participate in various difficulties and uh selections such as states and ICDC, which two of our students have just qualified for.
038Through DECA, my personal experience has been very good, and I've learned so much. And I will hand this over to my next fellow DECA member, Haley Cornfeld. Hi. My name is Lulu Dickey, and this is my partner, Claire Cho. Hi, I'm Claire. We're sophomores at TZ, and we both did DECA for the first time this year. Um we did a two-person role play, which is a competitive event where two team members act as business professionals, and we analyze a case study and then present a solution before a judge. We had 30 minutes to prepare before presenting for 15 minutes, so we kind of had to think on our feet a little bit. Um our event was sports and entertainment marketing, which includes things like fan engagement, brand partnerships, and like promoting and merchandising and stuff
039like that. Um and we actually both took the sports and entertainment marketing class freshman year. So, it was great It was like a great chance to be able to apply that knowledge in like a potential real-life scenario. Uh thanks to this event, Lulu and I was were able to develop further critical thinking skills, improve teamwork, and refine public speaking. When the judge asked us questions, we had to think on our feet and come up with solutions together in real time. And we really had to learn how to like bounce ideas off of each other. But another great thing about DECA is that it wasn't just a chance for us to compete with other students, but it was a great networking chance for like-minded young people who wouldn't have gotten this opportunity before. While I was
040excited to meet new friends, it's important to that recognize that these kids might be future business owners and workers in the business world that could be future contacts for us later in life. We were able to really broaden our horizons as well as expand our depth of uh business education at TZ. Uh next, we have uh Haley Cornfeld, who's going to explain to us about her single Good evening. My name is Haley Cornfeld, and I'm a junior at the high school. I joined DECA this year, and honestly, it's the best decision I've made. I've gotten closer to the people in the club, as well as made connections with DECA members from other schools. At the most recent states competition, I competed and placed top 10 in the food marketing series, an individual event that involves
041in a 100-question test on marketing concepts and a role play. The role play consists of a case scenario where I get 15 minutes of preparation time and present my ideas to a judge for up to 10 minutes. DECA has taught me valuable skills that I will need for my desired career. I have improved my public speaking and presentation skills. I'm able to to think quickly on my feet, and I have learned the importance of net networking. Next year, I also hope to qualify for ICDC. And thank you for listening to me. And next, we have Lucas and Jaywon. Hello. Uh So, I will be speaking about the written event with my partner, Patrick. And the written event mainly consists of two parts. Uh first, the presentation, which is mainly research, and that is what I
042will be talking about. And second is the presenting of the presentation, which then Patrick will be explaining. So, the written event and the research itself consists of many long hours that we have personally spent to be able to research our own uh companies and solutions to figure out strategies or solutions that could help the company improve itself. In our written event, Financial Operations Research, we researched a AI model to help uh the Hudson Valley Credit Union with its customer service, in which we also uh compared our AI model that we uh created to other AI models in other companies that were working for the same purpose of customer service. Thus, we have spent many, many hours on researching, and that is one of the key components of the written event. I will hand this over
043to Patrick. Thanks, Emmett. Once we have finalized our presentation, we presented it to a judge at the state competition in Rochester, New York. During our presentation, Emmett and I shared our plan to improve the Hudson Valley Credit Union through the use of AI. We were given 15 minutes to showcase our presentation, including a period of answering questions asked by the judge. What judges were looking for mainly actionable plans, measurable impacts, and a compelling presentation. Throughout this process of preparation and presenting, my peers and I uh built real-life skills through practicing preparation and conversation with judges. These trips to Rochester and Atlanta aren't just travel. They're opportunities to compete at a higher level, represent our school, and learn from the top students and professionals from across the country. We believe every member deserves a chance to
044learn and improve from these experiences. Thank you. Hello, everyone. I'm Rihanna. Um and I'm a senior. This was my first year doing DECA, and I honestly think that my key takeaway is I wish I started it before senior year. Um so, first I'm going to go over the event subcategories that we have Wait, this Yeah. That we have um in DECA. So, first we have marketing communications. Um this is where students are mainly focusing on strategic plans that um persuade and focus on target target target audiences, target markets, and provide products and services. Next, we have hospitality and tourism. This was the subcategory that I did, and me and my partner, we first at regionals um worked on planning a way to fix a issue happening at a airport. Um and with this specific category,
