001Good evening and welcome to the Yorktown Central School District Board of Education meeting for November 17, 2025. Can I get a motion to go into executive se executive session to discuss the employment history of particular pedagogical and non-pedogical employees and matters made confidential under Furpa? >> So move second. >> All those in favor. >> Any opposed? >> Can I get a motion to go back into public session? So move >> second. >> All those in favor? Any opposed? Good evening. Welcome to the Yorktown Central School District Board of Education meeting for November 17th, 2025. And we stand for the pledge of allegiance, followed by a moment of silence for our armed forces and those in the Yorktown Central School District community that have lost loved ones, especially the grandmother of Alexa Aparicio and the brother-in-law
002of Nagla Abdel Karim are >> I have two students. I got it. >> Okay. I'm sorry. >> Our our pledge of allegiance will be led by Florence Daly and Gabrielle Ramos. >> Stand here and hold it. I pledge aliance 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. >> Great job, guys. Dr. Hatter, we have a lot of friends here tonight. >> Some great news coming from Brookside. First of all, families, I am so sorry that we were a few minutes late coming out. I know it's a Monday night. It's cold outside. We've got times and lunches to get ready and so many other things pressing on our time. So, I apologize that we were a
003few minutes late coming out, but I have a really, really good feeling that it was well worth it because we have such a great presentation. I see so many friends here from Brookside. So, I would like to invite Brookside school principal, Mr. Caserini, to the podium to introduce this evening's presentation. Thank you, Dr. Hatter. Board members, it's a pleasure, always a pleasure to come. Parents, thank you for coming out on this first night. I also know Dr. Hannah didn't mention it. There's an 8:15 kickoff. So, you know, but we we have a wonderful presentation um tonight. You know that, you know, from past presentations um academic learning, character education, and empathy have always been important goals at Brookside. Uh tonight, two of the newer members of the Brookside family, Mrs. Valardo, Mrs. Galinelli uh along
004with their teaching assistant Mrs. Angelini will present a new spin that they've brought to Brookside that I think you'll find very fascinating. Hi, I'm Miss Scalinelli. >> Hi, I'm Diane Angelini. >> Good evening. My name is Carrie Valardo and we are excited to introduce our amazing third graders. >> Hi, my name is Alex. Hi, my name is Nicholas. >> Hi, my name is Nico. >> Hi, my name is Mark. Hi, my name is Noah. >> Hi, my name is Hudson. >> Hi, my name is Vivian. >> Hi, my name is Alexa. >> Hi, my name is Eddie. >> Hi, my name is Maline. Hi, my name is Adriana. >> Hi, my name's Lucas. >> Hi, my name is Gabriel. >> Hi, my name's Melania. Hi, my name is Heidi. Hi, my name is Riu. Hi,
005my name is Jack. Hi, my name is Florence. >> Hi, my name is Emily. >> Thank you all for having us and for coming out tonight. We are excited to share the amazing work our third grade students have been working on this school year. Each month, our class focuses on a new character trait. Students listen to stories and participate in collaborative discussions to inspire empathy, promote good citizenship, and become responsible individuals. This monthly focus on character traits not only encourages students to practice positive behaviors and recognize kindness in others, but also connects directly to their work on character analysis throughout the lit throughout the other literature in our school year. It helps students understand how traits influence actions, decisions, and relationships, both in stories and in real life. Throughout the month, the character trait is
006displayed outside our classroom door, and students have the opportunity to recognize peers who demonstrate the trait on our classroom shoutout board. Lastly, students brainstorm ways to practice the trait in their daily lives and on a larger scale, which naturally leads into meaningful culminating projects. Today, our students are excited to share some of the projects and the meaningful work that they've done this year. We kicked off the year by reading Bad Apple and talking about what friendship means. We were We learned that being a good friend means supporting others and showing kindness every day. We worked together to make a chart of ways we could show friendship in our classroom on the bus and in the cafeteria. we also thought we also thought about how to be kind and helpful outside of school. During this project
007gave us ideas of how we can be good friends to one another. In the month of October, we read the book each kindness by Jacqueline Woodson. One of the big lessons in the story is that small acts of kindness can create a ripple effect that spreads out into the world. After we read the book, we started a kindness project to spread kindness all around our school. Our class came up with an idea to design special stickers for World's Kindness Day, which is celebrated on November 13th. We planned and created stickers using Canva, thinking about how kindness can grow and spread. The stickers were printed and given to all the students in our school to wear on World Kindness Day. By wearing the By wearing the stickers, everybody could show how one small act of kindness
008can make a big difference in our school community. Next, in the month of November, our class read the book Those Shoes by Marabus Bolts. After reading, we talked about things we are grateful for and why gratitude is important. We brainstormed ways we could show gratitude in our community. This led us to create the gratitude project. We teamed up with students from Mr. Dona, Miss Spear, Diglioshi's, Miss Rampino, Miss Mleier, Miss Meyer, and Miss Grazo classes. Each third grade student wrote a gratitude grant to a local to thank them for all the hard work they do. Then we worked together to collect snacks and make gratitude baskets. These included our gratitude grams of appreciation. We then personally delivered these baskets and letters to community members like the Yorktown Volunteer, Fire Department, Police Department, Volunteer, Ambulance, Corpse,
009and Postal Workers. We also shared our gratitude with the Yorktown Highway and Water Department, showing that small acts of kindness I mean thanks can really make someone's day. Next month our class will be focusing on the character trait of generosity. We are excited to learn about the new character trait and see how this trait can inspire our next project. We'd like to thank Miss Christine Breen, Miss Alyssa Royal, the third grade teachers, students, and their families for helping bring this project to life. Lastly, today we brought you some of the kindest stickers we created and many gratitude grams to show our appreciation for all that you do to make our school district the best and safest place to learn. At this time, we would like to thank all of our board members for your continued
010support of our students, teachers, and programs that make opportunities like this possible. Your commitment to fostering a positive and engaging learning environment for our students is truly appreciated. Thank you so much, guys. Great job. Thank you. I think your >> mouth. >> Wow. Thank you so much, boys and girls. I love I love these stickers. I'm going to put them on my coffee cup and I'm going to look at it every day. So, thank you so much. I'm going to let our board members I know they have something to say. Mike, >> well, how about a big round of applause for all our students. Thank you. >> Thank you so much. This was such a fun project. I could see you all enjoyed it and you learned a lot. Um, and I love the stickers.
