Board of Education Meeting 4-9-2025

001E2 Gowanda HS Library: Like to go ahead and call the meeting to order E2 Gowanda HS Library: to the Republic for which it stands. One nation, under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Take the considerational motion to accept the agenda so moved. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Second, perfect, all in favor. Aye. E2 Gowanda HS Library: brings to our Board of Education Bylaws. E2 Gowanda HS Library: The Board remains committed to providing opportunities for the public to address the Board on items of public interest. With that in mind, the Board wishes to remind the public of its adopted policy, 1510, which sets forth reasonable guidelines in terms of ensuring an orderly discussion and exchange of information during E2 Gowanda HS Library: in exceptional circumstances. The Board may, as an entity,

002decide to provide a written or verbal response to issues or questions raised during public session. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Any person who wishes to address the board may do so by filling out the appropriate form and handing the form to the board. President, the Board President will call upon the person to speak at the appropriate time. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Each such person will be permitted to speak for a time limited to 3 min. Please stand in front of the board table and address the Board directly under discretion of the Board. No more than 3 people will be allowed to address the Board on a single topic. Total time allowed for public comment is, 15 min. Board members will not engage in debate with members of the audience, but will take all public comments into

003consideration. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Thank you. Once we have our calendar. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Our next Board of Education meeting will take place on Tuesday, April 29, th at 6 30. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Thank you for that. So next we're going to get into our public discussion comments I have. E2 Gowanda HS Library: It's pretty cheap here E2 Gowanda HS Library: could start. That would be great, Paul Pinto, it's up to you, but that would be. Yep. E2 Gowanda HS Library: if you wanna jump and a smoothie weight to the front. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Thank you. I'm Paul Pinto, the principal at Northern Chautauqua Catholic school. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to speak to you this evening. We're here tonight with 2 of our families and their children, so we're

004asking for your support for a resolution E2 Gowanda HS Library: to provide public school transportation from the Wanda Central School district, from their homes to our school. They currently provide private transportation for their children. Our school is just beyond that 15 mile radius. So we're asking for support for a resolution to provide public school transportation for them. They do understand that there are some other options E2 Gowanda HS Library: forward? Certainly not this school year, but maybe next, where they could pursue the option of a public referendum for the for the residents to vote on such a referendum to provide that transportation. But we wanted to start at this level to ask for your support, and hopefully we can come to some agreement, even if it could be a drop off point, or something unique,

005to provide transportation for these children to our school. E2 Gowanda HS Library: And that's the purpose of our visit tonight, and I'm going to turn it over to them if we can, and hopefully we can engage in some discussion at some point to see how this may or may not work. It's certainly beneficial to us because we're branching out to a lot of communities. And we have students coming to us from various school districts. E2 Gowanda HS Library: county, including Wanda. So I thank you for your time, and also thank you to Dr. Anderson for his graciousness. We've had conversations on the phone. He's been very polite and professional, and certainly thank you to Kathy for telling me what door to enter and where not to park. All right. So thank you very much. E2

006Gowanda HS Library: Thank you. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Can we both go at the same time? Is that okay? E2 Gowanda HS Library: If you guys are comfortable playing short. E2 Gowanda HS Library: we joke because we know we're a daughter, so we do everything together. So my name is Laura Cook, and currently I have 2 children attending Northern Chicago. E2 Gowanda HS Library: We were at St. Joe's originally when St. Joe's closed. We then approached the E2 Gowanda HS Library: approached the school district, and we got busing to St. Al's in Springville, and then E2 Gowanda HS Library: everything else closed. And now we are at lunch, top tech as well. E2 Gowanda HS Library: So we currently, when we're at St. Al's. The way at St. Joe's obviously was in the school district,

007so we were able to just get on the bus at our house pretty seamless when St. Joe's closed. What we did is. We brought the kids down here, got on the bus in the morning, and then in the afternoon we'd meet at the Alder Street School and pick them up again worked out pretty good. And then when E2 Gowanda HS Library: P. Tech in Springville opened, we had the kids. We all rode together. We just merged on that. So it is my request. If we could figure out a way to utilize the P-tech Dunkirk bus, which is about a block and a half from the school so that we could do that again. We're willing to E2 Gowanda HS Library: to work with any arrangements that maybe we could do or whatever to just E2

008Gowanda HS Library: to make it a little bit more accessible for us. E2 Gowanda HS Library: We have this year. Well, we have 5, with my daughter's children and my 2 youngest children there. E2 Gowanda HS Library: so I ask for your consideration with that. And E2 Gowanda HS Library: do you have anything more to? E2 Gowanda HS Library: My name is? I know a lot of you. And see on the paper I also have 3 children at Northern Chicago Catholic School, we were at St. E2 Gowanda HS Library: So prior to that passing, as my mom stated, the busing came before E2 Gowanda HS Library: the p-tech program in Springville opened. My son actually attends the P-tech program in Springville, and he joined on the bus with my kids to St. Ales. When he

009went to Ptech also. So St. Ale's closed. We go to Dunkirk now. We do. E2 Gowanda HS Library: We know that the bus goes that way. It's about like she said a block and a half away. And that's pretty much what we're looking for is maybe something we could E2 Gowanda HS Library: come up with to get those. Get the kids on that bus, too. And it's worth a try E2 Gowanda HS Library: any questions. E2 Gowanda HS Library: certainly, we're open to options, either at the school, or another drop-off point that families could bring the kids to a drop-off point school or somewhere else, and then the bus could meet them there and then take them from that point to North Catholic. I think that's certainly an option. E2 Gowanda HS Library: That's actually

010something I would prefer. Then I can drop them off. That's what we used to do. We used to meet over by the middle school. The bus would park at the end of the bus lot and the kids down 7 15. They get out of the car, get on the bus. E2 Gowanda HS Library: be transported to school, and then they would bring the P. Tech kids back to the elementary school. At the end of the day so they could catch the late bus, and then that's where we would go over there and pick them up directly off the bus, so I don't need curbside pickup. That's not necessary. And we had an excellent relationship with the Director of Transportation. So if for some reason we had E2 Gowanda HS Library: no kids that day, or

011whatever she always knew ahead of time. Hey, we will not be on the bus, or if some we had a great relationship with our bus driver, too. Tim Hortons was involved in that. But he there was something, a glitch, or whatever, or if he had to call us, we did that as well so E2 Gowanda HS Library: kept that communication open. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Thanks, all right, thank you. E2 Gowanda HS Library: But you should secure country straight from the whole meeting. You know E2 Gowanda HS Library: I know what the treats behind us and over there. I'm sure they love that. E2 Gowanda HS Library: So, thank you. Thank you. Nice again. Thank you. E2 Gowanda HS Library: So yeah. E2 Gowanda HS Library: do we have any other students in the district

012that we know of that goes with other private schools. Not that we transfer E2 Gowanda HS Library: transport to. E2 Gowanda HS Library: or any at all, I mean, transport or not? No? Well, yes, they go there, but they're transported by parents so like St. Francis or something. No, we don't provide any public transportation. Oh, yeah, I know. I was wondering if there were other students in the district that went to private schools. Yes, because I don't know if you were here when I was talking about some of the E2 Gowanda HS Library: other school districts that we have paid for the health services to. That's for our students attending private schools E2 Gowanda HS Library: in other districts. Oh, yeah, so like St. Francis. E2 Gowanda HS Library: so, yeah. So if you do.

013And the way you read the regulations and the law, it's E2 Gowanda HS Library: as clear as mud to some extent, like everything else. E2 Gowanda HS Library: tells you what you can't do. Let's say what you shouldn't do, but E2 Gowanda HS Library: pretty clear in the law that the distance for behavior policy that the distance is measured from the student's residence to the school. E2 Gowanda HS Library: So it's not from actually this building to the school. It's 1 of the schools. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Quite honestly, I'm not sure if any president in our district is for that particular school E2 Gowanda HS Library: is inside that 15 mile radius we've never transport there, so she's like, no. So if that's an issue. E2 Gowanda HS Library: and you know, figure out,

014share the same thing. So it's not like E2 Gowanda HS Library: you. Then open yourself up to tension. E2 Gowanda HS Library: saying yes to more. Yeah, that was my purpose in asking that question. So the potential could be there. Then for multiple ones in multiple directions. E2 Gowanda HS Library: they're not asking for an additional 1. 0, they're right. True, they're not, that's true. E2 Gowanda HS Library: So I guess I'm exploring that part right? I'm assuming you're referring to them, asking to get dropped at Duncord. P-tech! Right? What kind of liability if we were to drop them off? What did they say? There! It's a block away, or something that they drive by up one block distance away from it, or something you would be responsible for providing supervision at that point. E2

