001And I'm now going to turn the meeting over to Doctor Ratio for the superintendent's report. Good evening. Members of our community. Parents. Those who are online. President beeline, vice president Veli of honored uh, trustees, members of our staff, members of our union leadership and uh, city leadership, elected officials, community partners. We thank you, uh, for being here today. And as I always begin each presentation, I begin with Peekskill Pride. And tonight will be no exception of that. Uh, the only difference will be this is a, uh, celebration of all of the a partnership. Um, it is really a summary of, of collectively what we have accomplished for our parents and for our children. And it is, uh, thank you to all of you for all that you have done. Uh. Some of you may remember
002this moment. Uh, this was. Yes, June of 2018. My daughter then was just two years old. Uh, that was the first frozen movie, which I know by heart. Uh, and that is my wonderful wife, Kimberly, who is here today and really my rock. And so I say thank you to her. Uh, yes. Yes. And this was a proud moment, uh, as I left, uh, Buffalo after 25 plus years and came to this wonderful community that I have grown and we have grown to love and raise our daughter. She is now nine, in third grade. And, uh, then we had Josie, our black lab. Now we have Princess, our rescue dog, and, uh, and my mom came with us as well. And so this is a proud moment. You all know Deborah McLeod, who swore us
003in. And this is a great moment for our family and, uh, great onboarding to this amazing community immediately. Uh, and I'll be in some of the pictures, but, um, it's really a celebration of all of our work. Uh, immediately they brought me up on stage at Oak Side, my first school visit. As you know, I visit schools every week. And, um, while I was there, they brought me up to the stage. And it was a wonderful, uh, onboarding of all the performing arts and the beauty and just the talents of our children. And so there I was. It was a beautiful partnership and a great beginning for me. And I knew I had found a special place. Together. Uh, parents, uh uh, community partners, administrators, uh, board of Ed, our elected officials. Uh, different leaders.
004I had over 70 meetings in my first, uh. Uh, few, uh, months here. And through that, uh, we developed Peekskill Promise. And that has been guiding our work. And there were five pillars that we knew were important with education, culturally responsive academics, our Steam initiatives, the whole child support, enrichment opportunities for all of our children. I always talk about a West Chester like experience for our kids. Uh, so no matter where you're from, our kids are having the same experiences, uh, that this wonderful county offers. And we know we cannot do this work alone. It takes parent partnership, uh, community, an amazing board. Um, and our families, uh, to work together with our staff. Each year. I have the wonderful pleasure. It's a nervous moment for me. Uh, but it's a wonderful pleasure to bring
005500 plus people together, uh, sometimes in the high school auditorium and sometimes on the field. And these are some of the pictures that, uh, that we have, uh, taken. And you see the spirit and the love and care. Um, would like to recognize our teachers, our union president, uh, is here, uh, Tim Murphy and Anthony Tickle, vice president as well. We've had a wonderful partnership, uh, with you as, uh, teacher leaders. And, uh, we thank all of our staff, uh, teacher aides, our assistants, security, all of the staff clerical who really make the magic happen each and every day. And we kick it off, uh, on this first day of the school year. And we thank everyone for being there. And we're excited to bring an end to the summer and beginning to the school
006year. Then we, uh, go out to all of our schools as the staff, our board of Ed members come with us. Uh, the mayor and other individuals come with us. You'll see pictures of the mayor and, uh, other elected officials as well. And we get to go to the schools and see our kids. And it's exciting time. I always say in education, we have two New years, January 1st and September 1st, and we get to celebrate that each and every year. And our staff get to create those welcoming environments and build those, those partnerships with our families. It is really the work, uh, collectively, that you have, uh, been able to support the schools. And and what was so wonderful, uh, that I learned immediately, is the care that the community had for our children
007and for the families. And, uh, it's a very special place. Peekskill is so special. Um, and you see it because you all come together. And this this was really important, uh, for all of us. Because we cannot do this work alone. Uh, we need a village, uh, to raise our children and raise our family. And so thank you to all of our partners who have been part of that effort, and some of them who are here, our city, uh, officials, we have a fireman. We have a great relationship with our police department. Uh, the mayor's office, our, um, elected officials there, and also our partners, we have, uh, the rotary here, uh, who donated over $19,000 to create a music studio in our high school. And so our kids have a state of the art
008equipment there and there. They are testing it out. Um, and we have, uh, again, all the different individuals have come together. And that led to our Saturday Academy. This is a wonderful experience that we have launched here, and I've never seen anything like it. We have over 1200 families come out partners, uh, on different, uh, Saturdays. And it ranges in, in by weather but also by what we're doing. And our PTO has been an amazing partner. We have our PTO, PTO leadership here in Kabul. Former president, uh, Marissa O'Leary. Let's give them a round of applause as well. They have been amazing supporting. She had a little bit about them as well. But I would also like to recognize, uh, the work of, uh, Ellen's race and our team who've led that work all. Maria
009Flores, uh, community, uh, liaison, uh, now a director of leap, uh, really led and took on Saturday Academy as well. Said Academy. It really should be called Friday Night Academy and Saturday Academy and Thursday because they start at 4:00, leave at 9:00 on Friday. Get there at 6:07 a.m. on Saturday. Uh, I show up for breakfast at ten and we have a wonderful experience with, uh, as you see there, we have zoos and we have different, uh, activities. We have a circus. Uh, I said I'd love to have a circus for kids to see the circus for free. So we had a circus and all these wonderful experiences that we have had in this, in partnership with all of you. Every community, uh. Addresses culture differently. Uh, what I will share is that Peekskill celebrates
010its culture. We celebrated the, um, the diversity that we have with the commonalities that bring us together as, as a school community and our families and our children and our staff feel welcomed here. Uh, we're not perfect. Uh, no. No. Family is perfect. Uh, but we are always thinking about how best we can work to serve our children. And it begins with the mayor's office. And let's give our mayor a round of applause. Mayor McKenzie, we say thank you for your leadership. I will be at the state of the city address next week, and I invite you all to be there as well, because you hear wonderful things that are happening in this great community. And thank you to you and the Council for all that you have done. Um, and most importantly is Pixel's
011a friendly town and you see that. And that's part of our working efforts. Uh, we are so proud of our My Brother's Keeper work to see more. Uh, former Mayor Andre Rainey there. Uh, the commissioner from the state education department. And you see our students, uh, working. And I remember one day we went to the Westchester County Center, and there were districts from all over Westchester, and the kids were arriving. The high school students and staff were around. It was my first year there, and I was with Dan Callahan. And many of you remember Dan Callahan. And so he loved MBK and launched it here in Peekskill. And and we continue to build, uh, with him, uh, the efforts and Edison's taking that work, uh, with Doctor Daniels and others. And we were standing in
012the vestibule of the county center, and, um, the door opened and the students walked in with blazers, red ties, crisp white shirts, standing tall, and they walked in and everyone stopped in my group of superintendents and they said, who is that? I said, that's my boys from Peekskill. And I was so proud to see them. So let's give our team a big round of applause. We thank you, uh, for all of your work and your effort. And thank you, Doctor Daniels, for leading that as well with your team of mentors, uh, from the community and the district as well. And, uh, Michael Simpkins, uh, one of our board members, uh, who's phenomenal over 20 years on the board, he and I were being interviewed by, uh, the, um, a student at the high school. They
