001April 24th education business meeting to order at 6:03 p.m. Would everybody please rise for the pledge to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Jonathan here. Dave Clifford here. Here is coming to attend tonight. Leon here. And is also to attend tonight. Uh they might be arriving late. Oh, they might function. Um the exits are to your right and to your left and behind us to our right. Uh, subject 2.1. May I please get a motion that after review the board of education approves the agenda as presented and were amended at this meeting? Mike Ian. Any discussion? All in favor? I. Motion passes 5 to zero. Subject 3.1. Accept the minutes of the March 18th, 2025
002business meeting. Mike, Michelle, any discussion? All in favor? I. Motion passes 5 to zero. Subject 3.2. Can you please accept the minutes of the March 21st, 2025 business meeting, special business meeting? Ian Dave any discussion all in favor? I motion passes 5 to zero subject 4.1 is statements and presentations. I will hand over to superintendent add good evening. We have lots of things in the presentation. Um, so first of all, I was I came back to a very nice surprise after the spring break. Uh, when I was here on Monday and I met Mr. Mark Mackey in the parking lot, our transportation supervisor, and he told me that our stop armed cameras had been installed on our school buses. Um, and so they went from a six to nine month wait once you signed the
003contract to um, it only took a few weeks. And so our drivers got trained today. We had bus control, the company bus control, as well as uh three individuals from Orange County Department of Emergency Services, including assistant commissioner Rob Doss, who came and spoke to all the bus drivers today and trained them in kind of how the cameras work, what it records, showed them videos of what it looks like. Um, and so they the bus drivers were all very excited. Um, it was a really great morning. Um, and they also reviewed the rules of the road. And so there were, you know, things that the bus drivers knew and they said, "Well, we don't think the community knows that. How does the how do the drivers know that?" And they said, "Well, the rules are
004in the the driving book when you take the test." And ignorance is not an excuse for not following the rule. So, one example of something where a lot of people get tickets, right, on a two typical two-lane road, you'll see that yes, you're supposed to stop both ways. If there's a empty median, both sides of the road are supposed to stop. But the interesting one is that even if there's a barrier, whether it's a grass barrier or an island or a cement block barrier, both waves are still supposed to stop. And so they issue a lot of tickets for this scenario. Um they also did a slide on the number of citations issued and they're averaging about 1500 to 2,000 a month and they've had about over 10,000 since they started in September and that's
005just in Orange County in four school districts. So that is and they're excited for the newest one. Um, Warwick is also joining uh within the next week or two. There is a reading called now. So, um, I put something out on Facebook today. Um, and I'll also be sending home an email to our community that all this is effect and on our buses. So, follow the law, you know, the law. We'll pick up. Uh we also addressed safety over spring break and two other things um that have been brought to attention either by to our attention either by staff or um by our police officers. Uh one is about about the speed of traffic coming in and out of the middle school in the morning and in the afternoons. And the police officers asked could
006we have a way to kind of slow people down and so they asked specifically for two speed bumps and gave us the locations they wanted them. Uh we went to facil committee with that and immediately followed up and uh within a month they were in and installed. So those went in over spring break and the police officers are abs again absolutely thrilled and uh said that traffic absolutely has been changed in people driving slower. So that's good. The other one is at the elementary school. Uh we had these large open areas where really like a car could drive through and we had temporary plastic barriers that constantly got blown over in the wind or got knocked over or knocked into. Balls would roll out into the street. And so we were asked to try and
007install fences. And so those were installed. And you'll see this is with the gate open. And it just slides doesn't go out or anything. It slides across. And this is when it's in the closed position. Um, and so what we do is we open them in the morning for arrival and then they are closed for the remainder of the school day. And it just has made a much uh cleaner line of where the recess playground is and kind of forces people to walk over to the main entrance sidewalk. So exciting progress over a spring break. Uh, the board of trustee ballots were due this past Monday. We had two open seats and uh we had two people submit filled out petitions for um not um we had two people submit petitions for the open spots.
