001America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty, justice for all. Mrs. Flynn, can you please call the role? Jennifer Boy here. Linda Gains here. Jeff H here. Bonet Collins here. Donna Logan here. Maryanne Megan here. Eileen here. Marian Quinn here. Mark here. Thank you. Thank you, Mrs. Flynn. Um, the reading of the district mission. Our mission is to empower all students to be self-directed, lifelong learners who willingly contribute to their community and lead passionate, purposeful lives. Um, may I please get a motion for the approval of tonight's agenda? So moved. Thank you. Second. Thank you. Um, any discussion? Seeing none, all those in favor? I opposed. Abstension. Motion passes. Correspondence. Does anybody have any correspondence they'd like to share today? Seeing none, move on. Board President's remarks.
002Um, thank you all for being here. I want to I want to shout out to the culinary staff for their excellent job and preparing these lovely snacks and delicious cakes for us. They do it every year and it always adds so much to this event and I want to thank you very much for that. I've said to a couple of people in this room that I'm always so happy that they have two things, the tenure and the retirement event together because it is a lovely kind of poetic bookends. And I also really love it that they have it just before one of our meetings so that we're always here and you know the difference in the faces between the retirees and the tenure people. It's kind of funny too, right? You know, different different kind
003of different kind of excitements, right? So, um, thank you all for being here to be part of that. Um, I want to congratulate all our retirees and our newly tenured employees. Um, to the newly tenant employees, I want to say on behalf of the board that we know you've already made, um, contributions to our community, which is why you've been offered tenure and we look forward to supporting you so you can serve us for years to come and serve our community, our families, and our children. And to our retirees, I want to extend my deep gratitude for the contributions you've made over the years. I know it's not easy and it's an everchanging environment and I wish you and the board wishes you um success in all your future endeavors and thank you so much
004for sharing such a significant part of your life with us and our community. Um I'd be remiss if I didn't take a moment to um say, you know, our Mark Tornator has been on our board. We're gonna This is not really a night that we're gonna We have Mark's going to be here for a while. But it's hard not to mention him when we're in the building where he served us for so long. So, we'll see you again in a couple of weeks and we're happy for that. But, I just want to say it was an honor for me. I was on the board for several years with Mark before. It's It's funny about board service, you know, kind of when you're on subcommittees, you get to know different people better, but there was a
005time he was president of the board and I was his vice president and I really got to know him a lot better. And you know, as much as I knew his where his heart was, that's when I really saw that every single decision he makes is about students. And if we're ever stuck or or circling in a dialogue, he always brings it back to well, what is the best answer in relation to the students? So, I just want to thank you for that all these years adding that to our group. And I I really mean that. Thank you, Mark. Um, and for Mrs. Flynn, whose husband is here with us tonight. Um, I didn't realize they were, you know, it's so nice. Mrs. Flynn is retiring in the middle of the summer, so we're also
006gonna have an opportunity again to say goodbye to her, but um, she served us for 12 years, right? Is it 12 years? Seven, I'm sorry. 17 years. I haven't been here that long, so there you go. Um, so 17 years. and um and it's it's an incredibly crucial role to keep us on board because we are volunteers and we need somebody to keep us you know appraised of all the laws and in doing all our work in the proper way and so and we appreciate the cheerfulness with which she does that. So thank you Mrs. Flynn. Um thank you and that I believe concludes my remarks. So uh moving on superintendent. Thank you Miss Well said. I just wanted to draw the board's attention to a few events that I know several of you probably
007have attended uh over the last few weeks. It is a very celebratory time of the year. I uh wanted to thank Maryanne for joining me um and Dr. Carol who I think is still in the room for attending the Duchess County Distinguished Student Breakfast last week. Yes. Yeah. Days everything's blurring. Um, we recognized Dallas Pescum and Nikki Guyger who were nominated by their house class to be uh recognized at that particular event and it was great to spend some time with Dallas and Nikki, great representatives of our school. Uh, the Ed Foundation scholarship breakfast. Eileen, I know you were there uh and probably will speak more to it later, but a wonderful event that I had the opportunity to duck into and I'm sure Eileen will speak a little bit more about it. Uh uh
008but right after our last meeting, we also had our Memorial Day uh and Charlie Johnson commemoration uh that I know many board members attended and was a wonderful event. Uh the Charlie Johnson awards were were given to I believe 19 students and three members of our faculty and I'd say we had about 800 people there. Uh, I know the bottom was full and uh a few folks uh milling about and just a great turnout for uh uh from our local veterans uh families uh and uh some of our legislators that were local and and I really want to thank Pat Ryan uh who took the time to uh attend as well and share remarks with the group. Uh for those uh you may have noticed those of you who are in attendance that Rich has
009done Dr. Carol has done a great job compiling uh much of Charlie Johnson's story in this book which he gives to each Charlie Johnson recipient. Uh and Rich was so kind to uh provide us with additional copies for the board. I I didn't bring them all over tonight because uh you know was bringing other things, pennants and pins and whatnot. So I have them for you uh for our next meeting when we're at the district office. And if you're uh picked up on pieces of Charlie Johnson's legacy and the awards that we provide to the kids along the way, uh this will fill in all the gaps for you uh because it really does tell the story about not only Charlie but the many individuals that were part of the legacy project over the years.