013were part of the interview team, and they had a studio set up with Doug Brown. And, uh, uh, one of the students at the high school said, we love what you're doing for Mike, but when are we going to have something? And so it began, and we launched a program at the high school, and the middle school started a program as well. And then most recently, uh, we launched a collective, uh, approach. Um, and we're going to continue to expand that. And that is our My Sister's Keeper, uh, initiative. They had their inaugural conference with our students. You see them there. They had speakers. And we're going to continue to grow that effort. And, uh, thank you, doctor Dames. Let's give her a round of applause. And to the entire team, she is here. Um,
014where is Doctor Ferris? Uh, uh, Doctor Ferris, thank you as well for all of your leadership and to your entire team for the work that you have done. Um, I almost pulled this slide. This was the Covid slide. Uh, and and I have since forgotten about this, and, uh, it was the longest year of my life. And yours as well. Um, but it was a reminder that we have been together through a lot, and we have, uh, survived through this. We excel through it. We are different because of it, and we have grown from it. And, uh, I thank the board for their leadership. I thank all of our staff and administrators who did things that we have never been called to do. And that's the kind of, uh, grit and effort and support and
015love for our children. And I remember our staff not even asked, driving around and tuning cellos in the front lawn and dropping off care packages, and Maria and I bringing, uh, gifts during Christmas time because we were closed down as a community and dropping them off at the door, knocking on the door, and then, uh, leaving that area with a little note from the Peekskill schools and all that we have done. And you see our board here, all of us with our masks on, and you may remember 60s and all of that that came with it. Um, so I thank you for all of your partnership. We made it through that and we are better for it. We have focused on our Steam initiatives. And thank you, board, for supporting that effort. Uh, top left
016there, you see our board presidents husband, uh, who brought, uh, wonderful experience to our students. You see them reaching out and learning about science. You see, in the middle there, our students, uh, as young as our early elementary grades, learning about virtual reality in our classrooms and different Steam fairs that happened throughout the school with Doctor Mojica. We want to thank him for leading that effort. We appreciate you and all of our science teachers and our Steam teachers as well that work with you. We thank them as well. Uh, our special uh, services staff, led by Ellen Grace and all of her team, uh, clinicians, psychologists, social workers, um, and, uh, counselors, school counselors in our schools as well. We thank them for all that they do, because one of our pillars is the whole
017child. And we know it's important for our kids to read and excel. Uh, but we also know that they have to be whole inside so that they can be hold in their mind. And that's a very important effort. And we thank the board for supporting the effort to bring on additional clinicians and all the support that we have as well. And then we have amazing enrichment experiences in our school. As part of our pillar, our kids went to Gymnastics City. I don't know if you've ever had your child in gymnastics, but it is not cheap. It is an expensive sport. And thank you, Doctor Vilas Rodriguez. Let's give her a round of applause for bringing that work. And and, uh, Maria Flores to leap. And our kids had gymnastic city experience for free after school.
018And they got to be part of this multi-week initiative. And we say thank you. We say thank you to Gymnastics City. Let's give them a round of applause for opening up their doors. And then we also launched, um, a music program again. Thank you, Doctor Villa, as well as Melissa Russo in our elementary, uh, Uriah Hill comment. Vargas. Carmen Vargas, thank you for all your work. Making our pre-K program is the best in the state. I would rival it with any, uh, pre-K program in the nation. What we have built and I know some districts, uh, have have worked with, uh, daycare centers and they struggle with that. We the board. Thank you. You want a pre-K full day free for all children. And we've added dual language programing, music programing as well. And, uh,
019when when I began here in 2018, we had full day and part time programing. And so we have gone to full, full day programing. Thank you Doctor Vilas. Thank you board. Let's get the board around. Applause A leading that vision. And you see the baton is there on the right hand side. And she's uh took this picture and I didn't know how beautiful it was until I looked at it later. And here they are. This is the oak side, um, greenhouse. And we have green spaces in our schools. It's important for our kids to learn about sustainability and building their own, uh, ecosystem so that they can, uh, um, create opportunities at home and learn about the sciences as well. And so thank you again for that work. Uh, field trips are very important for
020us. And, and it's an area we continue to grow and, and work towards, uh, but you see the different experiences that our kids have had, uh, all throughout from Washington, DC to other parts of the state. And our kids have really enjoyed these opportunities. And, uh, I know we have a multi national trip one day coming up and we're going to make sure we we make that happen, uh, when it's appropriate. But I thank the board for supporting that and our families as well. Uh, we celebrate the arts. Um, uh, that program that was, uh, designed by Larry Lake, hopefully the Board of Education. Uh, Tuesday McDonald, one of our former board, uh, trustees, uh, is here today. Let's give her a round of applause. She was part of that effort and bringing music and
021starting that effort. And there's Mister Simpkins. Thank you for being on the board. Let's give him a round of applause. And thank you for being here. And the vision was to start in third grade and grow it. And next year, the senior class will be, um, those individuals who started many years ago in third grade. And if you went to our music in our schools, you saw the wonderful beauty of students playing the cello and violin. And I got to be dad and, uh, listen to my daughter play the the cello. And, uh, I have my earplugs at home to prove that I do that as well. Uh, our Red Devils are amazing. Our, uh, athletic teams have won championships, uh, in in many, many sports, including swimming and other sports and girls and boy
022sports. Uh, we launched our we were part of the inaugural, uh, girls football flag league. And, uh, we'll continue to do those efforts. And thanks to Ellen's race and Austin Goldberg, we have a special team for our special needs students as well. And they are undefeated. Let's give them a round of applause as well. Peekskill Education Foundation. Uh, Mr. and Mrs. Fraga here. Let's give them a round of applause. We say thank you. Uh, yes. Thank you. Megan. Sheldon, if she's not here, let's give her so loud of applause. She hears that at home. We thank you for all that you've done. And when I got here, if you remember, the PEF was going to, uh, close shop. And I remember meeting both of you. And I met, uh, Adriana and said she is a
023firecracker. And she moved that work forward and didn't let it close, and we almost missed the opportunity. And the F is, uh, which is the foundation, and they give tens of thousands of dollars each and every year to our schools. Thank you, Sal, for going to the banks and knocking on the door, not taking no for an answer and bringing all this funding. It's focused on our Steam initiatives. Let's give the PFF a big round of applause. So thank you. And our PTO, uh, I mentioned, uh, Jen Corbo and members of our team, uh, who been part of the PTO. You need the parents to be part of this effort. And so we say thank you for your partnership. Here is the book fair. They just had they donated books to every single school and
024earned over $4,000 for our students. That will go right back to our schools and our children. Let's give the PTO a big round of applause and say thank you. Uh, a wonderful time, I said. The first day of school and graduations on the last day of school are wonderful as well, and we appreciate all these opportunities. Send off our children into the the world of work in college, career, military. And it's, uh, wonderful, uh, moment that we all get to experience, uh, from pre-K all the way to our high school as well. And, uh, bring to a close is one of the things that I'm so proud of is that not only have we, uh, collectively changed, um, many of the, uh, transformations in our school district, but we have also focused on the environment,
025and it matters. That's why Lowe's and Home Depot exist. Because your home space matters. And our kids need to see the kind of space that they deserve. And we have focused on that. And so what you see here is some of the ribbon cuttings, uh, that have happened. We have run out of ribbon. We have cut so many ribbons and uh, I think, uh, let's give Laura Belfiore she put this whole slide presentation together. Thank you, Laura, for making this happen. And we are creating classroom spaces and school environments, Torpy field and all the other spaces that we have and more to come. And, uh, thank Carmine. Chris, he's not here, but give him a round of applause. He is amazing. Cynthia. Uh, Hawthorne here as well. Robin Zimmerman from our, uh, past as well.
