Yorktown CSD Board of Education Meeting – May 12, 2025

001Good evening. Welcome to the Yorktown Central School District Board of Education meeting for May 12th, 2025. Can I have a motion to go into executive session to discuss the employment history of particular pedagogical and non-pedagical employees and matters made confidential under federal law, the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act? So move. Second. All those in favor? I opposed. Thank you. Can I have a motion to go back into public session? So moved. Second. Can I second? Second. All those in favor? I opposed. Good evening everyone. Welcome to the Yorktown Central School District Board of Education for May 12th, 2025. Can we please stand for the pledge of allegiance and then remain standing for a moment of silence for armed forces and those in our community that have lost loved ones, especially the father of Rosemary

002Brown, the father of Carlos Yunuzi, and the mother of Moren Hines. United States of America and to the stands one nation with liberty and justice for all All right, we're going to turn this over to Ron. Thank you everyone. Good evening everyone. So, we are here to honor some really special people. It's so great to see you all family and friends joining. I assure you about 45 minutes to an hour into this, you won't even remember that you're missing a nickname. So, I promise you that. Um, but for those of you who are, you're missing it for good reason because we are honoring some amazing educators and leaders within our school district. So, I'd like to begin by just welcoming my colleagues from the various schools and departments here. I know all of our school

003principles are in attendance this evening and many of our district administrators are are here as well. So, my thanks to you for all of your support in this journey. Together, we are gathering to celebrate an incredible achievement and mark a significant milestone in your careers at the Yorktown Central School District. It's a great pleasure and heartfelt congratulations that I stand before you to acknowledge your extraordinary achievements over these last three or four years and to recommend you for tenure. Tenure is not merely a title nor a formality. It's not an end point either. tenures earned through a very grueling and rigorous process that demands your very best every day. The slide to my left that Iet's going to have to advance for me because I uh I'm not able to advance. There it is. The

004slide to my left shows some of the expectations and milestones throughout the course of the probationary period. You'll see that there are multiple observations formally and informally. It's a multi-year process. It's quite thorough and it's quite formal and I assure you that only the very best make it to this point and you should be very proud of yourselves for getting to this point. [Applause] Before we go any further, I just want to take a moment to acknowledge the families of our tenure recipients. So, tenure recipients, yes, this moments about you, but you weren't on this journey alone. You had a strong support system around you because the ups and downs of our work can take a toll on you and I bet it can take a toll on the people you love. So tenure recipients,

005I just want you to turn to the loved ones who are with you tonight and give them a round of [Applause] applause. Going back. There we go. I'm sorry. So it works sometimes, it doesn't work other times. I also want to take a moment to thank so many colleagues are here tonight and I I see so many veterans in the audience and I see the excitement and the enthusiasm and it almost feels like you're getting tenure again through one of your colleagues. So I just want to take a moment to acknowledge our faculty and staff who have served as mentors both formally and informally. I want to acknowledge our school administrators. Your support, your leadership dayto-day in the buildings is incredible. We're a team. We're we're such an amazing team. And it's because of veteran

006faculty support, terrific building administration, and great teachers who are being recognized tonight. So, faculty and staff and administrators who have served as mentors, I just want to take a moment to acknowledge you. [Applause] [Music] So, at this time, we're going to transition to now recognizing the tenure recipients. What I will tell you is there are 37 people who are being recommended for tenure tonight. In an organization that our size, that's incredible to have 37 candidates up for tenure tonight. I'm going to try to be relatively brief, but this is such a special moment and there are some things that we do have to capture and that we do have to discuss and I feel like I have a personal story for so many of you, but I've limited my remarks just to be respectful of

007the evening. And so, the way it's going to work is we're going to go by school. We're going to start with the younger schools and go to the high school eventually. When I call up the school, I'm going to ask that everybody queue up on the steps. As I call your name, you'll come up to the podium to stand to my right. Your school principal will be to my left. We are so delighted to have our district PTSA friends here, Ron Fidelli and Lisa Bulo. There is a gift bag on the left that's from our administrative team. It's for your professional libraries. And there's just such a generous gift from our PTSA for each tenure recipient tonight. So, Ron, Lisa, thank you both for being here this evening. We appreciate your support. Your partnership is

008just so incredible and makes us better. So, thank you. Okay, so I know we said we were going to start by school. Before I introduce the school, I will be calling the principal up to stand by my side to also congratulate the tenure recipients. But in this school, the principal is also being recognized for tenure. So, I'd like to call Mr. Casarini to the front just by [Applause] himself. You're you're tenure candidate now. So you go right and then principal left right after. So I am so pleased to recommend Mr. Casarini for tenure as a school principal this evening. Joe is completing his 26th year in the district. And Joe, yes, for some of you it only took three or four years. For Mr. Casserini, it's taken 26. I will tell you that Joe, Mr.

009Casserini is the person that you want on your team. The reason why Mr. Caserini is earning tenure now is because he stepped into a new role yet again. And Joe has just been wherever this school district has needed him to be. Joe has earned tenure, is it four times now in this district? Uh I think this is the third. This might be the third. All right. Uh Joe has held so many different jobs in this district. And even when Joe and I first met, I'm in my eighth year. When we first met, Joe shared with me, I will do whatever the organization needs to be successful. And I really do believe that. That's as true today as it was when we first met back in 2017. After almost 26 years in the Yorktown Central School

010District, I asked Mr. Casserini what his favorite aspect of working in Yorktown is. Here's what he said. No jokes here. This is exactly what he said. My favorite aspect of working in Yorktown is witnessing the remarkable evolution of the district over the past 26 years. I take great pride in being a part of this significant transformation and knowing that the district will be a vibrant educational community for many years to come. And Joe, you have left such a mark on this district and we're the better for having you here. And I wish you many years of continued success as a tenur principal of Brookside. Congratulations, Joe. [Music] Now [Applause] we don't work. [Applause] I don't know if that was for you or for what I said. I think welld deserved and and thank you. I'm

011sure on behalf of Joe, thank you for that. That's a great acknowledgement of Joe who is just a terrific principal person. A couple Friday ago, we had a a very interesting day at Brookside and Joe and I and I'm going to share some private texts that we sent, but one of my comments was we we make a great team and he wrote back, "Yeah, I think so." And I interpreted that much differently. U but but Joe will make a great teammate with anyone and we're just fortunate to have him in our district in this capacity. So now I would like to introduce the first school and first group of tenure candidates being recommended this evening. Well, went too far. There we go. As far away from the computer, I'm not sure if I'm registering every

012time. So I'd like to invite the three tenure candidates from Brookside to the stage. Jennifer Campabaso, Sue Tatis, and Kelly Triolo. [Applause] and Sue couldn't join us tonight. Sue is not able to make. So Jennif gentleman ask you to come forward first. I am pleased to recommend Miss Jennifer Campobaso for tenure as a certified teaching assistant this evening. Miss Campableo has been a certified teaching assistant at Brookside since April of 2021 as a one-toone CTA in our 812 program. However, my fondest moment of working with Jen came in 2020 during the COVID pandemic. I had this idea of starting a child care for first responders and healthcare workers. But in 2020, if you can remember back that far, it wasn't easy to get people to want to come in to work with children every day.

013and and to get out of the house. Anyway, so as many people in the world were shutting down, Jen was eager to come work with children every day and provide this invaluable service to our community. Now, I've known Jen a really, really long time, even before her days here. And that story sticks out because that's who Jen is. While the rest of the world was going one way, Jen was leading forward running a pretty successful program for a group of students whose parents needed to be at work. And so, Jen, I will never forget that. And I can't I can use all the adjectives and descriptors as being kind, caring, child- centered, conscientious, always willing to pitch in no matter the task and do it with a smile. But in the words of Mr. Casarini.