011I have a a kind rock that someone painted for me uh that's on my desk at work. So, I'm going to put these on there with that. So, thank you very much um for a wonderful evening. Cheryl, >> I love the fact that one of your first slides clearly defined what being a good friend is. And it talks about supporting others and showing kindness. Two simple terms or two simple phrases, but define really the fundamentals of being a good friend. And I love that. And then not only did you define it, but you went on to collaborate and demonstrate friendship in different areas of your own lives, especially at school and at home. So I appreciate that. I think that's so wonderful that you guys were able to clearly define what friendship is and I
012think that it means nothing more than that. Exactly. You guys nailed it. So what a great presentation and what a what a great way to really demonstrate eene. So thank you guys so much. >> Rashmi, thank you for coming and sharing um photos from your gratitude project. Uh you spoke so eloquently um you know especially for being our youngest uh learners. Um, you're very impressive and thank you for the stickers. Uh, love it. And, um, I know as Mike said, we we had a walk that was painted and I loved seeing Bernie on the sticker, too. So, thank you, >> Adelina. Everybody did such a beautiful job and thank you for the kindness, Grahams. Um, but not only did you do such an amazing job, but you were learning how to use Canva, something that's
013my goal for this year. So, um, you have an amazing third grade teacher and you guys did such an amazing job. Thank you, >> Pete. Pete, >> what a great presentation. Friendship, kindness, gratitude. Parents, you should be really proud of your children. The fact that they can get up here and speak in front of a crowd this large is is so impressive. We have a tough time talking in front of a crowd like this. You should be all very proud of yourself. And thank you for the very, very cool gifts. Yeah. And the speaking um is amazing to me. It's weird to hear your voice on this and all around you. And you all just accepted that so well and you spoke so eloquently and so clearly. It was really very very impressive. One of
014my favorite parts about your presentation was when you were talking about our community helpers and how you appreciated our highway department and our police department and our fire department because they're all very very important to us. And I cannot wait for you guys to come back and tell us about generosity. Dr. Hatter. >> Yeah. So, I have a few things for the students. I'll come back to you. Miss Gallinelli, Miss Valardo, thank you so much for bringing the presentation to our district. Um, Miss Angeli, thank you. Mr. Casserini, Dr. Sandor, thank you. But I also see the third grade team. I see colleagues here as And I just want to acknowledge you all here because it's all a group effort and just thank you all so much for what you do. The it's challenging enough
015in the course of a school day to get in all the requirements and to do some of these really exciting projects that are fun. I I mean our teachers make it look easy, but we know it's not. It's a ton of work to to do this. And I just you have my gratitude gratitude. Uh you have my thanks. You have my appreciation. So thank you. who I wanted to make sure that I acknowledge not just the teachers who led the presentation, but those in the audience as well. Families, it's Monday and it feels like we've been in the school week and the work week for about three or four days at this point. Thank you for coming out. I I really do appreciate it. I know the demands on your time are great and I
016appreciate your partnership, your support. We have such an amazing school district and you're a big reason why we have such an amazing school district. So, I thank you for your support sincerely. students, I am so proud of you. That was unbelievable. That was really good. There are a lot of people in the audience who would have trouble standing up in front of a podium doing what you did. And you guys did this in elementary school. Wow, that's impressive. I love how the literacy was the backbone of everything that you did. You learned two of the most important lessons that you're ever going to learn. Be nice and say thank you. Those are two really important lessons. I am so proud of each and every one of you. You guys did so great tonight. This was
017one of those good news presentations that I won't forget. So, congratulations. You guys should be so so proud of yourselves. I know I'm proud of you and I look forward to coming by to visit you guys. If not this week, I'll try to come in next week early and I'll say hi to each of your classrooms. Um, do we want to take a few minutes? Okay. So, we have a lot we have a lot of meeting left. I'm giving a presentation. There's a whole bunch of things that are happening. You're welcome to stay, but we're going to take a brief fiveminute recess. So, if you choose to depart, which I trust that many of you will, uh, you'll have the opportunity to do so, but thank you so much for spending part of your night
018with us. >> Dr. Hatter, that was amazing. You have a superintendent report for Oh, sorry. Public comment number one. >> All right, then. Uh, then we have Hunter's report. Yep. >> Good evening. It has been another exciting week in Yorktown schools. The Yorktown school high school boys and girls volleyball teams have each experienced tremendous achievements this week. The boys team won the section championship and on Thursday winning a very exciting game at the county center. On Saturday, the girls team had a thrilling win to beat Columbia High School in the regional final. Both teams are advancing in their playoff run for the state championship. On Wednesday, four Yorktown High School seniors were honored during the national letter of intent signing day. Y just held a ceremony honoring these athletes who will continue their athletic journey
019at the division 1 division 2 collegiate level this past weekend. The Yorktown High School drama club presented multiple performances of Jane Austin sense and sensibility. The talented performers put on a fantastic production and we were thrilled to have such tremendous community attendance. Finally, I want to mention an event that occurred this past week that has a special significance to me. This past Tuesday was Veterans Day and on the state we held the third annual Battle of Yorktown lacrosse play day fundraiser at Grant Nolles Park in Yorktown. This event was founded by me and my family three years ago and brings together high school lacrosse teams from across the state to raise money for the Yorktown VFW veterans and the Yorktown boys lacrosse program. The event has grown in size each year and this year we
020hosted nine boys lacrosse teams. We are already working on the 2026 event which will expand to include a girls division. I'm proud of this event and the way it brings together Yorktown community and the greater lacrosse community and raises money for our brave local veterans. Thank you. >> Thank you. Listen, next year, can you let us know and we can announce that in advance? >> Yeah, of course. I'd love to. Community is always open to come. It's a great event. So many teams, so many faces, and everyone just comes around just to enjoy the day and play lacrosse together. >> Thank you. >> All right. Next, we're going to move on to our candidate interviews for open vacancy um on the board. Each candidate will be asked three question. I don't know who is everybody
021here. Who's here? Do we have um Robert Lena? Okay. Um Evan Busher. I don't know how to say your last name. Bush. Um Ken Wong. Uh Jacqueline Gorino and Adam McDonald. Okay, great. Glad you're all Thank you for joining us tonight. So um we can ask you guys to come up towards the front. What we'll do is we will ask um each one of you one of the three questions. We'll do question number one. Each of what you will ask it then question number two. Each of you will answer it and move on to question number three. And then we have another question um that you weren't given in advance um that we're going to ask you about. Each each one of you will have two minutes to answer each question. Up to two minutes.