015Gowanda HS Library: So if you drop them off at Ptac. E2 Gowanda HS Library: They we'd have to have someone there responsible until whatever they got elsewhere. So I don't know if that's really reasonable for us. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Is that what they were asking? Well, no, because it leaves here that the Ptac students passes one block east of northern Chautauqua Catholic School. So it sounds like the bus. Well, I mean, I think the thing is, they even, I think they realize distance. But we do have a bus. The Ptac bus in Dunkirk that goes within 1.7 miles of the school. So common sense right there, why don't you drop them off? I understand that. But E2 Gowanda HS Library: by policy and regulation. They're not eligible for transportation, to begin with. E2 Gowanda

016HS Library: beyond that, from their home to that E2 Gowanda HS Library: place. Right? But then it still runs in the same question, at least in my brain. I know it's 1.7 miles. But if you drive, say, maybe some of the public schools for our students programs only 6 miles from St. Francis. E2 Gowanda HS Library: prevents us down from just continuing to go to St. Francis, even if it's slippery, popped E2 Gowanda HS Library: because you're they've considered arbitrary and concretious because I dealt with this with charter schools in Buffalo, with the transportation issues. Once you say, well, I'm going to allow you to be transported 22 miles, because again, it's from their home to this, their school. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Then what like stop you from doing? 25. So that's why policy

017and regulations speak to 15. And that's why stay within. E2 Gowanda HS Library: and you can't just use a general drop-off point. It has to be a school. You can't pick them up at Ames parking lot how far schools are from the district, and I'm not sure even getting the outside. What Harry's Berlin that way is, even within that. But hypothetically you could have a student on this side of our district. E2 Gowanda HS Library: so let's say, 14 miles from that school, but they'd be eligible for transportation. Then we then we then arrange some sort of internal drop off. These folks come here, and they'll be sort of taken somewhere. So just right now it's the fact of where they live in relation to the school. E2 Gowanda HS Library: How much bulk? E2

018Gowanda HS Library: I don't know if anybody's gonna live close, but that would be hypothetical. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Thank you. E2 Gowanda HS Library: It's would we be able to consult with school attorneys and get their legal recommendation with it? E2 Gowanda HS Library: Yes, I can share what you share. I've already asked the response honestly, that I shared with folks parents. E2 Gowanda HS Library: I can show you what we do next time correspondence. E2 Gowanda HS Library: because first, st if I help people, I don't mind doing it. E2 Gowanda HS Library: I was fine with, you know. No good deed goes on punishment. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Thank you. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Can individuals rent a bus from the district, though like isn't, isn't that? No. E2 Gowanda HS Library:

019I know it's going back some time, but I know not. Maybe at this district, but I know districts in the past have done that where you're going to a field trip or something. E2 Gowanda HS Library: but it'd be our bus driver and E2 Gowanda HS Library: not to muddy this any further. But I just I just I don't know. I could calculate the cost of it, and I don't know that it would be. It's probably cost prohibitive. There is policy there to that fact. But E2 Gowanda HS Library: yeah, our actual policy is, yeah. So are we outside the 15 mile distance for p-tech. As it is, it's a public school, is it? Okay? E2 Gowanda HS Library: Yes. Is that okay? Thank you. E2 Gowanda HS Library: We send them one of the

020most programs. And it's not packages. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Okay? Okay? Then, I didn't know. That's why I was asking. Thank you. E2 Gowanda HS Library: So you don't the Greek iteration. E2 Gowanda HS Library: I don't know that it's just the p-tech kids that are on that bus, either. Well, I think there's some other kids Naval Academy kids on that bus on that bus E2 Gowanda HS Library: avenue. E2 Gowanda HS Library: And these are, I think, are all younger children. They are right. Yes, in elementary school. Yeah. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Some of that buses that they're talking about is powerful border students. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Well, I guess yeah, I mean, we can go down a bunch of different rabbit holes. But you know, let's say we no longer have students

021going to Dunford, P. Tech, right? There would still be the expectation. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Northern Chautauqua. So do we start that. So I guess the last bit would be, what would E2 Gowanda HS Library: he made reference to a public referendum? What would that do to us that happened? E2 Gowanda HS Library: Because the public can vote on. I just cannot avoid a lawyer, but I assume they could E2 Gowanda HS Library: radius for transportation. E2 Gowanda HS Library: It doesn't worry E2 Gowanda HS Library: now. I don't know. You know. Lawyers have control that, or you can do it because it is in state it's in state law. So I don't think the voters can. Actually probably E2 Gowanda HS Library: the board. The Board did the referendum. E2 Gowanda HS Library: You

022guys change the policy for transportation within. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Yes, motion at that point. But the public could. E2 Gowanda HS Library: I just don't know what they would propose to do, because. E2 Gowanda HS Library: you know, like, would it be the radius? I don't. How, I don't know how far the E2 Gowanda HS Library: far the student lives from I don't know what the distance is, there's an inequity in the fact. If it was a student from E2 Gowanda HS Library: art, was it E2 Gowanda HS Library: southeast side or southwest side, they would be able to go right, we would have to provide it. Yeah, it wouldn't even be a question if E2 Gowanda HS Library: nothing around the Southwest. And then those folks that we do some basically get transportation

023or drop off here. We could E2 Gowanda HS Library: take that crystal E2 Gowanda HS Library: right transport for one. Then just did a quick math quest. I mean, from this location of Springville to Springville is 60 miles, so I assume Saint Hell's is probably at or below that 15 mile radius. Yeah. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Oops in a second. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Yeah, that's not something we need to make a decision on tonight. But certainly we're further E2 Gowanda HS Library: conversation. Yeah, I'd like to see it E2 Gowanda HS Library: talk about the options, especially with the last comment that Max raised with the referendum. E2 Gowanda HS Library: And I guess it's just because of E2 Gowanda HS Library: where we live and that we're not, and that we're more rural.

024That that's why we it's less of an opportunity for people to be able to get transportation. If we were in the city right, there'd be more of an it would be a better option for people or a more of an opportunity. But because of where we're situated there is nothing within 15 miles, right? And kind of E2 Gowanda HS Library: it does really feel bad, it does. I agree. That's why, ideally, it would be nice to think of something, or, I mean, is there a way if they put it out to a vote right? That we might have to. E2 Gowanda HS Library: you know. Would there be a potential to get into like a co-OP agreement with North Northern Chanaqua E2 Gowanda HS Library: to say, All right, we'll we'll partner with them in

025some capacity, and that would allow transportation. So it's not just arbitrary. Any school any distance. That sort of thing right E2 Gowanda HS Library: since the other option is to explore somewhere like a course built. Are they sending students there? E2 Gowanda HS Library: Because if they have a run over there that we could just go to Forestville, and then Forestville could take them short, which that would be. E2 Gowanda HS Library: And 1 1 thing that concerns me is the mix of students E2 Gowanda HS Library: on the bus. I mean, if it was just me, because then, if somebody else comes with it, I think the main, my biggest fear would be. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Do it for them, and that's outside the radius. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Then if somebody else

026comes along. E2 Gowanda HS Library: I wouldn't want you to be obligated to then have to do it for someone else, because it does. It specifically says you have to treat everyone the same. So if you're going to accommodate these people who are more than 15 miles. Then everybody's gonna that would be my fear. I don't know that it would happen. E2 Gowanda HS Library: I just it's risky. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Now, I'm not saying we can't come up with something, but I think we'd want to talk to the lawyer obviously, first, st before we E2 Gowanda HS Library: to see what recourse could come against us E2 Gowanda HS Library: other options of opportunities in a recourse. E2 Gowanda HS Library: so why not do that use your Dnp can change their E2

027Gowanda HS Library: yeah. I think I mean, just in hearing everybody. Everybody kind of has a similar sentiment that we need to continue to explore this. It's not a dead issue, as far as E2 Gowanda HS Library: since that sounds reasonable. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Can't sure about taxpayers, voters right to support our school district. So okay, residents, business owners. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Does anybody else have anything further with that? E2 Gowanda HS Library: We're good with that for now. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Okay, so that was the only public discussion we have. And we'll listen to our 1st presentation nutrition and health sciences, grades 7 and 8. Thank you, guys. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Thank you. So like, Dr. Anderson said. For those of you who do not know me, I'm Mr. O'rourke.