014Jen goes the extra mile and she has continued to grow in her role as an indispensable part of our educational program. Jen, congratulations. [Applause] Kelly, I am pleased to recommend Miss Kelly Triolo for tenure as a special education teacher this evening. Miss Triola was hired at Brookside in the summer of 2022 and she had previously worked in the department of education for the city of New York. Kelly very quickly established herself as a versatile teacher with very high pedagogical skill. This year she took over our self-contained kindergarten class and she has performed magnificently and with the utmost professionalism. Miss Triolo has been an asset to the Brookside special education program and I expect that she'll continue to be an asset to our school district for many years to come. In asking Kelly about what gives

015her the most joy about working in Yorktown, she responded, "The most joy I find in my work each day comes from the opportunity to make a meaningful impact in my students lives. As a special education teacher, seeing the smiles on my students faces and watching their growth throughout the year is incredibly fulfilling. From September to June, I witness their progress both academically and personally, and it's rewarding to see how far they've come. The bond I share with each student and the knowledge that I'm helping them develop will serve them in the future motivates me every day. It's a privilege to be part of their journey and celebrate their achievements no matter how big or small. Congratulations, Kelly. [Applause] Yes, you first. Oh, Joe, I have an official. Oh, no. This is yours. Congratulations, Bill. Actually,

016for the Brookside tenure recipients, Joe, can I ask you to can we take one picture for Congratulations Put this on the first side. [Applause] At this time, we'll be recognizing the tenure candidates from Mohansik School. I'd like to invite school principal Mrs. Barry to the stage to join me. [Applause] [Music] Please. You're already tied. You get on this side. I'd like to invite to the stage Donna Aean, Carara Mcclo, Sylvia Mson, Rachel Newman, and Capidawa. [Applause] Donna, come forward. I am so pleased to recommend Miss Donna Aean for tenure as a certified teaching assistant. In the words of Mohansic School principal, Mrs. Barry, "Mean has consistently demonstrated professionalism, dependability, and a warm, compassionate disposition. Her quiet strength, integrity, and thoughtful approach have earned her the respect and admiration of her colleagues and students. During her

017career at Mohansik, Miss Aean has held three distinct CTA positions, each of which she has approached with dedication, energy, and enthusiasm. She's worked in our AIS program and reading support, kindergarten classrooms, and special education program. In addition to her classroom contributions, Miss Aean has been instrumental in coordinating activities that advance our students understanding of civics and citizenship. One of her fondest memories of working in Yorktown has been her key role in organizing events around Veterans Day by drawing on her husband's involvement in the military order of the Purple Hearts Chapter 21 to facilitate meaningful interactions between our students and local community veterans. I trust that Miss Ammon will be an asset to our school community for years to come. Congratulations, [Applause] Donna. I'm going to ask Miss Carol McClo to come [Applause] forward. I'm pleased

018to recommend Miss McClo for tenure as an art teacher in the Yorktown Central School District. Miss McClode has been Mohansix's art teacher for the past four years. During this time, whether as a leave replacement or later as a probationary te teacher, she's proven to be an exceptional educator, fostering creativity, self-exression, and a love for the arts in our students. Miss McClo has an extraordinary talent for connecting with young learners and fostering a positive, engaging classroom community. Through her dynamic and thoughtfully designed lessons, she not only teaches a wide range of artistic techniques, but also cultivates essential skills such as problem solving, collaboration, and perseverance, all while having fun. I especially appreciate the art show at Mohansik, which Miss McClo oversees in its entirety. There's a ton of work that goes into displaying the artwork of

019every single student in the building for the community to enjoy, and I really appreciate her doing this. Miss McClo shares, "I truly find joy," and I quote, "I truly find joy in the moments when my students connect with a new artistic concept or technique. It's incredibly rewarding to witness that light bulb moment, to see their enthusiasm for learning shine. I also love the opportunity to see my students grow, not not just as artists, but as individuals over the course of their time at Mohansik. Seeing each student flourish as they go from kindergarten through third grade is just incredible and an honor to be part of." end quote. Cara, [Applause] congratulations. Sylvia, come forward. It is with great pleasure that I recommend Miss Sylvia Mson for tenure as a certified teaching assistant. Miss Mson is a

020warm, compassionate, and enthusiastic professional who pos whose positivity and kindness are demonstrated daily. Mohansic school principal, Mrs. Barry, shares, "Sylvia is consistently upbeat, energetic, and deeply committed to making adults and children feel valued and cared for. For the past several years, Miss Mson has been working in our special education program where she has continued to grow professionally. Her personality truly shines in this team oriented approach and it has highlighted her patience, reliability and ability to connect with students. I am delighted to recommend Miss Mson for tenure this [Applause] evening to come. Rachel, I'm delighted to recommend Miss Rachel Newman to the board this evening for tenure as a special education teacher. As one of our exceptional special education teachers, Miss Newman has consistently demonstrated her commitment to both her students and the broader Yorktown community.

021Again, in the words of Principal Barry, over the past three years, I have had the privilege of working closely with Rachel, engaging in thoughtful and insightful discussions about pedagogy and philosophy, and closely supervising her professional growth. I can confidently attest to her exceptional qualities as an educator, and share my high regard for her dynamic teaching practices, exceptional instructional skills, and unwavering dedication to the staff, students, and the entire Mohansik school community. Mrs. Mrs. Newman is a dynamic and enthusiastic teacher who consistently demonstrates an unwavering commitment to the success of her students. Her ability to personalize instruction allows every student, regardless of learning style or ability, to thrive academically and socially in a supportive, encouraging environment. And when asked, one of the things I try to do is incorporate the voice of the tenure candidate into

022my remarks. So you'll hear words from their principal, you'll hear their own words, and then you'll hear my words. But when asked the moment that Miss Newman realized Yorktown was where she wanted to spend her career, Miss Newman responded, "The moment I realized Yorktown was the place I wanted to spend my career came during a collaborative staff meeting. As we discussed our strategies for supporting our students, I felt an overwhelming sense of belonging and purpose. The passion and dedication of my colleagues matched my own, making it clear to me that this is a community that prioritizes student success and values teamwork. Yorktown is not just a workplace. It's a place where I can grow and make a meaningful impact in the lives of young learners. Without hesitation, I'm proud to recommend Miss Newman for tenure

023this evening. [Applause] Cat, come on forward. I enthusiastically recommend Miss Cat Fidala for tenure as a special education teacher. Throughout her time with us, Miss Fidala has consistently exemplified excellence in teaching, an unwavering commitment to her students, and a remarkable capacity for collaboration with colleagues and families. Miss Vidala has an exceptional ability to thoughtfully plan and structure her lessons, ensuring that they're accessible to the diverse needs of her K2 students. Miss Vidala adeptly crafts lessons that meet each child where they are. Her lessons reflect thoughtful differentiation, provide multiple avenues for students to engage with the material, and ensure all students, regardless of unique ability, are able to access curricular expectations. I wanted to just share some excerpts of emails that parents have sent on behalf of Miss Fidella. I quote, "We cannot thank you enough

024for your dedication, knowledge, organization, and most importantly, the love and patience you show our kids. We truly appreciate all your hard work and know how much you put into teaching our kids each day. Another example, my son is the luckiest boy to have you in his life. You have taught him something that will always be part of him. He has learned so much thanks to you. I am so pleased to recommend Miss Fidella for tenure as a special education teacher. I look forward to your continued success, Cat. [Applause] Good. Congratulations. Thank you. Congratulations. Congratulations. Congratulations. Okay, moving on to Crumpon School. I'd like to invite Principal Jennifer Jacobs to the stage with me. And I'd also like [Applause] to thanks Jen. I'd like to invite Liz Brennan, Allesandre Cerillo, Michelle Deleggy, Lucia Mills, Deanna Picente,

025Val Rener, Gina Roach, Anna Saminsky, and Victoria Vaspuchcci. [Applause] Okay, Liz, if you can step forward. It is without hesitation that I recommend Miss Brennan for tenure as an elementary school teacher in the Yorktown Central School District. Miss Brennan has worked as a classroom teacher at Crown Pond Elementary School for the last four years. As a fifth grade classroom teacher, she has demonstrated collaboration amongst her team and the utilization of innovative teaching strategies that cater to diverse learning styles of all of her students. Her lessons are dynamic, engaging, and accessible. Miss Brennan's classroom learning environment is an inclusive one where each child is encouraged to work to their fullest potential and continue to grow as learners. EST steam has been an area of distinction for Miss Brennan and she has created meaningful learning experiences that

026cultivate student leadership skills and engineering skills. This is evident in her annual Krompon Shark Tent project, which happens to be one of my favorite projects that happens in our elementary school classrooms. In Miss Brennan's own words, "The moment I realized Yorktown was a place I wanted to spend my career was when I felt the deep sense of community and family that exists here. Having grown up in Yorktown, attending Mohancetic Cron, the middle school and high school, and graduating in 2013, I already knew how special this place was. But coming back to work here, and seeing firsthand how committed everyone is to supporting each student and each other made it clear to me, it wasn't just a place where I grew up. It's a place where I want to give back, grow, and build lasting relationships

027throughout my career. It was the phenomenal teachers I had who inspired me to give back. Liz, congratulations. I'm pleased to recommend you for tenure [Applause] tonight. Alisandra, come forward. I'm so pleased to recommend Miss Allesandre Serrilla for tenure as an art teacher this evening. In the words of Crumpon School principal Miss Jacobs, "Having had the privilege of observing and working alongside Miss Serrilla for the last two years, I can attest to her exceptional skills, dedication, professional growth, and the positive impact she's had on our school community. Missillo has shown a deep commitment to the development of her students. She goes above and beyond to address the individual needs of each child in myriad ways. Her genuine care and concern for students well-being have made a significant positive difference for students. She's a reflective educator as