022You don't have to take the whole two minutes if you don't want to. Um, I just wanted to let you know that um if the once we appoint a candidate, if that happens tonight, if we get a motion and someone's appointed tonight, that candidate will stay um on their seat until May 19th, which is the election. Um if that candidate wants to continue on after May 19th, they'll have to put in a petition and run. Um just like everyone else, there are two open seats for the May 19th election. That's Mike's seat and Catalina's seat. Um, on May 19th, the third highest vote getter will complete Jackie's term, which is the seat you're filling now, and that term will expire on June 30th of 2027. The two top highest vote getters will get a three-year
023term expiring June 30th, 2029. Um, okay. So, I guess we'll get started and we're going to just take them in order of that we had received the application. So, Robert Lena, you're first. You can come on up to the podium. There's a stand there. You can move that out of your way. I don't think you need it. >> Okay. And I'll ask the question and then you then you'll have the the two minutes. Sure. In your opinion, what is the greatest strength of our school district and the most significant challenge it currently faces? >> Uh so our greatest strength was obviously what we saw here today. It's the community. Uh when anything happens here in this district, a back to school night concert or even parent teacher conference, the entire town knows about it. There's
024traffic. if there's no parking, um things like that. So, the the way the uh community really lifts up the staff and the students, I feel like other districts don't get to experience regularly. Um I'm a teacher. I used to work down in uh Greenberg and I actually had a back to school night where one parent came. So, being here going to my kids back to school nights, you know, sometimes you have to park out across the street or so it's good to see. Um go on to the next part, the challenge. Um so some like opportunities for growth in the district. Um I see working more for all students. We have an amazing academic performance, great college readiness programs, but what about those not really heading in the college direction? Um with uh NISED's portrait
025of a graduate coming in the next few years, there's be more opportunities for CTE. Um um I'm sorry. So a bigger focus will be placed on CTE which is a great cause because I think too long college has been the end all beall in school. Like if you didn't go to college you weren't going to be successful and I don't think that's true at all. Um I think widening CTE opportunities for students would help to serve all students and not just those on the college path. Another uh opportunity I see is focusing more on everyday issues. um healthy habits, you know, um I am a culinary instructor uh by day and um you know, seeing what my kids eat every day on the district calendar can be disappointing at times. It's like it looks like
026a lot of lowquality um super processed food. So I think that uh the role like a school pay plays in the obesity epidemic, you know, could really be changed. >> Um so yeah, am I going through all three questions or one? >> No, just the first one. Thank you. >> Thank you, >> Evan Bush. >> Do you need me to read the question again? >> No, I think I know it. >> Okay, good. >> Uh, good evening. So, um, the greatest strength of this town, the school district, is the community, right? Um, I I married a a woman who grew up here and it's the only community that I've ever been to where people just don't want to leave. And I think the school district is a huge part of that culture. I think the
027reason that the school district is so successful in the very different aspects that it does is I think the greatest strength is the quality of the educators. Um, I have a daughter who's in college. I have a daughter who's a junior and I have a daughter who's in seventh grade. And I could tell you that I out of all of those, there's only been one teacher that I've had that I was less than thrilled with and that was the only one and that she wasn't even that bad. Um, the teachers generally care genuine genu genuinely genuinely care about the mental physical well-being of every kid. They care about their development. They care about their education. I think they're probably the greatest asset to the district. I think the biggest challenges that the district is facing
028is trying to build character in kids, kindness, empathy, um, and a little bit of sort of service, a little bit of maybe it's not all about me. A in in a world where it's trying to teach these kids to be more and more selfish every day. um everything that they touch digitally says that their whole life is about them and promoting them and everything that's about them is unique and special and everything and I think that there's a challenge of getting kids to operate as a team and understand that it's not always about them. Um and I think getting the parents on board with that is also a challenge. I think that there's um there's a lot about the culture that's right and I but I do think that that is a challenge that the
029district is facing across the board. So, >> thank you. >> Ken Wong, >> do you need me to read the question? >> No, all good. How you doing, everyone? >> Yeah, you know, everyone's been saying the greatest strength is community, but I also see that adaptability is really one of the greatest strengths as well. um whenever there's new challenges that Yorktown has really seen when it comes to you know technology or you know societal we've evolved very well um I think we've taken those challenges and kind of gone head on first and has been very very successful um when it comes to strengths um you know uh well the the next challenge would be um um really just about how we handle and deal with the issues that kind of come about Um, and uh,
030I had some notes here. Sorry, a lot of information. My apologies. Um, yeah, it it's it's more about the everchanging world that we're kind of going through right now, especially in technology. Um, I run a IT cyber security firm. So, I think it's important to really empower our kids on cyber security awareness, uh, things that we're really learning about, you know, uh, social media and things and really how they're growing into that future world. Uh, educating that piece is is critical to me and, um, I think that, you know, investing and and putting our energy into that will really empower our kids growing up into the new technology world. >> Thank you, Jacqueline Garino. Do you need me to read the question? >> I'm all right. Okay, >> I have it. Thank you. Um, good
031evening everybody. >> So, uh, as a mother with two boys in the district, one at Brookside in third grade special needs classroom and another in fifth grade at Cromp. I'm an aunt to five nieces and nephews who span from pre-K to junior in high school. I have the uni unique opportunity to see our district through the eyes of students at every stage of their educational journey. My family is deep rooted in this community and like so many parents, my greatest hope for our children is to receive a strong, equitable and supportive education. I feel the greatest strength is the dedication of our teachers, support staff and and administrators. Their commitment to meeting every child where they are academically, socially, and emotionally creates an environment where students of all abilities could thrive. I especially value the
032support available to students with special needs and their genuine collaboration between parents and school staff. One challenge that we face is ensuring that the highest standards of support continues as each student needs and evolves. Education is not one-sizefits-all. As we all know, and it's easy for subjectivity to influence how our policies are interpreted or how resources are allocated. As our district grows, maintaining that consistency, equitable and easy access to services for strong academic offerings, including a safe and secure learning environment for both students and staff, becomes complex. So, I feel like one of our challenges would be finding ways to meet these demands without compromising safety, personalized attention, andor strong communications with families is essential. Thank you. Adam McDonald, >> you need me to read the question? >> No. Okay. Thank you. Good evening. Um,
033I feel the greatest strength of the school district is the success of the students, the teachers, the parents, and the community in in general. I think there's a very strong bond between the board, the schools, and the community. And I think that's something of great value. Uh, creating that bond between is very difficult to create, let alone maintain. And that's something that this board has continued to do and I would love to continue that tradition. Um, you know, I as a husband of a teacher, I have two boys in the district currently and I have friends that are teachers and administrators throughout the county, throughout the state. I hear stories. I hear struggles that teachers have. I hear struggles that students have. And I hear struggles that parents have. And I think this would help
034provide me to pro to give a well-rounded guide guidance to my performance on the board. Um, Yorktown High School Yorktown Central School District proves that it cares about educating the whole child so they will be educated, well-rounded, and respectful members of society. That is something I have taken with me as an alumni of Yorktown. I went through Mohansick Cromp Middle Strang and the high school and my wife and I when we decided to start a family and we had our choices to go to any district or any community we felt very fond and proud of this community and that's something we would like to I would love to continue. I feel the most significant challenge to this district is the speed at which technology moves. What is current today tomorrow morning is outdated and I
035feel the problem is how do we react and handle this technology change. It's not as if we can change an app and make things current. And I think the distance and the lag between making the corrections to adjust to technology with the speed at which it works is the greatest um challenge to this board. >> Thank you. Okay, we'll move on to question two. And again, we'll start with Robert Lena. How would you handle a situation where your personal beliefs conflict with the interests of or stated wishes of the majority of your constituents or the board? >> Okay. Um, so this was the easiest of the questions for me. I think compromise is the answer. I'd clearly explain my view. I'd think why it serves the students first and then look for a compromise. maybe