008David Clifford um and Kevin Holder who I know is here this evening. So hi Kevin. Uh and so those are the two names and this is the order that they'll be in on the ballot as well. But there are two spots and two people. At this time, I'd like to open it up to principal reports. Miss Green. Good evening, Board of Education members, staff, and community. I hope you all had a restful and rejuvenating spring break. It was a joy to welcome our students back with bright smiles, renewed energy, and even a few in shorts and t-shirts ready to take on the final stretch of the school year. I'm excited to share some highlights from the month of April. Um, you can see up here, our prek students received a special visit from a local
009dentist to learn all about dental health. With the creative support of our art teacher, Mrs. Edworth students turned learning into a hands-on experience by crafting a model mouth using marshmallows, an unforgettable way to reinforce the importance of healthy habits. Our third graders took their state test. A little challenging at first, but we were able to get through it. Thanks to the proctors and the tech team for helping us out through that successfully. We were able to kick off kindness month with a schoolwide assembly where we defined kindness and brainstormed ways to show it every day. With the help of Miss Aretta and Mr. Sheffman, students enjoyed a narrated readaloud of a little spot of kindness. We launched our caught being kind initiative where students can earn spot stickers for acts of extraordinary kindness. The first
010sticker earns a prize from the office, but students are encouraged to collect as many as they can because kindness is contagious. At the same assembly, Miss Arietta introduced a powerful service project called Blankets of Hope. This initiative aspires students to reflect on homelessness and practice energy. There we go. Thank you. Um, there were 200 donated purple blankets to our school and our students participated in a kindness workshop, writing heartfelt notes of encouragement that they attached to each blanket. These will be delivered to local homeless shelters um, and community organizations. At the end of May, one student from each class will be selected to personally deliver the blankets on a small trip um in a meaningful way to connect learning, compassion, and actions. Thank you. A big round of applause to Miss Ariel. [Applause] Earlier this
011week, our prek, kindergarten, and third grade students took a walking trip to Greenwood Lake Community Garden with the support from Grow Local Greenwood um Grow Local Greenwood Lake students planted this year's crop of pea plants using seeds and their soil. Um, and they also, sorry, this hands-on science activity directly supports the New York State Next Generation Science Standards for both plant life cycles and ecosystem relationships. A special thank you to Chad Pileri and the amazing community garden volunteers for making that possible. Our second graders had an exciting trip to the Stone Gill Environmental Center where they explored natural habitats and connected classroom learning with real world observations which enrich our curriculum and create lasting memories. Thank you to the board of education for your continued support in making these experiences possible and thank you to
012the teachers for your flexibility and strength on going on these trips. We are also proud to recognize April as n national poetry month. Yesterday, students started the celebration of poem in your pocket day by carrying and sharing their favorite or self-written poems. In return, they earn a sticker or a pin to wear proudly when they share their poem with a staff member who asks. This is a joyful celebration of literacy that helps our students build fluency and expression and confidence as readers and writers. Tomorrow we will hold a special Aubber Day ceremony in honor of former board of education member John Finn. Our kindergarten students will participate in the tree gifting ceremony to honor his memory and the contributions to our school community. Also tomorrow, our second grade students will walk to Win Stanley Park
013to participate in a poetry reading and cherry tree planting in collaboration with the Warick Valley Gardeners and the village of Greenwood. beautiful blend of literature, community, and environmental stewardship. Finally, I'd like to recognize the dedication of our teaching staff. Over the past week, teachers prepared data and notes to participate in individual student progress meetings. These one-on-one discussions demonstrate just how well our teachers know their students, both their strengths and their needs. And especially like to um thank our RTI team for coordinating the schedule and making these valuable meetings possible. Looking ahead, we're eagerly preparing for kindergarten orientation for the incoming class 2526 year and more exciting sp uh spring field trips and the final marking period of the school year. Thank you as always for your ongoing support of our students, our staff, and our
014school community. Thank you. Hey, good evening everyone. Couple highlights since our last board meeting. I know I talked about some of these things were going to be happening specifically uh the start of spring sports. Uh we did we did get off and running with our spring sports. However, it was not great those first couple weeks. It was like 30°. Uh actually the right before the break we had that Thursday. We looked out the window snowing out. So um luckily spring break brought the warm weather and we hope that it's here to stay. So figured we'd put some uh nice photos up showing our student athletes participating in uh baseball, softball, boys and girls track. Today was actually probably one of the the the best days we've had as far as weather goes. So it was
015great that all of our teams were actually in play today. everybody uh was at an away contest today. So, um there's a lot more of the season to come and we look forward to all of their success. Uh also, we've had um you know, we have clubs that go on throughout the school year which we we uh typically recognize and comment on. I just wanted to put a a few up there today specifically to talk about. One is the peer leadership club and their work for Earth Day which was last well whether this week on Tuesday. So the um the slide you see is what we see actually right behind me here in the cafeteria raising awareness of Earth Day and encouraging students and staff to recycle bottles of cans. So I'd like to thank
016Mrs. Greenberg for her work with that club and uh also those students because not only did they promote Earth Day, uh they were outside helping to um to clean up. I was out there checking out some of the athletic practices and then I saw that a group of students kind of walking the perimeter and they were cleaning up any um uh trash that they could find. So, our grounds crew does a great job with uh keeping our grounds clean as everybody knows, but sometimes when you come out of winter like we all do in our own yards, things find their way into all the far corners. So, uh, the pure leadership, uh, club did a great job of helping to clean up and and make sure that, um, we have our, uh, our grounds in