028well who takes professional feedback and puts it into practice. I'm confident that she will continue to grow in her role for years to come. And when asked about her favorite aspect of working in the Yorktown Central School District, Miss Cerillo responded, "There is a very special strong sense of close-knit community in Yorktown and a strong sense of pride in being part of that community. I enjoy being the branch of the community that fosters creativity, ensuring that every child reaches her fullest potential. I enjoy hearing about the successes of my students from my colleagues in the art department and the upper grades who remark on the expansion of skills and accomplishments of the students that I previously taught as they move through the district. I enjoy knowing that I contributed to that overall success. I am

029pleased to recommend Miss Cerillo for tenure this evening. Congratulations. [Applause] It is with such great pleasure that I recommend Mr. Ley for tenure as a special education teacher in our district. Mr. Leggy has worked as a classroom teacher at Krampon for the last three years. Previously tenured in another district in both fourth and fifth grade integrated co-eing classrooms. As a special education teacher, she has demonstrated collaboration amongst the team and the utilization of innovative teaching strategies that cater to diverse learning styles of all her students. Her lessons are engage engaging, accessible, and she plans specially designed instruction to meet the needs of her students while helping them achieve their learning goals. Mr. Leggy's learning environment is an inclusive one, one that each child is encouraged to work hard and grow and take risks. When asked

030about the moment she realized she wanted to spend her career in Yorktown, Mr. Leggy stated, "Once I began teaching here, I saw firsthand how deeply everyone, teachers, families, and administrators, cares about each student's growth and success. That sense of shared purpose and support made it clear to me that this isn't just a great place to teach. It's a great place to grow roots and build a meaningful career. It is with great enthusiasm that I recommend Mr. Leggy for tenure in the Yorktown Central School District. [Applause] I am so pleased to recommend Miss Luchia Mills for tenure as a certified teaching assistant. There are so many ways to describe Miss Mills, but the first that come to my mind are hardworking, kind, and incredibly intelligent. I'm always in awe of the quiet strength that I see

031when observing Luchia, either at arrival, dismissal, or every minute in between the day in her work with children. In her own words, "My favorite aspect about working in Yorktown is being part of something bigger than me. I get to connect with families through the school. It's not just a job. It's a family and a place to call home." And more fittingly, she goes on to state, "What brings me the most joy is connecting with students." and I have the honor of seeing that every day or most days. I'm delighted to recommend Miss Mills for tenure as a certified teaching assistant this evening. Congratulations to Deanna. Come on forward. Okay. I am pleased to recommend Danna Pasente to our board this evening for tenure as a reading teacher within our district. Diana is a reliable and

032kind teacher who has consistently demonstrated her competence in literacy instruction. She's excelled in providing specialized reading instruction through our 51 reading model in our elementary schools. Her ability to connect with students who have challenges in reading is truly remarkable. Diana creates a nurturing and encouraging environment that makes learning enjoyable, even those who may not naturally enjoy reading or who may shy away from complex reading tasks. Diana's support and encouragement have not only helped her students grow academically, but have also fostered deeper self-confidence and a love for learning. When asked about her favorite aspect of working in Yorktown, Deanna stated quite simply, the people. Having worked in several schools, I know it really is all about who you work with. I've been lucky to have worked with amazing people before, which made it incredibly hard to

033leave. I knew from my first day this would be a positive experience because of the people. Everyone I encountered was welcoming, kind, and helpful. That hasn't changed. It's not just one building either. Most years, I'm in more than one building. My first year at Yorktown, I was in three buildings. It felt a bit overwhelming to navigate and get to know three sets of faculty in my first year. But the people in each building from the security guards to the administrators made each building transition a positive experience. I am so pleased to recommend Miss Picente for tenure this evening. Congratulations. It's such a pleasure to re recommend Miss Val Rener for tenure as a certified teaching assistant in our district. Miss Rener has been an integral member of our school community for the last four years

034working in her role. Miss Rener is a professional in every sense of the word. She's collaborative, punctual, and dedicated. She never hesitates to lend a hand when needed. She's flexible and well regarded by peers and students. When asked about her favorite aspect of working in Yorktown, Miss Rener shared, "My favorite aspect about working in Yorktown is the feeling of being a family where you're learning, growing, and connecting with co-workers and students." And when asked about her favorite moment during her tenure, she stated, "My favorite memory was watching a student who I worked closely with for two years walk across the stage for her fifth grade graduation." I'm honored to recommend Miss Brener for tenure this evening as a certified teaching assistant. Congratulations, D. Gina, come forward. It's without hesitation that I recommend Miss Gina Roach

035for tenure as a certified teaching assistant in our district. During her time in the district, Gina has been an integral member of our school community, supporting various students and instructional programs with patience and kindness. She's a true professional in every interaction and is always willing to lend a hand for the betterment and supervision of our students. I'm confident that Miss Roach will continue to be a valued member of our learning community for so many years to come and I'm honored to recommend her for tenure this evening as a certified teaching assistant. Congratulations, Gina. I wholeheartedly recommend Miss Anna Saminsky for tenure at Krompon this evening. Miss Sinsky's collaboration with her colleagues, whether in technology integration, special areas, or otherwise, gives the students rewarding east experiences. Through deep collaboration, students have completed projects to support the

036science and social studies curricula, including the use of Lego spike kits to create a model for an animal sensory process. This year, Miss Sinsky tied the entire project to a book that students were reading in class, The One and Only Ivan, in which teachers were tasked with creating an ideal habitat for an animal in captivity. Mr. Zaminsky communicates with families regularly through emails and gives updates on learning that has been going on in the classroom. She builds strong relationships with families that strengthen and carry over the connection between home and school in a seamless way. I am so confident that Miss Saminsky will continue to grow in her teaching role and I'm delighted to recommend her for tenure this evening. Congratulations. [Applause] And last but not least to Crown Pond, I am delighted to recommend

037Vis Miss Victoria Vaspuchcci for tenure as a music teacher in the Yorktown Central School District. Miss Vespuchcci has worked as a band teacher within the music department for the last four years. In every aspect of her role, Miss Vespuchi has exemplified the qualities of an outstanding educator. She's passionate, innovative, deeply committed to the success of every child in her program. Miss Vespuchcci works hard to create a positive classroom community. Her students are receptive, and confident enough to take risks with their instrument playing, ask questions, and support one another during their band lessons. her participation in supporting our youngest band students in the annual Band of Palooa, which is one of my favorite events that this district offers. Her participation in Band of Palooa, where students from fifth grade through 12th grade get together to deliver

038one performance to parents and families, is truly remarkable. And when asked what part of her job provides her with the most joy, Miss Fespuchi states, "The students are what provide me the most joy at work every single day. I absolutely love seeing their progression from the start of the year not knowing how to play the instrument to performing an entire concert at the end of the year. I'm happy to be able to share my love of music with students who are just starting out on an instrument. And we're the better for it. Miss Fesbuchi, congratulations. I'm honored to recommend you for tenure tonight. [Applause] Brian, what do you think? Congratulations. How are you? Good. Good. Congratulations, Liz. Times two. Congratulations, Victoria. At this time, I'd like to invite Mildred East String Middle School principal, Miss

039Marie Harowitz, to the stage. [Applause] [Music] And to join us on stage, I'd like to invite Alexis Bramswig, Alenni Carluchi, Danielle Laner, and CJ Reefenhouser. [Applause] Alexis, Alexis, step forward. Right. I am pleased to recommend Alexis Bramswick for tenure as a social worker in our school district. Her training and her experiences enable her to enrich her skills and support the various needs of students in our middle school. She has demonstrated effectiveness in her role as a clinician and dedication to the students with whom she works. Miss Bramford creates a safe and comfortable environment for her students to share their experiences and concerns. She's focused, flexible, and uses her training to meet the needs of the students on her case load and beyond. In addition to her case load, Miss Bramswig provides building level counseling, risk

040assessments, threat assessments, student check-ins, you name it. When asked what pro what provides her the greatest joy in her work, Miss Bramswig stated, "My students provide me with the most joy at work each day, and watching them progress in big and small ways is amazing to see." I am so pleased to recommend Miss Bramswig for tenure this evening without hesitation. Eleni. So, ever the speech therapist, uh, Alenni gave me a pronunciation key for how to pronounce her first name, which I thought I knew, but, uh, I'm going to incorporate it tonight. It is my pleasure to recommend Miss Alenni Carluchi for tenure as a speech and language pathologist. The objectives and activities of Miss Carluchi's lessons incorporate a variety of resources, materials, and technology to support her students and enrich their learning. Beyond her regular

041duties as a speech and language pathologist, Miss Carluchi create created an 812 cooking class to plan and design cooking lessons to support communication skills and independence in activities of daily living. These lessons are hands-on and student led, giving students the opportunity to help plan and create foods that are appealing to them while reinforcing their speech goals. Miss Carluchi shared that what gives her the most joy in her work is seeing, and I quote, "Seeing my students apply what we've worked on together from our speech therapy room, both in and outside of the classroom. Seeing the skills I've taught them come to life is always so rewarding, especially when parents and fellow teachers come to share in those successes with me. We truly celebrate the wins together. And I have a feeling that there will be