026You have done as a board. You've set the bar high for us to have amazing spaces. And, uh, we have delivered on that collectively. And we thank our voters for that as well. He some other, uh, spaces that we have worked on, uh, making sure we have, uh, uh, great spaces for our students, but also for our families as well. And, uh, thank you to the city. We bought the firehouse and, uh, renovated. That space is a state of the art, uh, place. Maria kicked it off. Flores. Um, and we have Doctor Holloman, who's here as well. Let's give her a round of applause. She's our family community specialist. And thank you for all that you do for our students and our community as well. And coming soon, uh, very soon. Uh, is our high
027school renovation project. This will be a longer project here, but the high school, if you've been to it, you have to find it for the front door because they all look alike. Um, and secondly, it has an institutional feel. And Michael Simpkins and I and board members, when we walked through, we we knew we had to change this. Um, when to recognize Sam North and Maria Pereira. Uh, they are former trustees now part of, uh, our initiative. And I know this was so important to you. And we thank you for your vision that you set years ago, and it is coming to fruition each and every day. And this is our workout facility for our high school students. And so they will rival any place in, uh, Westchester County. And the middle school is going
028to get a new yoga studio and a dance studio this, uh, September and a workout facility as well. And this will, uh, equate what we have with other communities as well. And so we're very excited about this as well. Let's give our team a big round of applause. And, uh, we are a family. And here are some of the initiatives and staff that, uh, really make this happen again, from every, uh, from central office to our schools. Uh, we are, uh, school district family. And I really appreciate every, uh, one and all the work that you have all done. Um, we have an amazing administrative team. This is us on our yearly retreat. I pick a different place for us to go. Uh, each and every year. Uh, we all wear the same color, and
029we get to learn. Laugh. Um, um, analyze data, plan for the school year, be strategic about it. Administrators, I want you to stand up. We want to give you a round of applause. The commitment that you have. It is tireless. It is every day. All night. And I say that because, um, I know you sacrifice your families, your health, uh, your wellness. Who you are. Spirituality. Uh, very important, um, that we recognize you for all that you do. And thank you for being the administrators that you are. Uh, sometimes we have fun as well. I know the work is important, and, uh, but you have to take a moment and laugh. If you don't laugh, you'll cry. And so, uh. Yes, I was that you? I did not when Janiece Reid and her team won.
030Um, and, uh. But it's great for us to laugh. This administrative team, we have a great cohesion. And, uh, it's important to have our, uh, staff be part of that. Um, I know I said it, uh, any members from the PFA? We have a president. Vice president. Please stand. And he teachers and staff members who are part of our PFA. We want to say thank you. Yes. We appreciate you being here. We know you rushed from, uh, New York City area. Many of our teachers are at, uh, formerly a former president, Jose Fernandez. His mother passed away. And so the wake was today. And I thank you for being here today, and I hope we'll be with him tomorrow and his family. But thank you to all the teachers. Let's give our teachers a big
031round of applause. Could not do this without you. And concluding, uh, what an amazing board of education you have. Um, you know, I did some research. The average superintendency is 3 to 6 years, and the data that has been, um, analyzed time and time again, is that the main reason that superintendents, uh, leave early is because the relationship with the board is a true reality. I have been so blessed. Almost made it through. I have been so blessed to have a board like you are. Kamari left me a whole box and he knew I was going to make it through this. Uh, but this board not only cares for our children. You. Parents. But you care for my wife, a daughter. Give me a moment. Give him a round of applause. I can get out
032of my hold here. Thank you. Thank you. Oh. Thank you. Now you know why I put them at the end? Because I wasn't gonna make it through that. I had to go to Capitol work and all that other, uh, work. Um, you are my family. You are part of my family. I'm part of your family. Uh, you welcome me from the beginning, and, um, I thank you, I think you. You've said the vision for our district. You have held high standards for me and everyone else. And, um, I think collectively what you saw today. And we could have added a hundred slides, um, we have should be proud of the work we have done together. We have built on the amazing things that were already here when I got here, and we have built on
033that together. And, uh, the board. I appreciate you all, and I thank you. Uh, thank you for, uh, understanding. Don't put that picture in. Harold will get a better one for you. Yeah. Um. Yes. Yes. Yes, exactly. Yes. You're right, you're right. And that is, uh, important. Thank you. Put that coat. That's a good one. Kim and I are going to take care of mom's. We're going to head on back to Buffalo, uh, in December. Uh. We will. Time is the only thing. You cannot buy it. You cannot save it. You cannot earn it. You cannot will it? We all get one second, one minute when our one day, when year and it comes when it comes and it is gone. When it is gone. And so we decided as a family. My mother used
034to always say, I don't know why they call this the Golden Years. There is nothing golden about it. Her memory is faded. Kim's mom will be there for us and we will be there with them. To the. With that, I will turn it back to the board. My retirement is one of joy because of all we've done. It is one of transition because life brings you new opportunities, but it also reminds you of the people that you care about and the footprints behind you. And I will always treasure Peekskill as my home. Thank you. That's going to be a tough act to follow. And I'm not great at speeches. Um, but I did want to share just a few little reasons why accepting your retirement is so hard. Um, and sad. But also, thank you
035for all the things you've done for us as a board, as a school community, and as a community at large. Um, you joined us when a leader of longevity was needed, and you provided that and steadied our ship for us. In so many ways, and we are forever thankful for that. Um. We have always, as a board, put our children first. The children of Tucson are the whole reason we do what we do and why our schools exist, and they're the future of our community. And dedicating yourself to believing that. And all the time that you spend in schools, getting to know them, the fact that most of these kids know exactly who you are matters. And I am so thankful that you are a leader who did that. Um, you brought us Saturday Academy,
036and I can remember having a chat with Maria and saying, we love the idea, but I can't. I can't see it. I don't know if the community is going to bite onto this the same way we do. And then seeing the families that turn out and what this has grown to be has been absolutely beautiful. Um, your commitment to our community is like none other. We daydreams about hiring a superintendent that would come and love our community the same way we did. And you brought your whole family and ingrained yourself in our community in a way that we had never seen before. And I am so thankful for that. Um, you have been a steady hands. When various people have wanted to do something, you slowed us down. So just to take a minute. Um,
037and that goes not just for the board, but even for the leadership team of the buildings. There's been a calm to the way that you handle every situation. And that has been changing for so many of us. Um, you made it through so many challenges, like they were nothing. Um, you were thrown into superintendency for the first time, and then within a year and a half, two years, Covid hit. And I can remember the conversations. And you were always so hopeful that it wouldn't be the worst. And some of us were so pessimistic that it was going to be the worst. And we had to balance those conversations. And did we do everything right? Probably not. Um, our kids struggle and because of what that did for our world, sure. But I think we met