017the best shape as well. The other the other club that you see there is archery club. That's uh, Mr. Vanelli um, who supervises the archery club. So, again, that's just another uh, fun and uh, unique opportunity that we're able to give our students here at Greenwood Lake. Uh they got to take advantage of the nice weather as well, get outside, learn not only the skills of shooting archery, but of course the uh importance of safety when um using uh archery um the bows and arrows. So um again, thank you to Mr. Benelli for that and um and it's great to see our students participating in that activity which is a lifelong activity for them to continue. Also on our slides here, student of the month, student of the month breakfast. Uh, Miss Mel Ramos and
018I uh meet with our students each month and that is our group from March who are all uh recognized for their responsibility here in the school. Their teachers recognize them. So it's it's just a breakfast, but it's a special opportunity to let the students know that someone's watching. That's not why they do it, but uh it's it's a great recognition for our students. We always love getting a chance to eat breakfast with the students and have a chance to talk to them um not only about why they're there, but just their student interest in general and get a little bit of uh um feedback from them as representatives of our school. Also, uh not pictured but spoke about at the last board meeting. I said we were in the final week of the read for
019the Boulders contest. Thank you to Miss Orfeld who's here for all the work that she did with both buildings. uh coordinating that, tallying uh all the minutes and to our teachers who also um collected all those logs and got that information to Miss Orfeld. But some of the quick stats that uh she provided that the the middle school in total over that time period in March were at 89,991 minutes, which was 1500 hours of reading. 83 students received a participation certificate. 21 students earned two free tickets to the Boulders game. 21 additional earned four tickets and 30 were what's considered home run readers who uh won four tickets a t-shirt and are going to be able to go out on the field and throw out a pitch at a game in in May. So um
020that that uh activity has a lot of success. Number one being getting students involved in reading and promoting that. And um the the the second part is getting a opportunity for our kids to go out with their families, go and um partake in uh going to the game, but also showcase Greenwood Lake when those students are out throwing out pitches, too. So that's So again, thank you again to Miss Hareld for all of that work. Um, as far as other activities that are going on, we we dove into state testing, but I'll let Miss Petrosi uh talk about that. Um, when when when she um comes up next, other upcoming events, tomorrow marks the end of the third marking period. I feel like every time we come up, it's like we're 5 weeks, five weeks
021in, but it is the end of the third marking period. So, those grades will be all finalized next week. The parent portal will open up on Friday of next week for parents to see grades and then we'll be sending the hard copy uh report cards home on May 5th. Also, couple other events. Our NJHS students will travel to the senior center tomorrow. Um next week is our big Washington DC trip for our eighth graders. So um yes, we actually yesterday uh our super our chaperons and um our adviserss for the eighth grade trip met with all the students. I went in and and discussed it with them and everyone has been warned to bring comfortable sneakers with you because there is a lot of walking and it is a full agenda. But, uh, all joking
022aside, it's a great opportunity for our for our students to go experience, uh, all that Washington has to offer, um, from the museums to the monuments, etc. So, we're we're looking forward to what is always a great experience for our students. Um, and then our on May 15th, we will have our NJHS induction ceremony here at 6 p.m. So, as Miss Ring said, as the year continues to go, there will be a lot more to celebrate and recognize. So, thank you. That's it. Thank you. Thank you. Um I do believe also that um even though it's not till June, I know the signups are now for the uh Laker hits, they do a garage sale every year and Saturday, June 14th. Um so if you're interested in buying a table or buying a spot and
023want to sell your wares, um please reach out to Joseph, assistant superintendent. Good evening. Uh I wanted to provide a few updates related to the progress in adopting a new reading program. A few months back I discussed the uh state education department's shift towards the district's literacy instruction and curriculum needing to be aligned with evidence-based and scientifically based instructional practices. uh couple weeks about two weeks ago, districts across New York State have now officially received the formal atistation form uh that requires us to attest that we are indeed aligned and utilizing curriculum that is uh evidence and scientifically based. Uh this attestation needs to be submitted to the state no later than September 1st of 2025. Uh all the programs that the district has been researching meet the state's literacy instruction best practices and um
024in addition to attesting that we are indeed uh utilizing evidence-based and scientifically based uh programs we have to provide them with a list of all eight programs that we are using. So um that will be coming up. Uh next slide. Okay. um where are we in selecting a program? So the data team along with myself and our instructional coach Miss Stevenardi have met with all three vendors CKLA, HM as well as Hookworms for a comprehensive presentation of their programs. Um after we also did a really deep dive into the materials. Each of the vendors sent us uh a plethora of materials to go through um and really take a look at um lesson plans, teacher instructional manuals, materials, digital um digital equipment and so forth. Um we then uh surveyed the data committee members based
025on the meetings that they had with the vendors as well as their looking at all those materials. um and two of the questions I have here this evening um that stood out most. So the question about which reading program best meets the needs of their students and um 12 of the data team members responded and overwhelmingly um HMH into reading uh stood out among the three that um were options of choice. Um, one of the choices was um in that's highlighted in purple was responded by um a teacher that teaches here at the middle school and does not teach grades K through five but said if they were going to choose one of the programs that HMH would have been one of the programs that would have been the program that they would have chosen.