028I teach 7th and 8th grade health education. So I think I've been here for what? 4 or 5 years. So E2 Gowanda HS Library: time's going by quick. But I see some familiar faces. I believe I even teach some years earlier. So I'm sure E2 Gowanda HS Library: we wanted to take this opportunity E2 Gowanda HS Library: a little bit to kind of showcase what we're doing now. So last year E2 Gowanda HS Library: we kind of changed our program a little bit from just health education, and I'm fortunate enough to be using the room that was formerly the family and Consumer Science Room, and it is now the Nutrition and Health Science Room. So what we're doing is we're kind of E2 Gowanda HS Library: building on to what we learned in 7th grade,

029which you know, we. We touch all the topics that are required by the State National Standards for health. Ed. But what we're doing now is, we're almost twisting that and implementing lifestyle skills into my curriculum. And it's it's been going E2 Gowanda HS Library: fantastic. I couldn't be happier with how things are going. I know the kids enjoy it. They're having a lot of fun, and they're executing these recipes like, I could not believe. You know, 5 years ago I was teaching elementary gym. If you were to tell me that now I would have a little army of teenage chefs, it's going great. So you know we prepared a little meal for you guys. I just want to take the opportunity to thank the board. E2 Gowanda HS Library: I can only imagine how difficult

030it is to. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Here's going, for you know the behind the scenes what it takes to run a school district. So I thank you guys for all that you do, and we'll let this be a little opportunity to show our gratitude. I do have 2 students with me. I have 2 8th graders. So this is Allie Barnes, and this is Noel Oresca. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Allie just brought you guys a nutrition evaluation. So it breaks down all the nutritional content of what's inside of the meal that we prepared for you, and I'm going to turn it over to them. They're going to share a few words, and then we'll get to eat. So I'm Allie and I'm in 8th grade, and I'm in Miss Ryl's class. E2 Gowanda HS Library: and

031like in his nutrition class. And so what I gave you was the burrito bowl nutrition, which we do every single time to see, like what ingredients, what whole foods was in it. So the 1st ingredient was white rice, chicken, black beans, corn, bell, pepper, mango, onion, and avocado, which are all whole foods, so the total calories would be 552, E2 Gowanda HS Library: and then protein is 30 grams. Carbs is 93 grams. Fats is 21.2 grams and sugars is 11 grams, which is mostly from mango, which is all like natural sugars. E2 Gowanda HS Library: and, like, I said. We do this every time to see like what we're putting in our bodies to fuel us, and everything like that. E2 Gowanda HS Library: And E2 Gowanda HS Library: Mistro's class is like is really

032fun. And we learn like a lot from it like how to be like. E2 Gowanda HS Library: put healthy ingredients into our bodies. Does anybody have any questions about what we did in this year's class E2 Gowanda HS Library: make you pay attention more at home at what you're eating. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Her dogs try to talk to parents into better eating. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Sometimes I get hollered at students that have parents that are teaching in the district. I got hollered at last night by my 8th grader. Too many processed foods in the dinner. That's not my goal, but it's kind of working. Hi, my name is Noella Ruska, and I'm in 8th grade. E2 Gowanda HS Library: We made these burrito bowls today. And yesterday it was like a 2 day

033project, because you can't really cook a lot in one class period. But we just split all of our stuff across multiple days. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Every ingredient is a whole food. So if you like, look at that, a whole food is something that is like plants or animals. They're just one ingredient. A whole food would be like an avocado, or just like natural ingredients. Right? Not whole food. Be like a hot pocket. It's something that has a whole ton of chemicals and additives and stuff in it that we should not be eating. E2 Gowanda HS Library: But it's delicious, it is delicious, but it's not necessarily good for us. This is a dish that we prepared for you guys E2 Gowanda HS Library: is gluten and dairy free, and it's good if you like.

034Want to go on a diet or any sort of that stuff, because I mean, even if you are on a diet or anything, it's really just good for your body, and you should be eating it rather than whatever we find at grocery stores. So E2 Gowanda HS Library: does anybody have any questions. E2 Gowanda HS Library: What's your favorite dish that you've made so far this year. E2 Gowanda HS Library: I think it was. I think spaghetti was the best. I like the burrito bowls the best spaghetti did you make that like last week. Yeah, we did Italian last. No sauce was store-bought. Noodles were store-bought. Sometimes we have a 40 min crunch, so we do what we can with the time we have, but it still works. It's been great. I also want to

035say that. E2 Gowanda HS Library: like in this class, we're learning life skills kind of so like when I'm older, I'm going to obviously need to cook for myself. I really like that. We're doing this now instead of like having to do it later, you know, when I'm like in college and eating ramen every day, I don't want to have to try and figure out how to cook. Then I know how to cook now, and it's since we're in health and we're in a school setting. I feel like it's easier to apply like if you don't have, like certain ingredients and stuff, because it's not like, you need a whole ton of prep work before doing all this. It's more like easy stuff. E2 Gowanda HS Library: So it's definitely something I'll be applying to

036my life later. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Well, we're going to try and we'll get right to it. I don't want the food to get cold on everybody. So what we have is E2 Gowanda HS Library: we'll kind of do it, I guess. Chipotle style, if you will get these chairs out of the way. Here we have our bowls here 1st to start in the front. We will have our rice, so we'll do a bed of rice right next to that we have our chicken, which is, we've got peppers and onions. We've got flat beans. We've got corn. We've got a homemade mango pico that the kids worked on all yesterday. We've got lettuce, and we've got guacamole as well. So E2 Gowanda HS Library: by all means, you guys are more than welcome to kind

037of line up and go through the line, and E2 Gowanda HS Library: we're gonna do like a self. Serve kind of burrito bowl. E2 Gowanda HS Library: They wash their hands, they put their hair back. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Tyler says you're the goat. You are the Standard College. All teachers are compared. He had me checking ingredients. This is fake sugar in it. Oh, yeah, I try really hard to emphasize. We're all allowed to eat, of course, what we want to eat. It's a balance thing. Everything in moderation majority. We want to focus on E2 Gowanda HS Library: primarily whole foods we sprinkle in processed foods. We're allowed to be human beings. No kidding really cool. Yeah. I got my bachelor's in health, and then master's in PE. I was quite certain that health was

038not my attitude. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Springfield College not too far. Okay. Hour, hour, hour and a half down the road. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Any opportunity to get somebody in the classroom that brings some sort of, you know other health Avenue into the room. I'm definitely looking for it, Michael. Nice to meet you. E2 Gowanda HS Library: the kids I don't want to take dreaded I did the grocery shopping. I know you do the shop. As long as he brings food he can have whatever he wants. E2 Gowanda HS Library: He comes. He gets the credit card. He goes, buys his food. Healthy snack unit is coming up. Next. We have to chop it up a little bit. We'll do a prep day. We'll do a cook day. E2 Gowanda HS Library: August one.

039That we did was 4 E2 Gowanda HS Library: that bread for 4 days, but it turned out great. The kids really did a good job, and they seemed to like it. I think some of them even ended up making it at home. It's delicious. They had to grab their phones. E2 Gowanda HS Library: She's under E2 Gowanda HS Library: hopefully. It's nice and warm for you guys. If there was one in Dunkirk I would have guessed. E2 Gowanda HS Library: for whatever reason. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Oh, I can imagine. Yeah, they just had that. I think they had to give their parents a lot of them at time. E2 Gowanda HS Library: How'd they do? She worked hard on it. Man, I tell you it's E2 Gowanda HS Library: it was kind of like

040nerve wracking 1st starting that I wasn't exactly sure how middle schoolers were going to handle E2 Gowanda HS Library: kitchen utensils and machinery and hot things and sharp things, and E2 Gowanda HS Library: it's gone pretty good so far. Knock on wood. Nothing bad. We do like a pretty extensive safety unit before we start doing anything. So for, like the 1st week or so, we do like, I'll simulate like a fire, or I'll simulate like a cut or a wound. We do some like knife skills, lessons where we'll do 3 days, where we practice chopping the easiest and most basic of things. They get kind of comfortable with the cutlery and everything. So we build up to E2 Gowanda HS Library: what they're doing now. And now it's crazy. I'll post a recipe on the

041wall and be like, All right, let's get to it. We got 40 min. Let's go, and they just they can just roll. It's awesome. That's good. Yeah. So the 1st E2 Gowanda HS Library: student, her name was Allie Barnes. Allie Barnes, yeah. And who was the second one? Noella Oresco? E2 Gowanda HS Library: They volunteered. Noela resca. E2 Gowanda HS Library: I asked a couple of my classes if anybody would like to E2 Gowanda HS Library: showcase their skills to the board, and they were all like those 2 were pretty ready to go. E2 Gowanda HS Library: I think she was principal for a day last year. Yeah, 100%, 100%. Yeah, she's very funny. They're both great. I know she was funny. Yeah, yeah, that's what I was thinking, too, like, boil the water. Now.