038for every meeting and said, what are we doing to make sure our kids get the most possible educational, being the safest they could possibly be? And we always put that first. And I was so happy to have a leader that felt the same way. Um. See, you embodied the idea that no job is too small or below a leader. We always joked that the perfect superintendent would be the person who drove the bus that they had to, or mop the floor if, uh, if the floor was dirty. And being in those buildings, I've seen you do everything. Um, then pick up behind the kids and help teachers and step in where needed. And I think that if you lead that way, people follow. And it was it's been beautiful to watch. And very personally, I
039want to thank you for your friendship. Uh, your daughter is the first person that my son refers to as his cousin. They've understood this idea that your friendship can transcend family blood bonds and how important those can be. And he loves his friendship with your daughter. And that's been so important to him growing up. And that's been beautiful to watch. And then it's always fun to have friends that I could text randomly with all kinds of thoughts. And you and Kim, who have put up with every crazy text that I send and every wild idea I've had. So thank you so much for all you've done. And now I'm gonna ask, um, every other Global News advice is that you think this is your chair. Uh, I'm going to violate our sort of long standing
040board policy to just let the president speak for us, because this is going to be a long, uh, goodbye. So I'm not saying everything there is to say. Um, David's going to do with us for a while, um, helping us with our transition. And we're so, so very grateful for that. So, um, really, uh, I just wanna say we couldn't have asked for a better superintendent. And a lot of the people who are here today were here when you started. And so you've supercharged their greatness. You recognize the greatness and how special our community is to us, and that just has meant the world to us. And then, um, I always tell the story. I don't think you mind me telling that when, um, David was interviewing, um, he said to us, um, I've been
041in Buffalo, which is a city. But what I like about Peekskill is that it's small enough that I can get my arms around it. And I think that you did do that. So thank you. And we will have, um, more, I think, celebrations to come of everything you've accomplished together. Uh, so I'm going to keep that in. I'm just going to hold it. Um, there are going to be more tears for sure, so I won't try to to get emotional. But I do want to say, um, just how much of an example you are to myself. And I think to many students, uh, especially the Hispanic community who has, I think, never witnessed somebody, um, in your position. And I think that means a lot to myself, but also to students who maybe might not
042have never seen themselves in your position. And I think you offered something to our community, uh, especially the growing Hispanic community that, um, when you can get anywhere but to, you know, you can dream of getting there as well. And I think that that's something that has been really consistent with yourself is you like to dream big. I think, along with the rest of the board. And I think that's super special, um, in the way you have carried yourself in, in your whole time here, even before I was here. So it's it's been an honor and a pleasure to have served, uh, alongside you as well. And, uh, having taught me as well, like, so many different things, but also just still feeling like there's hope in leaders and people who still want to lead
043with so much love, honesty and, um, just lack of fear in saying, you know, if something is is an idea, we can probably make it happen. So thank you so much for everything you've done, and we will cry later so we can wait for them to. We'll also just chime in briefly to say I'm devastated that I get one year with you. Maybe one and a half. Um, but having come to this community without much knowledge of it, I don't think my husband and I could have chosen a better one for our family. Um, and also, just to lift up your leadership in the way that you celebrate wins with everybody and take ownership without hesitation. And that is rare. And so thank you for that. So I'm not going to. I'm not going to
044say anything because I'm not going to cry today. So I'll save that for another day. Go. Call me later. Well. Thank you. Uh, Boyd, I truly appreciate all your words and your encouragement and support. That concludes our. And thank you. I'm going to open the floor for a hearing of the citizens of the Peaceful Board of Education. Desires and values, the input from the entire school community. For those who wish to address the board, please sign in and state your name. Town. City of residence. For the record, uh, keep your remarks to three minutes or less. And, um, usually discussion of district personnel is prohibited. So if it's about David, that's fine. But anyone else? We're not going to let you talk about it. Uh, and we may not engage in dialog, but we are
045listening. So you can leave your, your contact information if you need any follow up. Okay. Good. Good evening. President, president. Avalon board trustees and the Peekskill community. On behalf of the Peekskill Administrators Association, I would like to acknowledge Doctor Mauricio as he shared the news of his upcoming retirement in December. Doctor Morris feels leadership has helped shape the direction of our Peekskill City School District through a clear and meaningful vision. He not only introduced the Peekskill Promise. But he ensured that it became a lived commitment across our schools from pre-K through grade 12. Because of his leadership, the promise is not just something we say, but something we strive to live every day in our classrooms, in our buildings, and in how we show up for one another as a Peekskill community. His commitment to
046the five pillars of the promise has grounded our work in purpose, and reminded us time and again why we do what we do. He has kept our students at the center of every decision, while never losing sight of the people behind the work, the educators, the leaders, and the community that makes our district what it is. As administrators, we truly value the opportunity to walk alongside Doctor Mauricio in his work. He leads not only with focus and purpose, but with his heart. And that is something you feel. You feel it in conversations, in decisions, and in the way he shows up for our district. Every single day he listens, he reflects. He cares deeply about our schools and our school community. His belief in Peekskill and our students, our staff and our community has been
047steady, genuine and unwavering. What makes Doctor Morris leadership especially meaningful is not just what he has done, but how he has done it with integrity, with compassion, and with a deep sense of responsibility to this community. Peekskill. It is not just where he works. It is our community that he chose to become a part of. By moving his family here and enrolling his daughter in our schools, he made a personal commitment to Peekskill, standing with us not only as a leader, but as a neighbor, a member of our community, a parent, and someone who truly believes in who we are. We would be remiss if we did not think his wife Kim and his daughter Iliana for sharing him with us. We had we have a deep appreciation for their support and the role they
048play behind the scenes. Their sacrifice means more than words can express. We thank you. While tonight's announcement marks an important moment, it is not the end of our work together. There is still meaningful work ahead, and we are grateful for the time. We still have to continue that work. Side by side, building on what he has started and continuing to move our district forward for our students and families. Doctor Mauricio, thank you for your leadership, for your vision and for the heart you have given to our community. The impact you leave behind will not only be seen, it will be felt in the lives of the students we serve and the people who have had the privilege to work alongside you. You will always be part of Peekskill. You are Peekskill Pride. Thank you. On
