BOE June 4, 2026

001A special occasion. We're going to have our retirement recognition and our tenure recognition before we start the board meeting. So we're going to do retirement, tenure, and then if folks want to go out and have some refreshments. I see some of our young friends have already grabbed themselves a cupcake, which is awesome. Save one for me. With that said, I'm going to pass it off to our board president, Ms. Vanessa Talamonaco, to get ourself going here. Thank you. Thank you, Doctor. I believe it's- Oh, yeah. I'm not pledging. We'll pledge at the public session. Good evening, everyone. On behalf of the Board of Education, it is my honor to recognize and celebrate extraordinary individuals who are retiring this year, whose dedication has helped shape our schools and our community. Throughout their careers, they have been

002leaders who guided others with vision and purpose, thinkers who embraced challenges and inspired innovation, and role models who demonstrated professionalism, integrity, and compassion every day. The impact of their work extends far beyond classrooms and offices. They have influenced countless students, supported families, mentored colleagues, and helped create opportunities for success that will continue long after their retirement. As they begin this exciting new chapter, we thank them for their years of service, their commitment to excellence, and the lasting legacy they leave behind. Please join me in congratulating our retirees and wishing them health, happiness, and fulfillment in the years ahead. Thank you, and congratulations. Once a Frog, always a Frog. Thank you, Madam President. To Mr. Bennett, if you're with us, we are going to get ourselves started up at the podium because the principals and I,

003and Ms. Dimartino, have a few things to say, personally, about each of our retirees. That's a powerful microphone. I have the privilege of being the leadoff batter tonight. Usually, I bat in the cleanup position when we do our board reports. It is genuinely my privilege to speak about our administrators who are retiring from us at the end of the year. And I'm usually not one to read things, but this is a special occasion and a little bit of an emotional occasion, so I wrote my things down so that I would say them accurately. The first person that I want to speak about is someone who retired from our school district a little bit earlier this year, and that's Mr. Baratta. Gerry Baratta. You know him as the longtime assistant principal in the middle school, and

004I want to share a quick word about Gerry. He can't be here with us tonight. He contributed so much to the middle school, high school in ways that were seen and unseen. He exemplified what it means to be a student-centered leader. I've been an assistant principal, and I know full well how much behind-the-scenes work goes into making that happen. It's something that you don't really know until you've done it, and Gerry did it with style. To keep things running smoothly and let the principal do his or her thing, Gerry was consistently a compassionate leader of kids and adults. He had a gift for lifting up others and approached his work with purpose and humility. It was great to get to work with Mr. Baratta, and we know that he's enjoying this new stage of his

005life with his family and friends, so congratulations, Gerry. My mom always liked to toast to absent friends when we had a family gathering. I'm going to toast now to friends who are with us, and that first person would be Leslie Rubenstein. For over 20 years, Leslie has embodied some of the most important characteristics in a leader. Strong content knowledge, strong methodological understanding, an insistence on rigor, and most importantly, the rare ability to inspire her department members to really want to live up to those standards. That inspiration and that power, that charisma, is something that not everyone has. Our fellow administrators know that something done by Leslie is done right and done swiftly. She has set the tone for proactivity and forward-thinking. A generation of Carl Place teachers and students have proudly told me how much

006it means to be a part of Leslie's team. First, as a seven through 12 social studies chairperson, and lately as a K through 12 director of humanities, Leslie has built a legacy that will endure for many, many years to come. She is indefatigable when advocating for something that she believes inShe's a leader of educators and a fierce supporter of students. She has a sense of humor that only the sharpest minds can produce. In short, she is irreplaceable. Leslie, it has been a pleasure to work together, and we wish you all the best. Come on up. Okay. Our next very important person is Ms. Kathy Silletti. For years, Kathy has led us as Rushmore's principal. She has built a culture of excellence, pride in Carl Place Schools, and deep respect for students, families, faculty, and staff.

007There are so many Rushmore folks here tonight, I couldn't even begin to count. Kathy is the archetype for what one wants to see in a principal. Intelligent, fearless, that's the truth, selfless, compassionate, and passionate about everyone she serves. A leader beyond Rushmore's walls, Kathy has been the voice of reason, a willing risk-taker, and a great thinking partner to me and countless other Carl Place educators. Kathy's strengths are many, and one of her greatest strengths has been to build a cohesive culture at Rushmore Avenue Elementary School. The Rushmore identity is a composite of many people, experiences, and traditions, and like a great landscape painter, Kathy has taken in the whole scene, observed how the different components work together, and created something beautiful that is more than the sum of its parts. That's been Rushmore under Kathy's

008guidance, and we will work to preserve and build on that. Lastly, Kathy is one of the funniest people you will ever meet in your life. Her wit is sharp and perceptive, and she has a never-ending ability to break out a powerful zinger at just the right moment. Hysterical Kathy. She recently told me that the one thing that her successor cannot be is funnier than she is. That won't happen. We will put a humor muzzle in place, a humor limiter. There's no worry of that happening. Kathy, we will miss you deeply, and we wish you the best on this next stage on your adventure. And the final person on our roster is our Executive Director of Instructional Technology, Ms. Jennifer Vicpabena. When I came to Carl Place, I was thrilled to know that our Executive Director

009of Instructional Technology was going to be a member of the superintendent's cabinet. It's a very important position. I am so grateful for that. I was told that Jen was a master educator and an even better human being. That has proved true time and time again. Jen's role is crucial to modern education, and I knew that I would need her perspective on our team. What I did not know was that I was getting a master teacher, a historian, and an advocate for what is right rather than what is easy, and a true believer in the power of Carl Place schools. It should not be surprising that Jen's Carl Place identity was formed under Leslie's tutelage. Jen has been the bridge between our district's history and its modernity. It's a hard word to say. She has the

010powerful advantage of seeing how the resources that she curates actually affects the lives of the teachers and students who use them. She has deep technical knowledge that is bolstered by the knowledge and understanding of her staff. Jen has one of the healthiest, most cohesive office cultures that I have ever seen. She is, in short, a profoundly talented leader. Jen has the moral compass of a Shirley Chisholm, the worldwide understanding of an Eleanor Roosevelt, and the intrepidness of Sacagawea, because I know you are a true outdoors woman. I would follow you anywhere. Jen is another person with a wicked sense of humor. Clearly, a key to effective leadership. Not as nice as Kathy. True. Not even close. I always know I'm on the right track when something comes up that elicits an excited laugh or a

011quick remark from Jen. To quote Dorothy Gale, "I'll miss you most of all." I think that brings us next into the school portion. Ms. Moriarty, are you going first? Oh, I'm sorry, Ms. DeMartino, my apologies. Thank you. Thank you. I am going first because I also would like to say thank you to Kathy and Leslie and Jen. I have learned so much from each of you, and you have all helped me grow both personally and professionally. I know that I, and probably several other people in this room, will use you as the benchmark to judge the success of our career. And although I'm very bitter about you leaving and all at the same time, congratulations. So while I'm up here, I have a few retirees that I also would like to recognize. Mr. Jose Rios,

012who I haven't seen, but if you're here . So since I didn't get to work directly with Jose, I got some input from Ms. Moriarty and Mr. Mitrakia. And what they had to say about Jose is that he's always conducted himself as a true gentleman. He's taken pride in the relationships he's built here at Croft Place, and he truly cares for the teachers and students at Cherry Lane. We are grateful for your years of service and dedication, and we wish you all the best in this next chapter of life. And then I have two members from my business office team. First, is Diane Courtney. I've said it before, but it is still true, the most important person in the business office is not me, it's Diane. Diane has been making sure that everyone in the

013district gets paid for almost 23 years. She's done a wonderful job, and one of the things I appreciate most is a quality that is increasingly rare, and that is the awareness and the willingness to question things that are different or unusual rather than just blindly keying in information. You have been a tremendous asset to our district, and you will be missed. And finally from me tonight, Ms. Erica Leechy. You may not know it, but Erica spent most of her career at the Nassau County DA's office before joining our team. So essentially, we were cheated because we only got to spend a few years with you. And I will say, in the short time, you made an impact on our office and on me that rivals that of a person who has been in their role