010And uh I so appreciate I point this out the many handwritten notes that Rich has included in here that he's uh sent to other individuals from the family or people who are part of the legacy project over the years uh to keep the project going forward. So, um, one's here tonight, but I have copies for all of you, uh, that I'll have for the next meeting, you know. And I can I just jump in? So, uh, it it's always been a wonderful event if you've been able to go. But this year with with um, Charlie receiving the the Medal of Honor, um, there were different layers added and so many members like 40 members of his family came to the ceremony. It was so incredibly moving. And we also had a couple of students who
011in eighth grade were the students who did the research that uncovered his story and it was just a very um and that was an element that I hadn't seen before those students coming in. One gentleman came in from California right that he started this ball rolling. So just really a a wonderful and I just think reflects our community so well how we we don't pretend we care. We really do care and we maintain those things over the years. So, thank you, Phil. No, thank you. And thank you to Dr. Carol and Melissa. Really top-notch. So, that concludes my remarks. Okay. Thanks, Phil. Um, Mrs. Flynn, do we have anyone for public comment tonight? And does was anybody that you know, so we have two sections for public comment. I don't know if the reception the
012people understood that you usually sign up ahead of time if you want to speak publicly but re if you if you would like to speak we have one section that's for items on the agenda one section that's for items not on the agenda if you feel like you would speak want to speak you know we're not going to stick to our rule of signing up because it was a strange you know beforehand there was a party and everything so um just raise your hand at some point but so does anybody want to speak now okay great so we'll move move on um reports and discussions the Arlington High presentation. Yes. I'd like to welcome Dr. Salamini to the microphone here. Dr. Salamini is going to provide an overview of some happenings at Arlington High School,
013which there's always a lot happening at Arlington High School. Uh, welcome him. And I know Miss Bolino is also here and she has some student that she is invited to the meeting who are also going to provide a presentation on their civic engagement project. So, uh, Dr. Salami, we can see the presentation back there and I think Liam's going to bring it up here. My head's in the way, so I'm gonna move. Thank you, Dr. Solomon. Yeah. Make sure I got the clicker going. Where it will be. Good evening, Board of Education members and Arlington community. I'm honored to share this year's work at Arlington High School under the banner, I am an admiral, a community for all. Tonight's presentation highlights the programs, achievements, and values that define our students, staff, and school culture as
014we continue to grow and support one another. We began the school year, oops, there we go. We began the school year by welcoming the class of 2028 during the summer bridge program in August. This early transition experience connects students with peers, staff, and building expectations. More than just a tour, it sets the tone for inclusion, relationship building, and readiness for high school life. It's a vital piece of our support structure. Our outstanding admirals initiative continues to thrive, recognizing teacher nominated students in each of the four houses. The increasing numbers 81 from the marking period 1 to 206 in marking period 3 we're still collecting for marking period 4 speaks volumes about how our culture of acknowledgement motivates and affirms students for character, effort, and growth across the year. We proudly inducted 189 seniors into the
015National Honor Society this November and recognized 399 students at our honor key ceremony in April. These students exemplify academic achievement and service to community. These milestones also reflect the strong work ethic and academic support systems we fostered throughout the high school. As mentioned earlier, the Johnson the Charlie Johnson award remains one of our most meaningful traditions. Charlie's eight character traits such as loyalty and selflessness guide how we honor students and staff. His posumous medal of honor awarded this January renewed our community's pride and reminded us of the enduring legacy he left behind. Our our My Brothers Keeper chapter is part of the national initiative launched by President Obama aimed at closing opportunity gaps for young men of color. It creates a framework of support, mentorship, and leadership development. And BK helps our students find purpose
016and voice in both school and society. This year, Zavier and Brendan gentlemen, please come up. were selected as NBK follows fellows serving as ambassadors of equity and leadership. Zavier and Brandon, please come up here. Thank you. And introduce yourselves. Uh my name is Zavier Durannis. My name is Brandon Bailey. Uh I just wanted to We were told that we could uh say a bit of a speech. Uh I'm not one to really believe in them, so I'll just kind of say it on the spot. Um, I just want to say thank you, uh, whether you had a part in it or not, for bringing the, uh, the MBK initiative to the high school and letting it thrive as you can, as me and Brandon both represent you, uh, at the state meetings that we have
017online and at the symposium that we went to to be inducted into MBK fellow program. Thank you. Thank you, gentlemen. Alongside them, the MBK team participated in college fairs, intergroup dialogues, and trips to New York City and Philadelphia. These events expanded perspectives, built confidence, and fostered a deeper connection to their futures. My sister's keeper is also a growing force for student leadership and advocacy among girls of color. The group provides a safe and affirming space where students can speak freely, address challenges, and engage in meaningful conversations. Their mission is to educate peers and staff alike, ensuring Arlington becomes an even more welcoming place for all. MSK joined MBK in a wide range of events this year. From the Vassor College intergroup dialogue to the Lamar Guiles lunchon to the Black History Month celebration, these shared
018experiences allowed students to connect across identities while amplifying important voices within our school. Now, also, if you have a chance, please support the MSK fundraiser outside with the baskets. Uh they're here selling No Place for Hate. Uh this slide I apologize. We're proud to be a No Place for Hate designated school. This reflects our commitment to inclusivity, equity, and student empowerment. Initiatives like our assembly day studentled equity panels and our marching into empowerment series show how students are leading cultural change across our campus. Mr. Broglia introduced the participary budget project to the equity team and a group of students. The students conducted research, campaigned for support, and pitched proposals to administration. Two ideas, game and snack station, and a Zen Garden were funded. This wasn't just about spending money. It was about building civic capacity
019and showing students that their voices matter. On May 2nd, we hosted a night in Paris, our unified prom, inclusive, sensory friendly evening for all students. The joy in the dance floor spoke volumes. These events remind us that belonging doesn't happen by accident. It's created through intention and care. The AHS food anchor program ensures our students don't go hungry. Quietly and consistently, we've served 20 students and two staff members weekly, offering meals, snacks, and hygiene hygiene items. We are preparing to expand the pantry into a student choice model next year, building dignity into support. Our unified sports program brought students together for botchi basketball and bowling. It's not just competition. It's building friendships, inclusion, and shared success. These programs continue to break down barriers and highlight what it means to be a part of a team.