042Yeah, she went right off the script there started going she. E2 Gowanda HS Library: too funny. In that case it's nice, because it's required for all students. Great E2 Gowanda HS Library: good stuff. I just see it. I mean. E2 Gowanda HS Library: I'm 28, and I mean, I remember going to college, not? And I grew up in a household that, like my mom, cooked a lot, and my my family is pretty health conscious. So this has kind of always been like in my DNA, I guess, but E2 Gowanda HS Library: I didn't know how to cook expensively or learn any of these things. And then, when I went to college like stressed out anxiety starts to kick in. And you just you don't know how to. E2 Gowanda HS Library: It's hard to become

043an adult out of nowhere. And I think E2 Gowanda HS Library: I'm trying to, in a way. E2 Gowanda HS Library: implement these little lessons and these things where by the time the kids turn 18 and they're off on their own, and they got to prepare food for themselves one day, and maybe even a family. It's not so intense, and it's like, Hey, I kind of am equipped for this, and I think E2 Gowanda HS Library: I almost feel like, in a way. E2 Gowanda HS Library: education as a whole. We're starting to see a little bit more of like the desire for these life skill type classes. Yeah, well, a hundred percent. Yeah, every kid, that kind of goes through high school. They graduate and they can E2 Gowanda HS Library: add and subtract,

044read and write, which you know those are the core skills for most professions, but how many of them E2 Gowanda HS Library: can truly manage their own stress in a mental health crisis or in a pinch on a budget. Go to the grocery store and make a healthy. Yeah. So you know. E2 Gowanda HS Library: slowly, hopefully, this generation of kids will be a little bit healthier than the last, and we'll keep that rolling. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Delicious. Well done, yeah, very good. Thank you. Very happy with it. Yes, good job. E2 Gowanda HS Library: no service. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Well, when we get back there when we get back. E2 Gowanda HS Library: No, I'm not. E2 Gowanda HS Library: We sign up. E2 Gowanda HS Library: You're volunteering E2 Gowanda HS

045Library: kind of eat as we go. All right. So thank you guys for everything that is absolutely delicious. E2 Gowanda HS Library: I'm sure the Facebook world didn't want to just sit here. E2 Gowanda HS Library: I'm muted perfect. E2 Gowanda HS Library: All right. So we're going to continue along. That'll move us into our E2 Gowanda HS Library: consensus. Items that make a consideration of motion to vote approves 4.0 1 to 7.0 3. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Hello. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Okay. One second. Okay, do we have any discussion? E2 Gowanda HS Library: We have no discussion all in favor. Aye, aye. E2 Gowanda HS Library: I'll give us a review of the treasurer's report. Financial statement for January 25 and February 25. E2 Gowanda HS Library: If any discussion, thank you, Mr.

046E2 Gowanda HS Library: There's no discussion, then I'll move this forward to bring the next report. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Good evening, everybody. Good to see everybody happy. April, some E2 Gowanda HS Library: from the district generally. This time of year we've talked about our budget talking about our proposed budget here shortly, but in terms of New York State there is really no budget news. The State has not settled a budget yet. I'll keep an eye on that. I don't know just trying to keep our eyes on that, so we'll see what how things shake out E2 Gowanda HS Library: a couple prime more things that are practical in terms of our day-to-day operation is, you'll notice you go by Hillis Field. Some of the trees have fallen into the chamber fence buildings rich, and

047his crews against investments will have that fixed looks like the winter is ready destroyed. The fence down there in parts, and then speaking about the weather and property. Our parking lots are not in great shape. There's looks like E2 Gowanda HS Library: I don't know the 1st road ever made out. Here is potholes all over, but next week plan is to cold patch those E2 Gowanda HS Library: up to some giant potholes in all the parking lots, and then later on we'll get quotes to get to the surface. So hopefully. Get that done E2 Gowanda HS Library: be. That's take care of short shortly. Congratulations. Zachary Nobles, Erie County School Board Association, Ray Carr, merging year award congratulations E2 Gowanda HS Library: you can award. That's awesome. We are on top of our second E2

048Gowanda HS Library: spring break. Friday. This week is the last day for students, and they return to school on Tuesday, April 20. Second. After that the school year is going to pass in the blink of an eye. Our district is closed next Friday, good Friday, and this Sunday is E2 Gowanda HS Library: in your agenda. You accept it tonight. I just wanted to thank American Legion Post 409. There's a nice donations of the track team for the creation of the Stars and Stripes of America scholarship. So I appreciate the support of the students. E2 Gowanda HS Library: If you. A couple weeks after our last Board meeting middle school, did the Lion King, Jr. Get an opportunity to watch it. It was phenomenal E2 Gowanda HS Library: kudos to Mr. Cash and crew just the

049scenery and the costuming. It was just a really wonderful performance, really very impressed capital project. We talked about. The pool plans are being submitted to Scd. As soon as we get those approved through an expedited hearing. Hopefully, the project will have a bid and keep our timeline to have a E2 Gowanda HS Library: again. It's all tentative, because we know our history of the pool. Maybe sometime next year have a pool that's going to function for the next 50 years. So I'm excited about that E2 Gowanda HS Library: couple quick things from the buildings. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Well, this week there's been testing going on in grades 3 through 8. It's a variety of success not due to students. But it's really kind of amazing. We're doing computer-based testing throughout the State yesterday. The

050system's crashing. And I just find that. Strange that you know, the State would know E2 Gowanda HS Library: for how much time in advance wouldn't have infrastructure built to handle that load. So the impact, at least in our district, was more inconvenience. But other districts may not be so. We've got a 6 week testing window, so we should adopt. We'll get all that testing in. But just just E2 Gowanda HS Library: high school cabaret night. If you had a chance to see that last Saturday night E2 Gowanda HS Library: at the Collywood Theater. It was 2 h of wonderful music performances. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Kudos to all those performers. Prom season is coming up. There's a pre-prom program on Friday, April 25th required of all juniors and seniors and their classmen attending Prom go

051on to fire and second fire. We'll collaborate to provide a mock extraction, followed up by a presentation from Brad Mohawk and Erie County sheriffs basically give people a safe message for this prom season. E2 Gowanda HS Library: The Prom itself is May 10th coordination. School is even until about 4 30 in the Prom for the columns E2 Gowanda HS Library: I'll be when the senior class trip is heading out on April 26.th E2 Gowanda HS Library: They're prepared to go there, and then just a real quick thing. I had Erica a Pr. She update slides. It might transition from a narrative to make it more visual. E2 Gowanda HS Library: I just want to show off my picture. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Very nice. Your head's chopped up. E2 Gowanda HS Library: You gotta scroll

052through there real quick. Yeah, it helps E2 Gowanda HS Library: Gotcha. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Yeah. My old picture you saw. And I asked the gentleman. I look like a stuffed potato, so I appreciate that so indigenous language week here in the elementary school E2 Gowanda HS Library: title, 6 indigenous language spirit week, featuring ribbons, skirts, shirts, clays, craft teams. The students had a lot of fun. Caberna, which I mentioned was at the Hollywood Theater. This weekend see, some of the performers. Steve Wood, our retired music teacher there, Miss Robin Smith, performing great night biology E2 Gowanda HS Library: our high school choir students, participated in all kind of chorus fest in East Aurora. You'll see Sydney Smith up there, I mean, we have a phenomenal music department. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Tell the teachers

053and tell the kids some advice from Alumni E2 Gowanda HS Library: Todd. Ehr? Sorry, Todd, I can't pronounce your last name. Sorry. A graduate from the Hamburg police department spoke to our students about careers in law enforcement. E2 Gowanda HS Library: the counseling departments doing a lot of work this year, showcasing careers each month and trying to make students more aware. Marine corps, workshop. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Beth Jarry, our guidance, Counselor K-twelve, Director. She got invited to go to Educator workshop in Paris Island, funded by the Marine Corps, which she attended just for an idea to get really firsthand knowledge from recruiters with the training, the transformation that students get going into becoming a marine and then a citizen after their service, so appreciate that E2 Gowanda HS Library: I do not. Yeah. E2

054Gowanda HS Library: Our schools counseling Advisory Council is looking for insight about their program goals E2 Gowanda HS Library: where just alluded to it, people have some ideas about E2 Gowanda HS Library: recommendations programming for our school counseling. There's lots of document and April's Earth month. E2 Gowanda HS Library: and thrifty panther is accepting donations of gently used to clean spring, summer apparel school supplies, deodorant jackstick, toothbrush, toothpaste, and all those goodies here in the high school office. In donating she can contact her, and she'll help you out from there. E2 Gowanda HS Library: And earth month. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Here's clothing, closet, elementary school kids down that that one athletic pants and gym shorts E2 Gowanda HS Library: size. So yes, kids at home are growing out of their clothes quickly. Good place

055to donate for our students. E2 Gowanda HS Library: and I think those are recyclables, not trash piled up in front of middle school. Yes, the bottle. You got it for the trash. So. E2 Gowanda HS Library: and my last thing is attendance matters every day class. It matters for student outcomes. E2 Gowanda HS Library: and there's me being terrified of the playground equipment. So E2 Gowanda HS Library: that's it from that. So hopefully, some visual make space up a little bit. Thank you, Erica, for putting that together for me. She's out and about. E2 Gowanda HS Library: So thank you for me. E2 Gowanda HS Library: We'll move this into our student board members report E2 Gowanda HS Library: so late March early April. We focused mostly on careers in different fields in the High

056School. Specifically, we had a career spotlight in late March, as we saw by the visual hosted by the Hamburg police department which engaged kids in different careers and opportunities in the field of law enforcement. E2 Gowanda HS Library: We also saw Ms. Gerardi went on to Marine Corps educational workshop which will hopefully give students more of an idea if they're looking to go in the military. And what are some other options for them as college or trades. E2 Gowanda HS Library: We also, yesterday Goana High School students participated in the be your own hero. Career Fair E2 Gowanda HS Library: had the opportunity to speak with a hundred or over a hundred potential employers. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Gowanda Elementary School, recently took a field trip to learn more about the Erie Canal, how it