014for far longer. I am grateful for the time we got to spend together, and I wish you the best. And you all have to get up and get your plaques. So tonight, we celebrate Mrs. Carolyn Callen in an incredible career that has touched generations of Cherry Lane students and families. For 30 years, Carolyn has been a constant presence at Cherry Lane, spending 24 years in kindergarten and the last six in second grade. While those numbers alone are impressive, they only tell a small part of her story. Carolyn has dedicated a majority of her lifetime to this school and this community, and her impact will continue to be felt long after her retirement. What makes Carolyn so special is not just the teacher she is, but the person she is. She has a gift for making

015every child feel valued, loved, and important, especially those who need it the most. She is the kind of colleague everyone wants as a friend, the kind of teammate who can work with anyone, and the kind of person who makes a school feel like a family. Carolyn, thank you for 30 years of love, of dedication, of friendship and service to Cherry Lane. We are better because of you, and your legacy will live on in the countless lives you have touched. Thank you, Carolyn. Can I just have our retirees come on down and we'll do a group photograph with the Board of Education? That would be wonderful, yes. Come on back here behind here. Before our principals introduce this year's tenure recipients, I would like to recognize this important milestone. Tonight, we celebrate seven outstanding educators who

016have demonstrated dedication, professionalism, and a deep commitment to our students and schools. Earning tenure is a meaningful achievement that reflects years of hard work, growth, and service. We thank these teachers for the positive impact they make each day and congratulate them with this well-deserved honor. Please join me in recognizing our tenure recipients. Congratulations. Okay. I'll just say really, really quickly, it is an honor to earn tenure, and as everyone in the room knows who has earned it, it is something that is earned. It is not just given away. This is a group of people who have worked incredibly hard. Your principals and assistant principals, your directors, the cabinet, I have observed you and seen your work, and we have had challenging, robust conversations about that. And we are glad that you have come to Carl

017Place. We are glad that you're putting down roots in Carl Place. We have a special plant for every person who is receiving tenure tonight, who has earned it, because it's indicative of putting down roots, and we want you to grow and flourish here for years to come. And with that said, Ms. Moriarty, would you like to go first? All right. So this group of tenured is actually the first group of teachers that I hired when I first came to Cherry Lane, so they hold a very special place in my heart. So first, it is my absolute pleasure to recognize Ms. Alexa Polizzi as she receives tenure. When Alexis joined Cherry Lane, it was clear that she was meant to teach kindergarten. Come on up.She brings an energy, warmth, and enthusiasm that lights up our building

018each and every day. She has a remarkable ability to make learning exciting while maintaining the highest of expectations and an unwavering belief that every child can succeed. Lexi is one of the hardest-working educators I know. She is often the first person in the building each morning, preparing thoughtful and engaging experiences for all of her students. Beyond her classroom, she's become a true leader and culture builder in our building. She brings positivity, collaboration, and joy to all of her colleagues and to our entire school community. Lex, thank you for your passion, your dedication, and all of the heart that you bring to Cherry Lane every single day. We are incredibly fortunate to have you as part of our family, and I am so proud to celebrate this well-deserved milestone with you. The next person I am

019so proud to recognize tonight is Ms. Nicole Santos for she receives Teacher of the Year. Nicole's journey to this moment is a special one. She began her career in Carl Place as an outstanding general education teacher, and several years ago, she made the courageous decision to step into a new role as an ENL teacher, giving up her tenure and essentially starting over because she believed she could make an even greater impact on students and families. Nicole has always been a valued member of the Cherry Lane family, and her transition to ENL has allowed her to touch the lives of even more students and families. She is an exceptional educator who individualizes instruction for her students, builds meaningful relationships with families, and serves as a trusted advocate for those navigating a new language and educational system.

020Her expertise, compassion, and collaborative spirit elevate everyone around her. Nicole, your dedication to students, your willingness to take risks for what is right, and your commitment to helping every child succeed make this recognition so well-deserved. We are incredibly fortunate to have you at Cherry Lane, and we are so proud to celebrate with you tonight. I'm delighted now to recognize Ms. Maureen LaMarca as she receives Spanish Teacher of the Year. Maureen, from the moment you joined Cherry Lane, I knew you were someone special. You came to us from a charter school, and quite honestly, you set the bar so high that ever since then, every time I interview a candidate with charter school experience, I find myself hoping they will be another Maureen LaMarca. The reality is, there is only one. What has always stood out

021to me is your incredible ability to create a classroom where your students are confident, independent, and genuinely invested in their learning. Your organization, classroom management, and attention to every child- Thank you. Kathy and I fought for a very long time over these three candidates. So Kathy, thank you for my first time hiring, for allowing me to win that battle. Mr. Corcoran, would you like to start? Good evening, everyone. I also have Mrs. Sullivan up here with me, our middle school assistant principal. I wanted her to come up here with me to honor these four recipients because all four of these teachers actually have some of their day, or most of their day in middle school. I also want to recognize and congratulate our retirees. Some of you I've grown very close to. I'm going to

022miss you tremendously. I feel like it's been 25 years with some of you, and part of me doesn't know what I'm going to do next year. I also want to congratulate the three outstanding teachers from Cherry Lane. I've had some great conversations with Mrs. Moriarty, and she speaks so highly of the three of you, so congratulations. First to the middle school, high school, Mrs. Patricia Castillo-Lavallee. Congratulations. If you've ever been near her classroom, you know she has this genuine enthusiasm for language learning that the kids just immediately feed off of. She's created a space that's structured, incredibly positive, and filled with ways for students to actually use their new language of Spanish. Over the years, the last four years, she's become a steady, confident presence in our school, and we are lucky to have her.

023Congratulations. Another world language teacher in our middle school, Mrs. Jennifer Valerio. Mrs. Valerio, you walked through our doors as a strong educator from day one. But what's been so amazing to watch is how you've consistently and constantly pushed yourself to improve and to hone your craft. Your classroom is intentional. It's engaging. The students thrive because of your structure and the high expectations that you set for them. You've made a lasting impact on our world language program, and we're so proud to celebrate this milestone with you tonight. Congratulations. An ELA teacher in our middle school, started out in high school, Mrs. Ivana Peza. My pleasure to recognize you for earning tenure tonight. Whenever you walk into her room, you see students who are actively thinking, debating, and really shaping their own ideas as readers and writers.

024She's built an environment where kids truly feel supported but also challenged to grow. Her teaching is thoughtful and reflective, and you can see that proof in how much her students' confidence has soared as the months progress in her class. We are so proud to celebrate with her tonight. Congratulations. Last but certainly not least, a special educator in the middle school and high school, Mrs. Jackie Micheli. Jackie is a truly dedicated special educator who cares so deeply for her students. When you walk into her classroom, the engagement is obvious, but what's even better is that the students are always smiling. They genuinely love being in her classOn top of that, she's taken on so many different preps over her first four years here, typical of a special educator. Teaching math, science, resource room, and splitting time

025between the middle school and high school. I know it's not a long walk, but it is a daunting task. She's an incredibly hard worker, a fantastic addition to our staff, and we're so proud to celebrate with you tonight. Congratulations, Jess. As we continue this happy moment, and congratulations to everyone again. You can now step out in the main lobby, and we have freshmen offering you tea. So enjoy, and congratulations again. Good evening. I'd like to call the June 4th meeting of the Carle Place Board of Education to order. Please rise for the pledge of allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Welcome to the July 4th meeting of the Carp...