026Um which aspects the second question um talked about which aspects of the selected reading series do you value most? So relative to the answer to the first question um and you can see the results there are strong foundational skills of instruction uh 58% of the people pled said that was important um text complexity and rich content that was 75% differentiated instruction and resources 83% uh engaging and diverse tests 83% and integration of reading and writing was also in that 83 percentile. So, um, at this point, even though HMH was still was chosen as being the overwhelming choice, we still need to dig a little bit deeper. And so, we are scheduling virtual and in-person meetings with Monroe Woodbury who is using um into reading and with Minkync who's using CKLA. Um we're at a crossroads
027roads about bookworms because no none of the data team members were overwhelmingly impressed with the program for just a variety of different reasons. But I'm still going to re reach out to there's no school districts in Orange County that are using bookworms. They're in Westchester. So I'm reaching out, but a lot of the people are engrossed in state testing right now. So after state testing, that's when these meetings will take place. I'm in the process of getting quotes from the vendors. So, I'll have more information of the cost of each of these programs. And then I'm hoping for the month of May during our board meeting to be able to have a comprehensive uh presentation of the programs and which one we've narrowed it down to selected. I just have a quick question. Sure. You're
028meeting with districts that don't use HMH that already use HMH. Oh, they already ministering uses CKLA and Monro Woodbury uses um in HMH into reading. Okay. Yeah. And I had an opportunity to spoke speak to both of the assistant superintendent of curriculum instruction and they gave me some tidbits which I'll share next month about each of the programs and the pros and cons. And one school district uh mining's been using CKLA for a few years now. mind barrier is in their second year of inception. Um, so they gave us some tips on it as well. So, and then the teachers and the data team would like to meet with their teachers and their coaches and talk to them about the ins and outs of it as well. Great. Thank you. Um, moving right along to
029state testing. Uh so day one of the New York State ELA testing proved eventful uh as schools across the state including Greenwood Lake face issues with the grade 3 through eight computer-based testing system. Uh in Greenwood Lake students experienced difficulties logging into the platform due to secure browser issues which led to testing being paused for the day. Um special thanks to our teachers um who uh showed a great deal of flexibility and patience during that time and also to um Miss Melor Ramos, Miss C and Miss Vanurin and the principles who were overseeing the testing on that day. Um fortunately testing resumed the following day. While the system was slow to allow student loginins, all students scheduled to test were ultimately able to complete their assessments as a result of the initial delay. Day two
030of the testing and makeups were pushed back by one day. Uh New York State Ed apologized to schools, students, and families, calling the situation unacceptable and placing full responsibility on its testing vendor, NWA. Um NWA has assured New York State Ed that a permanent fix is now in place. uh to accommodate loss time, the testing window has been extended by one week through May 23rd. So that's for all the te all the tests. Uh testing will remain computer-based and New York State Ed will ensure that NWA provides the necessary support to the schools. Um the chart displayed on the screen shows the remaining assessments that will take place districtwide. Uh students in grade 5 through eight took their science assessment today uh without a hitch. And although I am hearing it was very lengthy uh
031math testing uh will be uh the seventh and the eighth and then uh we start with our um nices lab which is for our English language learners and wrapping up with regent exams uh towards the end of June. Thank you. Um any questions? No. Thank you. At this time, assistant superintendent for business and below will come up and speak about the budget that is on. Yes. Thank you for letting me walk you through the presentation of the 2526 budget um superintendent recommendations. The proposed budget reflects uh the continued commitment to maintaining strong educational programs while remaining fiscally responsible. Our budget process began with a rollover of the current year's budget as a base. We focused on aligning aligning expenses with district goals. This is the final stage as we prepare for the upcoming public hearing
032on May 13th and the budget vote and board member election on May 20th. As shown in this timeline, this has been a collaborative pro process involving workshops, committee meetings, and board input input across several months. As we finalize the budget, several items remain uncertain. On the expenditure side, we're waiting for outcomes of the teachers contract negotiations. as Miss Patasi pointed out the costs of the new ELA reading program and several BOS's coser costs. On the revenue side, it's unclear if New York State has um met the final day for the budget. They had an extender till yesterday and I'm not sure what happened today, but uh it seems this situation mirrors last year where we had to approve our school budget prior to receiving confirmation of state aid. We're projecting several key additions for the