020Our Admirals continue to excel in athletics with over 1400 student athletes at multiple championship banners. This year, our teams have represented our district-wide district with pride. Scholar athlete teams across seasons show that academic success and athletic commitment can and do go hand in hand. This was the first season for the girls flag football and what a debut. The team went undefeated in league play, securing 11 wins overall and finished third in our section. They built something special from the ground up and it's only just beginning. The Today's Students Tomorrow's Teachers program continues to support high school students of color pursuing careers in education. Through college visits and classroom experience, students see themselves as future leaders, and we're helping them get there. This is about building the next generation of educators starting right here in Arlington
021as we grow our own. We continue this year with with bringing science directly to 117 classroom uh classes in our building here at the high school. Our students were supporting hands-on inquirydriven instruction. We also ran an early childhood session for over 30 students three times a week for two semesters building early literacy, numeracy, and social emotional learning in in our youngest learners. The marching band first place finish in Syracuse on October 17th was a major highlight. These students commit hours to rehearsals, travel, and performance, and they do it all with passion. The artistry is a proud reflection of our school culture. Our cadet and winter guard units along with winter percussion performed in multiple showcases this year. These co-curricular band comp blend competition, teamwork, and creativity, providing students with a powerful outlet beyond the classroom.
022The Admiral Players continue to raise the bar in school theater through compelling productions and behind the-scenes collaboration. They've nut nurtured talent, built community, and shown the power of the arts to bring people together. And here are some shots from the two uh from the musical Legally Blonde and then the 12th Night Shakespeare. And finally, our students pursuing the New York State Seal of Civic Readiness presents projects on civic engagement, public service, and social responsibility. Led by Miss Bolino, these students demonstrated deep thinking and leadership in action. I now turn it over to Miss Bolino to lead us through their projects and accomplishments. Thank you. Hi everyone. Oh, wearing tall shoes. Sorry. So, I'm here to talk about um high school capstone projects. So, just as kind of a refresher, I know a bunch of us
023um know about this already. The seal civic readiness is a stateed initiative um that really promotes civic knowledge, mindset, skills, and actions in New York State. It can serve as a 4 plus one pathway which means that uh for the five regions that students have to pass it can be in place in one of the regions exams and we have utilized that as a district which is amazing. Um but it's also a seal of distinction for students. Uh we average about since we started 380 to 415 uh recipients for the seal. We're one of the leaders in the state um in terms of most of our student body earns the seal of civic readiness. And there's a number of different ways that you can earn the seal um here at Arlington. our plan because each
024district is able to make up their own plan. We make sure that students are have the ability to to earn the seal within our classrooms under the guidance of a teacher. Um we're really big in the social studies department as students practicing being an active citizen in the classroom. Um and so that's how we're able to be so successful with the SEAL. Uh the students that I'm presenting to you tonight have completed the largest project within the SEAL. Uh it's called the capstone project. The capstone project really has a student walk through the practice of being an active and engaged citizen. Um, basically what they have to do is they have to choose a local issue or problem or a larger problem and we'll see some examples tonight and how it affects our local community.
025They have to really research the issue in terms of uh causes, effects, solutions. Uh they have to design or execute a solution for the problem. Um come up with a plan. They have to take informed action to address the issue. So not it's not only coming up with the plan this project has them follow through with the plan and then my favorite part is they have to reflect upon you know what they did afterwards not only in terms of was it successful or not uh but also what they learned from it and what are some skills that they can take in the future as an active citizen in their community. Uh the state allows students to complete this project either within a class as a group or on their own under the guidance of an
026adviser. Uh what we really see with the capstone project is besides those you know different parameters that the students hit is that the students come away with a number of other skills and experiences that really help them or will help them in life. Uh they become aware of issues in their community. They're um as part of our project at Arlington we have them interview people that are affected by the issue or have knowledge of the issue. Uh they communicate in a professional manner with individuals, groups and organizations. Many of them have to make phone calls, they have to send emails, and they have to correspond back and forth. And that is a lot for a high school student. Uh they plan a large project that requires a lot of time management on their parts. Uh
027setting goals. They adapt and persevere through obstacles and failures. You're going to hear about a couple of projects tonight where the first go didn't go so well and then they knocked it out of the park with the second um go. Uh they have to reach out for to others with help. It really shows them about the resources in their communities. Um, and it also enables a lot of their projects allowed other students to act as well. So even though it was their project, they had volunteers, their peers come along and help them with their projects. I always like to highlight who our students partnered with in the community. So when you look at we had 19 students this year complete capstone projects and if you take a look at that list there, those are all
028the different groups and organizations that worked with our students. And so I really appreciate everyone in our community helping our students. um you know whether it was answering emails, providing information, allowing our students to work with them for their projects. I really think that that list there is really impressive um in terms of you know who our students were able to comm make connections with. So now what I'm going to do is I'm going to call up the different students. Um the first thing is we're going to present students that I had personally had in class. I teach a civic engagement and leadership class. It's a semesterl long class. It's an honors elective honors purely because of the project. Um and this year I had sophomores, juniors, and seniors. We had a number of students
029that weren't able to attend tonight due this is a busy time of year for kids uh due to work other you know um commitments and everything. So I'm going to you have a pamphlet there that highlights all the projects but I'm going to call up the students that we have here tonight. So our first student is Dominic Allen. Dom if you want to come up. All right. So Dom showed us his project because as an avid reader as a young age he decided to help children who didn't have access to books. He helped he held a book donation drive at Arlington High School. Um in the various house offices here at the high school. Uh through everyone's donation, he was able to donate over 190 books to the children's home of Pikipsy. So next we