042many wins over the course of your career here, Miss Carluchi. I am so pleased to recommend you for tenure this evening. Congratulations Danielle. It is my great pleasure to recommend Miss Danielle Laner to be granted tenure as she completes her probationary period as a special education teacher. Miss Laterer has consistently created a supportive and appropriately rigorous learning environment for the students of MEMS. Her lessons are differentiated so that all students can access and actively engage with the curriculum in a way that meets their needs while also challenging them. She's able to create such lessons by understanding and implementing with fidelity modifications and accommodations delineated in a student's IEP, as well as by getting to know their strengths and personal interests. I am so delighted to recommend Miss Laner for consideration for tenure this evening. I

043have a feeling that she's going to do some great things for us over the years to come. Congratulations, Danielle. [Applause] CJ. So, it says Charles on my paper, but I'm calling you CJ because I I actually just learned that today that it's um it is this is this may be the only uh tenure presentation that I give where I just use initials to uh highlight the tenure candidate. So, it's without hesitation that I recommend CJ for tenure as a physical education teacher in our district. In the beginning of his time in Yorktown, CJ was working across three buildings, coaching varsity, baseball, and doing everything else in between and athletic supervision and so many other areas for us. Although this is his first full year in one school building, CJ has acclimated quickly and seamlessly into

044our middle school faculty. He's a true professional and a true team player in every sense of the word. He's focused, flexible, and offers excellent instruction that is based on the needs and strengths of his students in the middle school's physic physical education classes. He encourages peer coaching during his classes so students can help each other to be successful. And when asked when was the moment that CJ realized he wanted to spend his career in Yorktown, he stated, "I would say after the first week working in YCSD. It's just a special place. It is without hesitation that I recommend CJ for consideration for tenure this evening. He has been an asset and will continue to be an asset to our school district. Congratulations, [Applause] CJ. Congratulations. [Applause] I'm glad you did it. So, I appreciate that.

045Congratulations. That was so nice of your players. Congratulations. Congratulations. So, for those who don't know, CJ was a former Major League Baseball player. And I just asked him real quick, give name two players that I may have heard of who you struck out. And he said, Bryce Harper and Jim Tomy. Have you ever heard of them? And I said, "Absolutely." And finally, we move on to our last school of the evening, Yorktown High School. And I'd like to invite YHS principal, Mr. DJ Janeiro, to the stage. [Applause] And joining us on stage, I'd like to invite Miss Casey, Christina Cristion, Mcomes, Annie Darling, Marissa Falner, Samantha Gerichowski, Alex Kaufman, Ingred Coin, Alexis Mareno, Mera Reggova, Kristen Sony, Amanda Spikenardi, and Panu Varis John. [Applause] A Everybody appears to be in order, too. Christine, come on

046forward. It is with great pleasure that I recommend Christine Cacasey be granted tenure as a special education teacher in the Yorktown Central School District. Miss Casey was hired in September of 2021 as has taught so many different courses for us, including English, English 11, English skills. She's incredibly knowledgeable, articulate, compassionate, just a true professional in every sense of the word. Miss Casey continuously s continually searches for ways to support students whether in the classroom during 9th period or as I've seen on multiple occasions during hall duty. Her principal Mr. Daneiro states, "I've had the pleasure of observing Miss Casey often and she always creates dynamic and engaging lessons and unit plans that are detailed and utilizes every second of the instructional period." When asked what gives Miss Casey the most joy, she stated, "I really

047enjoy coming into work and watching the students overcome difficulties and achieve success. It is wonderful to see my students not only succeed academically, but watching their confidence grow. And I have a feeling that you're going to be a driving force behind so many students experiencing success. It's an honor to recommend you for tenure, Christine. Congratulations. [Applause] This one's long. This goes on to like two pages. It is with such great pleasure that I recommend Christina Christ McComemes to be granted tenure as an assistant principal in the Yorktown Central School District. Her performance during the last three plus school years at Yorktown High School has been nothing short of extraordinary. She she has experience as an instructional leader during her time with the New York City Department of Education and that has paid huge dividends in

048her work in our district. Her skill set is tremendous and she is a tremendous resource to the building administrators, the staff and students alike. In the words of Principal DJ Janeiro, Christina is an extremely bright, articulate and well-prepared educator in every aspect of her role. Her verbal, documented, and detail oriented communication skills are flawless. She demonstrates outstanding problem solving techniques and a keen ability to be ahead of potential issues. She understands her students, their parents, our faculty, staff, while always being a consmate professional, displaying compassion and kindness." End quote. Miss Cristion Mcomes oversees our social studies and special education departments at the building level and is also an integral member of our clinical team, building emergency response team, oversees the administration of the eligibility policy, DASA scheduling, PD planning. I can go on, but I'm

049going to spare you. Um, of her fondest memories of her time in Yorktown, Christina states, "The last three graduation ceremonies have been wonderful to attend and to be part of. It's so nice to see how many of our students, many of whom have been attending Yorktown School since kindergarten, have left their mark on the district. The students are proud of the work that brought them to this point and are excited for what lies ahead. It's also heartwarming to see the large number of YCSD staff, both past and present, who show up for the event. We all take pride in the small part we've played in our students success. This year's graduation will be particularly special because this is Christina's senior class and we've been on this journey for the past three plus years. I'm honored

050to recommend Miss Christion Mcomes for tenure this evening. Congratulations Christina. I wholeheartedly recommend Annie Darling for tenure as a special education teacher in our district this evening. Annie is a dedicated and outstanding special education teacher who has been instrumental in establishing and nurturing our new flex path therapeutic alternative high school program, demonstrating exceptional commitment and professionalism in her role. Annie's dedication to meeting the academic, social, and emotional needs of her students is evident in her daily interactions and instructional practices. She has an incredible ability to foster a supportive and inclusive environment where all students can thrive. Her collaborative nature and unwavering commitment to the program and its students has have significantly contributed to the positive impact we are already witnessing through this program. Miss Darling states, "My favorite aspect of working in Yorktown is how

051much the district values innovation, empowers its educators, and always puts students at the center of everything. I'm especially grateful to our leadership and to our special education director, Caroline Almeida, for trusting me to take a hands-on role in helping to build the Flex Path therapeutic program from the ground up. Being part of creating a space where students feel supported, re-engage with learning, and rediscover a true sense of belonging has been one of the most meaningful experiences of my career. Throughout this journey, I've grown alongside the students, stretching myself in new ways, embracing new challenges, and keeping their needs at the heart of everything we do. I also feel incredibly lucky to work alongside a team that shares the same heart, passion, and commitment to doing what's best for kids. Yorktown has truly become a place

052where I feel that I know I'm making a difference and where I continue to grow, not just as a teacher, but as a person. Annie, I can't thank you enough for what you have done to advance our flex path program. You took a vision and you made it into reality along with your teammates uh as we say up the hill. Uh I'm delighted to recommend you for tenure this evening. Congratulations. [Applause] Thanks. It's a pleasure to recommend Marissa Faulner for tenure as a social worker in the Yorktown Central School District. Throughout her time in our district, Marissa has consistently demonstrated exceptional dedication, skill, and compassion in her role. Marissa provides invaluable counseling services to our special education students and plays a crucial role in supporting the needs of the entire school community. Her participation in

053risk assessments and threat assessments as well as her support of students in crisis highlights her commitment to ensuring a safe and nurturing environment for all. This past year, Marissa has actively collaborated with teachers by pushing into the Husker Discovery class to introduce herself and provide engage engaging lessons on mindfulness. This initiative has fostered connections among students and ensured they know where to seek help if and when it's needed. Her proactive approach and positive involvement in the school community have made a significant impact. I am so delighted to recommend Miss Faulner for tenure this evening. Congratulations. [Applause] I'm pleased to recommend Samantha Gerichowski for tenure as a special education teacher in the Yorktown Central School District. Samantha has joined Yorktown High School in September of 2022 to teach special education with a specific concentration in English.