033upcoming year, including contractual increases, mandated services, and investments in student technology. Here is a breakdown of the new expenditure categories totaling 1.7 million. This includes increases in tuition rates, increases in T C enrollment, onetoone device rotation for kindergarten and boiler service contract. We're also accounting for special ed summer school uh transfer to special aid program. As we compare the current year, the total proposed budget increase is approximately 1.79 million. Instructional spending is the largest area of growth reflecting our ongoing investment in teaching and learning. Transportation seems sees a reduction. This is due to no new bus purchases are planned for the upcoming school year as per the replacement schedule. General support and undistributed expenses see moderate increases aligned with contractual and operational needs. Shifting to the revenue side of the budget equation, our revenue strategy
034includes maximizing the use of reserves to offset increases. Interest earnings are expected to remain strong due to higher interest rates. We are also applying unassigned fund balances to cover rising costs and lessen taxpayer burden. Overall revenue also increases by 17.79 million over the current year. State aid is expected to rise slowly though the final numbers as I said are pending. The biggest jump is in our use of fund balance to maintain service levels while minimizing the impact on Grand Lake taxpayers. The district is allowed to levy up to 3.93% to comply with the the uh property tax cap levy limit. However, to minimize the impact to taxpayers, the board is proposing a 2.25 increase. This translates to approximately $114 more annually per average household or just under $10 a month. This plan reflects the district's
035commitment to quality education. on next steps. The public hearing will be held on May 13th here at the middle school and the budget vote and board election is on May 20th at the elementary school from 11:00 a.m. to 900 p.m. Thank you. Any questions? Thanks. Um just a couple more things from me just to review uh items on tonight's agenda to highlight. Um, one we have uh our middle school nurse Laura Roach has submitted her intent to retire this June and we are very excited for [Music] her. We have Anna for business who intends to retire this December at the end of the calendar year. will celebrate these two ladies and and speak about them at our forthcoming senior and retirement celebration that we do on a manual basis. So celebrations for additionally we uh
036are are proposing a give back snow day on the Memorial Day weekend on Friday May 23rd. was to create a 4 day memorial day weekend for staff, students and the community. You know, tomorrow is a big event. Um, additionally, our analog clocks are in need of replacement and so as a facilities committee and as a whole board and as a whole board reviewed several options. One is replacing with the standard back clock um or replacing the clock but also at the same time improving classroom communication thereby improving safety and security. Uh if we simply replace the inner cog clocks one for one we would pay out full cost because it would just be a building upgrade and we would not get any state a money back. uh if we do the speaker system then we
037would get state aid back and the and up to 50 to 60% um because it's security based. So um the facilities committee recommended uh that we go ahead and move forward with the new speaker system talks and they will also be able to scroll messages across them um and uh be able to communicate back and forth between. So that is on agenda and that is all I have. Thank you. Okay. Um Ian will go ar district house. Sure. Um so there's a few things coming out tomorrow. Friday April 25th and Saturday is spring musical there. And then on Tuesday next week there's a high school spring concert. And of course like everywhere there's pro there and um actually coming up 26. Does anybody have anything? Sorry about that. usually Michelle nothing except just waiting for
038the state. Well, everyone asked me called a lively discussion uh between uh education law in New York State as opposed to the new administration in Washington and how it's not life. So, uh, it's going to be very interesting for the next couple of years to see how this works out. Um, you know, we're just going to have to rely on our legal advice and how and follow it closely so we can kind of tiptoe through and kind of lend money in front of us, but um, it should be interesting. Nothing on buses. No, this is nothing. Nothing at all, unfortunately. um facilities. I I think Sarah covered it with her presentation of what was done here at the middle schools and the uh the elementary school I missed something audit committee budget committee that was
039just went over the budget that's covered policy committee PTSA don't see Does anybody have any updates for I know that they sent a flyer out asking for donations for they do one big appreciation event for um all staff in the entire district in May and so I know they ask for monetary donations they can buy lunch for everybody make sure everybody donates please support our teachers um village of Greenwood Lake said she was going to be here I know there's also meet here. I know there's also a meeting for the uh eighth grade graduation that she's I don't know if she's attend I did speak to Mayor Holly and he will also be attending the cherry tree on day also there will be parade being Perfect. Good job. Okay, that's it. I think um subject