030have Cyrus Cowings. So Cyrus and I told him I was going to say this in the beginning. He had a wonderful plan at first. He was going to host a tea party for senior citizens in the community. He even had the tea set. Cyrus, you where are you? You had the tea set all picked out and everything. He looked on Amazon, all delicious tees. Um, but Cyrus is a member of our varsity basketball team also. Um, and so he was planning this during his season and we just couldn't find a date. Correct. And so, and I mean this lovingly in last minute he was able to put together a clothing drive within the varsity basketball team program. Um, and he was able to donate clothes to the children's home of Pikipsy um for students placed
031in emergency foster care CA care and it was a huge success. So, I'm really proud of you. Way to go. Congratulations. Up next is Wayne. Wayne Ever. Um, after learning about Duchess Outreach, Wayne decided to educate others on what Duchess Outreach does uh to for those in need. He hosted a liftathon during weight room inter murals and was able to disseminate information to students about what Duchess Outreach does and how students can actually get involved. Congratulations, Y Gonzalez. Y was concerned with poverty in our local community. So she hosted a clothing drive to benefit Duchess outreach. Uh she worked with the town of Pikipsy soccer club that she plays for um and held a donation drive at Greenville Park. Um, and through her drive, Emil was able to collect and donate approximately 45 bags of
032clothes to Duchess Outreach. Nvea Picket. So, Nivea works at the Fountains of Milbrook, a senior living community in close proximity to our district. And through that, she recognized the impact that isolation from family and friends can have on senior citizens. So, she worked with her employers to create a bingo night that provided entertainment, but she also handed out resources for the residents regarding senior abandonment, isolation, and how to seek support when needed. And as a side note, Naa and Cole Bonante represented our district at the Duchess County School Boards Association dinner last week, and both of them were able to speak about their project, and they did a wonderful job. So, uh, next is Sia Richardson, uh, using her talents. Sorry. Using her talents and abilities, she decided to create a project that highlighted what
033Duchess Outreach does for their community and different ways that students can volunteer their time and energies. After hosting a night at the lunchbox where students are able to serve meals for those in need, Sai created anformational video for Duchess Outreach that can be used on their social media pages and website. Next is SA Simmons concerned with helping those in need within the city of Pikipsy. She worked with Hope on a Mission uh to create a night where she and other volunteers would prepare and serve food for those that utilize the services of the organization. So, six other student volunteers hosted the night and what they did is they brought tons of food, they made food, correct? And you brought food, tons left over, and they were able to host an entire night for Hope on
034a Mission for the residents of the city of Pikipsy. Next, we have students from uh Mr. Lawrence's climate and energy science research class. So, the the great thing about the capstone project, it's not just a social studies thing. And what we're realizing through the district is that there are wonderful projects and students are doing and performing civic actions in other areas besides social studies. And this is a perfect example here. So we actually have three different projects that we're going to highlight right now um that went through the science research project but also you know obviously um match up with the capstone um guidelines as well. So first we're going to have Yash Bonu um and Chelsea Lopez Maro is um part of the project also um for their this their class project. Yash and
035Chelsea focus their efforts on lowering the carbon footprint and reducing light pollution in our schools and community. As a result of their project, they have spearheaded a delamping program where teachers can request to have the excess light bulbs in their classes removed um to decrease the energy usage of unnecessary bulbs. Through their light meter measurements, they were able to also delamp hallways as well. Together, they have delamped 1,198 bulbs, leading to an estimated carbon savings of 26,367.70 pounds and estimated yearly savings of $4,625.93. Did I get that all right? It's a lot of numbers. And correct me if I'm wrong. You're looking, you're going into or the project's going to expand to other buildings, right? Congratulations. Next, we have Aruna Sahu. Working with former AHS science teacher Marbel Pregnull and the Blanding Turtles Project, Arunia
036devised a plan to plant will willows along the wetlands located behind Arlington High School with assistance from Dr. Solommani and Jess Clark of the Willowvale Farm. Rooney and her team were able to plant 200 willow stalks and devise a watering and measurement system for future growth. The willow plantings are a perfect example of sustainable resources as they provide shade and coverage for the blanding turtles and can also be used to make tribets for baskets. Next we have Rebecca Rodriguez Singh and Alexa Johnson. And so this project actually ties into the Willow project, the Willow Garden project. Well, at the Youth Empowerment and Sustainability Summit, Rebecca and Alexa became aware of another way that willow can be a sustainable resource as they were educated on the use of willow to make charcoal for artists after undergoing
037a period of self-education and trial and error. Correct. Right. They learned how to produce charcoal from willow stalks that can be used by students in art classes at Arlington High School as well as Mr. Austin's materials and processing classes. And your project too is looking to expand to other buildings, right? Congratulations. And then we had an individual project. So we had one student who chose to do a project on her own, which I love, right? And so what when a student wants to do a project on their own, uh what the state says that they just have to find an adviser and I serve as adviser, but really the student didn't need adisement at all. was basically her just telling me what she's doing with her project. Uh, which is fantastic, right? And I got
038to meet you, which is great also. So, Cali Rollison um wanted to focus her efforts on concern for under reppresentation of science curriculum in elementary classrooms. So, she worked with all the first grade teachers at Veil Farm Elementary School and she created a science experiment in line with the first grade science curriculum. Um, she created a a project save the sea creatures science experiment where students had to remove an oil spill from water using trial and error as well as a variety of other tools. And what I love about this project also is that she was able and you could see them in the picture to bring other students and each student had their own classroom and they were able to teach stu the the younger students as well. So when we talk about projects
039empowering other students in terms of civic action, this is a perfect example. So congratulations and like I said there's other projects obviously within the pamphlet and you can take a look at them. But um thank you for allowing me to present the students for the capstone projects. Do you have any questions? I don't know. Okay. Thank you. Thank you very Well, thank you all very much. That was terrific. We'll ask one more time. Is anybody Thank you, Dr. Salamy, for all the great things going on here at the high school. Um, okay. And let's see what's next on our agenda. Oh, a second reading thanks to our policy committee. Um, yeah, please get a motion. So, moved. Thank you. And do you have a second? Thank you. Yep. I don't think your mic Yeah, I