054Her teaching assignment has been in multiple grade levels and multiple models across our English program. currently teaching English 9, 10, and an integrated co-eing section. But regardless of the grade or the level, she finds success working with a wide range of learners. In the words of Principal Daneiro, Miss Gerichowski is a wonderful colleague, role model, and team member. She's always pursuing ways to improve her teaching skills. I've had the pleasure of observing her teach formally, informally, and have walked through a classroom so many occasions. I've always found her to be engaging, rigorous, using multiple teaching strategies, and always a compassionate rapport with her students. I think that summarizes it pretty well. Samantha, congratulations to you. It's an honor to recommend you for tenure tonight. I'm pleased to recommend Mr. Alexander Kaufman for tenure as a

055special education teacher in the Yorktown Central School District. Alex was hired in September 2021 to teach special education with a concentration in social studies. He's a thoughtful, dynamic educator who has taught so many different courses within the department. And he's teaching multiple sections of social studies 11, special education social studies 11, and everything in between. Mr. D Janeiro shares that Mr. Kaufman's classes are annually highly requested and enrolled and his attendance at work is one of the best in our entire learning community. And when asked what brings Mr. Kaufman the most joy at work, he stated, "What brings me the most joy each day is seeing my students connect what we've what we're learning in social studies to the real world. Whether it's a thoughtful question, a breakthrough in understanding, or a new sense of

056confidence, watching them grow into critical thinkers and engaged citizens makes every day meaningful. and I'm certain that you'll be doing this for years to come. Mr. Kaufman, it is an honor and a privilege to recommend you for tenure tonight. Congratulations. Good side here. I I'm pleased to recommend Miss Mirror Reggova for tenure as a special education teacher in the Yorktown Central School District. Miss Regova was hired in September of 2021 to teach special education and science. Mera holds multiple teaching certifications in the sciences and special education. She is a thoughtful, dynamic educator who has an incredible work ethic. in the classroom. M. Regova's lessons are extensive and they reflect a whole lot of preparation. Having personally observed her, the depth, the engagement, the rigor, every lesson has that. She's kind to her students while holding

057high standards of academic excellence. Additionally, her rapport with students, their parents and colleagues are all terrific, and I'm confident that Miss Rogova will continue to excel as a member of our district, and I'm honored to recommend her for tenure this evening. Congratulations, [Applause] Ma. Kristen, I had you. Dude, I skipped you. I'm so sorry, Alex. I went out of order. Alexis, I am honored to recommend you for tenure this evening in our district. Miss Marino joined our district in September of 2022. She has successfully taught a wide range of courses and levels including general chemistry, regions chemistry, biology, and chemistry skills. And quoting her principal, Mr. Daneiro, Miss Mareno's lessons and unit designs are dynamic, and they create dynamic learning experiences for all learners. Miss Mareno is highly skilled in the area of instructional technology,

058incorporates various forms of it daily. She's confident, firm, and fair in her approach. Miss Marino collaborates with her students families and impressive in contributions to meetings, always with the highest level of professionalism." End quote. Outside of the classroom, Miss Marino co-advises our robotics program, which is growing annually in participation and reaching new heights of success. And I'm honored to recommend her for tenure this evening. Congratulations. I'm so sorry. I I just looked who I saw first. Now we're back. All right. It is such a pleasure to recommend Kristen Sony for tenure as a school counselor this evening. Um, and I want to add that Kristen is an amazing school counselor. From the very start, Kristen has shown herself to be a fantastic listener and a supportive presence for both our students and her colleagues. This

059year she was instrumental in getting the flex path program up and running showcasing her fearless approach to starting new initiatives. Previously, Miss Sony launched the Bright program at our high school, further demonstrating her willingness to explore uncharted territory in support of students. Kristen approaches challenges thoughtfully, asking great questions and bringing innovative ideas to light. Her involvement in the flex path therapeutic alternative program has really highlighted her collaborative nature and her commitment to helping every student succeed. Kristen has a wonderful way of interacting with students. She's understanding, kind, and an excellent listener, which helps her connect with them on a personal level. She advocates for her students and thinks ahead to ensure they have what they need to thrive. Having Kristen on our team has been a real asset to the district and I have no

060doubt that Kristen will continue to make a positive impact in our community for years to come. For this and so many reasons, I'm delighted to recommend Kristen Sony for tenure this [Applause] evening. All right. I'm delighted to recommend Amanda Spennardi for tenure as a health teacher in the Yorktown Central School District. Miss Penardi joined us as a probationary teacher in September 2023 after completing a leave replacement which began in 2021. Her teaching assignment this year consists of all health education classes. However, she has taught nutrition and Husker discovery classes in the past. Her classroom is engaging, rigorous, and uses so many different strategies while giving students a voice in their learning every day. She's kind, compassionate, and has excellent rapport with children. Equally impressive is that Miss Spanardi is always open to feedback to get

061even better. In addition to her outstanding teaching, Miss Piconardi is a big buddy adviser and assists in our ambassadors program. She's an integral committee member of the district wellness wellness day, middle states, PNW, both sees health collegial circle committees and in so many other capacities, she's integral to the school community. When asked about her favorite aspect of working in Yorktown, Miss Pickardi stated, "My favorite aspect of working at Yorktown High School is a strong sense of community and collaboration among both staff and students. There's a shared commitment to academic excellence and personal growth, and it's inspiring to be part of a team that genuinely supports one another and strives to make a positive impact every day. The students are motivated and engaged, which makes teaching here incredibly fulfilling." Amanda, congratulations to you. I am delighted

062to recommend you for tenure tonight. [Applause] And finally for Yorktown High School, last but certainly not least, I'm pleased to recommend Panu Vargas John for tenure in her role as a social worker. Panu provides invaluable counseling services for our students and plays a critical role in supporting our entire school community. She participates in so many critical functions of our high school, including risk assessments, threat assessments, and she has such a deep commitment to the well-being and wellness of her students. If you've met Panu once, you feel like you've known her for your entire life. Panu's ability to connect with students is remarkable, and her thoughtful nature makes a significant impact on their well-being. Panu's compassion and dedication to her work set her apart as an exceptional social worker. I'm confident that her continued presence in

063our school district will greatly benefit our students and contribute positively to our educational environment. And when asked about the moment that Panu realized Yorktown was where she wanted to spend her career, Panu stated, "I vividly remember sitting in a department meeting and looking around the room, thinking to myself how smart, talented, and compassionate my team members are. I was in awe, feeling as though with a team like this, we could make such a difference both individually and together. I feel so blessed to be surrounded by the most caring, intelligent, and all-around good people at work. This inspires me to continue advocating for students and families and to do the best job I can in my role as a school social worker. I am so pleased to recommend you for tenure this evening. Congratulations. [Applause] That's

064one way to speed things along. All right, so let's grab a picture. Congratulations. [Applause] Congratulations. Congratulations. Congratulations. That's pretty impressive. Thank you. Congratulations. Thank you so much. Congratulations. Congratulations, Amanda. Congratulations. We have three more tenure candidates to recognize. is I'd like to now shift over to our central administration tenure candidates and I'd like to begin by asking Miss Pamela Chester to join me on [Applause] stage. So Mr. Casserini is in his 26th year in the district. Miss Chester is in her 29th year in the district and she's receiving tenure multiple times over in the Yorktown schools. So, I'm delighted to recommend Miss Chester for a tenure as supervisor of humanities in the Yorktown Central School District. During her time in this role, Pamela has consistently demonstrated strong leadership, expertise, and dedication in overseeing and developing

065our English language language arts and social studies programs. Her contributions have been significant and numerous. Pamela's work in curriculum development has been incredibly beneficial for our district. Her understanding of current educational practices coupled with her ability to implement effective strategies has had a significant impact on teaching and learning. An example of this is her focused work on the science of reading ensuring its principles are understood and applied across all grade levels. This this initiative has led to a solid program to support students literacy skills and has positioned our district well in evidence-based reading instruction. Pamela's commitment is equally extraordinary. She approaches each task with enthusiasm and a focus on quality. Whether it's updating existing programs, developing curricula, or supporting individual teacher development, her energy and interest in education are inspiring. Pamela often speaks about this

066concept of micro moments, which are the small moments that are the most rewarding part of the job. The small moments of joy and enthusiasm that come from learning something new or experiencing success. During her 29 years in Yorktown, across various roles, Miss Chester has undoubtedly created many micro moments of joy for students and colleagues alike. Pamela is also a trusted colleague. To let you all in on a little secret, any letter that I write to the community around holiday or whatever it is, Pamela is often the first and last set of eyes to review that letter for me because I know her feedback is going to be good and I know my grammar is what it is. So Pamela, I appreciate everything you bring. The thing that the things that people see and the many

067things that people don't see and you're so appreciated. I know I speak for Miss Ammerling and Miss San Philippo when I say we're honored to recommend you for tenure tonight. Congratulations. [Music] [Applause] Congratulations Congratulations. And we have two final tenure candidates who I am going to call up together and they're both of our assistant superintendents. Our assistant superintendent for business, Miss Lisa San Philippo and our assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, Miss Dear Dramling. [Applause] both here. Yep. So, I didn't prepare remarks for you, and I just want to share. So, I've been reading a lot of remarks, but I couldn't come up with the right words. Many of you who work in our buildings know the relationship that Dear Jisa and I have. And when you're in a place long enough, as I've been