057was built and how locks work to celebrate Erie Canal's 200th anniversary. I thought this was cool because I also did this when I was a kid. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Rwanda Central School is celebrating April as school library month. I know. Here we have a lot of librarians that are helping engage kids with reading. We see multiple posts on schoology trying to get kids more active with books, and even like monthly reading challenges. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Gcs. Also celebrated indigenous language spirit week from March 31st to April 4.th Like to congratulate all students that participated. E2 Gowanda HS Library: The Jv. Baseball team went to kindergarten and 1st grade classes to teach about building character, involving being kind, persevering, using manners, being brave and working hard. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Kiernan Quinn was named

058to the 2025 Dunkirk Observer in the Post Journal girls wrestling all stars. Congratulations. Kiernan. E2 Gowanda HS Library: We also recently had cabaret night, and sad, is hosting soon the free from assembly, which will feature a mock crash and possibly a mercy foot. So E2 Gowanda HS Library: you! E2 Gowanda HS Library: That is all I have. E2 Gowanda HS Library: because anything we'll listen to our blueprint for success. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Pull that up! E2 Gowanda HS Library: Oh, gosh. E2 Gowanda HS Library: quick, quick! Overview! She's ill tonight. If you have any E2 Gowanda HS Library: questions I can answer. But I really plan on how E2 Gowanda HS Library: I view this and invite her to the conversation E2 Gowanda HS Library: he had a lot to share with you. E2

059Gowanda HS Library: Sorry to disappoint, but E2 Gowanda HS Library: alright. So up next November 2025, 2026. That's been on the calendar. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Yeah. E2 Gowanda HS Library: So we got, we have our 2526 active account ready for E2 Gowanda HS Library: with, according to the Board's approval at our next meeting. So we can get this out to families. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Put it out there. This our calendar is based on the minimum instruction satisfies our instructional hours and minutes E2 Gowanda HS Library: as our contractual obligations. And for next year I have 7 still days. E2 Gowanda HS Library: We're in the same problem that we've been using this year. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Hopefully, you know, be a lot of days. We're not gonna follow the same problems this

060year. So I think it's pretty tight calendar. Just a couple of highlights. E2 Gowanda HS Library: I mean for families, I think E2 Gowanda HS Library: December is another full two-week break, so the holidays fell. Oftentimes. It's not necessarily good to have those long breaks for student consistencies. Fortunately I go to, and I did as a child, but I'm not sure if that's everybody's circumstance. So you know, I try to stay away from long periods with students outside of school. But anyway, that's how that happened this year. But our last day of school for students right now is the 25th of June and E2 Gowanda HS Library: 26 next year graduation. E2 Gowanda HS Library: We're talking about class 2026. E2 Gowanda HS Library: There's 3 super. So 4 supertense comp days built in there

061that count past super tense days. E2 Gowanda HS Library: professional development for those days. And we're starting just before kids come on September second. E2 Gowanda HS Library: If any questions about the calendar, or if you do, please let me know. We'll have it on the next. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Haven't touch it, and E2 Gowanda HS Library: before we get into the next section. It looks like you guys are trying to pack up and get out of here. I'll be back. I'll come back. I'm going to be cleaning up a little bit. So I'll come back in. Okay, because otherwise I can take them to the business office. I can take them to the business office after the room, and we can to you tomorrow. E2 Gowanda HS Library: That works too well. I'll

062swing by tomorrow. I'll just take them very good. E2 Gowanda HS Library: so that we have our budget presentation property facts. Report card. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Okay? E2 Gowanda HS Library: Okay, so the last meeting we did kind of go through E2 Gowanda HS Library: in summary where we were with the budget. E2 Gowanda HS Library: So I was I usually for this meeting. I just kind of go through some of the highlights and E2 Gowanda HS Library: to my little price charts and stuff. Put it in perspective. E2 Gowanda HS Library: So our highlights? E2 Gowanda HS Library: so the only changes I made after the last time we met and talked about it was I did switch up and use more of the reserves as opposed to on an appropriate fund balance.

063So what I did was E2 Gowanda HS Library: I projected the use of reserves up to 505,000. So that is the employee benefits liability, which is, for, like the payouts, when people leave or retire of 250, the teachers, retirement system and the employees retirement system I'm projecting. We'd use 1, 25 each, and then the unemployment. I just guessed 5,000 that we would use from that reserve. E2 Gowanda HS Library: And then for the anticipated use of unappropriated fund balances the 1.0 3 4 million. So those are basically the differences between your revenues and your expenditures. When you're appropriating any reserves and fund balance. You're saying that you're going to use those reserves for those specific expenses when they occur next year E2 Gowanda HS Library: state budget update. As Bob mentioned, I think the scroll

064that I read this morning was that they're talking, but they're not. They don't want to rush things so, and next week's Easter. So I don't anticipate a state budget anytime real soon. E2 Gowanda HS Library: The Federal cuts we talked about this last week, too. E2 Gowanda HS Library: I mean, we don't really know. I'll kind of go through. What we have in potential federal funding is what we get. So it's at risk. But I don't know to what extent I think the one thing that popped into our emails this week was, the tariffs are going to affect us for cost of things. So Matt, our director of it, got an email from one of the suppliers that he can expect. The cost will go up 54% on certain things because of the tariffs from

065China. E2 Gowanda HS Library: So that was the bad news. This week. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Overall. The budget is increasing. The 1.3 8 7 million or 3.6, E2 Gowanda HS Library: the tax levies increasing 1.2%. And it's over 64,000 on a home that's assessed at $100,000. That would be an increase over the year of $11 and 12 cents. Obviously, we know that the equalization rates are really what's kind of been that fluctuating thing we're dealing with with what actually happens with tax bills. Your tax bill might go down next year. E2 Gowanda HS Library: so we'll see what happens with the I did look up to see if the equalization rates were published. So we'd have an idea, and they were not E2 Gowanda HS Library: so once they are. I'll update you on

066that as well. And then the property tax report card, which we will go through for approval tonight. That says inflation is going up 2.9 5%. And this will be the last budget, or this is the 1st budget that we won't have any of the covid monies in. So those are all gone E2 Gowanda HS Library: overall highlights. We did add that science teacher in the high school that's wanted by retirement in the elementary school. We've added back period 13 in the middle school. That's the only thing I've ever done what they call it. Do they call it anything else E2 Gowanda HS Library: period. And then we did expand summer school at the elementary. And then we're adding summer school for the middle school, for 8th graders. For Ela and Math. E2 Gowanda HS Library:

067We do have one of the bigger increases that we had was we have to contract for deaf interpretive services. So that's kind of a big increase in the special Ed area. And then the utility rates have really spiked. They're at their highest rate since 2,008. E2 Gowanda HS Library: So we you'll see that. And it's really it's in the buildings and grounds. So it's in general support. When we kind of go through that, it's also in the contract section. E2 Gowanda HS Library: and then general insurance overall is also increasing significantly. I think we can all identify that when we got our both car insurance and home insurance, everything's going up on that end. And then some of the other more significant increases are really things that are again beyond our control. So it's the

068health insurance and employee benefit rates and the retirement system rates. You know we don't. We don't set those. They're set by the State E2 Gowanda HS Library: and the employee systems themselves E2 Gowanda HS Library: on the Federal side. This is kind of what we alluded to. Obviously we don't. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Nothing may change right in our in our federal funding, I think, but it's just to know what we have that is subject to risk is that we do have in Federal grants. We have a million 3, that fund, 11 full-time positions that includes for special Ed math, intervention, reading, intervention, social, emotional supports, and some of our native American services are funded federally. E2 Gowanda HS Library: And then in the General fund itself, we do have the impact aid and Medicaid

069that are federally funded, and that makes up a million one in the in the budget itself. E2 Gowanda HS Library: And I think we've seen some wacky things with Impact 8, anyway. E2 Gowanda HS Library: So I'll be curious. I projected that we won't get another impact aid payment this year, but we'll see. E2 Gowanda HS Library: So because we got all those last year, and then now, with everything going on, I'm not sure but I'll see one this year. E2 Gowanda HS Library: and then I think probably our biggest concern is still the food service program with the State, not having really said what their budget is, and how they're going to roll out, you know, free meals for all students. I don't know how that will impact us. So I did meet with

070Nicole today. And she has our Cep. So our community eligibility program that provides all the free meals for all of the students E2 Gowanda HS Library: that expires June of 26, E2 Gowanda HS Library: 27th June of 27, and she has to then recertify this fall. But she'll know in July. If we qualify. So they would have to. If they're going to change the level which they've been talking about doing is changing the percentage of students, we'd have to have it automatically certified. That would E2 Gowanda HS Library: bring us back to where we probably have to have just we'd have some reduced E2 Gowanda HS Library: students instead of free. E2 Gowanda HS Library: but we don't. We don't know exactly what's happening with that. I think that's probably one of our bigger concerns