040think your microphone didn't quite make it. Um, any discussion? Seeing none, all those in favor? I I All those opposed? Abstension? Motion passes. Okay. Um item C, extension of probationary periods. Can I please get a motion? So move. Thank you. Second. Thank you. Any discussion? Seeing none, all those in favor? I opposed. Abstension. Motion passes. Certified teacher uh excuse me, certified tenure recommendation. Can I please get a motion? Thank you. Second. Thank you. Any discussion? Seeing none, all those in favor? I I opposed. Abstension. Motion passes. There's all that official tenure coming at you. The cake wasn't what made it official. It was the vote. Although the cake helped a lot. Um, let's see. Did I skip one? Is that it? Oh, we got one more here. Right. Oh, civil service creation of position. Can
041I please get a motion? Thank you. Thank you. Any discussion? Seeing none, all those in favor? I opposed. Abstension. Motion passes. Business consent agenda. Our consent section of the agenda lists several items for approval by a single motion. Documentation concerning these items has been provided to our board members in advance to assure an extensive and thorough review. May I please get a motion on the consent agenda? So moved. Thank you. Thank you. Any discussion? If I may. Certainly. I just wanted to draw the board's attention to the recommendation for Mr. Joe Carter to be appointed as the director of facilities. And Joe is here this evening all the way in the back. Joe, just give a wave. There he is. And with your uh as you know John Wilson is retiring and John has proudly
042uh served the district for I think over 10 years now and done a fantastic job. The management of our facilities as you all know is quite the undertaking and John and his department have have managed that very well um and put it in a good position. Uh Joe has been learning alongside John now for several years. uh he cares deeply about Arlington and the people who comprise the department and I know we're really excited uh about the prospect of him uh filling this role now for uh uh for the far future. Oh wow. Thank you. Thank you. Anything else? Any other comments? No, just your vote. Okay. So, let's make it official. All those in favor? I I opposed. Abstensions. Motion passes. Congrats. Okay, I got to skip ahead again. I should work from the
043back. Here we are. Okay. Next up is future discussion items. For all you who tune in every week, what we do is we roll things forward. So, last time we were together, we had a member propose a future discussion item. Um, Jen proposed one. And so what we do now is we'll have a you know whatever kind of discussion we want to have to understand more about what she's maybe requesting and then discuss whether we think that's how we would move forward then as a group or if we want to task the administration with anything or we'll go from there. We'll start with Jen. Um, I I brought the item forward to have a conversation about board oversight of PPS without adding an administrative burden um during the transition because I know we don't want
044to do that. Um, but PPS touches every student and staff member in some way in this district and I feel as though we need to be a little bit more informed beyond the annual budget cycle. Um, what I was suggesting was ways to establish more frequent updates between the PPS and the board throughout the year. Uh, I felt it would give us an up-to-date sense of student needs and service priorities and helping us make decisions about the needs that and make decisions on every time we meet. Um, it wasn't about forming a new con committee. Um it was about um visibility and accountability. Um I want to know if um the board feels that it would um serve us to attend relevant PPS meeting not to participate but to observe and look back um or
045even report back to the board. Um and that was that was helpful. Okay. Thank you very much. That was really helpful. Um, so now we haven't done one of them in a while. That was kind of fun. But oh, maybe turning on my microphone so the friends at home can hear me. Um, I was just saying that we haven't done one of these in a while. So now we're just going to talk about maybe people may ask you questions about to expl explain and then we can decide um decide how we want to move forward with this particular item. Does anybody have any comments at this point? Marian, it's not so much a question as a as a comment. Um, my only concern with this at this moment in time is that the timing um
046that we have just hired a new PPS person that will be starting. Um, I'm just wondering if it wouldn't behoove us to let her get her feet wet in the district and show us what her thoughts would be on reporting, letting us know what's going on. Um, since it's going to be a new person, I feel like there is an opportunity for things to be done differently than what we have experienced in the past. Um, so that's my concern uh or question or wondering is more about the timing. Um, I'm I'm not opposed to the idea in general. Um, but I am concerned about the timing as a new person is about to take the helm of that department. No, and I understand what you're saying and I I don't want to overtask someone as
047they're coming in. I just felt that I personally felt that I needed to hear a little bit more. PPS encompasses so many things. It's MTSS. It's it's ENL. It's it's it's everybody, right? Um and more than just right before the budget. No. And I I hear all of your I don't want to overburden someone. Yeah. And it's I don't even know if it's an overburdening. I think where my thoughts come in is new person comes in I'm assuming with their own thoughts and ideas of how things should proceed. And I'm just wondering if we shouldn't give that a little bit of time to be formulated before we weigh in on whether we think we're not getting what we need. I guess is my thought. Linda had a comment. Um I think the new person coming
048I'm in agreement that we should have some type of report or something given to us at some point. Um I think the new person coming in is not going to be a brand new person that they've been doing this for a while. So I think asking them to give us information on statistics or data or or things or something that they're used to. So nothing above and beyond what a new person would have to do. Um I think it's a good idea. I think the reporting maybe in this first year could be more of a data basic level. How many students are doing this? How are they doing? How do you um you know show improvement or areas of improvement? um not asking for anything specifically out of their realm since they are new to
049the district, but I think that they can provide us with some um basic data points that they're used to giving at other wherever they came from. So, I'm in agreement, but could I ask a question now? Now, this is a question. Um that's not what I heard being asked for. I think there's a difference between us asking for certain information. I thought I heard last week or when we met two weeks ago that we were looking at a board committee to somehow oversee, get involved, or do something with PPS. So, if I'm mistaken, that's that's what I thought I heard two weeks ago. I may have used the wrong wording, but I was more thinking in my head that as equity functions, they go to the meeting and report back. They're not It's not uh
050Kevin bringing me a bunch of data to look at. He's So, um, you know, I don't want you to feel like you I think we can all discuss and then decide. I think we all care about PPS. I don't want you to feel like you have to defend your Hill, you know. Um I don't feel that way. I was just trying to explain that I wasn't looking to form an official committee. Okay. But not that's my misunderstanding. Maybe a liazison not not even a liazison but more just to go and hear what's going on and bring it back to the board. And some of those things may not be able to be discussed because of confidentiality or whatever reasons. Yeah. Um and I and I understand that. But just to see that there was flow