026I'm sorry. Welcome to the June 4th meeting of the Carle Place Board of Education. We will start the meeting with comments from the board, and I will take the lead. Good evening, everyone. Sorry, some pre-celebration prior to our meeting for sure. I'd like to congratulate the girls' varsity softball team for winning the NASA Class B NASA County Championship. They swept the series versus Oyster Bay. The Broncos move on to the Long Island Championship this Saturday, June 6th at 2:00 PM. Also, I'd like to thank legislature Viviana Russell. She had provided a grant for us for $200,000, and we are going to use those funds to repair or replace our Rushmore auditorium chairs. So, thank you. I'd also like to share with you a moment of Day of Service. It was the day after Memorial Day,

027and it was a district-wide initiative for each student to show some type of service. So, the Day of Service highlights civic responsibility and community engagement in recognition of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. And what was really nice is that the whole auditorium was filled with the high school students. And we had a guest speaker, Rich "Big Daddy" Salgado. He's an entrepreneur. He is closely networked with the NFL, and you may even have seen him on TV. It was a very inspiring talk to all the students, who were very engaged. Then the students broke out into their separate project team/work sitesAnd they had specific duties. One team picked up garbage at Garbies Point. Another team shoveled mulch and helped senior citizens with their garden. Another team created birthday wish bags for kids who

028would normally not celebrate birthdays. Another team went to McDonald Ronald House. It was very well done. And at the end of the day, they all came back in the auditorium, and each team leader stood up and reflected upon their experience. That was shared with all the high school students. It was very inspiring for me to sit in the front row, listen to everybody stand up, and be cheered on by their team members, and see how everybody was listening to each other in this auditorium. It was a phenomenal and memorable experience for everybody. What was more important was the highlight. We had the veterans of our town come to our school, and we had a service for them in the front. And then the students sat and had lunch with them, and they shared their stories.

029And that was also a very special moment since that was the weekend of Memorial Day. I hope that everyone had a peaceful Memorial Day, and it was something that we should greatly appreciate. Our freedom, we should never take advantage of. I will now pass it on to Trustee Rita. Good evening, everybody, and thank you for coming tonight. Congratulations to all our middle school and high school students who received academic awards at the annual awards ceremonies. Keep up the good work. Congratulations to our seniors who received a scholarship or scholarships at last week's ceremony. It was a wonderful evening, and I wish them all the best of luck. Yes, our students did a great job participating in the day of service, giving back, working together, and strengthening our community. Meaningful acts that foster teamwork, leadership, and

030compassion. Thank you to our teachers and staff for their tremendous support in this major undertaking. I attended the end of day assembly, where the students reflected on what they accomplished and experienced. It was wonderful to hear all they contributed to the community and our schools. I mirror what President Delmonico said about our girls softball team. I hope they do really well on Saturday. Go Frogs. Let's get the win. And congratulations to all our teachers who got tenure tonight. This milestone reflects their hard work, dedication, and commitment to our students and school community. And I want to give, again, my heartfelt congratulations to Leslie, Jen, Cathy, and Carolyn for their service to our district. You will be missed, and it's not goodbye, it's see you later. I also want to congratulate Diane, Erica, and Jose on

031their retirements, and they should enjoy every moment. I can see they're not here with us. But all right, I'm going to pass it on to Trustee Delmonico. So, good evening. First, just want to give a shout-out. I know that I'll echo some of the thoughts that have been shared already, but I think it's worth sharing again that it was such a meaningful way to celebrate our nation's 250th birthday. We're still drinking along with the people already who want to celebrate along. As old as it seems, we're still pretty young. But it's pretty exciting to be able to do that. And through acts of service, there's really no better way to do that. I wanted to congratulate our girls softball team. I know it was shared as well. As a father of a daughter, I would

032love to get Alice there if possible, so she could see. She's already warming up, doing her windmill pitching and things. She's very excited. Her birthday is Saturday. Actually, she'll be six, and she's already starting. So, I want her to see firsthand what strong, talented, committed young women can do together. Congratulations to all those receiving tenure tonight. It was an important milestone. We all know you'll continue to give your best to our students and to our learning community. Want to recognize again, Cathy, Jen, Leslie. School leadership is deeply personal work. I know that firsthand. It's built through years of relationships, care, service, which is the word of the night. We are grateful for everything you've given our students, family, staff, district. Wish you all the best in this next chapter, which as we shared, I think

033is starting already. To all of our retirees, again, thank you as well for your years of service and the impact you've had on Carl Place. To our senior scholarship award winners, congratulations. These awards reflect your hard work. We've been meeting and having some really, really great conversations, one sitting to my left down there. Incredible young people we have coming out of our district and into the world, and we have nothing but to be proud of all of them. Finally, I want to share something meaningful from the class of 2001. Let's face it, the most powerful and best graduating class we've seen. I hope so. Many of us were together recently for our 25th reunion. We had an impromptu 25th high school reunion. It's been that long. I used to say 2001 like, "Oh, man. It's

034cool because it wasn't that long ago." But actually, it's 25 years ago now. So that's a pretty long time. And Ms. Sullivan hasn't aged at all because she was my teacher. And she looks exactly the same as she did more than 25 years ago. So, we got together and the class made a donation in memory of Paul Ieraci, a classmate, alumnus who sadly passed away, but will never be forgotten. This donation, made in collaboration with the Clark Place Educational Foundation, will support robotics, STEM education in our district, which makes it even more special. Shout out to Tim Jopson, Julie Tusa, who was here earlier, Dr. Barry, of course, for all their hard work, too. Big thank you to John Solano, all the members of the CPEF for working with the class of 2001 to help

035make this happen. Special shout out to Kyle Lavery, who was our valedictorian, Lena Iannucci, Bill Smalley, all the members of the class of 2001 who helped bring this together. I've spoken about Kyle in the past, and I have to run into Ralph Posy as well, at that impromptu reunion I was describing, and I reminded him, I think back in January, well, it might've been January of last year, speaking about... And we were sharing this about Kyle, that he's a graduate that can become-- Kind of shows what we can become, right? Carolina's going to do better than that. Excelling in academics, athletics, the arts, and now in service to others as an orthopedic surgeon, so he's doing us proud. Right? This is another example of the same Clark Place spirit. So, I was also grateful to

036have a meaningful conversation at this reunion with Jeremy Dennis, whose father, Barry Dennis, served this district for so many years, whose legacy continues. We're not in his room tonight, as we usually are. And we meet, of course, scholarships in his name and things like that. And all of this speaks to something that's really special about Clark Place. We remember people. We honor their impact. We keep finding ways to carry that legacy forward. As both a board member and a fellow Clark Place graduate, I love seeing former classmates. There's something about it. Am I right? It's a great thing. Continues to show up for one another later. It's a powerful reminder that the Clark Place community does not end at graduation, Carolina. So here you go. Thank you. Thank you, everybody, for coming tonight. 2001 is

037okay, but 1996 had their 30th this year. And ours was planned, so we had a lot of people there. And Ms. Sullivan, you still look the same. Thank you. So I don't want to jinx it, but the weather has been absolutely beautiful lately. Last week, I had the opportunity to attend Cherry Lane's field day, and today I attended Rushmore's. Both events were fantastic. You could tell how much planning and preparation went into them because the students were engaged, having fun, and amazingly focused. They listened to every direction and followed it seamlessly. They sat, stand, moved, cheer. Anything that the phys ed teacher said, they did. I want to know how to do that at my house, because it's not working. They did amazing. Thank you to all the staff and parent volunteers who work so

038hard to make these events such a success. After Rushmore's field day today, the PTA hosted a lunch, complete with field games and a DJ. What a wonderful way to end the day. It was by far amazing. The kids had fun. The staff had fun. It was a great day. I also would like to congratulate all of our retirees. While these may be your last days in the district, the impact you've had on the lives of your students and our school community is immeasurable. Enjoy this next chapter with your family and friends. You have certainly earned it. Once a Frog, always a Frog, and congratulations to all of the teachers that achieved tenure. It's hard work, but the work is good because you're helping kids grow. And finally, last night, I went to the fifth and

039sixth grade concert at Rushmore. What a talent we have. The band, orchestra, and chorus did so well. The artwork that was displayed in the cafeteria during the intermission was so beautiful. Thank you to our music department, the arts departments for putting on such a great show and gallery. Have a wonderful weekend. Good evening, everyone. So I am back. I have to say, I'm very honored and excited to officially return to the Clark Place Board of Education, and I am eager to get involved. I take this responsibility very seriously and remain committed to being a strong voice for our students, families, staff, and community while working to make a positive difference. So I thank everyone for their support. I also would like to congratulate all the retirees as well as the teachers receiving tenure tonight. And