049behalf of the Peekskill Administrators Association. Uh, good evening everyone. I don't want to list people because I'll forget somebody for sure, but, um. Thank you, board and everybody who's in attendance tonight. Um, I am Tim Murphy, uh, the proud president of the Peekskill Faculty Association. Um, Doctor Russo, on behalf of the educators and the staff of the school Faculty Association, I'm honored to stand here today to say a few words about our time together in our world. Um, the relationship between a union president and a superintendent is described as complicated. Um, but as I look back in our years together, um, the word which has popped up here many times tonight, um, truly defines us as a partnership. Um, I was thinking about what to say, uh, tonight, and I decided to speak briefly about
050one of the most trying times that we experience as an association, um, and an administration. Uh. Um, you know, nowhere, uh, was the partnership more tested, um, or more proven, um, than during Covid? Right. Um, while the world was shutting down, we were opening up a direct line of communication that stayed active 24 seven. Mhm. I remember the late night calls. Uh, the weekend meetings. I was like, my wife's like you're meeting on a weekend. Um, and because we had no roadmap. Right. Um, we were just negotiated. We weren't to just negotiating contracts. We were navigating a crisis. Um, we had to figure out how to keep our students learning, um, our staff safe in our community hall. Um, what I respected most during that time was your transparency. Um, you didn't hide behind a
051desk. Uh, you listened, um, to the fears of our teachers and the concerns of our staff. We didn't always see every detail. I ty. Um, we always agreed that there was a why. Um. And the why was the well being of our students. Um. And the respect due to the professionals who teach them. Um, because of that mutual respect. We saw problems at the table. Um, that could have easily torn apart districts. Uh, we built a culture where us versus them, um, became all of us together. And we thank you for that. Um, doctor. Mauricio, you, uh, you're leaving the district stronger than you found it. Um, you've earned the right to trade the emergency room costs. Uh, the policy shifts. Uh, the quiet mornings are going to be well-deserved. Um, on a personal note,
052thank you for your honesty, your integrity, um, and for being a true collaborative collaborate. I knew I was gonna do it. Yeah. Thank you. I was like, I know we're driving here, and I'm going to. I'm reading this to Anthony. I'm like, I'm gonna mess that up. Um, when it mattered most. Um, as two retirees come December. I look forward to sitting down, uh, watching a game, having a beverage, and not talking about Doctor Fares. Um, you know, being here for, um, teaching for 33 years here. Um, like, this is my home. And I thank you. Um, I think we're trying to count the superintendents that I worked for. I believe it was, I don't know, ten. It was somewhere in there. I missed a few. I can't remember a few. Uh. Um. But Peekskill
053will never forget you. Um, for what you've done here. Thank you. Okay. Hello, hello, hello. So my name is Valerie Eaton, former president of the NAACP. Um, I didn't prepare a speech because this meeting was supposed to be from seven 730, so I thought it was, um. But nevertheless, we are here. Um, I just have to say, as someone who had children in this district and has sat in this room and has shouted at teachers, um, has gotten you on the street to say, are you doing X, Y, and Z? Um, you never shied away. You never saw me and turned away and acted like you didn't see me. You know, like, okay, here's Valerie. Let me see what she's going to say. Um, every politician should take note because you were certainly shaking hands
054and kissing babies. Um, but I think you meant it. Um, and so. And I saw that you did have a a passion. I think you still have a passion. The slides show you had a passion. And so I am so elated that I got to know you as a superintendent, but also as someone we can just call on and say, hey, we heard this happened in the school. What's going on? What are you going to do about it? Um, so we've always had a memorandum of understanding MoU with the school, city, school district. And I hope that continues when you leave. And I know that's going to be a slow transition, but I hope that transition includes letting everyone know that you were not just a family member amongst all of you, but also all
055the partners, including the NAACP. We were not perfect. You all were not perfect, but you were able to take that challenge on and say, let me see what I can do. So I appreciate you for that. And I am so elated that you're able you're able to step down and care for your mom, because not everybody is able to do that. So God bless you. God bless your family and God bless all of you. And I hope that you get a superintendent that is not equal to him, but even better, because he has set a groundwork to a lot of different things that a lot of other people have not done. So every round goes higher and higher, and I hope that you go higher as well as all of you. So that's why. Good
056evening. Tuesday, Paige McDonnell. Doctor Mauricio, you have been a true blessing to the peaceful community. You clap it up for that. You clap it up for that. It up. As a friend, a community partner, a former Board of Education member, and a proud graduate of your high school, thank you for your unselfish leadership. Thank you for going above and beyond the call of duty. Thank you for showing us what a true community partnership and collaboration looks like. You did that. Got the movie sale happening. And I want to thank you for having the courage to shake up the foundation so that our youth could soar. And succeed, I say. Oh, well, this is tough. It's tough. This is tough. Um, thank you again to Kimberly Giuliano. My buddy. That's my buddy. That's my buddy right
057there. Love that young lady. Love her. Um. I say to you, blessings and light as you travel from here to Buffalo. For both of your mothers as well. Hi folks, my name is Sam Norris. I'm a former board member. Um, David Mauricio is my friend, and, um, I didn't know I was going to be saying that eight and a half, nine years later, um, I was on the board. I was fortunate, uh, to be on the board for six years, along with, um, many of the people up here and some of the people right behind me. Um, and, you know, we were involved in the superintendent search and we ultimately, um, you know, settled on David Mauricio. I didn't like the font on his, uh, on his resume. I was like, I don't know about
058this guy, but anyway, thank goodness, you know, we chose David Mauricio because, um, I didn't know I was going to be able to stand up here and say that he is my friend. Um, you all know, and I'm not the only one in this room or anywhere in this town that can say that. Right? This is a man who, uh, makes friends easily. Um, he, you know, there's two kinds of leaders right there. Those people that lead with fear and those people that lead with love, as Amy said. And, um, you know, David Recio, obviously, as you all know, leads with love. We saw one picture up there, uh, towards the end of the slideshow, uh, you know, when we our first year, uh, with David as superintendent, we went to the, um, the board,
059uh, conference down in New York City. And, um, David got us matching jackets. So, like, we're walking around, you know, in the in the, uh, conference rooms and down the halls of this hotel where this place was happening, and and we're all wearing matching jackets, and all these people were coming up to us, and they're like, hey, we should have gotten jackets. And then they're they're going to their superintendent. They're like, why don't we get jackets? It was amazing. It was like, they still talk about it. And I know, I know, it's um, it was we were like the Peekskill Mafia, you know, wandering the halls of the Marriott. It was great. It was amazing. But, um, you know, that was among one of the many stories that, uh, I could stand up here and
060tell. But I just do want to say one thing. Um, one thing more, which is that the other thing about leadership is, you know, there are leaders that are here, and when they go, everything begins to unravel. Um, and then there are leaders who are working with everybody in community, build a, an institution that can sustain beyond their time in that place. And David has clearly, uh, done that with, with, you know, not alone. Right. I'm not. And he would never he would never stand up here and say that he did any of this alone, as you saw. Um, but he has he he has led all of us, uh, down the road to, uh, as as, uh, many of us have said. Right, Peekskill is so much better. Peekskill school district and the community,