051and that things were were moving. Okay. And I'm still I don't mean to hug the microphone, but I'm going to just speak from a a position of having been that person for several years under different leadership in PPS. Um so what Marian's saying is that we had a we had a committee and we had a representative on the committee and Marian was that person. I just want to make that clear. Right. So my thinking on the way it was done previously there was a very blurring of lines with the way first of all PPS as you mentioned is huge. So the part that I was involved in was only the special education piece. I was invited to the quarterly meetings um for special education. So that's what I can speak to. There was a blurring
052of the lines in terms of my purpose for being there and the reporting that could come out of it. I was more asked to participate under a different um administration and it was very awkward. um that's not where I see the board functioning. Um that doesn't sound like governance to me. Um so I was sort of happy that things devolved in the way that they did. Um so whatever we decide I just think we have to be clear on what kind of information we're asking and what kind of involvement in terms of there's to me there's a difference between getting information from our administrators and participating in a meeting of that's where I get a little wiggly on what the difference is between our governing persona versus something else. So, as this conversation goes on,
053what I would like to know is a very clear delineation of what it is we're looking for in the end and how to best get that information. And without the person in the position yet, I I think it's it's a timing issue at this point from my point of view. And now I'll stop. No. Thank you, Marian. I think Sophia wants to make a comment. Um, you mentioned something about the budget. So, you wanted the end the end goal is to be able to put more money in the budget. No, not No, that wasn't the end goal. was that we typically hear about PPS right before the budget. During the budget cycle, we get a presentation before. I just think that another update some other time during the year to let us know how they're
054doing as opposed to just giving us the budget. Um, so I have um I have a couple of thoughts. Um, I agree with Jen that if we look at this year, um, because we had an excellent interim PPS person, thank you very much, Lisa. You don't get to officially retire, but we it's it's the day we thank people. So, thank you very much. um you know uh we haven't really had an opportunity to decide what is it that the board needs to know that that particular quadrant of our community is functioning well and I think that um if I could make a suggestion oh let make one more comment before I make a suggestion we when we reviewed our committees last year at uh our our retreat we we modified how Eileen sits on the
055equity committee by not participating in active sub active groups that would do work. It's very difficult and kind of count it's um it it's really difficult to stay in your governance lane when you're working with people who are rolling up their sleeves and so and that's very important for us and the longer you're on the board the more important it becomes. So that that's where I think Marian is reacting to that. The reason we I guess they also stopped having them, but the reason Marian stopped going is even if they had kept them going, we had decided that wasn't a great place for a board member because it's very processoriented and not um not like oversight oriented. That said, I completely agree that um we we could use more information. There's other things we kind
056of hear about during the budget cycle and it kind of gets the bums rush sometimes, right? And we get a similar presentation to last year. I know Phil's talked about maybe, you know, some changes he wants to make to the budget process. But I agree. You know, how would this feel to everyone, but to Jen in particular? You know, I would almost like to task Phil and Regina to um we first of all, we can flesh out more um together about what it and we could do that right now if you like what it is that we think we want. We could ruminate on that. But then I think that they need to regroup and say you know in a not make work environment what is it that we how can we share with you
057that we are achieving the goals for these in in our department in our area and and just like we would with so you know Kevin or HR or communications you know what what is it that the board's going to need in an annual cycle and and it needs to be rich and it needs to be richer than we have now. I would totally agree. So, um, how does it how does anybody react to that thought that Mark? Yeah, I mean, we we frequently say that we want to don't want to put more work on our uh the administration team uh to do things that we may not necessarily need or use. Um, it it seems to me that we really don't know at this point what it is we want. how feel Phil feels about
058it. Uh how the new person's going to feel about it, how they're going to operate. Uh the questions of confidentiality in the law. Um what what kind of information are we really looking for and what are we going to do with it? Um, so there's a lot of questions and it seems that, you know, we we should consider waiting until we get this new person uh who may be able to answer those questions more succinctly than we are able to here tonight. Well, and I'll just add that if you kind of combine what everybody's saying here, you know, I hear you talking about getting data updates and that sort of thing. You know another approach that I won't necessarily make anybody committed to but another thought is that we have one of our cow meeting
059which is for our audience listening is like a professional development for us when we don't do any voting but we have a meeting it's open to the public you can come if you like but um and what it is it's a learning for us so that we can learn about the intricacies the programs we can ask a lot of questions sort of kick the tires and really we have a variety of of levels of understanding of that department at this table, right? For sure. I'm a low-level understanding person in that area, right? So, I would benefit definitely from something like that. So, if Phil and Regina thought that was a positive thing to do and then maybe at something like that, we could say, "Hey, you know what? That's something we want to receive semiannually,
060right? That's something we'd really love an update on." Or, you know, I'll I'll come back to sometimes we implement a new program and we don't always hear how that rolls out, right? And I know there was an audit done in that area. I think certainly the board would be very interested in how we're digesting that, you know, and so um I guess that's all I have to say. Anybody else? Mark? And I throw on that pile. We've got a little thing going on called $170 million project that we're going to be dealing with. 180. 180. I'm sorry. Sorry. I won't quibble. But you know that that's you know yeah where do we you know spend our time and and I'm not saying that this is not important but I don't think we have a clear
061idea what it is we want at this point in time. Um I guess so I think I think it is very important and I think that you're right. Um what I think for me is hard and if anybody this is a space to disagree out loud. I think if I if I think it's hard to say tonight what that looks like, but what I can say is why don't we you you know you know I have my famous list. Where's my phone? Where's my phone? my famous list that um you know it's not going anywhere like so it will be and that by the end of say uh I don't know midsummer we will have a projection of when we can talk about that something along those lines or by the beginning of the year