036roll out, you know, however you may do it. Um, pilot programs, slow phase rollouts, uh, community surveys, anything like that. But if the community and board still feels otherwise to what I thought, I'd 100% support the majority. But still, I'd advocate for my own uh uh for what I believe in constructively and respectfully. Thank you. >> Thank you, Evan Bush. So I think that um your personal beliefs are important but at the same time it's a board of elected folks other than this particular situation. Right? So I think that it's really about what's best for the kids and if the as a board member you get one vote so you cast your vote, you can make your piece. You're all duly elected intelligent people who can are perfectly capable of formulating your own opinions. I
037I wouldn't expect to be able to or want to try and change anybody's particular position. All I could do is represent what I feel, cast my vote, and then support the the town and the board as a whole. So, I think that's pretty much the limitation of a board member and um you know, with the understanding that once you cast your vote, whether it whether you agree with it or not, you support it as part of the team. So, thank you. >> Thank you, Ken Wong. um in leadership, especially in public, um your role is really not to represent yourself. It's for, you know, the community. Again, um in my work and running a cyber security firm, um you know, I I'm often faced with different opinions, different financial aspects, different ethical reasons, and you
038always have to make hard decisions. Um, I've had to do that with different cultures around the world. So, it's important that we, at least for me and what I've learned is to listen, collect the data and review the impact and make a transparent informed decision. So, as a group, you know, I think everyone should kind of follow that idea of, you know, gathering all that information and and communicating well amongst us. Um so ultimately the responsibility you know as a trustee in the community is to you know make good decisions with fairness and doing that ultimately supports student success. >> Thank you Jacqueline and Gorino. As a parent, I know how important it is to feel heard and respected and included in decisions that affect our children. If my personal beliefs ever conflicted with the
039majority, I would approach the situation ethically with humility, transparency, and a recognition that my own experience, while valuable, is still subjective. Good leadership requires listening to a wide range of opinions and viewpoints, especially when parents and caregivers who entrust the district with their children every day. I would prioritize open communication with families gather data around the decision that we're making and ensure that all perspectives are being considered before making an ultimate decision. At the same time, I do believe in being willing to question or challenge the status quo if needed. If the community's wishes are point to a positive student- centered direction, even if it differs from my own initial viewpoint, I would honor that direction while ensuring the decision aligns with the district's mission of academic excellence, inclusivity, safety, and students overall well-being. >>
040Thank you, Adam McDonald. Well, I'm sure that there will be times where my opinion is different than everyone's and everyone will have a different opinion of mine and that's to be expected because we're all individuals. But the ability to work together is what makes this board so great. And I feel that despite my opinion, although would be potentially in the minority of the board decision, I would trust the board and the work that they've done and going on the history that the board has that they know what they're doing and that maybe I'm need to expand and learn and take that as a teachable moment. So my my role would be to provide my insight, give as much detail and information as possible, but go with the decision of the board knowing that if different
041from mine, they have the experience in the leadership and it's been proven. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Okay, we'll go on to question three. How would you prioritize spending when faced with a tight budget or need for cuts? Which areas such as staffing, technology, facilities, programs would you view as protected or most flexible? >> Um, okay. So, this is probably the toughest one for me. Um, I', uh, I the things I'd protect the most would be studentf facing staff, the teachers, the aids, counselors, um, you know, anyone like that that interacts with the kids, you know, on a daily basis. any of the programs that support the kids. Um, any of the open practical pathways, especially as the demand for CTE is as growing like it is. Um, and I'd also prioritize the food
042and nutrition improvements I I mentioned before. Um, you know, I know how motivated I feel if I eat two or three slices of pizza. I know I feel after that what I feel like getting into versus eating, you know, a nice balanced meal. Um things I think there's more flexibility around would be you know non- studententf facing administrative costs uh more like facility aesthetics things like that large tech upgrades that are not classroom critical um things like that could be you know phased in or delayed where necessary but uh I know Yorktown's financial record here so there's a strong base to lean on um and then there's also things you know there always things like grants community partnerships and uh you know working with local businesses that can help support all the things that are
043really important. >> Thank you >> Evan Buché. >> So budget concerns are unique on a situation by situation basis. Um I don't have a personal agenda. I don't I don't have a pet project. Um, I'm a I'm a parent of kids who play sports, but at the same time, at the end of the day, you're here to represent what benefits the most kids, period. Right? What is of the most benefit over the short and long term for the most kids? And I think those are the programs that that deserve priority. I think that there's only a couple really non-negotiables. Um, one would be safety. Um, I think I think school safety, campus safety for me that's personal. I had a friend of mine who lost a kid in Sandy Hook. So, I don't I don't
044see that as as like anything in a place that like shouldn't come up in a budget discussion. I think safety is the first thing. But, um, other than that, it's whatever it is the situation dictates that benefits the most kids. Not my kids or anybody else. just whatever benefits the most kids period I think because at the end of the day that's why you're all here. So thank you. >> Thank you >> Ken Wong. >> Um budgeting. Yeah I've been dealing with budgets constantly. personal life and business. You know, having two, you know, twin girls in the in the district at 11 year old 11 years old right now is uh making it financially fun for me. Um >> but uh you know, running a technology firm in different countries, it it I'm constantly working
045with budgeting. So, um you know, with with my background, it it's really about just reducing costs. Um there's a lot of things that especially on technology you can look at the infrastructure reductions and things like that and I would definitely look at vendor uh agreements or things like that to before we even discuss about dealing with you know projects with students anything that would affect teachers and students right there's a lot of things that you can reduce in that aspect uh again I deal with that constantly and you know just having that balanced data driven approach protecting uh instruction and student services uh you know I can definitely find efficiencies in operations, infrastructure, technology, uh any redundancies that can really occur. Um that's really important and uh just investing in areas that both save money
046long-term and enhance student experiences. So ultimately the goal isn't just cutting, it's uh just making sure every dollar that we deliver is the highest impact for our kids. And um as we again you know deal with our budgets planning a one year or three year fiveyear plan really looking at that future is critical. Um that's how we don't waste money and respend things on many different aspects even outside of technology. >> Thank you Jacqueline and Gorino. So my family and I have been a part of the sto school school district for 10 years now and we've seen how budget decision decisions affect students from early childhood through their throughout their adolescence in a tight budget. I believe that we must protect the areas that impact our students day-to-day experience. classroom staffing, special education services, mental
047health support, essential learning materials, and the safety of both students and staff. As someone already stated, safety is a non-negotiable. And even in difficult financial moments, we must ensure that our buildings, the procedures, and the support systems are kept and and are keeping everyone secure. At the same time, I believe parents also deserve clear communication about financial decisions, potential trade-offs, and the reasoning behind them. When families understand the why, they could better support the district through these changes. Areas that may offer more flexibility flexibility include phased facility upgrades, select technology decisions and purchases or program expansions that don't currently serve serve the large number of students. Most importantly, I'm willing to challenge outdated systems or assumptions if they no longer serve the students effectively. Protecting our children's educational experience and ensuring they could learn in
048a safe, supportive environment should always come before protecting any status quo. My guiding principles are simple. Students should feel supported. The teacher should feel equipped. Families should feel confident. And even when budgets are tight, safety and students success must remain at the heart of every decision made. >> Thank you, Adam McDonald. uh if I was faced with a tight budget or need for cuts, it's obviously a very sensitive topic and subject. I would not be taken lightly. However, I think the decision should go back to the mission of the board and that's the well-rounded education. The whole education for the student, not just academics, sports, technology or or other forms of education, but the entire student needs the needs of the entire student need to be addressed when dealing with cuts. Um, I do feel