0405.1 correspondence to the board. Um the board of education received formal communication emails on March 28th and April 5th. No board action is required based upon the content of the letters. So no public discussion, no more agenda items will will result. However, the board did want to acknowledge that we did receive. So subject six stop one privilege of the floor. Before we all jump in here, let's let me just read a little statement here that is just um public expression at meeting shall be encouraged and the following guidelines were intended to promote an orderly procedure for public comment participation. The public will be given the opportunity to address the board regarding items of interest and concern during the privilege of the floor section of each monthly regular board meeting. Anyone wishing to be heard must
041sign in on the public comment form prior to the start of the business meeting or before speaking. Speakers will be asked to state their name before addressing their question or statement to the board. Speakers may be limited to three minutes each in their comments or questions. Speakers are to have the right to speak without interruption and are to address the president of the board. Unfortunately, that's that's me. Um, comments regarding specific personnel will be ruled out of order and referred to this as an agenda. Speakers will not be recognized for a second time until all who wish to speak have been given an opportunity. The board may suspend privilege of the floor, but it's determined that continued discussion over a particular topic will prevent the board from completing its scheduled business or if one of
042the above guidelines not are not adhered to and continued participation is deemed to be disrupted. Now, what's not on here is we will not answer any questions, but we will note those questions down and we will have a a formal response if it's required. Okay, thank you. That was a lot to read. Okay, Rosemary Deonardi, um, GLTA co-president. We acknowledge the submitted resignation of Ann Laro from her position as business administrator with a deep sense of respect and appreciation for her service, but also with a significant concern for the impact her departure would have on our district. Anne has been an invaluable member of our leadership team, bringing unmatched experience, dedication, and professionalism to her role. Just can't mention anybody's name. I'm sorry. All right, so I won't mention her name. her guidance, fiscal expertise,
043and tireless commitment to our school has played a critical role. You already you already stated her name, so you can't really accept her resation to Okay, so I'm just going to end with this. Because of her because of the value of to our district, we respectfully urge the board of education to reconsider the acceptance of the resignation. We believe retaining an in this role would serve the best interest of our students, staff, and community. We hope there is still an opportunity for open dialogue that can lead to her continued leadership within our district. Thank you. Moren Joseph, it is our understanding that this district is under a statemandated Senica Falls rate for all students. Is that true? However, it is important to note per guidance from the New York State Education Department, the use of
044this formula is required only as a basis for determining tuition rates for non-resident students. SED further clarifies that student districts may negotiate this alternative tuition rate through formal agreements such as long-term negotiated amounts as long as they do not surpass the maximum allowable rate calculated by SE data. Historically in Greenwood Lake, this rate has been subject to negotiation. Given that precedent, we respectfully ask the district tonight, why are you choosing not to pursue a negotiated rate? Has there been a change in policy or external conditions that has influenced this decision? What specifically is driving us to revisit the Senica Falls rate, which is significantly higher than the current rates? As most people in this room know tonight, using the Sedica Falls formula was one of the reasons posed for ending our relationship with Tuxedo High
045School. Why? Because that was becoming a financial burden to the Greenwood Lake School District. So we ask you, why are we returning to that formula? Considering our our enrollment in both high schools are decreasing. The amount calculated using the Senica Falls formula, we are nearly tripling our tuition. Furthermore, after 10 years of successful negotiations, why are we unable to come to an agreement with Warwick or Chester for the upcoming year or shall we say years? Where are the were there specific obstacles or changes on either side that prevented a continuation of these agreements? Additionally, from the the budget presentations, they said that the m the mandated technical falls rate for all students. There were two rates non non-resident tuition for regular education and students of special education grades 7 through 12. Which begs the question,