062not that we'll necessarily have it done because we we need to let this person begin and get their feet on the ground but maybe we could pop it into our schedule so that people know or whatever so Um, would it be okay if we let Phil regroup? Do you feel comfortable with that? Yeah, if I may. Yeah, go right ahead. Yeah. So, I I appreciate Jen's questions and the and the discussion that's occurred up to this point. And I think as from the administration standpoint uh we just want to make sure that there's clarity between the leadership uh and the board on what areas specifically we want to uh review and um if there's areas of concern what those areas are uh and what uh the goals are related to the program and I know
063through working with the board through this year uh everyone is uh uh focused on making sure that our kids have exactly what it is that they need to be successful um as they go through their uh journey here uh K through 12. Um and we have programs that are in place that uh specifically are aimed at supporting that um in in ways that I would say are um uh in a department in ways for you know students who need additional support um uh other related service support that may be provided uh to our kids along the way. and and so the right question to ask us is well how are we doing uh and and then how will we know uh that we're having the desired impact that we're seeking to have. So it's completely
064reasonable to ask that of the administration. Um I just think if there's you know within that there's specific things that we want to that the board is interested in seeing. We just need to know what that is. Chances are there's work and information that we already have at hand that we can provide to the board uh to help enhance your perspective on that and to show you how we're monitoring that along the way. Uh that being said, there's a lot of information and and I hear the respect uh for the administration, which I appreciate, is uh that we're um we have clarity around that. So we're not just, you know, pulling it all with the hopes that somewhere within that you're getting what you need. We want before we do that to have absolute clarity
065with what it is you want to review. Um uh so uh we can be uh efficient in in in looking into those areas and and and obviously effective as well. Anybody else have any more comments? What do you think, John? I think that's it. Okay. All right. You can hold us to it, please. Okay. Um does anybody else have any future discussion items? Jeff? Um, building on the making sure everybody, every student has what they need. Yeah. Um, when I first joined the board, I had great concern about nutrition of the students of our district. Um, at the time I spoke with the administration when I first, you know, got onto the board and they told me about all these wonderful pro programs we had to assist students and making sure that they had enough
066food. And I don't know where we are today. Um, I'm wondering if we're doing enough and if the programs that we do have in place are effective. Um, you know, with something like this, stigma comes up quite often. And how do we work around the stigma of I don't really have food at home and I'm getting help from somewhere else without, you know, one student knowing that other student is in that position. Um, you know, we've spent a lot of time over the last couple years focusing on attendance to raise grades, and I really feel if we have kids coming in that are hungry, they're not able to learn either. So, getting them here is great, and making sure that they're they have the nutrition they need um to be able to focus, um, behave
067properly, and to learn. Um are another question I had is is there a correlation between our pre-isounted meals and our lower test scores? Because if you know these kids aren't getting any, you know, aren't getting the proper nutrition over the weekend. On Monday, they come in and they're not ready to learn. And really, they're only going to school three and a half to four days a week. They might be in the building, but they're not able to learn. Um, and lastly, this might be a little bit more for Kevin. Um, in the new state budget, there's a proposal for universal meals. Um, do we know anything about that? Is it like last year we had to apply and you know is it everybody gets everything or is it going to be individuals applying per district
068per school? Okay. Um are you going to say something Kevin? Okay. Yep. Go. Yep. Thank you. At this point they're building it on the fly but it would be for all of our schools and we've already applied and we've already been accepted. But we don't know the exact details of how they're going to roll it out and what that means and how it'll affect us. But as we learn, we'll come and present to the board where we're at. But right now, it's all schools and it's in the process of being developed. Thanks, Kevin. Thank you, Jeff. So, it's the same process for Jeff. So, Jeff, you know, Jeff Kevin answered that one question and we will be hearing apparently about what the state's going to do to fund some of that, but I think you
069had further inquiries like about how we're supporting kids over the weekend. what's the sort of patchwork of we had heard at the high school that they have a backpack program. Um so we'll look forward to in a couple of weeks we'll do the same thing like we did today with Jen's suggestion. We'll talk about it then that way everybody has time to collect their thoughts um and the administration has the time to collect their thoughts or and we can decide uh what we want to uh hear or what we want to ask them to do or you know if that's information is already readily available. So we'll see. Sophia, I just want to thank Jeff for bringing that up because it's a matter of equality. So, thank you. I I was a chef for 20
070years, so feeding people is really important and to see kids that, you know, aren't paying attention probably because they don't have the focus because they didn't eat that day. I think that's a very important topic that you brought up. Thank you. Thank you. Okay. Does anybody else have any future discussion items tonight? All right. Seeing none, we'll look forward to that one next time. And we're moving on. Let's see. Um I I'm pretty sure we don't have anyone for public comment. Anybody changed their mind? Going, going, gone? Okay. Um uh that moves us over to committee reports, advocacy. Um, we're in the process of looking at calendars to get together to review the NISBA resolution kit so that we are ready to go for that. So, TBD. Excellent. Thank you. Lot of finance. Uh, we're
071going to be meeting uh next Tuesday at 3:30 to discuss the reserve uh and uh forward that to the board. Are you thinking that's going to be done before the four o'clock thing we're invited to? Easily. Okay. Easily. We're going to meet at 3:30. It'll probably take us 10 or 15 minutes. Okay. Um, we have an early new educator reception. Reception. Off the top of my head, I don't think I named it correctly. Something like that. Um, have you sent out invites to that yet? No. Pardon me. Have we gotten invites to the audit yet? No. No. I was going to say I don't think I have yet. I just talked to the members today. Great. Great. Great. Great. Thank you. Thank you. Yeah. Yeah. No, no, I meant audit. I don't think I've gotten
072the audit invitation. I just made sure that we could the members could make it to that. Okay. No, no, no. That's perfect. I just um where we are. I wanted to make sure I got it. Um Kathy Cathy um Cathy uh met with the went to the capital project OACM meeting um to kind of get a flavor what that was all about uh Jeff and uh Eileen and myself and of course Maryanne uh so that uh upon my departure there is some continuity uh in that particular uh committee uh as as well as uh you know the uh committee itself. Um the OACM meeting talked about what the numbers are as far as the Lraange Middle School update at this point in time which may change tomorrow. Who knows way things have been going. Um