061I would argue so much better for having you here, your family here. And the last thing I'll say, of course, is, um, Kim Riccio as well. So my friend and, um, I have a tremendous amount of respect for both of you for making the very difficult decision that you are making. I know, maybe it's easy. I don't, you know, it's hard. It's hard to say whether it's hard or easy. It's easy because it's family. It's hard because you're uprooting what you're here. You're doing here now, and you're giving up the careers that you're, you know, doing here now. And it's it's very special and very meaningful. And, uh, of course, we all pray for you and for your moms and, um, and wish you good luck. Wow. Michael Simkins, how you doing? Wow. Doctor Mauricio,
062um. And Kim is here. And, Ariana, God bless you. God bless you. Um, it has been a awesome journey. For us in those eight years. That was eight, nine years, eight years, eight years. Um, when Doctor Mauricio left Buffalo, he left with a promise. Um. And he held on to that promise to Peekskill. Uh, I watched him from the time that he set his foot in Peekskill. I watched him go to work, go to bat for our kids. And you can hear in the community the beginning of a new renaissance for Peekskill. And I said, David, you're going to leave a legacy here. And you did just that. Every superintendent that came here. Um, every superintendent that I've worked with, Joseph Johnson, Delta Copeland and Doctor Mauricio, outstanding educators and I have learned so much
063about education from these great leaders. And David and Kim, uh. Examples of, um, a unit. They are team. Kim is a excellent educator in her own right and has done great things in Ossining. And Doctor Mauricio has done the same here in Peekskill. So we know the board respected the leadership that you brought to Peekskill. We'll never forget it. Dawn, where we. So, um, um, saddened. Uh, but family comes first. You've always said that. You've always said that family comes first. Um, and you've been an example of that. You've shown that type of care for every staff member. Um. In peace. Gill. And by the way, Peekskill, I want to thank you for your support of Imani. Uh, she went through her pregnancy, uh, to bring me my first granddaughter. Uh. But that's who Peekskill
064is. That's who Peekskill is. That's what flows down to our kids in the classroom. From the top to the to our kids. We've always put our kids first. Um, and seeing the journey is amazing. Of all the work that was done under your leadership. Um, uh, what a wonderful foundation, um, for us to continue to build upon. Um, I wish you the best. Um, I'm not far from Buffalo and, Kim, you know, where, um, you know where I go, right? Kim knows where I'm coming. She knows where I'm calling. We're going to. I'm going to make that trip. We, um, you see, knows where I've come. Uh, but, um, I wish you the best, Marissa. Um, my numbers on speed dial. Okay. And, uh, this is not the end of our relationship. And I want
065to thank you for what you have done for our children of Peekskill. And, um. I wish you the best. I wish it best. Got more to say. But I want to talk to you and embrace you. And. And I love you. And I thank you again for what you've done. Thank you so much. Good evening. I just jotted a few pointers in case I forget to say something. Uh, Maria Pereira, uh, past school board trustee. Um, really appreciate the opportunity to speak a few words regarding Doctor Mauricio. Not going to go over, uh, Doctor Mercer's leadership skills. Goals? His accomplishments as a superintendent. Is that accessible? I'm sorry I got a little emotional and apologize for that. Um. However, omitting. To speak, and my personal relationship with Doctor Mercer as a past school board member.
066It has been my utmost pleasure to have been a part of the hiring process of Doctor David Mauricio. When we interviewed Doctor Mauricio. We said to ourselves, we found a gem and we need to look no further. Um. He exceeded all expectations. He always put the district first. I admired his listening skills, his dedication and its strategic vision for our city, for children. That which has enabled our district to stand in the position that we are in right now. Even when we went on a board retreat. We always made sure that we as a board was taking care of. He tried very hard along with the school board, the teachers, the staff and, and and and other members in the district. To give our children the same level of education as I affluent districts. I
067was always amazed at the level of humility and its ability to come to the level of each individual when speaking to them. I respected his level of transparency to the board because of his honesty, we were able to build trust. And when you have built that trust factor, we were able to accomplish a lot more. He had a very, um. Like proposing good stuff about, you know, and and then giving even though he's the one that actually proposed that he gave the board the credit, that we were the ones that proposed that, if you know what I mean. It will be a huge loss for our district. He was everywhere. He was not only a school superintendent, but he was also a community leader. Everybody knew him because he was everywhere. And I recall the
068very first time we sat together in a meeting he says, said to me, Maria, how can I do better? What can I do to serve this community better? And he got points from each board member how he was, how he could serve us better. And I thank Kimberly very much for your support to our superintendent. I thank Iliana, Princess, and of course, thank you, Doctor Mercier. God bless you and your family. I'm not going to try to be fired at, um, Adriana Vega. I am the vice president of the Peekskill Education Foundation, and I as well, where I had the privilege to be, um, part of your committee, um, during your hiring process. And deep inside me, when, um, we saw the candidates, I was praying for you because, um, I thought that our community
069needed someone like you. And our community needed to see that someone like you, like us, um, could do what you have done for us so gratefully. Much thanks for that. Uh, we appreciate everything you've done for us. And as part of PEF. Um, yes. We started it together along with two other moms, because we wanted our kids to have access to the opportunities that we saw in other districts, and that was our dream. And I know I wasn't the easiest many times you were always graceful. So I appreciate you for that and thank you. So on behalf of APF, uh, we wanted to say thank you for everything you've done for our school district and for our community. You leadership, dedication and commitment. And then the commitment you and your team have shown how Craven
070created a long lasting legacy, one that will continue to shape and inspire for future generations. My wife was okay. Actually, I do remember when Adriana was part of that committee, and at the interview, she came to me and she said he found a super. And she was 100% right. Uh, sorry. Uh, it's been an honor to work with you, and it's been an honor to call you my friend. Um, we are deeply grateful for all that you, uh, you do for us and for this community itself. And we also, as part of PEF, uh, allow us to play a small part of it. Um, which you are leaving behind on this incredible journey to leave a legacy. That's it. Everyone, I think, in this room agree with and that we wish you all the best
071in your retirement and to your family. Everything turns out there. They. I'm really excited for the two of you for what's to come. So congratulations. Good evening everyone. Oh, it's hard to be signed up in here. This is many things to say, but, um, I'm gonna try to say something. My name is in order a check on the president of Hispanic Community Corp, a nonprofit organization. The help of the community. And I thanks to God. First, uh, first, the working with Doctor Morrison. Um, my mom used to say, the good thing is stay for a short time, my usual time. Doing so much for the community and for all the people that live in peace in our own. And we appreciate it. And thank you for everything you would done. I know you don't stop.