040finally, I would like to wish good luck to all the students taking their Regents exams and final exams within the next week, starting Wednesday. Thank you. Hi. Welcome, everyone. So last Tuesday, we had our district-wide day of service, and it was a huge success. Students from Cherry Lane all the way to the high school participated in activities to support the community and those who are in need. Whether it was making posters or cards for kindness or traveling to an off-campus site, students collaborated in order to explore the importance of service and civic engagement. Now, Cherry Lane field day was last Friday, and today was field day for Rushmore's third and sixth graders. Students had fun competing in events such as a long-distance run in a hula hoop, rock, paper, scissors contest. Next Thursday is field

041day for the fourth and fifth graders. Additionally, elections are underway for class office and student organization in the middle school and high school. Today, candidates for student organization gave a speech in front of the whole school on why they are the best candidate for the position they are running for. Voting will take place all day tomorrow. And finally, do not forget to support the girls' varsity softball team this Saturday at 2:00 PM as they compete in the Long Island Championship. Thank you, Carolina. Now we will hear comments from Dr. Canovi. Thank you, Madam President. I want to give a really, really big shout-out to our Rushmore friends. The art show and music last night was fantastic. Probably one of the best, if not the best, show that I've been to in 30 years in education.

042It was magnificent, and the artwork was fantastic, too. If you can come out to Bellport on Saturday to cheer on the girls in the Long Island Softball Championship, I will see you there. It's going to be an exciting event.Hardworking team, really exciting. You're going to see on tonight's agenda that we are appointing a successor, I will not say a replacement, but a successor for Ms. Silletti. That is Melissa Peyton. She wasn't here tonight because we asked if we could sort of have a moment in the sun for Ms. Silletti, which we did. She will be coming to Carle Place multiple times before the new school year begins. So families at home, please know that you'll have plenty of time, and kids too, to meet your new principal and interact with her. And she'll be spending

043a lot of time learning about Carle Place, and she's super grateful and excited to be coming here to work with us. Tomorrow, Nassau County has its annual Val Sal Breakfast. That's where we honor the valedictorians and salutatorians throughout Nassau County. The best students in our school district, or the most high-achieving students in our school district, will be with the most high-achieving kids in Nassau County, which means they will be with the most high-achieving kids in the United States. It's a big deal. Our salutatorian is right here with us, Ms. Daisy Alice. I also want to say thank you, Carolina, very sincerely for being one of our inaugural ex officio board members. You did it with style. Well done, ma'am. And then finally, I want to say to all of our students in the audience and

044our students at home, study. Like Ms. Aguilar said, this is the home stretch. This is where we make it count. And school's not over yet. There's going to be plenty of summer fun coming up, but we want to keep our foot on the gas till we get across the final finish line. Thank you. I skipped over Chloe Santos, and I would like to say welcome to Carle Place. And you're going to enjoy being the replacement teacher for middle school and high school. So please stand up. And welcome. Before we have public comment on the agenda, Vice President Reardon will read the public disclaimer. The Board of Education allows time at the conclusion of its regular meetings for comments from residents in attendance. Please note that any person wishing to speak during this time shall comply

045with all provisions on board policy. Although a total of 30 minutes is allowed for comments, the board president has discretion to adjust the total time. We remind you to keep your comments to three minutes and to conduct yourself in a respectful manner. Please address school matters only and refrain from addressing topics related to personal matters or individual students. Such concerns should be discussed privately with the superintendent or administrator at an appropriate time. The board is here to listen and cannot provide immediate feedback or engage in open dialogue. Any necessary follow-up will be noted and provided at a later date. Thank you. Okay. Are there any public comments regarding the agenda? Please come to the podium and state your name and address. Kim Scotcha, 130 Magnolia Street, Westbury. The first question I have is the employee

046benefits amendment for Dr. Cannone. It says, "As per attached." Is there a denominational increase that we should be aware of? Is there somewhere we can find out that information? Is it a percentage? That's question number one. All at the same time? Okay. The second thing that I have is more of a comment and a question at the same time. So the Cherry Lane and Roche Seymour teacher placements came out the other day, and I see that this year we don't start ICT till fourth grade. So for years and years and years, I've been having this conversation with quite a few people, and the fact that we don't offer it on a lower grade level is very alarming. So myself and a few other moms and dads from the community, over the last two days since

047it came out, surveyed school districts across Nassau County to see when their ICT classes start in their districts. So if you want to take one of these and sit down, we printed enough for everybody. So of the 58 school districts that we solicited, said I was going to move into and looking at houses in the area, that was how I did it. There was 58, 2 of them started after sixth grade. One of them-- Let me see. So Bellmore-Merrick, which is a multi-building school district, the only inclusion does 7 through 12. Carle Place was the only district out of the 58 districts that started ICT in fourth grade. Every other district that we solicited, which, Baldwin all the way down to Mineola, everybody started either kindergarten or pre-K. And I'm assuming that their pre-K started

048because they run the pre-K program through their district and it's not outsourced through Scope, which is understandable. I hear rumors in the town that we are bringing in an additional life skills program into our high school. So one of the questions that I have is, we are servicing out-of-school students with the limited amount of staff that we have in the building as it is now, but we're not focusing on the younger children when it comes to it. And in my personal opinion, I feel likeParents aren't directed properly. They don't understand, especially as a first-time parent, what all the benefits are of the ICT level classes, what an IEP or 504 actually means. And I don't know if that's a negative part on our district, but being in the special ed program and my daughter being

049in ICT, it's very alarming. Had she started this, maybe not in kindergarten, first grade, I think our pathway would be different. There's so many benefits to having two certified teachers in a classroom. The support without segregation, the two certified teachers collaboratively working together. They have access to grade level curriculum as a whole. The students learn in the least restrictive environment. It increases the academic support in the classroom. And the social benefits for those children who need that extra support from their peers is just as good as having a speech teacher push into the classroom or something. I think that that said that they were tentative teachers, when they sent it out on Monday. I strongly think that we need to reconsider the academic support in ICT, that we start at such a high level. There

050was two when my daughter started in third grade, now there's zero. So now she's in fifth grade. There's only one in fifth grade, and now there's only one in fourth grade. I'm not sure about the high school levels. But as a community, I think we're losing focus on those important aspects. So I just want you to really consider that. Also, what's the difference between a consult teacher direct and an ICT teacher in our district? And if parents were knowledgeable that we don't offer ICT for kindergarten through third grade or we start in fourth grade, will the school be willing to send our students to a school district in the vicinity that offers ICT at a lower grade level at the school district's expense? Because I don't know if taxpayers would be willing to view that

051on their tax documents. There was more. Shifting now from this to a more recent thing. My son had an issue in the school district, which was dealt with the guidance department, Mr. Forry or Ms. Avella, even Dr. Kanani was amazing. After work, before work, we were in constant communication. I felt very disrespected that nobody from the board of education even sent a responsive email that said, "Received, thank you." Or, meeting after meeting, we're told, "Just reach out to the board. Let the board know. It's important that we stay in communication." Just a follow-up email, just saying email received or looking into it, just so that we're acknowledged as community members that our voice is being heard. So that's all I have for today, I think, until we get any questions answered, and then maybe I

052can go back. I just want to apologize for not responding. We were talking about- Yeah. No, I know that everybody's talking about... Dr. Kanani called me the second it happened. I was on the phone with Mr. Forry for countless hours. When we're told to come to you guys, we just want to know that we're being heard. Of course. So that's that. All right. Thank you. Do I stay? Yeah, you can stay. Okay. What do I say? Thank you very much, Ms. Gotcha. I would ask, please, if you email me in the morning, I will send that contract attachment to you. No problem, happy to share. The ICT question, I want you to know, I want the rest of the public to know here and at home that this is an active and very, very serious