073they're going to be meeting with principles of each of the buildings uh and John Wilson to uh and as well as the security people and teachers at West and LMS uh before they finalize their numbers and then uh make a report to the board. The cafe committee itself those notes here somewhere. uh the Cathy committee uh essentially um we got updates on the bail firm uh with roof roofing projects multiple roof projects uh they're getting ready to have the final cost report UVMS hopefully by the end of this month um AHS is not complete but it's going to be done this summer um is in phase one uh and a lot of it's going to be done this summer. Uh they are going to be moving the tennis courts uh working on the driveway if
074all goes well. Um, Overlook geothermal uh at Overlook is moving ahead uh with the vents and the geothermal apparatus in within the building for heat and cooling and LMS the water uh the town is being pushed um to get the water hooked up although there's a little chaos in the town. uh and LMS the parking lot. Uh they're going to hopefully get some consultation on that. And let's see, Traver Water is on hold. The baseball field was supposed to beun have begun work. The track soon as well may be very soon if not in progress. Uh UVMS fire alarms this summer when there are no students. We can't do it while students are there against the law. Titusville water uh they're putting in tanks this summer. The high school chiller is going to be also
075installed this summer. Uh Beakman, we're looking in the future at Beakman CEO Titusville and Overlook for roofing roofing electrical work at uh ASM and High School Beman Knox and I can't read my Titusville uh are being contemplated as well. And that was the end of that meeting. Thank you, Mark. Um policy Uh there are no updates and we are adjourned for the summer. We will meet back in September. Okay. Um organization reports Arlington Education Foundation. Uh we had our last meeting of the year on June 4th. Um and then on June 5th, the morning of June 5th was the the annual scholarship breakfast. Um, Arlington Education Foundation administered more than 70 scholarships. Um, the breakfast was lovely. Dr. Manatee was there. Maryanne was there as well. Um, it's always a it's it's always a really
076uplift lifting event. You see um a whole myriad of students that get the scholarships and some of them are the top academic kids, but some of them get scholarships for other reasons. Uh many of the scholarships are memorial scholarships. People who have um have died and had were connected with Arlington in some way. Not all of them are memorial scholarships, but the the bulk of them are. And so you often have family members there meeting the students and it's just it's a really lovely event. Thank you. Um Duchess County School Boards was last Thursday. Yeah, the 5th perhaps was the date. Um the dinner meeting at Milhouse. Lovely event. Um Kathy was there with two of her students um who did beautiful presentations. Uh we also had two students from uh Beacon give presentations all
077on the seal of civic res. readiness scar sorry um so it was a great evening and that is also adjourned till actually October there is no September meeting because September is a little hairy and we get going again in October okay let's see PTA PTSA um the uh PTSA council held their end of the year dinner last week I unfortunately couldn't attend. I was at work. Um but I'm sure they'll get together um sometime in the beginning of the year. Okay, that sounds good. Um district health and safety. I don't believe there's anything else else this school year. Okay. And equity, do you want me to interrupt? Do you want to say something? Oh, okay. Sorry. Equity. Um we have our last meeting of the year on Thursday. All right. Um, superintendent's closing remarks. No
078further remarks. Okay. Board reflections. Mark. Mark. Okay. Bear with me. I'm feeling a page from Larry's book. Oh, okay. I I've been around a while, so I like to anticipate. So, this is a, like I said, a page from Larry Janette's. Um, this is going to be my last board meeting in a school for my term expires on June 30th. It may be kismmet that I'm here in the school I began my career at Arlington 49 years ago. 40 years as a teacher, nine years on the board. I finally will begin my real retirement at the end of the month. It's been an honor to work in this building and district and with all the excellent people that work here. I want to thank all the people who I've worked with as a teacher and
079a board member. I learned very early in my career to not forget to remember others that make this district function. the secretaries, the custodial people, the plumbers, the grounds people, the nurses, the cafeteria folks, security people, and of course the teachers and the TAs. Hope I didn't forget anyone. Uh I believe this district is once again headed in the right direction with an administration that is open and listening to the issues we face and doing something to create ch change where it's possible. It helps that the superintendent was a student in my photography class many years ago. I noticed he didn't point that out. He did ace the class. He did ace the class though. He was very good student. Uh the board is on that same path. Uh and can work to make that
080happen. That is to make this district a better place. Congrats to all the new retirees. Once again, remember every day will be a Saturday for you soon. I encourage all in this district for those that are listening online uh to get involved in this district in the process by joining the PTA, getting involved by considering running for the board, helping out in any way you can to help our district become and continue in being the finest district in Duchess County, if not the state of New York. On a personal note, I would urge anyone to consider getting on the organ donor list. My kidney transplant has made my last 5 years so much more enjoyable. I wish that for others that need transplants. Finally, I would like to make a presentation to one of the
081nicest people I have met and worked with, especially while I was president of the board. That person we affectionately known as our clerk, Margie Flynn. Okay, Margie. I have a little something for you. That's not my ring coat. And on it, you'll find a few notes. You mind you want to read a few of them for the group? These are all things that people have asked Margie and and I have asked how many foils did you and Margie where the meeting Margie do we need to get a motion to extend a meeting at this time you arrange for several pizzas for our meeting there's more on Gota anything scheduled? I'll do it for you if you like it. Margie, how many signatures do we need for our petitions for the board? Margie, I'd like to
082attend this conference. Could you help me with arrangements? Margie, I'm having trouble with Bordox. Can you help me? Marchie would what would you do if you lived in this district ran for it and won a seat on the board of education? What would you like to see changed or improved that you can figure that one out? Margie, could you give me a big long blank there and have it for me at the next meeting? Margie, are there any rooms available for our committee meeting this Wednesday? Tell me about that posted. Margie, what's this special meeting about? That uh was not on our original schedule with that opening now. Uh you're retiring, too. As most of you know, I'm I'm into making signs. For our friends at home, it says retired and loving it. Thank you
083for indulging. There you go. Okay. Well, um, anybody else have any board reflections tonight? I think that's an excellent note to end on. Um, I need to get a motion to adjourn to executive session. We're not not banging the G yet. Second. Thank you. All those in favor? I I opposed. Abstension. Motions passes. We are adjourned to executive session. Thank you.