072I know that you can always sit in, you can appreciate your family, but you can do something for the community because you are neighbors in. Um, I'm here to represent all the pilings and children in community that is not here today. Um, we can say and compare before you know them. And if we do that, we know what is the difference our daughter Mauricio did in here, not only in the school district, in the community that the. Mauricio, thank you so much. And you can put it on in your book in the last page. Well done. Good evening, Vivien McKenzie. So I slipped in front of Reverend Perry because he's probably going to preach that. I don't want to be behind that. Jillian. Three minutes. So I may do four, but three minutes. Um, doctor.
073Mauricio, when I first met you, you knew that I'm a product of Peekskill graduate from Peekskill schools, and all my children did. And I'm a staunch, staunch advocate for our schools and our children, for our scholars, as, as as Doctor Kennedy mentioned. But when you told me the story that you were looking for a home here in Peekskill, and the realtor had said to you, pick anywhere but Peekskill because of the schools, and you will not only change the realtor. And you moved into Peekskill, and I knew that you were committed to our, our our city, to our children. And I want to thank you for that, because it's not every day that people do that. And I can remember going to school here and it was fantastic. But I can also remember the days
074that people talked about our school district and talked about our children. And mind you, our children did not change. Our children have always been wonderful children, smart children. We've always had educators that were amazing. Did we always have the opportunity or the tools or the money that other districts have? No, but we made the best of what we had, and as we struggled and moved on, our children have prospered. Our superintendent, our board has given our children more than we may have ever dreamt up. But we want to continue to make sure that our children have all of those accolades so that they continue to be the children that they are. I look at our kids today as you looked at the graduating class last year, and how many of those kids went on to
075Ivy League schools, to into internships, into the community, but they all had plans and goals. And that only happens because you have a community that works together. You have a strong school district. I am able to call Doctor Mauricio at any time and say, hey, this is what's going on, how do we fix this? And he does the same thing, and those partnerships are what are important. So I want to say thank you to all of you for loving our children and making our children who they are. And Doctor Mauricio, thank you and good luck. And I know what it's like to take care of you. So congratulations on retirement. Bad for us. Good for your family. Thank you. And let the body say Amen. The mayor decided she was going to preach. Uh, I
076gotta check my reputation. She's the third person that said to me. Can I go before you? Because you're going to preach this? I don't know what they heard in the word. No word. Uh, to doctor reseal, Madam president and the entire board. Thank you for giving us this moment to give flowers. To whom? They do? While they're still give a bow to doctor ABC. To Kim. Um, let me just say this because I did not know. First of all, I hate public speaking. Uh, who are I, who am I? I'm Reverend James Perry. I'm the senior pastor of the Mount Olive Baptist Church. But I also have the honor of being the current president of the Peekskill Area Pastors Association. And an even, even steeper honor of being, I believe, a friend of Doctor Mauricio.
077So I can only say it that way, Doctor Lucille. You can't say it. Can't say it normal. What I want to say to you is on the, um, three part thing, but from the heart. Uh, from the heart. Personally, you have always been a friend. When I came into the leadership role back here at, um, Mount Olive, it. You were one of the first people that said, let me come in and say hello. Um, and he does some of his own personal time. Visit us every now and again. Never wants to say anything. Just wants to sit here that shows you his two and his true integrity and his spiritual awareness and his caring. And it endeared me as a friendship. So bless him just for being who he is. But let me say this
078because I'm probably somewhere, at least a minute into the three minutes as we sat here and again, I did not know. So I have nothing prepared and I hate speaking in front of people. But what came to me? I'm very simply in a sacred text. Um, depending upon which sacred text you get to, uh, in the book of Isaiah 52 seven, I'm going to just take a small excerpt of if he probably already knows it, because the man knows the word better than me. Um, it says something very simple. I'm only going to use a piece of it. It says, how beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news. It goes on to say who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, and so on and so forth.