053matter of concern for the board of education and for the administration, for myself. It is something that we are considering very, very strongly. So I want you to know that those concerns are not falling on deaf ears. It's something that we will definitely have more information about as the next couple of weeks unfold. So I'm glad you asked. Also- And positive, I guess. Right? Yes. For sure. Yeah, I'm not just placating. We're really taking this very seriously, and there's going to be some inside conversation with the board, which we will then share out with the community. So I don't know how this works if you all stay for the time being. So I know that we're a big fan of the town and a big fan of all of that stuff. And I know that

054there's going to be town meetings, I'm sure between both the principals and the specialized department and everybody collaborating together to do this. So these conversations haven't come up before teacher were released, like just because the public is bringing it to the attention now, why isn't being discussed now? Why wasn't it being discussed with the data that was being given over the last six months? Are you asking why it has or has not been discussed among the board? Is that what you're saying? Yeah. No. Well- I just don't fully understand the question. Yeah. If it's just been the department has to come to you guys on the board and say, "This is what we project and what we think should happen for next year." So we have a lot of dialogue together, the two of us,

055right? Right. And I would be very happy to have a conversation with you about how things like that happen. Right? We've talked about loads of things together, and I think that's a good thing for us to do. Without going on too much of a detourWe have conversations throughout the year with the board about staffing. We have conversations with the board about program and what may or may not be running in the district. Right? And I can tell you that ICT has been a topic for a little while, and it's going to continue to be a topic. I would say, listen to what this board of education has to say. We're also about to seat a new board member when we have reorg on July 1st. So we want to bring our new board member into

056the conversation as well. This is not something that's going to just go away, for sure. One of the other questions you had was about the difference between consultant teacher direct and integrated co-taught. Do you want to answer on that right this minute, or do you want to have an offline conversation with Dr. Molnar? We're having a conversation about it, so it's not being- Another question I have was, was the board aware that there was no ICT slated for anything less than fourth grade? No. And that's the truth. And it's also the truth that we have ICT classes when it is recommended for students through the CSE. It is not currently, and I emphasize the word currently, our practice that we run an ICT class just to run it. Right? If there's not a student who

057has been designated for it, we don't necessarily have one. It doesn't mean that we wouldn't. It's not that somehow we just do away with it forever, but if a student doesn't get designated for it through the CSE process, we don't run one, because then you don't have a special education student to put in the ICT class. And there are some other rules and technicalities that go along with it. It's a little bit more complex than a person might think. And like I said, we can have an extensive conversation about that, yourself or anybody else who wants to. I don't think we have any plans for sending anyone out of district, some sort of cross-placement, cross-contract on that. And we are going to, again, follow up with the board of education and follow up with the

058community. That will happen, guaranteed. Do we have the ability, if we choose to send our student out of district, if there is no ICT that's offered? I have to ask about that, because I'm not really 100% sure myself. And also, are we bringing life skills out-of-district program into our school next year? I'm not 100% sure what you mean by an out-of-district program. Like out-of-district students. Dr. Molnar, are we going to have an out-of-district student in a life skills class? We have classes moving up from Rushmoor and moving into the 7 to 12 building. And currently, our life skill classes are almost maxed out. So the classes literally just move in from Rushmoor up to the 7 to 12 building. So do the speech teachers, all those teachers move with that class so that we don't

059have to be in all that stuff anymore? It's more individualized. We're adding another class essentially to the high school. Yes. So we review all the related services, and then we make schedules. And if we're moving an 8.1 or 8.2, what we call an ABA class at the elementary level, at the secondary level, we call it life skills. We're moving one class to the other building, then potentially, we could possibly have some staff members, like an OT, a PT, speech therapist that will travel between buildings. That's a definite possibility. So one more question. When we sit in our CSE meetings, are we educating the parents on when they're going to be put in an ICT class and say self-contained class? Or do-- Kristy. I feel like as a first-time parent, I'm starting to piece onto this

060system. I happened to have an advocate with me, so I understood. I'm sure there's families in this town who are just taking the recommendations off of the school district, because we don't really know any better. So when we sit down for our initial CSE meeting, whether it's pre-K, kindergarten, or first grade, are we telling them the options that are out there based off of the need of the child? Or are we just saying, "You should go to a class, and you'll push in for regular," or, "These are some of the great benefits of it"? How do we approach that to make the parents knowledgeable about what actually goes on between all the differences in a classroom setting and self-contained and blah, blah, blah? Are we educating the parents, or is it just if you have

061somebody who knows? We don't do it like that. Go right ahead. When the CSE comes together, we are not reviewing every single program that is offered within the district. What we are reviewing is what is considered to be the least restrictive environment that their child can receive with special education and ultimately meet the goals that are going to be on their IEP. So, that is correct. Right. We're supposed to discuss the least restrictive environment. And like I said, if we want to have further conversation, you know my door or my email or whatever is always open. Are there any other public comments regarding the agenda? Okay. Now we will start with our presentations. The first one will be the Work-Based Learning, WBL update. All right, folks. Thank you very, very much. As you know, work-based

062learning had its debut year here in Carl Place in '25, '26. That's the year that we're in. We have had two updates so far. This is our third update. So, as we said, mission and vision, we always start with that. This whole idea for work-based learning really, I think, connects to the idea of collaborative work and growing an agency within and beyond the classroom. That is the whole point, that students get a chance to explore what the world of work might be once they leave Carl Place. Thinking about a quote, we all know that we spend an enormous amount of time at work, and if we do something that we love and we do something we care about, it makes that time a lot more well spent and a lot more of a pleasant experience.

063So our overall goals remain the same: on-time graduation, real-world experiences, CDOS credentials when students need them. We don't currently have any students who require a CDOS credential, I want to be clear on that. Expanding partnerships around the community and outside of Carl Place, and then getting that partner database with contact information and industries and available experiences. So where are we? We are at stage four, assessment, graduation reporting. Assessing the work, getting ready for graduation, commencement, reporting out. A lot has happened this year. I meet every single month as a standing meeting with our work-based learning coordinator, Ms. Edgen. We often meet more frequently than once a month. She's right down the hall, so I see and speak with her frequently, but we have a standing meeting. We've done assemblies for our juniors and seniors, target

064group, and one-to-one meetings with students who are interested in internship and mentoring. We've done a lot of community outreach. We've expanded it well beyond 15 businesses in our local community. We have done outreach via surveys with our parents, and those who have responded told us very clearly these are things that they want, and they've given us their feedback on that. And then five businesses in the community are already signed up to provide opportunities for our students. Two more are offering virtual mentoring. That's growth from where we started, which was essentially zero. A lot has happened this year. So look at things that students and adults say about what's going on. They are having positive experiences. They are learning things, hard skills and soft skills, skills about how to present yourself when you go for an

065interview, actual job skills when they participate in things. It's a good, meaningful experience for all of these kids. Even things like making better use of your study hall period, right? We don't want that to be lost time, we want that to be productive time. All right. I like to think that we can demonstrate that a lot of good things have happened for us. In boxing, there's the idea of punching above your weight, that a welterweight can take on a super middleweight and do really well. Look at our school. Two hundred approximately students in grades 11 through 12. A big school like Walt Whitman, over 1,000 students in grades 11 and 12. We've done at least as much work getting our students opportunities as they have, which means we are reaching a big proportion of our

066students compared to a school with 1,000 kids. This is a small group, a small population. It means a lot to them to have these opportunities. I've gotten to talk with kids themselves about their experiences and with Ms. Edgen. Okay. So what else is new? Eight more of our students, in addition to where we were the last time, in addition for on-track summer job shadow and internships. You can see the places where that's going to be happening. This represents some of the main areas of interest for them. Students, 16 more kids signed up for study hall work-based learning program. That's given them a lot of confidence in their summer job searches. Five kids requesting mentoring internships after a personal interaction with our state senator, Scilla Bino. They presented themselves super well to Senator Bino, who offered

067them the opportunity, theirs for the asking, if they were brave enough to ask for it. Our work-based learning coordinator did a lot of work with them behind the scenes to help craft their letter to the senator and request an opportunity from her. She was kind enough to come here, and we want her to continue to support Carl Place schools. That was a big moment for some of them because they were nervous, and they did really, really well, and they followed up, which as you know in professional life is one of the most important things you can do. You can see ideas about soft skills, workshops, and our career finder survey, and an end of year survey that's coming out to help prioritize next steps. So to bring it in for a landing, we're going to