068in now my eighth year here in Yorktown, you have the luxury of beginning to pick teammates, and I couldn't think of two better teammates to have than Deerra on the instructional side and Lisa on the business side. They're friends, they're colleagues, they're my closest adviserss, and I can't do my job to the level that I do my job without the support of two of the most amazing people that I have ever come across professionally. I am just so indebted to you. I couldn't write the right remarks. I'm not going to ramble, but I just want to acknowledge how valuable your contributions are to this district, both what's seen and what's unseen. There is no task too trivial. There's no task too small. And there's no ask too great. So I just wanted to first congratulate

069you on getting to this point of tenure. And I want to wish us many more years together because I think we make one great team. So congratulations to you both. I am just so happy. I share in celebrating this with you. So welld deserved. Congratulations to both of you. [Applause] Congratulations. Thank you. Congratulations. Thank you so much. Okay, those are our 37 tenure candidates. 37 of the best professionals this field has. As you step into this new chapter of your career, remember that tenure is not the end of a journey. It's a milestone along the way. It's an affirmation that you have earned the trust and confidence of our district, but it's also a reminder of the ongoing responsibility we all share in shaping the future of our students. And with your eyes focused on

070the future, I always want you to remember the attributes that got you to this point. You've earned this recognition through hard work, determination, and a deep commitment to the children of Yorktown. As you move forward, don't only maintain those attributes, but build upon them. You have a great foundation, but you have to continue to get better with with each day. Congratulations to all of our newly tenured educators and teaching assistants and administrators. Your hard work, commitment, and dedication are an inspiration to us all. We look forward to seeing the continued impact you will have on our students, our schools, and our district for many years to come. Now, this was all fine and well, but the I just made a recommendation. Nothing is official until our board of education votes on your tenure. So, I'll

071turn that over to our board president, Miss Carbone. Can I have a point of order? So, move. Second. All those in favor? I. Thank you. Uh a motion to approve the tenure appointments for the May 12th, 2025 meeting as stated below. All those in favor opposed. [Applause] Congratulations. Okay. So, we have a full meeting. We have a budget hearing, two public comment periods, and a bunch of other uh points of business that our board will attend to. We're going to take a brief intermission. I'm going to respectfully ask that you if you want to stay, you could stay, but if you'd like to leave, I'm going to respectfully ask that you depart uh as as quickly as you are able so that we can continue on with the meeting. Congratulations all. [Applause] Okay, thank you

072Ron. That was a wonderful evening. Um, we're up to our first public comment on agenda related items. Evette, nobody signed up. Okay, so we're going to move on to the superintendent's report. Ron, wait, I'm sorry. I skipped something. I apologize. We have a public hearing. I apologize for that. Okay, so I need a motion to open the public hearing. So moved. Second. All those in favor? I oppose. So, um, Lisa, can we Hello. I will be updating on some highlights of the budget that community will be voting on on the 20th. Let me bring this a little closer. So the total proposed budget for the 2526 school year is $123,95,000. That is a 3.35% increase over the current year budget. The tax levy is proposed to increase by 1.74% which is below the allowable tax

073levy cap. The estimated tax rates uh for the town of Yorktown is 1.12%. For Courtland it is 7.59% and for Newcastle it is 9.46%. These are estimated tax rate increases. Some other items uh revenue items that are noteworthy are um state aid increases. So the state did finally pass their budget on May 6th. Uh they originally proposed um an increase to our foundation aid um of 2.5 million. They have upped that. We are now looking at 3.1 million increase in foundation aid. So overall state aid is proposed to increase by $600,000. However, that number was given to us after the board adopted the budget number. So it won't change at this point the budget number. um at all. But that's just information that we have and our uh fiscal advisory committee will be meeting on

074Friday to determine uh the best use of those funds. Um so we are also using some fund balance for leftover from this year to bring into next year of 1.9 million. That's down slightly from the current year. $700,000 of that is a one-time use to fund unforeseen costs for drainage repairs associated with the new athletic field capital project. So, all of this information is available on the district's website. You will also be receiving this week a newsletter put out by the district which will also highlight um some of these items. And if uh you have any questions or concerns, you can contact the district. Um, I believe we have Brian's email and um, if you submit any questions, we will do our best to get back to you in a quick fashion. So, that's all

075I have. Did any board members have any questions or comments? No. No. Uh, there's a budget book that's available online, too. Is that correct? Okay. That's got all the comprehensive information. Line by line data. Terrific. So, the proposition that will propositions that will appear on the ballot will be as follows. Proposition one budget sell the annual school district budget for the fiscal year 20 2025 to 26 in the amount of 123 million95,000 and the requisite portion thereof to be raised by taxation on the taxable property of the district be approved and the second thing is whereas the board of education vote for members of the board of education vote for three because there are three vacancies as for July 1st 2025 through the ending term of June 30th, 2028. There were three people on the

076ballot. Lisa Roll, Cheryl Reynolds, and Ry Bose. There were also slots to write in. We're going to open it up for public comment in the budget hearing. And I believe there were two people. Um Kian's Mr. Mrs. Killian, Mr. Killian, I know you're familiar with my uh speech, so I'm not going to read it to you. Um you have your microphone there. Thank you. Uh good evening. um here again representing Yorktown. Wait, the microphone's not on. So, maybe it is okay. Thank you. Go further. Hello again. Thank you. Um I'm here representing Yorktown 100, a local all volunteer group to reduce our green ha greenhouse gas emissions to net zero. First of all, congratulations to the newly tenured staff and assistant superintendent. School roofs, parking lots, and open spaces can be covered with solar panels

077to generate cash akin to having a goose that lays golden eggs. Smers, Putham Valley, Acin, Croin, and the Tar towns are neighboring school districts that have already that are already using their roofs, parking lots, and open spaces to generate electricity and save money. We need to catch up. It's good to hear you have scheduled a presentation for the June 2nd meeting, but we have had pre presentations before and still no progress. So for the fourth year, we urge you to make a long range plan to eliminate your use of fossil fuel. In those years, we have heard very little from individual board members on this subject. Hopefully, each of you tonight will comment on the following. What's the best way to ensure that we will begin to make progress transitioning to clean energy to save

078money? Do you agree that we should attempt to amend our contract with the bus company to move aggressively to replace our diesel buses with electric buses? And do you think it's important to reduce our cafeteria food waste to save money and reduce the amount of garbage that is burned in the problematic peak skill incinerator? The budget should reflect our vision and core beliefs if we are cultivating empathy, providing students with a knowledge, skills, values, and attitude that they need to be competent, contributing, and compassionate world citizens. Then we must lead by example and take the responsibility to reduce our burning of fossil fuel. Thank you. Thank you, Mrs. Killian. Good evening. I'm Mayor Jane Killian, also representing Yorktown 100. Um, before I start, I just want to quickly say it was wonderful to see how

079Yorktown celebrates their newly tendered teachers and staff. I uh I'm a retired teacher. I um I think there were five of us in the audience in another district, not this district. and uh we were given tenure but there wasn't a celebration like this. It was very wonderful to see. Anyway, um I'm excited to hear about your plan to explore transitioning to clean energy. Um I'm a retired teacher, so I really understand the concept of space repetition when presenting ideas and concepts. That's why I'm back yet again reminding you of what I said a few months ago about this subject and including a few uh excuse me, additional ideas. You've received lots of information about how much installing solar panels would save the district money while also transitioning to clean energy. All of it important and

080true. And after all, this is a budget hearing. Last time I told you about the many companies who would provide the who would provide the infrastru in infrastructure and also curriculum materials or grants for curriculum development to accompany these installations. I also mentioned the many benefits for students from these curricula that are in use presently in many of our neighboring towns such as Croin Austining Putin Valley Tartown and others. While solar or other infrastructure is being installed, students are learning all about renewable energy. How wonderful it would be that while our school district was also transitioning to clean energy, the Yorktown students could be learning all about it and energy which will no doubt power their future. I have also recently learned that there are many jobs in the clean energy section sector that require

081uh only a high school diploma. Now, I know Yorktown encourages children to go on to college, but uh some of our children cannot for various reasons. Maybe they're saving for college first, so they haven't decided what pathway to pursue. The curriculum offered by some of these companies includes information about such jobs as solar installers, wind turbine technicians, ecological landscape design, ecoourism guides, alternative fuel automotive technicians and green building construction amongst others. From solar and wind energy to the environment, there are many jobs in the green industry available to those without a college degree. Sustainability concerns continue to dominate every industry, creating jobs in nearly all job sectors in the economy. In conclusion, I would repeat what I said last time that I believe our budget priority should reflect our stated mission as a school district

082to quote develop students who consider themselves to be contributing and compassionate world citizens who have the capacity to influence positive change in the world. Thank you, Mrs. Killian. Thank you. Thank you. Did anybody else want to speak on the budget? Okay. Could I have a motion to close the public hearing? So second all those in favor. Okay. Now I'm going to move on to public comment number one which nobody signed up for and now the superintendence report. Sorry about that. So just a this was a great celebration of 37 faculty administrators who received tenure this evening or being awarded tenure this evening and what a great testament to all the great work that they have done for the children of Yorktown. We also have two additional board of education meetings that will also be celebratory