049that safety is is also a non-negotiable as well as face-toface interactions with students, teachers and staff. That is something I think that's invaluable for the for the student for their learning process for them to grow as humans into adults. So therefore they are capable to communicate other than through a text message or or a direct message. uh communication is something that our our students I do feel need to be able to handle properly when talking with adults versus when chatting with their friends. So I do feel that face-to-face interaction with students and staff is is a necessity. Um, however, if cuts were truly necessary on the and we had to make a cut, again, I would refer to the mission of the board where let's have as little impact on the student as possible and
050let's educate them to the to their fullest. Thank you. >> Thank you. We're going to have one more question and I'll I'll call you guys up in the same order. Um, this was not a question that you was given in advance, but it's not a hard one. Um, okay. We'll start with Robert Lena. Is there anything else you would like the board to know about your candidacy or any questions you feel we should have asked? >> Um, I mean, I think I told you guys everything I need to tell you. I sent you uh, you know, a letter of intent, talked about myself. You know, I also have kids in the district. I'm a teacher. I own a couple businesses in town. Uh, lived here for over eight years. Um yeah, I think I just
051bring a unique perspective, you know, being a teacher, uh, you know, coming from that point of view. So that might be a little different. Other than that, thank you guys for having me. I appreciate it. >> Thank you for your time. Evan Bush, >> I guess the thing that pops into mind is sort of um you know why we're all here, right? And why each of our candidates are here. And I think that there's there for me personally when I first learned about the vacancy and I knew that there was going to be like an appointment rather than an election to fill it. Um you know my first thought is like okay well why why do you want to do this? And my my family was like yeah you should do this. You should do
052this. And I said, "Well, this school district has been very good to my my family, and if there was something that there was a need that needed to be filled, um, that I would step in and try and help out, right? Obviously, there's very capable people here who are who are intelligent and well spoken, um, and they really care about the community as we do. Um, I just think it's a it's a it's a testament to service and and and I think we're here for the kids. I think there's there's probably nothing more noble than that. Um, you give of your time, you do it for nothing for the most part. So, I I just think that at the end of the day, we know you're going to make a a good decision that's in
053the best interest of the kids and the town. And um, I appreciate your time and chance to speak for you and thank you. Thank you for your time, >> Hen. >> Um, I would say a question that I would have liked to hear was probably what is your long-term vision? Um, you know, I think everything that we do here impacts even after our term is up, years and years and all our other generations. Um, so how would we or how could I or anyone help make that vision come to fruition? Um, the the growth and the longevity of how we make our decisions really impact all our kids. So, uh, I think that's really important to really kind of foresee the the decisions we make today and how they really affect, you know, the next
054next generations of kids. >> Thank you. Thank you for your time, Jacqueline Guino. So I guess one question would be how do your skills attribute to your role on the board? So my my full-time job is I kind I've sell text technology to individuals and I think you know from my perspective I hear a lot of different individuals cases what they struggle with where their gaps are and I come up with a technology solution and we work together to train the person implement it and really make sure that they're using everything to the best of their ability and I think I could I could bring that here where I could talk to specific situations. every kid is different, like every family office or individual is different and really kind of take the skills what I've
055learned here today, what I will learn from the board and apply it to those unique situations. Um, but at the end of the day, when I heard about the vacancy, again, I'm a parent, my family owns a local business in the community. You know, we're deep rooted here. So, we just want to make sure that we keep giving and just look out for the for the kids. So, that's >> great. Thank you for your time this evening, Adam McDonald. I think I would be a good candidate for the board because um feel that this is the best way I can help the children. Um I've been a coach uh for multiple sports, multiple teams for over five years and I see the value that coaches and the impact that they have on these kids. Um,
056so when there was an opening on the board, I felt that that was very appropriate for me to try to step in and help help the kids the best I can. Um, I do have children as well in the school district. However, you know, I'm not motivated uh for their interest. Um I feel that everything should be done as a community for the school for the students and to the best of their and to the best of our ability give them the opportunity to live adult uh you know responsible educated well-rounded lives. Thank you. >> Thank you for your time this evening. Um so I just want to thank you guys for coming out. It it really does mean a lot. I mean, when you heard about the vacancy and you heard that call in
057your head and you had the discussions with your family and then you decided to um to really put your foot forward and and try to to be a part of of this and it that is really very much appreciated. Um I don't know if any other board members have a comment, they want to say anything discussion. >> I just like Lisa said, I do appreciate all of you coming and uh sharing your thoughts. I learned a lot. Um, and I think you've got some ideas going in my head. So, I do uh appreciate hearing um all of you and your uh perspectives. Um I will also say that serving on the board is a um family matter. um you know when I started on the board my my children were very young in elementary school
058and I can't tell you how many dinners they've had you know without me between these meetings other committee meetings etc. So, and and I know all of us here at the table share the same uh sentiment. So, when I heard some of you saying that, you know, you've talked it over with your family, you've discussed it with your family, um I did make note because it does, you know, uh come down to support uh from your families. >> Anyone else? Mike, Catalina, Pete, you taking comments now? >> Yeah, comments, whatever. >> Discussions. There's a motion. >> I I just one other thing when when you look at the candidate, there's five um very able candidates in the room. What what what is kind of awkward is how we got to go about this a little
059bit. um having um sat where you are and and having to go through this um it it's a difficult thing to to just be able to and for us to have to make a decision for five um very good candidates and and get it and really get it to one. So, um I I think don't get discouraged if you're not picked um because there again there's open seats that are coming up and and these things evolve year over year. So, um really thank you for your well thoughtout messages and notes and and answers. Um so, really >> Yeah, I have a comment. Um, just like everyone else, I wanted to thank everyone for coming out and I think we did have a great response and that makes me very happy because we have so many
060community members who are interested in really um, furthering the work we've done in the district. Um, and also like Pete has said, we have five highly qualified candidates in front of us. So again, you know, one person whether we decide tonight or whether we make our announcement um shortly, you know, don't it doesn't mean you should just step away. I would encourage continued community and school involvement because you know you can run at any time. So thank you though for coming forward because even preparing for this we know was a lot. We know that you know having to work not only for tonight but submitting an application or resume and letter of intent was a lot. So, thank you all for coming out. >> Mike, >> um, no, I I mean, I would echo everyone's
061sentiments. Um, I truly appreciate all of you stepping forward. Um, it's not often that we get such a good turnout. Uh, I've been doing this a long time and I actually did the exact same process that you all went through to get on the board the first time. Um, and it's been an incredible experience. Uh, and I, uh, encourage you to, you know, again, if you're not the the one selected, um, don't take that to heart. Just, uh, keep doing what you do for our kids and, um, you know, another opportunity will present itself for sure. So, um, thank you all for for taking part in this and, um, it's been very, um, enlightening. >> Yeah, any comments? just what everybody's saying, thank you so much for coming and um and everybody here, the five
062candidates all have young children in the district. So, like we said, if if not, keep on being a part of the community and there's open this June or um to to continue to serve. So, thank you. >> Any other comments or discussion? Does anyone want to make a motion? >> Yes. I'd like to make a not a motion to nominate Adam McDonald. >> I got a second. I'll second >> discussion. Pete >> discussion. If if we want to nominate someone else, do we do it >> after the second or before the >> Avette? We'll find out. While Aette's looking, I'll just comment. I also was in your situation actually I think twice. First time they chose Pete over me but we're I still like him. Um but that's what happened. Want to step out? >>
063Should we take a should we take a break for a minute while that looks up the process? Okay, we'll go out for a sec. Okay. So, here's the process. We have a a motion and a second, which we have. Then we do a roll call vote. If we don't get four votes, then we can do another motion. Okay. So, we have the motion by Cheryl. I seconded it. I'll start down here with Mike. Yay or nay? >> Nay. >> Charl, I assume you're Yay. >> Yay. >> Nay. >> I'll vote. Yay. >> Nay. >> Catalina. >> Nay. >> My and Pete. >> Nay. >> Okay. All right. So, uh, that motion failed. Is there a second motion? >> I would like to make a motion. >> Sure. For Evan Bush, >> we got a second.