045we were thinking on our toes and finding um solutions to an issue within the span of 10 minutes and then presenting it um to a judge. And then, similarly at um the state conference, we did um we did we we we basically did the same thing, but on a larger scale. So, instead of a plane an airplane company, it was a um entire town that we were trying to generate some revenue for. Um so, with my experience, I really explored all of the aspects of hospitality and tourism, and I think that studying for the test along with making this presentation um that I presented to the judges helped me with understanding this entire industry very well-roundedly. Next, we have business management and administration, and I think that Jwan and Lucas are going to explain that
046explain finance and accounting actually a little bit later, but business management and administration was mostly focusing on key principles of each business, and um you're working with another partner. And in this category, they're really focusing on the test aspect of the um project in general and memorizing a lot of facts about the businesses, facts about business management, and um figuring out how to solve issues within administration. Um and then finance and accounting I'll leave up to them because it's a pretty complex category. Um and then just overall, I wanted to go over my experience a little bit. Um as I mentioned before, I joined in my senior year, and our club is honestly starting off pretty pretty recently. Um after COVID, it fizzled out and now it's coming back, and I think that this year
047had a lot of members joining and me included. I wasn't really a business-oriented student. I'm not going into college for business, but you can take these skills that we learn in this club and apply them in so many different places. So, I really appreciated the applications I can put onto just marketing, I can put onto understanding other companies as a consumer, and overall, the everything that DECA stands for. I thought it was very interactive, and I loved meeting the other students throughout New York State, too. So, now I'm going to pass it on to Lucas and Jwan. Thank you. Hi, my name is Lucas. My name is Jwan. And thank you so much for, you know, giving us the time to speak today. Um so, first, we're just going to um briefly talk about our
048experience with DECA and and kind of the event that we participated in. So, um as Ariana mentioned, um Jwan and I we we participated in the financial team decision-making event, which of the two, there's, you know, written events and role-play events, it is a a role-play event, which involves a written test, which is part of the um event, but then what's what's weighted more is like the actual presentation part. So, it involves we get a scenario [clears throat] and we have about 10 minutes to prepare um kind of a solution to that and then present it to judges. And we did it in this finance area, so we obviously, you know, had to study different financial topics and and use whatever previous knowledge we had, but then also be able to just on the spot
049come up with solutions to to various problems. Um And, you know, they touched upon the written events, which Jwan and I never participated in. Um so, we can talk briefly about, you know, our experience over the the two years that we um participated in how we competed. So, yeah, we started DECA last year as our first year, and at first we weren't sure what we were getting into, but our first competition was at RCC, and after going to RCC for our first year and actually placing first at the regional level, we realized that this was kind of a culmination of so many skills that we've just built across our lives, whether it be um the financial aspect or just stuff that we have interests in, like investing in the stock market and using all that
050knowledge to present it in a 10-minute like case study scenario, whether we be financial advisors helping a new parent that's trying to have a family and helping them with their finances and walking them through all the different complexities that may come with this. And so, Yeah, and then, you know, another at at a state's we were the role we were given was to be financial advisors to a new business owner and help them understand the different types of financial statements and and just prepare graphs and things of that nature. So, it's just, you know, lots of different scenarios. So, that's what we did at at the state competition. And then, um you know, and then we qualified last year and unfortunately weren't able to attend, but we're we're just so excited to be able to
051attend ICDC this year um later this month, and we're really looking forward to competing on the the the next level and and um that. But then just couple like just maybe two or three other things to mention about about DECA >> talk with this person as if it was nothing because of the skills that we got. And those are conversations that will continue into anyone's career. Interviews are for for every career. So, um there we have some some photos from our um time at states this year, and I think I'm not sure. There was one more slide in here, but I don't see it now. Yeah, so um just our our last part that we wanted to touch on was we honestly came here to express everything we've gained from DECA, but also just to