083in nature. On June 2nd, we have our annual school partner recognition night. That's the opportunity for our board of education and for our district to acknowledge the many groups that make Yorktown the special place that it is. Those are our PTA groups, the First Nighters, the Husker Club, and so many other school partners, Witson's, and and um some some of our other contractors as well. So, we look forward to celebrating our school partners on June 2nd and the final board meeting of the school year is June 16th and that's where we will celebrate our retirees and anniversaries, milestone anniversaries in the district beginning at 20 years. So, we look forward to welcoming members of our community to attend those meetings. Additionally, we have a pro presentation on energy performance contracts that will be delivered by

084our district architects and uh our construction manager will be in attendance on June 2nd. So, we look forward to hearing their presentation, hearing if an energy performance contract is something that would be feasible. If not, what are the alternative that we have available to us? How how else can we achieve the goal? I also wanted to follow up with the board of education on the exeicio board of education member. At the last meeting we discussed the process. We have put out a survey to students. We had students responded students respond to the survey. I met individually with students and there's a slate of candidates coming before the superintendent student council over the next two weeks beginning this Friday the 16th and then the following Friday the 23rd and we hope to have a recommendation to

085you by the first June meeting that's June 2nd of the students it may be worth considering just because as we meet with candidates and we hear their passion for being exeicio student members of the board, it may be worth considering having the alternate attend every meeting, having two students at the meetings. Um, there the students are are dynamic. They're they're articulate. They're passionate about policy. They're passionate about uh being engaged in in the process and being engaged uh uh with the board. And the reality is they have other commitments on their time and their time. So we have some students who play a sport in the fall or who play a sport in the spring or who are participating in one activity and one time of the year may be more challenging. And so it

086just may be worth considering the two students. So, I know we have one member and one alternate, but I have to tell you, I've known this, but what has really shined through is we have incredible students in our school district. And being able to sit with them to talk about policy and to talk about their participation on the board has really just opened my eyes even further to the amazing students that are in this district. Um, so I'd love to discuss that maybe at some point in more detail. Let's go through the process and then we'll report back. But this is going to be a very very challenging decision for our superintendent student council because the students who have come forward are just all so impressive and so remarkable. So I share that with you

087as an update but also as a point of future consideration. Uh as Miss Analippo mentioned the state budget has been approved. A lot of new information has come by way of the budget, not just uh the the numbers, not just the financial impact, but also policy that has been included. So, we're still learning a little bit about what the free school meals for all students will entail and the requirements of that program. We're trying to better understand the language within the cell phone ban, the Belltobell cell phone ban. So once we digest all of the different policy and legislative pieces that have emerged from the budget, we'll certainly report back to the board. But so much of this is developing and emerging and and I'm just sorry that it's happening so late in the school

088year which gives us a relatively short window of time to thoughtfully process the implications of these policies on our schools and on our students and to thoughtfully craft policy language that that implements the mandates but in a very intelligent way. So we'll be working through the various components of the budget specifically from the legislative piece so that we can bring forward thoughtful and intelligent policy to our district. Um so many other great things are happening in our school district. There are so many things that are being published on our website that celebrate the accomplishments of our students. We had two students who are national merit scholarship winners. 2500 students in the country are recognized and two of the 2500 came out of this very high school and that is just such an amazing testament to

089the great work happening in this school district. We have two students who are competing at at a wonderful science competition. We just so many terrific things and I don't want to begin listing all of the accomplishments. Our our aeronautics team has now qualified again to go back to the national championships in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Our science olympiad team three years in a row has qualified for the state competition. Just some absolutely terrific things happening in our school district. And I'll add one more for any member of the audience who will see this before tomorrow morning. I am hosting a senior citizen breakfast in the central administration building at 9:00 a.m. tomorrow. So, all are welcome to attend. We go over some happenings in the schools. We talk about some uh some updates and programmatic things that

090are happening, celebrations, awards, recognitions of our school district. It's it's a really important um endeavor for us to keep our senior citizen community engaged in our schools. This is their schools. uh and and it's all of our schools and we want to keep our senior citizen members of the community engaged in our schools. So the breakfast is one way that we do that. So it's tomorrow at 9:00 am all are welcome to attend and and you can just access the breakfast through the central office building which is on the same campus as our high school. That concludes the report that I have this evening. I appreciate the opportunity to provide that update. Thank you. Anybody have questions with you? All right. Thank you. Uh we're going to move on to committee reports. fresh week. Can

091we start with audit please? Uh yeah, sure. Uh the audit committee met uh last week uh May 6th and um we met with the external auditor um for the first half of the meeting and then with the internal auditor um so the external we went over the external audit plan for fiscal year ending 2425 um and the timeline for that and some of the deliverables uh for that. Uh we talked about the Gatsby statements uh 101 and 103. 103 will be coming later. Um and then uh they will be at the uh October 6th board meeting uh to present the um the external audit reports to the board and the audit committee is meeting with them to review the drafts of that uh the week prior September 29th. So that's our next audit meeting. um

092the internal auditor um attended the meeting as well and we reviewed the draft of the um intensive review of human resources. Uh so we're still working through that draft and we also have to um craft the corrective action plan for that document. So we're still working through that draft of that um by email. So um um that's not final. Um and as I said, our next meeting is scheduled for September 29th. Terrific. Thank you. Uh Catalina Educational Vision. No new updates. H no. Okay. Uh facilities project. So we met last week. Uh we met at Brookside. We reviewing parking. We wanted to see how the buses come in, how the um parents come in to do pickup and and understand how that's going to flow with the new building and all that stuff. So while

093we were there, we also met in one of their conference rooms. We reviewed the Mohansa cafeteria layout, the the cafeteria itself, which is actually the auditorium. And then we reviewed the kitchen. We also reviewed the outside where the new addition is going to be, and talked about the playground and and how the transition will be from the walkway to the playground. Um, and then the last thing is we talked about the field situation, which is still at is it D or DEC? D I'm always wrong. It is still there. They're still reviewing it and they're our consultants are in contact with them. We're just we're going to wait. We're on their timeline at this point. So once we get their approval, we have all the other approvals in place. Um so that was the update.

094We're meeting again next week. We'll be meeting at Mohansic to do very similar to what we did at Brookside. Um fiscal advisory. Um Mike is not here. We have not meet met. We're going to meet this week Friday. Um and policy. Sure. Sure. We last met on May 1st. We revisited some policies from some suggestions made at the April 21st board of ed meeting and made any necessary adjustments to those policies. We added wording for the selection process for the exeicio student member of the board. And then we continued on with our oldest policies. Next, our recommendations to the board. We have seven adoptions tonight and six first reads. And we next meet on June 5th. Thank you. Before we move on, um, with respect to facilities, are we on track timing wise and budget-wise?

095Yeah, budget, we're not 100% sure we should be. Um, but we are actually getting a more intensive um, budget projection based upon the actual drawings. So, that's being worked through. We're expecting that in a week or so. Um, timeline basically, yes. Um, but when things go to D and the county and you know as well as I do, we don't control that. Yeah, that's why I asked if we if we plan for the time that Yes, we we actually have that time is built in. We're still within that and we're crossing our fingers. Thank you. Um, so we're going to go into policies. Can I have a motion to approve the second reading and adoption of the following policies? We have 12:30 public comment at board meetings. 2160 code of ethics for officers and employees.

0962270 school attorney 2390 public hearings 3000 goals and objectives for the administration 3240 organization of responsibility and 4326 programs for English language learners so moved second all those in favor I opposed and the board will conduct a first read of the following policies 2245 exeicio student board member 2410 policy and regulation development adoption and implementation review 2710 Communication among individual board members. 4321.1 Provisions of Special Education Services in the least resive environment. 4321.10, which is actually the same number. Programs and services for parentally placed non-public students with disabilities. Can we check the number on that one? And then 4452 individual helping. We actually did check the number. We got the same. We had the same discussion in our meeting. I know. I know. It's like policy committee doesn't do math. Can we can we maybe

097look to um I I think actually I think we're okay with a 0.1 and a 010. Am I correct Ron? Didn't we had this discussion? It seemed like our fine is Yeah. It's interesting mathematically they're equivalent but with regard to policy they are numbered different. We can look at in policy committee if we wanted to reumber it. There's nothing incorrect about how it's currently numbered. But if we wanted to for just a more logical looking policy number, we can certainly renumber it. But it's not incorrect in its current form. I know. But if somebody blocks off the zero, but you know, yeah, but I think the issue is that it's under 43. Correct me if I'm wrong. I bet probably knows under 4321 there's already one through nine. So this is number one. Yeah, we

098can change it. That's fine. We actually had this discussion. I'm sure you did. Um I mean, yes, like Dr. Hatter said technically we're fine. We did um ask our attorneys but we can change it if it just reads better for all of us. That's fine. All right. And then do you have any questions or comments? So I have one on exio board member based upon what Ron just said do we want to change the wording instead of saying a a a student and an alternate maybe upon recommendation superintendent it could be two students or maybe he has some flexibility one year could be a student and an alternate a member and alternate. will maybe give flexibility back. Sure. Yeah. We hadn't discussed it like that, but if that's how we want to move forward with

099that wording, that's fine by me. Yeah. Does that help you? Well, we'll let the pol we'll let the uh interviews play out and then certainly at the next policy meeting, I'll report back to the policy committee and the policy committee can make a determination based on the feedback from the interviews that we have. Okay. I just want to make sure you have the flexibility to do what you which I appreciate. Thank you. Yeah. I think it's probably best I think Dr. Hatter brings up a good point. We'll go through it one time and then figure out from there where we should make the adjustment. Thanks, Jackie. Anybody else? We're good. Okay. Board action items. Okay. I have a motion to approve the minutes for the April 21st meeting. So moved. Second. All those in favor?