068continue for another year because we had a first year that went well. We want to invest and go for a second year and see where this takes us. It's taking us pretty far so far. Community walkthroughs in the district. Perhaps foster a scope partnership for students interested in early education, because we have a lot of students who are choosing to go to schools to study early education, and challenges persist. It's a small school. Kids are oversubscribed. Who's in the play and the student government and is an athlete? Sometimes they say, "I want to work. I want to have an internship. If you added a 28th hour to the day, I might be able to do it." That happens, too, for our kids. And also things like trades can be a little bit difficult because a

069lot of trades will only accept someone if they're 18 years old because there are safety concerns in trades. Our work-based learning coordinator, I can think of one student in particular who she worked with to help that student find some connectionsBeyond the school that got this young person into a trade experience that he's going to pursue now upon graduation. The work-based learning coordinator couldn't make that happen herself personally because of the student's age, but she pointed him in the right direction that made one connection to another and parlayed that into an opportunity in the field he wants to be in. That's a good thing. We're going to consistently keep on working with our family connections and parlay other connections outside of here. That's the end of the work-based learning update. If there are any questions from

070the board, I'd be happy to take them. No, I think we're fine. Thank you, Ted. Does anybody have any questions they might have for you? So, I think something that should be mentioned, that in the budget, that this consultant that is hired to work part-time with students and make some connections with the community cost taxpayers $89,891 last year. Absolutely true, yes. Yes. That's the number. $89,891. So, I think that's a lot of money for one year for a part-time person to make some connections and yet I think this is a wonderful program. And, I've been back and forth a little bit with Dr. Cunone regarding how many students are using this. I think that if students are interested in trades, then the consultant needs to become extremely creative in finding ways that students can be

071involved with trades. If a student wants to be an elevator technician, we need to reach out to the unions. We need to get a union member into the building to possibly run an after-school club. You don't have to be 18 to read a plan, or blueprints, or talk about wires and cables. So, I think that that's important, and I do think that possibly that this job could be a business teacher, or a point eight or a point seven teacher that the students know is in the building all the time and they are constantly making connections. But I think a part-time consultant at $89,000 for one year as a trial, and now we're doing it again for a second year, I think that that costs taxpayers a lot of money. Thank you very much, Ms. Brown.

072I just want to also point out that we do get BOCES aid back on our work with the work-based learning coordinator, and we have even talked about the possibility in the future of bringing it in-house. So, thank you. Please come up to the podium. Thank you, John. Good evening. Hey, everybody. John Purto with People of Bright Street. I just have a few questions related to this because, it's all new to me. But we had 30 students in the program. Can you tell us what 30 students were involved in from the standpoint of what work out of school or even within school they were doing in terms of educating themselves on a different job that they might do outside? So, for example, there have been students who are interested in medical careers, right? Like the dentistry

073or physical therapy. Those are some examples of things they have done. There were students who were interested in accounting. That is another example. Like we said, we had a student who we helped find his way to a trade opportunity. Students have gone for what's called job shadowing, where I spend a day or a few days at a business, a place of business, and I shadow a person along the day. I actually hosted a job shadow student myself. So mentoring, internship, job shadowing, and job coaching. And what... Did we get feedback from the entrepreneurs as well? And what was the type of feedback that you get from them? I will say that we have gotten positive feedback from the people who have hosted Carl Place students. You know yourself, these are students who have, I think,

074a really, really good sense of what it means to represent their district and represent their families. We all know that these are some lovely, good human beings. So when they go, they pay attention, and they take it seriously. And, it reflects well on them, and it reflects well on the school. I have not heard anything bad. I have heard positive feedback. Great. I think this could be a good program. Someone recommended it years ago, before even my time on the board, outsourcing to local community members. So, I think it'd be a good program. The other program I think could be really good that we couldn't afford at the time that we were thinking about it is the Bloomberg Terminals. All right? So you have, and you're bringing in Bloomberg Terminals next year. Correct. Do you

075have a curriculum and a teacher picked for what that course is going to be? And if so, when can we see it, the curriculum? The curriculum and teacher have both been selected. So Bloomberg is giving us material for the curriculum, the scope and sequence of what goes on. We're also going to be developing some of our own work over the summer. So once that's done, it can be available for people to see. And we have an excellent teacher for it. I think as well, that's something that's very important that again, we couldn't affordA couple of years ago, last time we discussed it. Lastly, related to Vicki's point, I too think $89,000 for a consultant for 30 kids, take 89 divided by 30, that's a lot of money- Mm-hmm ... for this program. I also think

076to have a consultant evaluate BOCES, if they're doing that, is a waste of money. Certain programs is? You have mentioned that in another meeting, and tonight you said you might take some things in-house. Mm. I'm assuming those are the type of things that are offered at BOCES. Well, what I'm saying, I'm glad you asked, is that we are considering, at some point perhaps, making the work-based learning coordinator someone who works in Carl Place. Okay. Right. That's what I mean. If that's it, that's one consideration, but that's even more money, so I hope you have more kids rolling into that program. Exactly. That's why it's a consideration. You're right. Then you deal with benefits and everything else. Precisely, which is why we did it this way for a start, and I do not deny, that money

077is what it is. Mm-hmm. And the price per student or the cost per student comes down as more students- Right ... participate. And it is offset by aid from BOCES. Right. But I hope that nobody's thinking about taking what would be a BOCES program in-house. Mm-hmm. Okay. For a couple of reasons. Number one, when I suggest all the time that BOCES is too much money, people shrugged it off, right? And now if you're thinking about taking it in-house, anything that they do, you must think that somehow you could do it better and cheaper, right? So maybe you should also get behind the fact that BOCES is too expensive regardless of their rebates and push the state to do something about BOCES. They're an education arm that charges their services out to Long Island. Every other

078school in Long Island that's public is at a 2% cap. Makes no sense. And even with their rebate, they're over cap. At the end of the meeting, I want to say a few words in general to some of the people who were honored tonight, and that's all I wanted to say related to this. Thank you. Thank you. Good evening. Kristen Bacon, Wrath Avenue, Carl Place. Wish you had this last year. Had a 2025 graduate that could've used this. Anyway, instead of comparing to Walt Whitman, I would've liked to have seen a better comparison to a district of our size, like East Williston, who seems to have a real-world learning program, and it's run in-house by a real-world learning teacher and is supported by the director of social studies. So maybe you could partner with them

079and reach out to them. Thanks. Thank you. We will now continue with the next presentation, instructional coaching. Good evening. Thank you to the board and Dr. Sidoni for having me here tonight. I am excited to share our second update on instructional coaching. I want to thank Ms. Moriarty, Ms. Saletti, and Ms. Rubinstein, for their work in setting this up for a successful year, and especially Ms. Morrow and Ms. Gardner, who've done that hard work in the trenches to make this all happen. So the mission alignment we shared in our last update, and last you heard about instructional coaching was in November, that the mission of the Carl Place School District is to nurture compassion and passion as we know while inspiring excellence. With this new student-centered coaching model grounded in the work of Diane Sweeney,

080it directly supports the mission by placing student learning at the center of professional growth. We will improve outcomes by investing in teacher growth. It ensures every teacher receives individualized job-embedded support to refine their practice. A quote I want to highlight by one of my favorite personal educators and researchers is John Hattie: "When teachers learn, students learn, and when teachers improve, our students achieve." So most important, what was shared in November is the idea of Tier 1 instruction, and that great instructional coaching strengthens Tier 1 instruction. Tier 1 instruction is the curriculum in our classrooms. We want to make sure that the curriculum that our teachers are using each day, the programs we pay for, the teachers that we support, are providing equitable and excellent instruction for all of our students. The way to do that