052point out that I mean, we see our business clubs and our business classes so like honestly filling up by every every grade, and people really in our school, there's a lot of talented students who do want to go into business, understand a little more about finances, and um I think that a club like this, although it's pretty small right now, it has the potential to grow very very big in our school. And similarly in other Rockland schools, we have huge DECA um DECA uh clubs, chapters, yeah. So, um I think that we can definitely grow to that size or more because Tappan Zee is just filled with like talented students who want to be involved, who have the ability to excel in all of these categories, and beyond just going to ICDC, there's um state
053leadership, there's international leadership titles that students can get gain by just being involved throughout the years, and we would love to see some of our TZ members campaigning for leadership positions in the future. So, just most of all, we wanted to shed a light on DECA for you guys, and also just to bring like bring up the fact that we are trying to grow and expand our club and ensure that it's accessible for all of our students. And so, we're extremely grateful for the time that the board has given us and the support that we've received from the board, the administration, Ms. Luciano, and our amazing advisor, Ms. Jacobs, throughout all this time. Thank you. >> [applause] >> I'm going to do a quick pitch. When we have it at regionals at RCC, we need
054judges, and everybody can judge. So, in December, I will send out uh if you are interested in judging and please say yes. Thank you. >> [applause] >> So, I just want to say thank you guys for coming up. I'm I'm so glad it's the first time that your club has uh presented a board meeting. I thought it was important for all the work that you've done this year to be shared and the excitement, the enthusiasm, uh the experience that you had, it's really we're so proud to be able to support you. We're looking forward to following you into the the nationals in Georgia, and I'll turn it over to anybody else. Yeah, were there any specific questions that you guys have? Sure. It was a great presentation. And the excitement on each person presenting was
055great. I was waiting for like the ask there. Like, what's do we need to fund the trip or there any Well, they're going to double in size. done. I think they're going to double in size next year, so. Yeah, great job. >> I will tell you guys, and you may not know this, but we started financial literacy this year at South Orangetown Middle School with a full program, 6th, 7th, and 8th grade. They're actually coming up to a board meeting uh later in May. So, I do think you're going to see this club grow by leaps and bounds, and I just want to thank you guys for resurrecting it. I know you've been passionate about it since you you started 2 years ago, and it's amazing to see how many kids have joined and I
056definitely look forward to seeing it expand. Great job again. >> Thank you. >> [applause] >> Okay. Um So, we can move on to board discussion. Uh are there any um committee reports anyone has? I have one to to read off. I don't know if anyone else has one. I'll just start with mine. Um so, we had the April 8th facilities committee meeting. Just some summary of notes uh regarding bond phase one at William O. Schaefer in Cottage Lane. Uh we just have the remaining punch list items. Then we have bond phase two at the high school uh regarding the weight room. Um it looks like construction uh will start before July 4th. That's what we're assuming. And um the athletic director has approved the floor sample and the entire room should be painted either by
057the general contractor or in-house after the wall removal and before flooring. Um it's it's going to be a red and gray color scheme uh to go along with our school colors um and no no white. Um and the plan for the existing athletic equipment will be evaluated by the athletic director, and storage containers are on-site at SOMS and the high school um for that project. Then we have the Tappan Zee admin suite. Um we've confirmed the flooring is VCT and not carpet as preferred by the district. Then going to phase three at SOMS, um Superintendent Kuyla indicated that the use of the pool is to be allowed after the abatement period. TPG confirming work and abatement schedules for phase two and three uh week of 4/13 and confirmed summer programs to occur at Cottage Lane
058Elementary. Substantial completion dates in coordination. Uh phase two, August 24th, 2026. Then we have phase three, August 25th, 2026. Um plan for CPL walk-throughs sometime on either 8/25 or 8/26. We have a transfer to capital um at the May vote for 1.5 million. Um and that work that we're looking to get done is the awning at William O. Schaefer for 45,000. Uh Tappan Zee high school interior doors to pair with field work. Potentially science room doors in the 300 wing. And consideration of boilers at SOMS and Tappan Zee Elementary. Emergency bids, we had two bids received at very different prices. One for 670,000 and one for 4.3 million. And exceeds the estimate. And that was that was it for the notes. Are there any other committee meeting notes? No? Okay. All right. So, I will