064So, I don't think we can vote if we don't get a second. Okay. So, that motion's failed. Uh, any other motions >> for Jacqueline? >> We get a second. >> Second. >> All right. We'll do a roll call this time. I'll start down there with you, Pete. Yay or nay? >> Yay. >> Adelina, >> nay. >> I'll vote. Yay. Rashmi. >> Yay. >> Gerald. >> Uh, nay. >> Mike, >> yay. When was that? Was that that was four. >> Four. >> It's four. >> It's P you, me, and Mike. >> Four. >> Okay. So, the motion carries, right? So, congratulations. So, okay. So, here's your options, Jacqueline. Um, you can take the oath right now and join us up here for the rest of the meeting, or you can take your oath and sign the
065rule, the book within the next 30 days and join us at a later meeting. your call. >> All right. I do solemnly swear that I will support the Constitution of the United States. >> And the Constitution of the State of New York >> that I will eat that And that I will faithfully discharge the duties >> and I will faithfully discharge the duties >> of office of school board member >> of office of the school board member for the central school district Yorktown Central School District. according to the best of my ability for uh beginning November 17th. >> According to the best of my abilities beginning November 17, 2025 ending May 19th >> ending May 19, 2026. Thank you. Thank you very much. >> Thank you. Congratulations. All right, Jacqueline, welcome to the board. >>
066Thank you. >> All right. Uh, Dr. Hatter, it is your turn. >> Okay. All right. Congratulations. >> All right. So, just some updates as part of my report. We have here's just a brief summary of some of the items I'll be discussing in this evening's report. U Hunter alluded to some of these, but they're certainly worth emphasizing. Congratulations to our varsity girls volleyball team. The picture on the right is them capturing the section championship over a week ago. And then this past weekend, the picture on the left is our team capturing the regional championship. This weekend, the team is off to the state final four where they'll compete for a state championship. So, best of luck to our student athletes as they compete this weekend. Another team competing this weekend is the section champion boys
067volleyball team. They won the section title this past Thursday at the Westchester County Center. First ever in program history. So what a wonderful accomplishment for our students. Congratulations to Coach Profile, his staff and the and the team. Congratulations to our Pioneer League. Their season kicked off and what a wonderful wonderful season it is to have soccer upon us right now. We'll go through the various sports for members of our board, for members of our community. We have two upcoming games at Yorktown High School that I'd like to promote and encourage you to attend. December 3rd, 3:30, we're playing with Fox Lane again at the high school. December 17th at 3 p.m. we have Lakeland coming and all are welcome to attend. It's always a great great event. Congratulations to the four students who signed Division
068One, Division 2 letters of intent. You'll notice a familiar face at the deis there. Uh so Hunter Mesatesta committed to the University of Virginia. >> Yay. Congratulations. >> And and Hunter is an incredible goalender and he's just so modest. You're not going to hear him tell you that he's one of the best lacrosse players in the country and the top goalender in America. Certainly by my rankings. He's uh number one in the country and by many other rankings too. So just a terrific, terrific athlete, terrific person. So Hunter, congratulations. And we had so many students who are committing. We're just so proud. And we'll have another celebration in the spring to celebrate our students going on to the next level. Congratulations to Ansley Edelman. She broke a long-standing school swim record. The record stood for
069more than 20 years in the 100 meter butterfly. So congratulations to Ansley. Just a terrific accomplishment. She's headed to the state championships. We've had so many other individual honors for our fall sports, just too many to list on the slide across so many different um athletic competitions and levels. Winter season starts today, first day of tryyous for all of our sports at the high school level. We wish all of our students best of luck as they try out. What a wonderful production. This past weekend, I had the opportunity to see the Friday night show. I know Miss Amarling went to the Saturday evening show of Sense and Sensibility. It was it it was hard to imagine you were in a high school auditorium with the quality of acting. An incredible turnout by our community. That
070auditorium was almost full Friday night. Free show, great night. It was 2 hours and 40 minutes on the runtime. It was it was quite a lengthy production with one 15minute intermission, but the quality of the acting made you forget that that it was over two hours. So very well done by our high school students. Just an update. I'm I'm giving an update at just about every board meeting on the construction. Brookside Mohansic, they have really really made a lot of progress in a very short amount of time. You'll see the foundation has been poured. The um retaining walls are going up. A lot of the site work obviously is completed. That's just a a higher level picture from Mohansik. Forgive the screen. I took it out of the second floor window. Oh, I took the
071picture out of the second floor window at Mohansik, but you'll see that that work is really, really moving quickly and that's what we anticipate the finished playground is going to look like. So, the inconvenience that we're all experiencing now, whether it's the delays at dismissal, the rerouting of the buses, and some of the other realities that come with construction, I I thought it was important to share the beautiful facility playground. We we've shared prior renderings of the interior and I wanted to share a rendering of the playground. So much to look forward to there. The construction at the high school middle school athletic complex has begun. The site work is essentially completed. The uh erosion uh control is up. The f the silt fencing the fencing around the basketball court has been removed. And so
072we're moving on with construction on our high school and middle school campus. going well, going according to our time frame. That's the latest rendering of what the complex will look like when we're completed. And that is absolutely beautiful. It will be one of the most beautiful athletic complexes in the region. And so much in the way of detail. So much time has been spent getting all of the fine points together. If we make notice of the new multi-purpose field that is north of the baseball field hockey field, you'll notice that field currently runs east west. It will now run north south. Certainly, anyone designing an athletic field knows that you want the field to run north and south rather than east and west, which is a current layout. Hunter, as a goalender, I certainly consulted
073with Hunter on this. And we want the goalender not to have the sun in their eyes one way or the other, whether it's soccer, lacrosse, or any other sport, field hockey or or other. Even in football, when we're kicking off, we certainly don't want to have the sun in the athletes eyes. So, we really, really were careful in our planning, every detail, including the beautiful bathroom facility and concession area where we'll have speakers so that we can hear the sounds of the game from Charlie Murphy Field on the patio area. Just a beautiful facility. We anticipate the baseball and field hockey multi-purpose field will be ready at the end of this school year. And we anticipate that the other multi-purpose field will be ready in the winter of next school year. So when we say
074winter, I just want to clarify that it's the seasonal winter, not the athletic winter. So right now we're in athletic winter. It will not be ready for November 17th next year. It will be ready when the calendar officially turns to the season of winter. So we anticipate roughly a January of 2027 completion. Just an update. We, as many in our community are aware, we put the cameras, bus stop arm cameras on the school buses. I just wanted to give you the October data. We had 69 tickets issued for passing a stopped school bus with its stop arm extended and red lights flashing. That I I find that unconscionable to just be frank. and there were 68 close calls, which means that there were about 140 violations, but on half of those, there was not enough