081and have a healthy school district is to support our teachers in rolling out curriculum in the classrooms in a way that all students are having excellent learning experiences. So I share with you just a macro-level piece of data that supports some of the work we're doing and one broader way to examine how well our instructional coaching is working. Yes, it's true that all students grow from fall to spring, but we want to make sure and we want to examine that data and figure out, are we growing across the board? So I share with you now our Tier 1 instruction in reading. This is our i-Ready data from fall to winter. So as you can see, K through 6, where our coaches are in kindergarten all the way through sixth grade, we have our fall data

082to our winter data. You could see magnifying glasses that I placed over second to third and around fifthFourth to sixth grade. The reason for that is this is one source of data our instructional coaches, along with our principals and myself, look at to say, "Are we growing our students, and where are we not growing as much as the other grades?" So I want you to pay attention to the magnifying glasses. They'll directly correlate to some of the instructional coaching cycles we have later on. The same is true for math. This is our current fall to winter math scores, and you could see the magnifying glasses move a little, and we need to drill down on our second and third-grade math scores, maybe into fourth, to say: Why are we not growing the same way we

083are in other areas? How can we support our teachers and our schools? Instructional coaching is one of those vehicles to do that. I share with you Cherry Lane's coaching cycles since November. So this list is actually even longer. I condensed a few of them. And just to have you understand this slide, the bar graph on the right are selected topics, one, two, six, and seven, that correlate to the list on the left. So, for example, and there is a glossary linked here, so if you're wondering what all these acronyms are, there's a place where I'll share those with you. But if we look, for example, at topic number two, math word problems, we were just looking at our tier one instruction in which we had a magnifying glass over tier two. Sorry, grade two. Why

084are we not growing as much in grade two as the other grades? The instructional coaches get in there, and they focus on math word problems, the literacy of math, and we have our pre- and post-assessment data you're seeing here. So in the cycle of the instructional coach working with some grade two teachers, we could see topic two, 56% of the students at the beginning of this cycle were achieving the learning targets in the class. While after the cycle, we have 78% of the students achieving those learning targets focused solely on understanding and interpreting math word problems. Additionally, at Cherry Lane, we are talking about comprehension, so our reading scores. Comprehension, focusing on main idea and details through using the writing revolution, which is TWR, and single paragraph outlines. So this is another way the instructional

085coaches have been supporting our teachers. I'm sure if you've been at board meetings and you've listened to our presentations, there's been a lot of work around the writing revolution. And the writing revolution is a district initiative. We know we want to grow our students as writers and understanders of sentences. When a student can break down complex sentences, they're much stronger readers. So we're focusing on comprehension here through writing. So you can see topic six, 42% of our students at the beginning of the cycle were achieving the target. By the end of the cycle, we're at 84% of students. So we're strengthening comprehension through writing here and supporting our teachers with a new initiative and making sure they have a firm grasp on it, which is really important in a district because you can roll out

086many things, but you want to ensure it's successful and the teachers are supported in the new material. Moving over to Rushmore. Similarly, based on the tier one data, looking at the areas that we want to make sure that we're growing that majority classroom instruction, we might take a look, for example, at topic two, selecting the appropriate co-teaching models to support the math instruction. So these teachers were working with their instructional coach, Ms. Gardner, to look at the objectives for their math lessons coming up and making choices as to which model is the best model to select in order to teach the students in the best way. So topic two, the first one on the chart, 11% of the students were achieving the target. By the end of this cycle, 90% of the students were achieving

087that target, and that remains the same. I'll bring you down randomly to number 11. Another piece is differentiation. Third-grade teachers rolled out foundations this year and wanted to make sure that we were achieving that rollout successfully. So at 11, 52% of our students at the beginning of this coaching cycle were achieving the learning targets laid out. By the end, 86%. And again, there's a glossary link because I know I have a lot of jargon on here. So what's next? So with our instructional coaching, first and foremost, we're driven by data. We have spring assessments that are happening now, and that is going to help us, A, determine the success of our instructional coaching on student learning at large. Specific areas in need of coaching. The principals and I sit down, we look at this, the

088department leaders, and we look at the data to figure out where do we need the growth. Additionally, our instructional coaches, they provide teacher surveys, they've already done this to determine the teachers' need for support. Beyond the data, our teachers are asking for support in areas that they know they need to grow in. We want to continue our district and building initiatives. So like I said, the writing revolution, you can't get to every grade and every teacher. Our foundations work, some of our other pilots that we've been working on, we want to make sure when the teachers are doing it, they're doing it right, they're doing it well, and we're not just buying programs and saying, "Good luck." And lastly, we want to continue, and we are continuing our K to six instructional coach collaboration and

089learning. Our coaches are, throughout the year, engaged in professional learning together with the principals, sometimes myself. They're signed up this summer for a lot. You could see they offer a menu of options, and we want them to be at the expert level in providing that support. Here's that glossary I promised you. And lastly, just questions, thoughts, feedback. And I thank everyone for listening to another update on coaching. And I really just want to thank the principals, Ms. Rubinstein, and our coaches for setting me up for success. I'm here to report on something that I came into that was already operating, and it was a pleasure. Thank you. But I have a quick question. Yeah. So, the coaches are very instrumental for the tier one learning to increase. How is it identified of what the students

090need to know to strengthen in order for the support at home to strengthen those areas for the students? Let me see if I understand the question. So the at-home support? So the coaches are helping the teachers. Yes. And the whole purpose is to look at tier one to bring up their learning and knowledge base to perform better. Right. So now with this model, we drill it down to each of the students' areas that need to be strengthened. Yes. How is those areas communicated to the home, so when the student is home, they have the extra support to help them and complement what they're learning in the classroom? That's a great question. Do you want to answer that just in terms of your teacher, or do you want me to take it? No, yeah, sure. So,

091it varies, so it depends on the student, so it's really individualized. So we have some students who, we take the data, and we have the coaches working with the teachers, and then we have students who get individualized homework. What we do at Cherry Lane is we set up individual binders for students that correlate with their current levels of performance, and then we grow them from there. And we meet with the parents, and we let them know, "We're sending home differentiated homework that's individualized for your child based on this data." They work with the coaches to analyze the data. And then we also progress monitor for any student that we are monitoring every two weeks. So we have those data points that we're constantly looking at to see, okay, is this working for this student, or

092do we need to either change our method of instruction, the group size that we're working with, the frequency that we're doing? So it really depends on the student, what they each individually need, and then also our relationship with parents. Sometimes we send videos home to parents so that they can see, and we'll do it just with that student and a teacher, so we can show parents, this is how we are teaching foundations on how to tap out. This is how we're teaching using a number line. So it really is individualized and depends on what each student needs and also what each parent needs. Okay, thank you. Should I keep going? Are there any questions? Sure. Please come up and state your name and address. Oh, here's your presentation, Ms. Schultz. Your presentation and clicker. So,

093I was on the cafe conversations last year regarding this new initiative that was going to start. I saw it on the agenda this evening quickly in my car. This is costing us to, low end, $271,000 for these two teachers to support teachers who are supporting kids. So, we're also looking to hire four teachers to fill additional vacancies. So I think $271,000 for two teachers, that's the low end. I was being a little less generous. For teachers that are not constantly facing students all day long. So I'm curious about what exactly is the daily schedule and the amount of teaching periods that these coaches are-- I want to know the amount of time that they're in meetings versus the amount of times that they're actually in the classroom working with children. And then these are also,

094correct me if I'm wrong, these are also tenured teachers, veteran seasoned teachers who don't do report cards, who don't have parent-teacher conferences. So how are they contributing and doing other stuff? I just think that once again, it's a lot of money for two seasoned teachers to be going into various classrooms. And I probably can imagine that coaches have not gone into particular classrooms because, oh, that teacher knows what they're doing. Oh, this teacher doesn't know what they're doing, so I'm going to spend all my time with them. So I'm curious about what does an average day look like, or week? Cycle, I should say. Six-day cycle. What does it look like for these professionals at this cost? So our coaches are in-- A typical teaching day is six teaching periods. Our coaches are in classrooms