071is that 735,000 were funded federally. So if they changed any of that community eligibility program funding change, that percentage. That's probably one of our biggest risks is funding. E2 Gowanda HS Library: We did add some ability to absorb Federal funding reductions should they occur. We put in more transfers to food service and Federal funds. I think we've tried to absorb some into the salaries to make sure that everybody would be covered if there was even a percentage of reduction. Just to kind of make sure that we're safe in that area E2 Gowanda HS Library: on the revenue side. So where does the money come from? So 70% comes from state aid. So that's 27 million. So prior to last year, when we had the big increase in foundation aid, it was always around 64%. So

072certainly a bigger percentage of our budgets coming from State aid, and then the 14% comes from the tax levy. E2 Gowanda HS Library: and then the rest. There is the native American tuition, and then the Federal aid sales tax, and then we show our reserves and and fund balance and transfers. So these are kind of our bigger pieces E2 Gowanda HS Library: looking year to year changes. E2 Gowanda HS Library: There's kind of by category the changes from year to year. So obviously, our biggest increase is in our state aids E2 Gowanda HS Library: together, and then the use of the reserves, because we're specifically using reserves. That's kind of why the Reserve Fund balance line went up so much this year. We want to make sure that we're kind of using those reserves according

073to our plan. E2 Gowanda HS Library: And then, when we look at the reserves and the fund balance because those are in the budget. What we've projected is that we would. We would grow at the end of this year. E2 Gowanda HS Library: But we move more into some of the reserves we need to E2 Gowanda HS Library: on the proposition for the at the boat time. E2 Gowanda HS Library: We want to add money back to the Repair Reserve, because we've used that for the pool, and we'd like to do some fix some of the parking lots. So I'm hoping that that fixes because the parking lots are not good. E2 Gowanda HS Library: And we know that the State Controller's office, you know how they've recommended that this 5.5 should really be only

0744%. But we look at that would mean it would only be 1.5 million dollars E2 Gowanda HS Library: again. That's not even like the cost level pool. So I think if you think of the perspective of that if something happens and you need money, that's what you need that unappropriated piece for. So we do look at the 2 months of operating expense, which would be 6.1 million. And so that's where we have the 5 5. So we're closer to what the Government, the National Association Government Finance Officers Association would recommend that we would have in that category. E2 Gowanda HS Library: That's E2 Gowanda HS Library: expenditures. Where does the money go this year? I put the 2 slides on one, just so you could kind of see the differences. So you know, our accounting

075system is basically drafted by the state. So on the left side, it's by function. So your your 5 functions are general support, so that, like our our general people, and like so it, your basic supports to support the whole district E2 Gowanda HS Library: except for transportation. So our general support would be buildings and grounds. That's where your utilities is, this kind of everything that supports the system. And so that's 13%. Then all of instruction that includes both your people, your supplies, special Ed contracts. Everything that's in instruction is in that category transportation, and then we have our employee benefits, which is the 79%, E2 Gowanda HS Library: and then debt and transfers. I put those together this time. E2 Gowanda HS Library: So then you take that same pie and the same amount of

076the budget, and you turn it into what's known as like the state object. E2 Gowanda HS Library: So we have instructional salaries, which is 36%. The non instructional salaries. So that's all your non-certified positions. That'd be bus drivers and everything like that. All other. I loved utilities to get it up to a bigger percentage. So we have our utilities, fuel books, supplies Sro contracts. That's the 9% E2 Gowanda HS Library: contracted transportation I want. I have to take. I separate that out from the other contracts. Just so you can see what percentage the contract transportation makes up, which is 4%. E2 Gowanda HS Library: The tuition which is primarily special education is 7, E2 Gowanda HS Library: and then our boces, which excludes the special education. Tuition is 8. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Our employee

077benefits is 20%, and then the debt and transfers. E2 Gowanda HS Library: It is 6. So it's kind of just 2 ways to look the same. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Hi, and then just buy the same E2 Gowanda HS Library: object. So I just kind of show the changes so you can see from year to year where our increases are and decreases. So instructional salaries, those main increases are for the contractual increases and summer school and period 13. So that would all be an instructional salaries. The non-instructional salaries are contractual increases E2 Gowanda HS Library: this 245. That's kind of where you see your increases for utilities, insurances, that interpreter, and then the lock replacements are all in that category there E2 Gowanda HS Library: and then contract transportation. We talked about last week. I

078changed it to add another regular and homeless route. Just kind of planning ahead. We never. We never know when those are going to happen. That's the problem. So we wanted to make sure we had enough. E2 Gowanda HS Library: And then we just had an additional support for food service and grants, if needed, was where we put them to the transfers. E2 Gowanda HS Library: And then, when you look at kind of the budget as a whole, 67% is for salaries and benefits combined. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Any questions on that. I want to go to the property tax. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Pull it off. E2 Gowanda HS Library: So the property tax report card is also on the agenda for approval tonight, because we have to have it filed no later than April

07928, th and our next meeting's April 29.th E2 Gowanda HS Library: It's required to be submitted to the State Education Department within 24 h after the Board E2 Gowanda HS Library: approves it. And then there's kind of 3 sections to the report. So the portion I have in the slides is what it looks like on the sed site. And then the one that we approve is kind of one big sheet of paper that you approve. It's it's just nicer looking. Quite frankly, it's easier to follow the one on the state website has a lot of blank things because we don't. It doesn't apply to us. E2 Gowanda HS Library: So I just kind of want to point. Point out the top part. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Whoops be a little bit bigger. Listen up, or

080they're kind of fuzzy E2 Gowanda HS Library: So this, the top part is just your budget, levy your tax cap and your enrollment figures, and if I wanted to just kind of show. So the difference. This 144,515, when we talk about kind of the when we talk about what we're going to raise as a levy. E2 Gowanda HS Library: That's really the lost revenue in the air of a tax cap. So that's what you could have. You could have raised your levy another 144,000, E2 Gowanda HS Library: I mean, that's not obviously what you want to do. But that's what just what we talk about when we're talking about kind of that lost revenue by not raising it to the cap. E2 Gowanda HS Library: The second part is just the fund balance, so we

081have to show. E2 Gowanda HS Library: So these balances are they call it actual? 2425. But it's really what is the end of 6, 30, 24. And then we have to project these categories for the end of 2526, E2 Gowanda HS Library: and then I in the in the. This is what you're approving. E2 Gowanda HS Library: So see, this is I printed out 11 by 17 paper. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Maybe that's how tiny this thing. It's just got all these. So the bottom of this is where E2 Gowanda HS Library: for each of our reserves. We have the actual balances as of E2 Gowanda HS Library: 3, 31 for each of the reserves. You have to list the reserve reserve, name the description, the balance that we had as of 3, 31. And

082then what? We're going to, what we're projecting at the end of 2425, and then what we're going to use it for in 2526. So it's kind of that's why it's so big. E2 Gowanda HS Library: because she kind of got a lot of data down there, if that's on the agenda for approval. But E2 Gowanda HS Library: and E2 Gowanda HS Library: just our next steps. So the budget statement, we'll have those in all of the libraries we take them, I think, to the Nation Library one, the Public library to take them kind of everywhere but one in each of those, and it'll be online. Obviously, we'll have our budget newsletter, which includes the required budget notice, and then we send that after the but the budget hearing, which is May 7th E2 Gowanda HS

083Library: and then May. 20th is the vote day, and then the budget poll, which we're going to talk about next. If you want one, don't want one. What you want in it. E2 Gowanda HS Library: That would be there if we had one. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Please visit our website. If you have any questions, please contact me. E2 Gowanda HS Library: So I don't know if you guys have any other questions, comments. E2 Gowanda HS Library: think you're doing a really good job? Given the amount of unknowns we have. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Yeah, what is the device? It's built to try and protect us from E2 Gowanda HS Library: changes that I see that the E2 Gowanda HS Library: governor is talking about having a special session later in the year to revise

084the budget. Yeah, in E2 Gowanda HS Library: 22,002, E2 Gowanda HS Library: we actually had a decrease. I think it was 2,002. We had a decrease. Midyear E2 Gowanda HS Library: created a problem. E2 Gowanda HS Library: It has happened in the past. Yeah. E2 Gowanda HS Library: And midyear cuts to make up for that difference, you have to cut twice as much. So, yeah. E2 Gowanda HS Library: okay, I had a question just to clarify this question because I wasn't here at the last meeting. I know. I think it was 2 meetings ago we discussed when we discussed how much to raise the tax levy. We decided on 1.2 that there was percent. There was some discussion mark brought up that it's been reduced E2 Gowanda HS Library: in the past, depending on how