075video evidence to issue the ticket. That's not saying there wasn't a violation. It's just saying that there wasn't enough evidence to use the footage to issue a ticket. So, it's quite concerning that there were 69 definitive tickets issued, but it's equally concerning that there were 68 close calls. So, we're going to be putting signage up around town. We've worked with the highway superintendent, Mr. Paganelli who's just an incredible resource and support to our district. So we are going to purchase the signs. They will look similar to what is on the screen there. You may have seen these signs if you're getting off the exit at the Taconic in Yorktown. So at the various exits the this sign is or a sign similar to this is posted. We have data on the most violated areas in
076town and we will be strategically placing these signs in those most violated areas in the hopes that drivers will follow the law and and not pass a school bus when the red lights are flashing. It's for everyone's safety, certainly for the safety of our students. So, we'll be using those data to identify the most appropriate locations for signage and we'll add signage. We're going to start with five or six signs for now and we'll continue as we need. bluepad service dogs. So, we're going to continue that this year. We had funding through an II grant a couple years back and the blue service dogs were visiting our 81 classes at all of our buildings. So, beginning in January, we will resume visitations. That's Peaches. Peaches came to central office. Peaches is a fixture at Crown
077Pond. And the beauty of this is Peaches is being fostered by one of our teachers who is a certified handler. So, we're able to have peaches in our district on a monthly basis and there really is no material cost for our district. So, it's just a win-win for for our students. It it always gives the students such great joy to interact with any of the Blue Path service dogs. So, we're just honored to be able to bring that program back to our students. An update on the digital sign. I shared at the last meeting that the digital sign at the top of the driveway is not working. It's such an invaluable resource to our school community. There are so many cars that go by the high school campus, middle school, high school campus on a
078daily basis and we haven't been able to leverage that sign to message important information to the community. So, we'll be replacing the sign. However, at the last meeting, I shared with you the header sign. So, it's not the digital part of the sign, but it's it's the fixed portion. Bottom left is what it currently looks like. I was a little concerned because the new sign is larger. It's taller than the original sign and I didn't want to impact sight lines too much. So, what we're going to do, the top right is the new design. We took off the semicircle at the top and flattened out the sign so that we although we're going up just slightly, the sight line is not more impacted than it was previously. Just thank you to some generous donations. So,
079the Yorktown Volunteer Fire Department has so generously donated Thanksgiving meals to many families in our community. They donated almost 200 fully cooked turkey dinners last Thanksgiving. They work with our school social workers and our school administration to identify families who would benefit from a fully cooked Thanksgiving meal. And on Thanksgiving morning, our volunteer fire department goes out in their own vehicles and they deliver those meals to families. So, thank you to them. Thank you to Acme Supermarkets. They donated 48 gift cards, each with a value of $25. We'll certainly distribute those to families through our social workers. And Hilltop Farms did such a great job with offering discounts to families in the community. We had a school supply giveaway. There's Hunter again. Hunter spent Saturday morning with me and with Alexandra and Khloe. And we
080gave out school supplies to so many families in the community. We were so heartened to see how many people wanted to donate and help and and we were so happy and heartened to be able to help families who took home some great supplies. Backpacks, scientific calculators, drawstring bags, binders, just just some really great supplies. So, the vast majority, and those are three six-foot tables worth of school supplies, the vast majority of those supplies were deployed on Saturday in that 2-hour window. Yorktown football had a fundraiser at their uh pink game. They were able to donate $2,000 to support Connection, which is a terrific annual fundraiser. And support connection is an invaluable resource in our community. And and that's the extent of the updates that I'm offering. I'm happy to take any questions if any. >>
081Does anybody have any questions? >> Jacqueline, you have your first question. Just kidding. It's giving you a hard time. >> Thank you. >> Um I I have a question. So the the playgrounds in Mohansk, what is um the base of those >> surface? >> Yeah, the surface. Yeah. >> So So there is a mulch. There's a playground mulch that's used. It's specialized for play areas. So we use a playground mulch in each of our playgrounds, not just at Mohansick, but it's the same mulch that we use at Brookside and at Crown Pond as well. It's a little bit. It's not quite a rubber mulch, but it's also not the uh commercial or residential mulch that that's used. >> Um and the um the tickets, you said that we're going to put up signs where there's
082the most violations. Where are we finding those? >> So, the 3100 block of Krompon Road, which is 202, is the most ticketed area. There are some other areas that are around town, but for the most part, it's the various blocks of Krompond Road, Route 202, that are have the greatest number of violations. So, when I say the 3100 block, that's how the data come to us. So, it's various blocks of a street. So, it's a 3100 block, it's the 2100 block of Krompon Road. So, it's essentially a a strip, a large strip of Krampon Road where the greatest number of violations occur. There are a few in the Hunterbrook area. Um there are a few behind the McDonald's area that um that we've noticed. So we'll be signing at least five. The challenge that we
083face with Route 202 is that's a state road. So to put a town sign on a state road has some logistical challenges, but certainly working with the highway department and the state DOT, I trust we'll be able to accomplish that. >> I guess we'll move on to policies. And we have the first reads of um 4327 home instruction, 7100 facilities planning, 7365 construction safety, 8110 school building health and safety. Any questions or comments on those? And the following policies were reviewed with no substantive changes. 4321, Programs for Students with Disabilities Under IDA and New York Education Law Article 89. 4770, Graduation Requirements on Participation in Graduation Ceremony. 5460, Child Abuse, Maltreatment, or Neglect in a Domestic Setting. 5460R, Child Abuse, Maltreatment, or Neglect in a domestic setting regulation. 5460E evidence of um suspected child abuse
084and malreatment exhibit 7600 damage to school property 8112 health and safety committee. Cheryl, maybe um could you just explain why we review policies and we have no changes? >> Sure. Um usually the policies that are reviewed without changes are ones that would chronologically come up anyway. If we have a special request to review a policy for whatever reason, there are usually there there may be some changes, but these are the ones that are typically um that were just going on on a chronological basis. When I first started with the review and going through the catalog, Iette and I started with policies dating back to 1995 and that was probably only about eight years ago. Um, we have made substantial progress and we're now reviewing policies as old as 2018, which is incredible how much ground
085we've covered. Um, ideally, we'd like to be on a three-year rotational basis with our policies. So, we're getting there, but it's taken quite some time and it will take a little more time. So, we'll see how much ground we cover and if we can close that gap even more. >> Right. Thank you. Okay. So, we're going to try something different and that's um a consent agenda. And so what the consent consent agenda consent agenda does is to make more efficient use of the meeting time so that we can all get home um a little earlier. The board of education authorizes the use of a consent agenda as part of the meeting agenda. A consent agenda allows for one motion to approve multiple items and such items are identified as such on the agenda. The president