095five teaching periods a day, and the sixth period they rotate every day. On day one, it might be with this first-grade teacher. Day two, it could be a second-grade teacher. So that is their one-on-one coaching time, where they co-plan together, and then they implement it the rest of the week. Both coaches, both Jackie Gardner and Beth Marl meet with me every day five, first period. Sure. So we do data meetings with the grade level teachers. We have one, two, three, and four, fifth, and sixth grade. And then, coaches come to what we call a data meeting with me on day five, first period. But outside of that, they are in the classrooms with students five teaching periods a day every single day. But they don't do report cards or conferences or something like that. So

096they don't do conferences. That's true. But report cards, they do stay with teachers. So how we first do our report cards is, at Cherry Lane, we do them on a Google Doc, and we share them with every teacher who might touch that student. So if they receive AIS reading, AIS math, those teachers are also part of that Google Doc, so everybody can weigh in on the report card. And the coaches are shared on those report cards for the classes that they were with for that quarter. Okay. I'll just add that we want to use veteran, veteran teachers as coaches because they have proven themselves as effective teachers. And so the actual net figure may drop off by having that level And I'll say, I think out of Cherry Lane, only one general education teacher did

097not work with a coach this year. Our coach worked with one of our special class teachers during the year also. So it's not just our general education teachers that are working with them. And next year in Rushmore, she will work with every single teacher at every grade level during the year. Okay. Thank you. How is that possible, one teacher with all those teachers in Rushmore, and they do one grade level cycle? That's what we get. Thank you. Are there any other questions or comments? Please come to the podium, state your name and address. Kristen Begin, Ralph Avenue, Crown Place. Thank you, Anne Fran. My next question was, what about the special education teachers? Are they able to receive coaching? In my district, there is a dedicated special education teacher coach. But again, we're talking about

098a huge district. My next question is, are we going to be able to have a follow-up? Because I Ready is one thing, kids on tablets and things. But what I would like to see is how this translates to the state assessments next year. Because that's going to really see, is this program really working? Because we really want to see it on those state assessments. Thank you. The effects of coaching- Yes ... on student achievement on state assessments. Yes. Thank you. Are there any other questions or comments? Okay, now for the approval of the consent agenda. May I have a motion to approve the consent agenda? Make a motion. Second? Second. All in favor? Aye. The consent agenda is approved. Any questions or comments? Sorry. Oh. Apologies. Okay. Oh. We do have minutes. Just back track.

099That's all right. Yeah. Go ahead. Over here. Back track to the minutes. Okay. So. Motion to approve the minutes. Second. May I have a motion to approve the minutes, May 7th, 2026, the Board of Education business meeting minutes? Make a motion. Second? All in favor? Aye. May I have a motion to approve the May 19th, 2026 Board of Education meeting minutes? Make a motion. May I have a second? Second. All in favor? Aye. The minutes of the May 19th, 2026 Board of Education meeting minutes are approved. The May 7th, 2026 Board of Education meeting minutes are approved. May I have a motion to approve the May 19th Board of Education annual budget vote and election minutes? Make a motion. May I have a second? All in favor? Aye. The minutes of the May 19th, 2026

100Board of Education annual budget vote and election minutes are approved. Okay, so. Are there any final public comments or questions? Please come to the podium and state your name and address. I'm Joe Curto, 54 Wright Street, Westbury, New York, 11590. For over 30 years. Couple of things I forgot to ask, not related to the agendas, though. The budget that was passed in the state, there were two things that impact education significantly. One is Tier 6. They've changed the methodology for Tier 6. I haven't found a clear definition of it yet, what the heck that is. But I know that the bulk of the expense falls as an unfunded mandate to schools. So has anybody, namely Joanna, taken a look at what that final determination of Tier 6 is going to be for educators, and what

101will be the final impact to us next year because of those changes? Are there additional questions, too? Yeah, but that's just a yes or no. You can come back with the numbers later, unless you know what it is. Yes, of course. And I have looked into it. Like you, we are awaiting some guidance from our special organizations. And just as a reminder, we do have a TRS reserve that is fully funded, so we will be just fine for next year. Okay. And I am glad they're going to fix Tier 6. I'm just not happy about the way they're fixing it because it's an unfunded mandate that we, the taxpayer, is going to have to take care of. And I'm not even sure they really fixed it compared to the other tiers. But anyway, the other

102thing was pre-K. Last I heard about pre-K in the budget, all schools have two years to prepare for pre-K to where they can no longer offer a lottery systemIt's not mandatory that every parent sends their child to pre-K, but it's mandatory that schools have the capability to house those kids in their quiet spaces without a lottery system. So if you're doing any planning, I think you've got two years to start, and I hope you're not thinking about another bond, and you do it out of reserves. The principal you just said you hired in Rushmore, can you give us a quick synopsis of their resume background, where they were from, what they did, et cetera, et cetera, please? So the principal that we have hired for Rushmore Avenue Elementary School, her name is Melissa Peyton. It's

103on the agenda. She is currently an assistant principal in Half Hollow Hills out in Suffolk County. Half Hollow Hills is an outstanding district, and before that, she worked for the New York City Board of Education for close to 20 years, I think. Great. Yeah. She's a very experienced person with an excellent track record, probably the best references I have seen in a long, long time. Okay. Well, that's great. She's got some big shoes to fill. Mm-hmm. And along those lines, I was very happy to see Kathy here tonight. I didn't know she'd be here, but I did get a chance to say congratulations and have a great retirement. And I am very, very happy that she is here, and was here, and I'm very happy for the performance that she conducted herself very professionally. She

104did great things for the students. And I told her tonight, I still remember her first interview we had with the board. She was very confident then, and she has continued to be confident right through her career. As far as the others, Jen, you're leaving way too soon. But I want to thank you for stepping into a job that you were not sure you would be able to master. And you did. And we reaped the benefits, and the teachers reaped the benefits during COVID. And you were doing a heck of a lot more than just figuring out what software we were going to bring to the school, et cetera. You were actually stepping in and teaching teachers how to be comfortable on the PCs, et cetera. And everybody I talk to about your leaving says to

105me, "You wouldn't understand how much she did during COVID." So congratulations doing that. Congratulations on your career here, and good luck in your next endeavors. Leslie, you and I probably don't agree on a lot, but when it comes to school and education, we agree a whole heck of a lot because whenever we would talk about you in the execs with Dave or Chrissy, it was nothing but high praise from Dave and Chrissy. And we always knew you were one of the best. I was very happy when you became director. You didn't stay long in the role. I was so happy I told you before you were told, but I was happy because I knew you would do an excellent job. And the important part about certain departments in school, especially today with what's going on

106at the state level, it's keeping the nonsense outside of the school down the middle and keeping it outside of school. And whenever we brought that discussion up as a board with Dave, or especially Chrissy, when more of it was happening, especially related to the COVID stuff and everything like that, they always said, "You don't have to worry about Leslie's department. She doesn't put up with that stuff." So I appreciate that. I appreciate everything you gave to the school, and you always had a great department. You always had great teachers. So thank you, and best of luck in your future endeavors. Lastly, I just want to welcome Chrissy back. We had the pleasure of working together a number of years. I know how you think in the exec sessions. I'm very glad you're back, and it's

107not often that people leave and then win the second time when they come back. So good luck, and I'm sure you're going to do good things again. So all the best. That's it. Thank you very much. Thank you. Are there any other questions and comments from the public? Again, Kristen Biggins, Carl Place, Rye Avenue. Again, congratulations to all the retirees. Congratulations to Kim, Chrissy. Thank you to all of our school board members. It's a volunteer job, and it's really a full-time job. So again, thank you very much for serving your community. We appreciate it. Congratulations to Carl Place. I noticed that we got the AP Distinguished Scholar Silver Medal, I believe. I know that in the past, the AP scholars were invited back for a day, and they were celebrated at a board meeting. Now

108they are in college. But I was wondering if, did we miss that, or is that event being done away with? Thank you. We have a whole host of student recognitions scheduled for our next board meeting. Are there any other questions or comments from the public? Can I have a motion to adjourn and move the meeting to the multipurpose room for the election? Nope. Council- Hold on. Sorry. Ready to adjourn the meeting. May I have a motion to adjourn the meeting? I'll make that motion. Do I have a second? All in favor? Aye. The meeting is now adjourned.