100I opposed. A motion to approve the treasures report for March 2025. Second. All those in favor? I opposed. A motion to approve the claims audit report for March 2025. So moved. Second. All those in favor? I oppose. A motion to approve the extra classroom report for March 2025. So moved. Second. All those in favor? I a motion to approve the Westchester Putinham School Board Association's ratification of the 25 26 that's spelled incorrect. um Westerton school board budget and slate of 2025 to 26 officers and members of the board of directors. So move second. All those in favor? I opposed. Personnel personal resolutions. A motion to approve the personal resolutions A through E as stated below. So move second. All those in favor? I oppose. Personnel agenda. Upon recommendation of the superintendent, a motion the following

101be approved. Under certified personnel, we have appointments. Part-time appointments, other compensation, extra duty, uh, middle school summer support, K5 summer support, K5 summer support for the second three weeks, other compensation, summer support and extended school year, additions to the substitute list. We have coaches and co-curriculars, correction, unpaid leave of absence, um resignations for the purpose of retirement, an additional resignation, and under classified personnel, we have appointments for civil service, addition substitute list, resignation for the purpose of retirement, and additional resignations. Second. All those in favor? Opposed? Did you want to say anything? There you go. Okay. Business office Athletic merger resolved the written upon recommendation of the superintendent of schools. The board of education of the Yorktown Central School Districts approves the following athletic mergers for the 2526 school year as per the merger application.

102We have girls varsity swim and dive with Srs. Boys varsity swim and dive with Srs. Girls varsity gymnastics with Srmers, Croin Harmon, Henrik Hudson, John J. Cross River Oing and Pauling and the varsity modified uh ice hockey team with Brewster Samers and North Salem. These are all repeat mergers. So move. Second. All those in favor? I opposed. A motion to approve the following Yorktown High School overnight field trip with Science Congress in Syracuse, New York on June 7th to the 9th. So moved. Second. All those in favor? I opposed. A motion to approve the finance manager renewal pricing for the 2526 school year in the amount of $36,346 pending receipt of insurance documents. Some move. Second. All those in favor? I opposed. Um the consent to change attorneys. Be it resolved. The board of education

103hereby approves the attached consent change attorneys from Marshall Denahe to Lucowski Brookman LLP as attorneys of the record for defendants and total transportation corp/ Matt Buzz bus corp Dorene Gerstol and Yorktown Central School District and hereby authorizes president of the board of education to execute the consent to change attorney on behalf of the board. Second discussion. Ron, can you just explain this is not we're not changing our school attorneys. No, we're not changing our school attorneys. The attorneys representing the bus company have changed and because we're defended and deemnified by the bus company or hold harmless with the bus company, we have to accept the attorney change that they have made on our it's on their behalf, but they're also representing us. But it's the bus company's attorney. I can just um because I'm in

104this line. So the attorneys who were handling it at Marshall Denny, he left that firm went to another firm and that's why it's we have to sign a consent to change attorney form. Yeah. But it's not I just wanted people understood it wasn't our school attorneys. It was a different and this is all covered by total transportation under their insurance policy. Thank you. Thank you. I like when we have you here. All right. Uh, all those in favor? I I opposed. Okay. Uh, disposal of bus cameras. Where is the district owned surveillance cameras and related recording technology equipment that were installed on First Student Inc. buses that are beyond their useful life and that are not necessary for school district purposes and therefore of no value to the district. Therefore, be it resolved that the

105board hereby declare such cameras and related recording technology equipment as listed on the attachment that is made part of this resolution to be obsolete property and have no value to the school district and authorizes the donation of all obsolete equipment to the Lakeland Central School District in accordance with policy 6900 disposal of district property. So moved. Second. All those in favor? I opposed curriculum. A motion to approve the following Yorktown Congress of Teachers professional improvement proposals as listed below for the 2425 school year and then for the 2526 school year. So moved. Second. All those in favor? I opposed. Pupil personnel. A motion to arrange the following placements as of May 12th, 2025. So moved. Second. All those in favor? I opposed. Instructional services. A motion to approve the instructional services agreement between the Yorktown

106Central School District as the sending school district and the Katona Lewisboro Union Free School District as the receiving district for students from the Yorktown Central School District to attend special education programs in the receiving district for the 2526 school year. So moved. Second. All those in favor? I opposed. Gift grants and don donations. A motion to accept with gratitude the following gift grants and donations at Yorktown High School. $4,000 for the science research program for the science for from the science for society society for science. I'm sorry it's getting late at Mohanic $180 for bus parking permits for the second grade bare mountain excursion from the Mohansac PTA. Second. All those in favor? I oppose. Going to go to board comments. Cheryl, I'll start with you. Sure. Um, I just want to say congratulations to

107our 37 tenure recipients tonight. I think that tenure is not just a milestone, but it truly is um a dedication to excellence in education. And I think that we're very lucky that they chose us. And I say the same words as how lucky we are that they choose us every year. But I truly feel that way. And you can just feel it in the energy that was here tonight. So I congratulate them all and I just wish them all the best as they continue their excellence in education as they move forward. So, thank you to them. Freshman, yeah, congratulations to all our uh tenure uh recipients. Um it was it was really nice to hear um the words that were either spoke their favorite moments or uh what their building principles had to say about

108them and every one of them was very very student centric. Uh that was their favorite part of working here. So, um you know, thank you Dr. Hatter for highlighting that. I did um enjoy hearing it. And to uh Lisa and to Diedra, congratulations. I you know I I I work with you both of you and Lisa especially with you on the audit committee and it's just such a pleasure to have you both. Congratulations, Lisa. Yeah. So I want to start with Lisa and Deerra. Um I love being on the board with you guys. You make it a pleasure. You make it easy. So thank you and congratulations. It's so welld deserved. Congratulations to everybody else. Um, I enjoyed listening to the speeches and hearing all that as well. But what I really liked is watching

109the rest of the audience for each school cheer for their colleagues. I think maybe next year we have a competition with like one of those meters who cheers the most. But it really just shows that you you saw them come out, you know, on a on a week night. They have other things to do. Um, and they're here to support their colleagues. And it really is just the true spirit of Yorktown. Ed, just a huge congratulations to everybody who received tenure tonight. Um, a special and welldeserved night. Um, just what everybody was saying, Dr. Hatter, I'm sorry, my voice, but um, the words that you read, um, that the principles have given you, u, my children have been lucky to have been taught by some of the teachers and they come home saying those words.

110So, those are just not words from their supervisors, but from their students. So, we're extremely lucky to have that. So, thank you. Great. Just that for the 37 recipients, um the four-year process or three-year that they had to go through, I sometimes don't think the public realizes the process that we have in order to that they have to go through. That's why we have the best teachers and and um congratulations and look forward to to many years that you served the district and our students. And Lisa and Deerra um Ron's words were very heartfelt and I think if you asked any one of us, we'd say the same exact thing. So, thank you very very much. Yeah. Um I I echo what everybody said, Lisa and Dra. I I love working with you. I sit

111in committee meeting with you and it's just such a pleasure to see how much you care about this district. Even in the short time here, you have made a phenomenal difference and I am just so excited for this district to have you as part of our team. Um, Ron, I love that you asked the teachers their words and what I noticed was there was a theme. Everybody was caring about students. Everybody felt like they belong. They were part of a family. And I think that's the culture that's brought down from the top that everybody does belong. you have a place here and we're going to support you. And they all felt supported and and and one teacher said, "I moved from building to building and it didn't matter. Everybody made me feel welcome and supported."

112And I think that says volumes for the way the three of you lead the district. So, thank you. Um, we are going to go up to our last public comment and nobody. So, can I go to a motion to adjourn? Second. All those in favor? I oppose. Good night everyone. Good night.