085much aid we actually end up getting is that, did I understand that correctly? Or is that still a thing? E2 Gowanda HS Library: The board the 1.2 is a projection at this point. Okay, we make a final decision and E2 Gowanda HS Library: August. E2 Gowanda HS Library: So if we generally we keep it. But there have been a couple of years where we've actually reduced it. If we get some or something that's probably not going to happen anyway, can't raise it. But if it's appropriate. Okay. E2 Gowanda HS Library: had a presentation to Dunkirk, and he advocated, or districts E2 Gowanda HS Library: is what they should be shooting for. Now E2 Gowanda HS Library: I believe we're paying planned increases, but not up that much. Yeah, thank you. E2 Gowanda HS Library: All

086right. Thank you for that. That'll move us into our discussion. E2 Gowanda HS Library: That's it. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Yeah. Well, thank you. In years past, whenever community members come in to vote, we've had an exit poll where they actually kind of get a feel. For you know what issues they're voting on. Just kind of get a general sense of what they're thinking. So I guess my question is. E2 Gowanda HS Library: you want an exit, poll? And if the answer is yes, I guess. What would you like to know from your voters? And the answer is No, and I guess the rest of the conversation is moved. E2 Gowanda HS Library: I guess I asked for. Yes. And the question is. E2 Gowanda HS Library: we want to know we're gonna do the

087data. I guess that's the E2 Gowanda HS Library: so I can tell you. What do you want to know what we had asked last year? Yeah. So we asked on the Budget proposition. I voted yes or no. E2 Gowanda HS Library: and then please indicate the top. 2 reasons for your vote. We had different categories of like advanced placement, quality of education, overall E2 Gowanda HS Library: health and safety concerns using our programs, personal experience with the district. E2 Gowanda HS Library: So those are kind of some of our options. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Then we asked if they have children in the district this year, and have you received adequate information from the district to make a decision to vote on the budget. E2 Gowanda HS Library: if that would additional information that we

088give you. E2 Gowanda HS Library: And then we we did last year ask about the pool, so we asked if they were supportive of repairing the pool, even if they were short term, and then we asked if E2 Gowanda HS Library: who they support a larger cattle project for our new. E2 Gowanda HS Library: So obviously, we don't necessarily need those this year. So E2 Gowanda HS Library: I guess the the big question is. E2 Gowanda HS Library: we go through this every year E2 Gowanda HS Library: after the exit poll. Are we actually doing anything with the information? That's what I was going to ask is the results of that? Well, I think the full information game was helpful. E2 Gowanda HS Library: but some of the other I don't know. I mean, generally

089speaking, they were all very positive they were all positive right. So they all voted. Most of them voted yes, and most had received positive information or enough information. E2 Gowanda HS Library: There were very few knows. E2 Gowanda HS Library: It came up. Most of your voters were did not have did not have students enrolled. Currently, yeah, regardless. Yeah, that was very supportive. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Realize that the poll is skewed, is it there? E2 Gowanda HS Library: Not happy with us? E2 Gowanda HS Library: Chances are they're not going to bother with the poll. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Yeah. E2 Gowanda HS Library: So to that end, is there another means that we could utilize to get feedback from E2 Gowanda HS Library: individuals in the community. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Because I

090don't mind the poll. I like the poll, even if it is skewed. E2 Gowanda HS Library: and I think we should keep it going. But is there something like the newsletter that could also be digitized E2 Gowanda HS Library: to? E2 Gowanda HS Library: We've done the community surveys with similar questions. The problem we had was E2 Gowanda HS Library: we got like 22 responses last year. I think it was. It was. It was so low. E2 Gowanda HS Library: There's a link on Facebook for that. We don't have one now, but we have Facebook links send it out through school messenger E2 Gowanda HS Library: the year we had a lot more responses, we think. Probably the same people responded more than once, we couldn't really stop that. Yeah, that was that's kind of

091where we're stuck. We kind of. We want information. But yet we haven't found the best way to E2 Gowanda HS Library: to get everyone to respond. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Is there outside of Facebook or using that kind of social media? But using something in house. Is there E2 Gowanda HS Library: something that we can actually pursue E2 Gowanda HS Library: that would give us analytics to what people are interested in and what they're actually paying attention to E2 Gowanda HS Library: like? I, selfishly. I know of a method like, I know there's newsletters out there, professional organizations. I'm involved with that. You can actually pull the links of what articles that people are looking at. So they know exactly what E2 Gowanda HS Library: what's interesting to everybody. What's interesting E2 Gowanda HS Library:

092to the individuals. Right? You know, if it's, you know, if it's the pool, or if you know, if it's the lacrosse team, or if you know, it's the softball team type thing. E2 Gowanda HS Library: right? I just wondered along the same lines with this. It would essentially be digitizing E2 Gowanda HS Library: the District Newsletter, which I keep not advocating to get rid of that altogether by any means, because I think there's a number of our community members that utilize it. But E2 Gowanda HS Library: could that be something which opt out of getting the newsletter, instead of incurring that cost but the burden onto the district. No, that'd be another reason to do it, too. That'd be a great reason to do it. E2 Gowanda HS Library: I don't know. I mean what

093we get from the exit poll. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Agree? I'm not sure how much we actually use it. But I think E2 Gowanda HS Library: we are actually a small enough community that people E2 Gowanda HS Library: have a burning interest or a E2 Gowanda HS Library: in Michigan. E2 Gowanda HS Library: We have a sense of what's happening. E2 Gowanda HS Library: I'm not interested in spending much, much money on. E2 Gowanda HS Library: If somebody were to offer to do, digitize it for us. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Pretty fit. E2 Gowanda HS Library: I look at that. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Do you want us to just ask the same question, do you want? Do you want a poll? E2 Gowanda HS Library: I just pulled questions. Obviously, I don't know. I

094can't think of anything offhand that are we're interested in right now. I can't. E2 Gowanda HS Library: I didn't. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Something else you want added to it. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Maybe just leave a section on the bottom for general comments. Questions, concerns that way. You know, if there's some other underlying issue that hasn't been brought to our attention, and it might be a way to gather that E2 Gowanda HS Library: because transparency was one of the comments in there right? Transparency was one of the priorities as an option. E2 Gowanda HS Library: It wasn't do. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Oh, as 2 top top 2 reasons for your vote. E2 Gowanda HS Library: you mean, or option for optional questions. E2 Gowanda HS Library: We just said, Have you received adequate

095information to make a decision on the budget vote? I guess that's it. E2 Gowanda HS Library: That's kind of transparency. Right? E2 Gowanda HS Library: Yeah, I think it doesn't hurt to do it right. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Voters don't want to fill them out, and we get no responses this year. Then we'll know. E2 Gowanda HS Library: But for some people it might be their only way. They feel comfortable, communicating right? A little bit of E2 Gowanda HS Library: the anonymous, so E2 Gowanda HS Library: should use the information too, or at least I would. I would be interested in knowing you know what the results are. What's the general trend? What's the I have it in? Excel? E2 Gowanda HS Library: So let me put it into something I can put it something

096we could address. I think I have. E2 Gowanda HS Library: I'll make it into something nicer right and send it to you guys. So I understand modified version for your next meeting, for your general open. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Yeah. Verbatims. E2 Gowanda HS Library: What remarks? E2 Gowanda HS Library: I didn't want sports ministers. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Well, Kathy, generally. Well. E2 Gowanda HS Library: we write it. But then Kathy generally manage the desk down front. It's pretty passive. It's not like we're grabbing history. Kids will come down, or the student Council kids will man it. Then, after hours, Kathy will E2 Gowanda HS Library: actually, quite honestly, it's kind of fun went down there for a while. Actually, it's kind of fun to see people just to chat nice way to connect

097people. E2 Gowanda HS Library: or what their opinions may or may not be. It's all good. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Oh, sorry! I misunderstood that. Is that actually an in person like conversation? E2 Gowanda HS Library: At that point we had it both Google form. I was going to say I thought we didn't digitize that too. Last time this paper just had a QR code on it, didn't it? Yeah, that's right. Oh, yeah. Yeah. People were allowed to take it home. You're right and scan it, and do that on their own if they chose to E2 Gowanda HS Library: alright. So if we have nothing further on the exit, Poll E2 Gowanda HS Library: making a consideration motion to vote and approve, upon recommendation of superintendent, to adopt the following resolution. E2 Gowanda HS Library:

098be a resolved basic budget for the Central School district for the fiscal year, commencing on July 1, st 2025, and ending on June 30, th 2026, as presented by the Board of Education, is hereby approved and adopted for $39,040,816, and is hereby appropriated, and the necessary real property tax shall required shall be raised by a tax on the taxable property in the district to be levied and collected as required by law. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Furthermore, the Board reserves the right, if allowed by law, to modify the proposed budget. E2 Gowanda HS Library: So second, do we have any discussion E2 Gowanda HS Library: all in favor? Aye, aye. E2 Gowanda HS Library: thank you. Next, I'd make a consideration motion to vote and approve, upon the recommendation of superintendent to approve the 2025, 2026,

099property tax. E2 Gowanda HS Library: So have any discussion. E2 Gowanda HS Library: all in favor. I'm good almost into our Board of education communications have anything to share. E2 Gowanda HS Library: We'll listen to our Board of Education's many reports, but any committees E2 Gowanda HS Library: oh, business needs to be attended there. Okay. E2 Gowanda HS Library: the lowest 2 are for administration roundtable. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Yeah? E2 Gowanda HS Library: Well, no, I think basically, the administration did. It E2 Gowanda HS Library: did a really good job of. E2 Gowanda HS Library: So I think that's a good budget. E2 Gowanda HS Library: I watch the news a lot. And I'm really worried about what's going to happen. E2 Gowanda HS Library: I think we're protecting ourselves as best we can.