086of the board will ask for a motion to approve the consent agenda and will ask if the board members wish to have a discussion and or clarification on specific items cons contained within the consent agenda. Following the discussion, the board will then vote on the consent agenda motion. In addition, a board member may request to have an item removed from the consent agenda in order to vote on that motion separately. Does anyone have any questions before we do this? So essentially all of the items which are items 10 through 15 on the consent agenda will be um one motion unless somebody has a wants to pull one out for some reason >> and and would that be it if if there's a discussion on one of them we just discussion and then say it's on
087agenda item 21 or >> so I think we can just have the agenda and then can keep it in the consent agenda or if the >> removed okay so if there's a discuss discussion on any of the items in the consent agenda, it'll be removed and there'll be a separate vote on just that item >> prior to the motion. >> No, I'm I'm saying like right now if you >> Yeah. So like let's say you wanted to pull out item 11. Okay. So now that's no longer considered part of the consent agenda. We would discuss that one, vote on that one, and then go back to the items in the consent agenda. pull it out first. >> That that and that's where I was going. If if it got to the point where it was
088a first and a second and a discussion, we pull it out right then and there. Okay. All right. again. >> Got it. Okay. >> All right. You ready? >> It's going to make it go faster. I promise. >> after this one. >> All right. So, can I get a motion on the consent agenda items 10 through 15, which includes board matters, personnel matters, curriculum and instruction matters, business matters, pupil personnel matters, and gifts, grants, and donations. >> So, move. >> Second. >> All those in favor? >> Any opposed? All right, that gets us all the way down to the end at board comments. Um Pete, we'll start with you. >> Um just again with regards to the good news, again, it's always a pleasure to see our kids perform like they do and and um
089our staff. And again, thank you to all the candidates tonight. We truly appreciate you you stepping up and doing this. Um again, there will be a lot of opportunities to to get involved in this board, I think, over over time here. So, keep coming, please. So, thank you, >> Catalina. Um, >> just the good news. It was so nice always seeing the children and just seeing how creative the teachers get. Every single good news um from Canva, these third grade students um and just speaking, it's it's really nice to see how creative our teachers get. And thank you to everybody for for coming out and um I've been in your seat, too. It's not easy answering the questions. So, thank you. >> You look like you had something else. I I did have another question
090on the >> no the board the consent um agenda. >> It's done. >> No, I know. >> So So what that tells me is that you know we need to make sure we read the the agenda prior and and bring up anything that comes up and at that point we address it >> with with Ron with you >> right here. Right here. >> Right there. >> Yeah. Right here. >> Okay. >> In the meeting. Yeah. publicly you would say what you want to pull out. >> Okay. So, not prior when we get the agenda or >> No, I I mean I anticipate that all of these items will these are items we do every meeting. All of these items will be on the consent agenda. >> Okay. >> Perfect. >> Thank you. >> Okay. >>
091I mean, if we all hate it, we can go back. I just it just cut out 20 minutes. Where's me? >> Um well, Dr. Ha, thank you for um coordinating the new signage. Um you know, I'm hoping that will um alleviate some of those uh many tickets. Um and congratulations and welcome uh Jacqueline to the board. Um I had a question um for the board. So, not to overwhelm you, but we have some committee openings. Uh, so are we going to look at that in the next couple of meetings? >> We'll look at that at another meeting. >> Yeah. Perfect. Perfect. >> Gerald, >> once again, thank you to everyone who came out for this opening. Um, we really do appreciate it. It was, you know, a game of five highly qualified candidates who came
092out. Um, and I could see, you know, any one of you in this position, but I would like to congratulate Jacqueline. Um, we're very happy to have, um, such a a highly qualified pool to draw from. Um, and we look forward to working with you. Um, and I just want to say happy Thanksgiving. I think this is the last meeting before Thanksgiving. We're thankful for our school community, for our students, for the gift of the students that we serve, and for their families who give us that gift every day. And we thank you for our staff who goes above and beyond every single day. Okay, so everyone enjoy enjoy the break and um we can't wait to see you back in December. Mike, >> as always, good news is uh one of the best parts
093of our meeting. Um I've just I I go back to when uh Dr. first came and and discussed e steam and the empathy piece and um boy have we just embraced that as a district and and it's great to see how the teachers really put it into action and um weave it into the curriculum as opposed to making it a separate item. Um, so that to me was fantastic and our kids are just I mean you all you all are standing up there and you see what you know kids in the third grade and they're just fearless and and they're so well spoken. It's it's truly an amazing thing. Um, thank you to our candidates again for coming out. Um, as Lisa said, um, you know, you could one day be in in the chair
094um because that's just the way things work, you know. Um but uh keep keep supporting all of our kids, all of our community. Um and opportunities will definitely present themselves and um you'll be there to take advantage of them. So thank you for that. Thank you to Jacqueline and congratulations. And I think I'm good. >> Le Jacqueline, I don't want to put any pressure on you, but you want to make a comment. >> I just want to say thank you for your trust and I'm really happy to be here and looking forward to working with everybody in the future. >> Lisa, yes. I just want to congratulate you. Congratulations. >> Thank you. >> Yes. Um, congratulations. Welcome to the board. Thank you to all of you who came out and showed an interest. Um, there'll
095be an announcement when petitions for the election are due and I think that's April. Um, and uh, you know, we look forward to to seeing you again and either in a capacity as a board member or some other capacity helping us out. I really really do appreciate your time. It was um, it was it was a difficult decision as you saw. We we struggled with that. So, thank you. Um Dr. Hatter, I just want to comment um about the donations from the Yorktown Volunteer Fire Department, Acme, and Hilltop. Um you know, it's a difficult time right now. Not only the time of year, but it's a difficult time with the the government shutdown and benefits being halted. Um and although that seems to be getting back on track now, it will take some time. So,
096the Yorktown Volunteer Fire Department by bringing cooked cir turkeys to families is really amazing. Please express our thank you to them and our gratitude to them. And I think you had told me at one point that they said if we need more, they'll bring more. >> Yeah. I mean, it's really amazing. >> Yeah. It's a great group and it's what many of the candidates tonight alluded to. It's this is just a special community and we talk about the Yorktown difference and it it just feels different here and so many other candidates mentioned it. So I will convey your thanks. I've conveyed mine but certainly I'll convey the board's thanks to each of the groups. The Elks, the firefighters, uh Acme Hilltop, uh they've just been great. >> Yeah. And and that was my next comment
097is all those school supplies, those all came from the Elks Club, right? I mean thank you to the Elks Club. That's amazing. It it really went a long way in our community. >> Um that's all Dr. Hatter, your Jisa, anything. All right. >> Congratulations. >> Yeah. All right. Have a happy Thanksgiving. >> Yes. I'm I'm not skipping it. I skipped it last time. I got yelled at. I got it. I got it. >> I because I'm just I'm anxious about Thanksgiving. All right. We have public comment number two for any non-aggenda items. All right. Now, Mike, can I get a motion to adjourn the meeting? So move. >> Second. >> All those in favor? >> All right. Thank you, everybody.