046are we paying tuition for seventh and eighth grade students who receive their education here in Greement Lake Middle School? If not, why are these two grade levels included under the tuition rate changes? You also state in previous contracts that they did not allow special education rates for students in special classes, that being a 1511, a 1211, or an 811. However, to the best of our knowledge, we do not currently have any students placed in a 1211 or an 811 at either Warwick or Chester High School. We would appreciate clarification on how this detail factors into the proposed budget and whether it has material impact on the rate being applied. Lastly, we would appreciate further insight into the financial implications of this change. Specifically answering these questions, how long has the district known this transition would
047be necessary? How long can we realistically sustain this rate under the current financial conditions? Is it fiscally responsible to rely heavily on our savings to absorb the increase? At what point might this begin to affect staffing levels or program availability? Are there anticipated staff reductions or cuts to programs in the near future? These are significant and I mean significant concerns for many of us in this community and we hope that tonight you will be able to provide transparency and reassurance as we look ahead in the future. Considering that the memorandum of agreement for the high school tuition was signed on December 9th, 2024, how has there not been a discussion about this increase and its potential impact on the Greenwood Lake community? In light of this, we respectfully request further clarification regarding the district's intent
048behind adopting the specific rate for all students. And additionally, we would like to ask whether or not the Green Lake School District has explored the potential for alternative tuition arrangements, particularly those who might serve our students and our community better. Thank you. Good evening. Um, my name is Lori Sanford. I am the GLTA vice president. Um, we would like to follow up as well on a list of concerns that were previously submitted to you by Miss Hatton. Despite allowing ample time for review and response, we have yet to receive any acknowledgement or reply addressing the issues that were raised. Our concerns were shared in good faith with the intention of fostering constructive dialogue and promoting transparency, accountability, and progress within our school community. The lack of response is disappointing and it undermines our trust in
049the process. We respectfully request that our concerns be addressed promptly and thoroughly. We believe that open communication and timely action are essential to maintaining a healthy and effective relationship between the board of education and the community it serves. We look forward to your response and a clear outline of our next steps. In addition, as I'm sure you all know, we are currently in um negotiations for the teachers contract with the district. Despite our best efforts to bridge the gap between district priorities and the teachers association's proposals, we have still not reached an agreement. Every essential proposal we have presented, including adjustments to salary schedules, snow days, professional development days, and even shorter work days and work years designed to help offset the salary increases has been met with a firm, and I quote, hard no.
050This categorical rejection applies even to items where we believe there is room for compromise. It is true. It is our hope that with the board guidance, we can break this standstill and secure a fair, sustainable contract that honors our teachers essential work while preserving the financial integrity of the district. At the same time, we are prepared to meet with you in person at your earliest convenience, and we hope that you take us up on that. Thank you. Um, sorry. Um, but in the future, we would really not like to discuss what you guys discussed prior to us knowing and it should be discussed. We didn't discuss anything contract. Yeah. Well, we are negotiating a contract. We cleared it with our LRS through last. Okay. Perfect. There was nothing specifically. We are we are in the
051middle of contract negotiations and we are being met with hard notes from the district. You are coming to the table with failure to negotiate in good faith. That's the facts. You already spoke. That's the facts. All right. Go ahead. Good evening. My name is Beth Buckley. I am a member of Teachers Association Executive Board and I'd like to speak um to our uh use of our excise snow days. So, um we have four snow days that we did not use this year. While we appreciate the decision to give back the Friday before Memorial Day, we're seeking clarification on why the remaining three unused snow days have not yet been addressed. We respectfully ask the board to consider communicating the district's plan regarding these unused snow days. We believe it is important for staff, students, and
052families to be informed of any potential changes to the school calendar in a timely manner. Clear communication regarding the use or non-use of these days would help everyone plan accordingly as we approach the end of the school year. Thank you for your time. Thank you. Hello. Can you hear me? Can you hear me? Yes, you can hear me. Oh, okay. Oh, there we go. Um, hi. My name is Amy Bellon. How is everyone today? Um, I just have a question about 9.12, uh, accept Moody's investment service profile. So, um, apparently there was a report done in April 10th, 2025. Is that correct? Um, and if so, will that be made public about, um, you know, the financial standings of our school district? Is that am I reading this correctly? I mean, a foil request can