100E2 Gowanda HS Library: Oh, okay. E2 Gowanda HS Library: congratulations, Mayor. Congratulations. The only other thing that I want. Well, there's E2 Gowanda HS Library: things that have already been discussed reiterate. Cabaret's awesome, the musical's awesome. All that stuff I love every minute of it. E2 Gowanda HS Library: But I would like to add that we are doing the Gowanda Community Cleanup Day again this year on April 26, th and I guess it's my fault that I didn't get some more media coverage to the school about that when you were doing your run through there with the track, with the recyclable turn in and all that I was like. Oh, my family should have said something to somebody because we would love student volunteers. We've been doing it E2 Gowanda HS Library: 4 years, I

101think, now. And so same thing. April 26.th Meet at 10 Am. By Jesse's, and we'll take all the volunteers we can get. We're actually going to send. Try if we get enough people to send a group up with some of the village folks, the village board and whatnot to help clean up the Cemetery Pine Hill Cemetery. So you know, with the spring cleanup type stuff. So. E2 Gowanda HS Library: students, I keep track of everybody who shows up so they can get credit for volunteer service. And E2 Gowanda HS Library: and my son came up with the idea 4 years ago, and we're going to keep it rolling so litter, pickup, or sticks or branches, or whatever anybody wants to do, and the forts from shop, and say very graciously, come and donate refreshments afterwards.

102So we appreciate that too hot dogs and drinks. And yeah, so 10 to noon on Saturday, April 26, th E2 Gowanda HS Library: hopefully, the weather's better this year than it was last year. Some details. I can share it to all the organizations. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Sure, right? Right? I should send you something formal, and then you can disperse it. I don't see. That's where I say, I kind of dropped the ball busy. You got it or send me an email. All right. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Sounds good. So yes, I appreciate that. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Same with the music department. We have a great music department. I'm so thankful that we have that in our community. They did a great job this year, and the spring sports seem to be

103doing amazing. I know that boys lacrosse team was 5 and out coming up to tonight hopefully, the 6 and out the rest of the game. And E2 Gowanda HS Library: see that. E2 Gowanda HS Library: That's about all I have, I think. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Oh, yeah, thank you for bringing up the fences. They look bad. I walked the track. And I was like, Yeah, it's in so many different spots. Yeah, so hopefully, they're able to get that cleaned up the last couple of wind storms. Yeah, yeah, you can definitely see E2 Gowanda HS Library: I'm I'm all set. E2 Gowanda HS Library: I'm good. Okay, Kelsey, E2 Gowanda HS Library: And our next Board of Education meeting. We'll be voting on the Boces Board members and in E2 Gowanda HS Library: board dots.

104I added the 2 letters that we have received from people that are running. So you can see those. E2 Gowanda HS Library: There's that's on a Tuesday. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Yes, so please take note of that. Are you running again? No? E2 Gowanda HS Library: Oh, it is okay. I wasn't sure how long those E2 Gowanda HS Library: I just like to say, it may be here that we're fixing the fences at Hillis. I was down there for a track practicing shop. But this is, did see a lot of trees down. So E2 Gowanda HS Library: all right. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Obviously supporting all the music and all the supporting chords and such certainly appreciative of the budget. E2 Gowanda HS Library: I think we're in a really good spot, especially given what

105other districts are in right now. E2 Gowanda HS Library: It's good to see E2 Gowanda HS Library: some stuff from the legislative meeting. I don't know if I should have brought this up earlier and other stuff, but E2 Gowanda HS Library: I know cell phones have been a big, hot topic throughout the State. When we were at the last meeting there was a lot of discussion that anything that the State does, it needs to be funded, and it needs to be supported fiscally. And like, that's just E2 Gowanda HS Library: cool. E2 Gowanda HS Library: honest belief, I think, amongst everybody. So I think that's a fair assessment. With that, said we. They did take the stance that they want in the district's hands, so that does make a little more work on a board

106and administrators level pursuing that, but I think it's well worth it if it. E2 Gowanda HS Library: instead of a justifier of everything, is the same, for throughout the district or throughout the State, just doesn't seem to be E2 Gowanda HS Library: the right course of action. E2 Gowanda HS Library: One size doesn't fit all type situation, so E2 Gowanda HS Library: what might work for our district may not work for a different other than that Dave. Dave is running for E2 Gowanda HS Library: I know some of us know him. He's running for area one director. So just keep that in mind, too. E2 Gowanda HS Library: And then there was talk of in the next next coming year about having some more dinners and having some more informal E2 Gowanda HS Library: type

107meet and greets. E2 Gowanda HS Library: So just keep that in mind E2 Gowanda HS Library: coming up as far as time commitments, and such E2 Gowanda HS Library: sure, awesome thanks. Thanks to the George W. Stark, American Legion, plus 409 for the 2 very generous scholarships, the Stars and Stripes of America. Scholarship really very nice. Also. I attended last week the E2 Gowanda HS Library: Erie 2 Ccb. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Annual meeting, and every there he would have got a copy of their annual report. Good stuff, and that kind of mentioned that we'll be. Kathy said that we'll be voting on new members. E2 Gowanda HS Library: So so it's only good. E2 Gowanda HS Library: What I have wrote down so in my new position. E2 Gowanda HS Library: My department is

108housed in the early Childhood Learning center on the Cattaracus Territory, and this week E2 Gowanda HS Library: I was just doing my stuff like, where is this music coming from? It was like louder than what I had playing on my own, you know. Serious, whatever's going on. So the music department getting more props tonight from the school, and I don't know what group or what portion of it went down to the early childhood learning center, and they did a small concert in the common area. E2 Gowanda HS Library: for, like the head start age children that are down there. So they were down there playing. Then all the little kids got a chance to play with the drums and make their own noise and stuff. So that was really cool. I know they had a

109really really good time. So shout out to the music department that was down there doing that. That was pretty cool. Then I did want to mention the indigenous language week that was here. E2 Gowanda HS Library: I've been waiting to get confirmation, but I believe and Zanio headed that up. E2 Gowanda HS Library: I'm pretty sure. So she is. The Seneca language teacher in the middle school. She does a great job with everything. The videos that she puts out weekly on the district page and everything. She's doing a great job, so I wanted to give her a good shout out E2 Gowanda HS Library: spearheading that that week. That was that went on, and it involved everybody in the school. It was not just for our native population, you know. So it was. I think

110that's really good to be inclusive of everybody. So E2 Gowanda HS Library: yeah, oh, and I believe the girls versus lacrosse are. Also. I was gonna say that, too. I was cautious because I knew the last. I knew they were 4. And oh, yeah. So I was. I was cautious. Yeah, pretty sure they're yeah, that's all I got. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Alright. So the only thing I have is E2 Gowanda HS Library: there's a ton of great things going on in district, and it's fantastic to hear it's awesome to have students come in and supply us with coming in and sharing stuff with the learning. So look forward to good things, to continue to come as spring and summer and E2 Gowanda HS Library: nicer weather whirlwind. So good things E2 Gowanda HS Library:

111it's gonna move this into our Board of Education parking lot. E2 Gowanda HS Library: which I am sure everybody has gotten into Super Ezo and started to Selfie now. So I'm not going to point the finger at anybody. But E2 Gowanda HS Library: can you tell if we have? Is there something? But we do. We were going to have that done. E2 Gowanda HS Library: But it's okay, gentle, fatherly nudge like your homework done E2 Gowanda HS Library: when you're in super email, just take note where it says comments. If it's optional or not optional. If it's not optional, you have to make something in there. Otherwise you're not completed. Every comment is going to be, Hi, Max! E2 Gowanda HS Library: She doesn't care. Well, that's my little thought. Does anybody else have anything

112for the parking lot. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Any changes or updates? E2 Gowanda HS Library: Okay, perfect. E2 Gowanda HS Library: Is the budget hearing the same day as our next meeting? Yes, yep. E2 Gowanda HS Library: alright. So if nobody has anything further, make a consideration motion to recess to executive session for the purpose, discussing the employment history of a particular person E2 Gowanda HS Library: move second, all in favor. E2 Gowanda HS Library: We'll be just shutting down from the meeting. So yeah.