059move on. I I have an an announcement. The policy committee has one policy that has been put for a second read and readoption, policy 2210, board reorganizational meeting. The policy committee has two policies that were adopted at the March 24th, 2026 board meeting, but require a motion for readoption. Policy 1130, media relations and communications. Policy 2160, school district office and employee code of con- of ethics. These policies can be found on the Board of Education website for review. So, can I have a motion to readopt the revised policies 2210, 1130, and 2160? No. Thank you, Diana. Do I have a second? Second. Thank you, Katie. All in favor? Aye. Aye. All right, thank you. And then Uh Steve, I'm a no on 1130, please. Okay, so um do you That's the media relations one. Yeah,
060so if you want to You can table it. So, You could just table it and bring it back to policy if there's more work. Do you think it Yeah. Do you want more work on it or you just want to be Yeah, I haven't had a chance to look at it. No worries. >> So, why don't we table that for for the next meeting? So, let's rewind. Motion to readopt revised policies, and we're just going to do 2210 and 2160. Yeah. So, do I have a motion? Motion. Thank you, Diana. And a second? Second. Thank you, Katie. All in favor? Aye. Okay. Hello. So, that's the five of us. And then 1130, we're going to table and we're going to bring that back at the next meeting as long as um you're satisfied. So, we
061have the agenda. Is there any any thing parts of the agenda that we need to discuss before we make a motion? Okay. So, we have motion to approve consent agenda categories 8 through 12. Motion. Thank you, Diana. Do I have a second? Second. Thank you, Rob. All in favor? Aye. Aye. All right, excellent. So, all we So, Should we do that first? Yeah. Any new business? Any anything to discuss? No? Just one thing I I want to bring up under new business, and I'll be talking about this at the next Board of Education meeting, is that the Lower Hudson Council superintendents, along with superintendents from across New York State, uh as well as the New York State Legislature, are revisiting the electric bus mandate. We've had some presentations recently, including by utility companies that have
062shown and demonstrated that they don't have the capacity. Um there are six districts within the Lower Hudson Council that have done studies already. So, we'll be sharing some of those results, and we're asking for um an extension and for just a reality check, to be quite honest, on on on what we're being asked to do. And I will just go on record again to say, to date, this district has not spent any money on the electric buses or trying to meet a mandate that's just not going to be feasible for a 22 square mile district that has cold temperatures. So, I will be sharing a lot more, and there's actually a letter from the Lower Hudson Council superintendents that we'll be asking uh the board to take a look at, and we might even pass
063a resolution just showing our support uh so we can get some advocacy and some make some headway with the electric bus mandate. Excellent. All right, I do have one more thing to read, the resolution for the budget, but I just wanted to reiterate the one thing that we said. There is going to be a special meeting that we're trying to get uh the board together um to approve the BOCES budget. So, it's important for the school district to um you know, make our voice heard. We're part of BOCES, and it's it's important for us to do that vote. So, the next if you see anything out there for uh a special meeting, that's what it's regarding. We're not conducting any other business besides that vote. Um So, then I will move on to resolution to
064adopt the 2026-2027 school budget with the amount the board has agreed to. Whereas, the Board of Education has received and reviewed a proposed 2026-2027 school budget from the Superintendent of Schools, inclusive of the information provided on the property tax report card. And whereas, the Board of Education concurs with the Superintendent's presentation of this budget, as well as the recommendations with respect to all budgetary matters for the 2026-2027 school budget. Therefore, be it resolved that the Board of Education of the South Orange Town Central School District presents to its voters a proposed 2026-2027 school budget of $116,688,270. Motion to approve the proposed 2026-2027 school budget. Do I have a motion? Motion. Thank you, Rob. Do I have a second? Second. Uh is that Tracy? Tracy, thank you, Tracy. All in favor? I. I. Is everyone good?
065No. No? Okay. All those opposed? Abstain. Abstain? Okay. Okay. One abstention. Okay. And then we have motion to adjourn the meeting at 8:37. Motion. Thank you, Diana. Do I have a second? Thank you, Katie. All in favor? I. All right. Everyone, thank you for coming. Have a good night. Hey, everyone. Thank you so much for being here tonight. I appreciate it. Thank you. Yeah, we'll just wait till next time. We'll just wait till David's here next time.