053be made. Um, okay. Okay. So, I can foil it. Okay. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you. Would anybody else like to speak before we move on? No. Okay. Thank you everybody for your uh concerns uh for noted and we'll we'll review those for you all. Thank you very much. Uh moving along. Subject 7.1. May I please get a motion to approve the Orange Bowl Servosce 2025 2026 administrative budget as presented? Mike Dave. Any discussion? All in favor? I. Motion passes 5 to zero. Subject 7.2. May I please get a motion to cast one vote each for William Boss, David Eaton, and Edwin Estrada to the three open seats on the Orange Bolster Boseis Cooperative Board as presented. Ian, Dave, any discussion? All in favor? I. Motion passes 5 to zero. Subject 8.1. May
054I please get a motion to adopt the 2025 2026 school district budget as presented? Mike Dave. Any discussion? All in favor? I. Motion passes 5 to zero. Subject 9.1. May I please get a motion to approve the financial reports for March 2025 as presented at this meeting? Mike, Michelle, any all any discussion? All in favor? I. Motion passes 5 to zero. Subject 9.2. May I please get a motion to approve the property tax report card for submission to the New York State Education Department? Mike Michelle. Any discussion? All in favor? I. Motion passes 5 to zero. Subject 9.3. May I please get a motion to amend the 2024 2025 student calendar as presented? Mike Dave. Any discussion? All in favor? I. Motion passes five to zero. Subject 9.4. May I please get a motion to
055execute Shaw Pearlson May and Lambert agreement as presented? Mike, Michelle, any discussion? All in favor? I. Sorry. Motion passes 5 to zero. Subject 9.5. May I please get a motion to certify compliance of the title six of the civil rights act of 1964 as presented. Mike Ian. Any discussion? All in favor? I. Motion passes 5 to zero. Subject 9.6. Can I please get a motion for approval of the Washington DC trip and approval for transfer of funds as presented? Mike Michelle. Any discussion? All in favor? I. Motion passes 5 to zero. Subject 9.7. May I please get a motion to approve a UPK classroom materials and supplies appropriation transfer as presented? Mike Dave. Any discussion? All in favor? I. Motion passes 5 to zero. Subject 9.8. May I please get a motion to approve appropriation
056of funds for districtwide clock and speaker for security upgrades. Mike. Dave. Any discussion? All in favor? I. Motion passes 5 to zero. Subject 9.9. May I please get a motion to award Tatonic engineering request for proposal as presented? Eight. Michelle. Any discussion? All in favor? I. Motion passes 5 to zero. Subject 9.10. May please get a motion to approve capital project number 16 and number 20 as presented. Mike, Michelle, any discussion? All in favor? I. Motion passes 5 to zero. Subject 9.11. May I please get a motion to approve agreement with Orange County Department of Emergency Services as presented? Like Michelle. Any discussion? All in favor? I. Motion passes five to zero. Subject 9.12. May I please get a motion to accept Moody's investor service profile as presented? I Michelle. Any discussion? All in favor?
057I. Motion passes 5 to zero. Subject 10.1. May I please get a motion to accept with regret the resignation with intent to retire Ann Maro as assistant superintendent for business as presented. Dave, Mike, any discussion? Thank you, Ann, for all of your years of service and hope you look forward to your Thank you. Um, all in favor? I motion passes 5 to zero. Subject 10.2. May I please get a motion to accept with regret the resignation of Laura Lo Ro as school nurse with the intent to retire as presented. Mike Ian. Any discussion? Again, Laura, thank you very much for your service. All in favor? I. Motion passes 5 to zero. Subject 10.3. May I please get a motion to accept with regret the resignation of Julian Marano as custodial worker as presented? Mike Dave.
058Any discussion? Julian, thank you for uh your service while you were with the Green Lake District. All in favor? I. Motion passes 5 to zero. Subject 10.4. May I please get a motion to appoint Jacob Hoopmood as custodial worker as presented. Mike Dave. Any discussion? All in favor? I. Motion passes five to zero. Long one tonight. Sorry. Subject 10.5. May I please get a motion to appoint Tiffany Datina as long-term teaching assistant substitute? Michelle Mike. Any discussion? All in favor? I. Motion passes 5 to zero. Subject 10.6. May I please get a motion to appoint Elizabeth Sabatelli as long-term leader placed teacher as presented. Michelle Mike. Any discussion? All in favor? I. Motion passes 5 to zero. Subject 11.1. May I please get a motion to accept the cse CPSC recommendations as presented at this
059meeting. Mike Michelle. Any discussion? All in favor? I. Motion passes five to zero. Subject 12.1. May I please get a motion to adjourn to executive session to discuss medical, financial, credit or employment history of any particular person or corporation or matters leading to the appointment, employment, promotion, demotion, discipline, suspension, dismissal or removal of any particular person or corporation and discuss the negotiations conducted pursuant to the Taylor law involving the GLTA unions. like Michelle. Any discussion? All in favor? I motion passes five to zero. Uh there will be no public comment taken after the executive session. The next board of education meeting will take place on Tuesday, May 20th, 2025 at 6 p.m. in the middle school gymnasium. Thank you. That's it. All right. Enjoy your evening, everybody.