079I just want to say to you that as you get ready to go on these next feet steps in, both of you journey, realize that, uh, your feet are beautiful. Even though the mountain may be high, even the shoes may get tight. And sometimes your feet are going to hurt. I want you to know two things. One, that your feet and your steps have been ordered as ordered and divinely as they were sent to this wonderful town of Peekskill to a footprints in which not just of the leadership, with all due respect, are walking in, but to know that the footprints and the legacy you leave is not just in to them and the administration, who I give all due respect to. But really your footprints is given a footprint for the children that will
080walk in the things that you have quite taken in them. So your feet have bought them a certain peace and wholeness and good news that they might not have had, but more importantly, that they would take with them. So my papa is all of us. Prayer is that you will continue to go along the way and help kids to be saved from things that might have hurt them, that you may bring them good news, that you may make them whole, but that you remember that your footsteps are ordered, whether they're here from Buffalo to Buffalo, in mom's house, or maybe even just to rest for a spell. But know that beautiful on your feet and that you do not walk alone. And with that, I just ask everybody in this room to stand to their
081feet and give him one more round of applause for his beautiful feet and his all his face. And you to pray. That was beautiful. Thank you everyone. Um, we still have business, but we're gonna allow a little recess so that, um, David could wipe away the tears. Uh, yes. And, uh, thank you, trustees. Uh, one of the most important, uh, things for us as a school districts to make sure we have the funding to support all the great programing and, and, um, staffing and initiatives that we, uh, put together as a school district as part of our promise. And, uh, Cynthia Hawthorne and her team, uh, have been excellent at making sure that we are, uh, being responsible for our, uh, every dollar we have in the district and that it, um, goes towards our
082children and supports the efforts that we, um, aspire for and vision, uh, as part of our vision. And she's been, uh, amazing doing that work with her team. And so with that, I will turn it over to her. Uh. Thank you. Um, and thank you, Doctor Mauricio. Good evening. Board. Board president. Board trustees. Peekskill family. Um, thank you for being here tonight as we go to present our budget for adoption to the board. As you all heard this evening, everything we do here is in regards to the peaceful promise. We follow these five pillars, and every decision we make to provide the best opportunities for our students here in Peekskill. So tonight we're going to talk about the budget where state aid is. We're going to take a look at the three part budget. We're
083going to talk about the tax levy and end with the important dates for this year's budget vote. The first part of our three part component budget is the administrative portion. I'm going to just put my no, I don't think I need it. Okay. So I'm going to point out some of the increases. Fiscal agency. As you all know we have undertaken quite a few capital projects. So we are using our fiscal, um, advisors to help with the borrowing for these um, projects to be completed. So you'll see the fiscal laser. I don't have a laser. Okay, so if you see fiscal agent, that's line 1380 with, uh, 71% increase. That's due to what I just discussed our security section. Over the last couple of years, I've been transitioning. We used to have security in a
084different line. We created code 1622. So all of security is listed under there. This was one last outstanding item that just needed to be moved. So it's 100% increase but it's really reallocation from another line. The next section is the unallocated insurance 26% increase. That's due to our increase in costs in insurance to cover our needs for the district. So overall I'm going to put my glasses back on because I can't see as well as I think I can. Um, 6.32% increase for the administrative component. The next part is the capital component. The biggest increase you'll see here is the 30% down at the end of fund transfer. And just to remind you, that is for the capital project. We've been um, replacing all of the floors, doing the abatements and the refinishing and all
085the schools. So these are the next three schools. I know that, um, Carmine Creasy presented it in his budget, and I just wanted to put it there as a reminder. The last part of our capital project is the program. These are the largest part of our budget. Um, this is where all of the education goes on. So when you look at administrative, think of it of the business of running a school district capital, taking care of the school district, the last section is the program. These are the things that directly impact our scholars and some of the increases, um, occupational aid, that is our programs at Boces. At the secondary level, we've been able to send more students to Boces. So we've been seeing increases year over year in that area. Hoping that because we've
086reached the peak of those those counts. Boces averages out the past three years, so we should see more of a steady, um, difference in the coming years. The next section is in audio visual. This was a reallocation, um, also of positions at the secondary level. We actually have the um, librarians in each building, whereas in the elementary school they are Steam teachers who also do the library work with the students. The next section is the after school activities. It's 100% decrease, but it was really only $1,400. It's a line that had not been used in the previous years, so I kind of just zeroed that one out and reallocated the funding. And the co-curricular activities for regular school has a 51% increase. That is to continue. Some of the programs that we've been running, we've
087we do a lot and we do a lot of programing. We like our students to have a lot of opportunities and experiences. So that is increase in the budget to continue some of the programs like um, MBK, we started K this year. Shout out to Doctor Ferris and Jenny's and everybody who works with our students to provide these opportunities. So this last part of our budget is 5.44% overall budget to budget. From last year to this year, we have a 5.41 increase. The three part component is spread out. So as I mentioned, administrative is 9%, capital 14% and program the largest piece 77% of our budget. This is a breakdown of our budget by object as you see the largest part. Salary and benefits. To have everyone in here to make the wheels run for
088the programs for our students. Budget comparison. As I mentioned, our budget is increased. $7,130,245, or 5.41% increase year over year. Our revenues. We have our state aid estimated based on the governor's proposal. We are still waiting for the budget to be released when, um, the executive session, Legislative session comes through. Sorry. Also, um, our other revenues and we are appropriating 2.7 million of, uh, signed fund balance to carry over the budget. As you notice to the right, we have a 0% increase in our tax levy this year. Thank you to the board for supporting that. This is a breakdown of our revenues. So the other category is 10% tax levy, 33% state aid 57%. This is where we expect or what the governor put out as her proposal. So it's overall, um, 79 million is
089what we. 79,000,540. Sorry, I can't say 79 million. 549. 859. And state eight, as I mentioned. Um, the I just saw today that they put another extension until April 13th, so at least we will not have final numbers before that date, maybe later. Our reserves are in a good place, so I kind of changed the way I had it laid out in the last presentation because I felt like this was, um, easier to follow. All of our reserves are within the limits set by the board. We look at it every year. We readjust, um, if we're allowed to add to it, we add to it or appropriated to the categories for which they're set up. And this is a five year, well, actually six year budget comparison of where we were, what our budget was
090year over year, where our adopted tax levy versus the tax cap, and how much under the tax cap we went in the past several years. So again, our budget for the 2627 school year is $138,870,773 5.41 budgets a budget increase. Our tax cap was point 10%. Our levy is a 0% increase. Um, we are actually projecting a decrease in the tax rate, as I showed last week. So the average assessment will be a -3.34 monthly. And. Would be 14 as an annual decrease. So based on the assessments of your homes, that is the estimate. Now this is the administrative cap should the proposed budget not be approved. We can only go up to the 10.44 administrative cap limit. We can still we have a 0% increase in our tax levy. We would just have to
091readjust, um, the administrative component of the budget. So important dates tonight we're asking the board to adopt the budget as well as the property tax report card. The deadline for submission of petitions for the nomination of board candidates will be April 20th. May 5th will be the public hearing on the proposed budget. About seven days before that date, you'll see the budget books out in the buildings of our schools, the administrative building and the library right after the May 5th public hearing. Our newsletter would go out. You can also find that newsletter. We will drop off some copies in the libraries, in the buildings, as well as it will be posted on our school website for you to review. And our vote is May 19th. Please come out and support. Thank you. Thank you, Mrs.
092Hawthorne, for your work and that of your team. And thank you to the board, uh, as well, in the community who, uh, have, um, overwhelmingly support, uh, budgets. And, uh, we think the 0%, uh, tax increase is very important for our community. And at this time, and we know that things are challenging fiscally in homes. And so this is, uh, responsible thing for us to move forward. And, uh, board has asked, uh, um, Miss Belfiore that when we print the newsletters that we put them out widely, um, and spread them out to the community in different venues so that our, uh, community has access to them as well, and they'll be hitting mailboxes and work every year with the post office. And thank you for making that happen. Um, and thank you for all your
093work on that as well. And, uh, we look forward to bringing this to the community for a vote. Thank you. I just want to thank you on behalf of the community for your financial stewardship. It's been incredible. I know that none of you wastes one penny that if we get a grant, if we have money, it never is left on the table, that it's always used productively. And we've managed to accomplish so much and still this year have enough savings, enough planning ahead that we have a 0% tax increase because you've been so good at putting it away and having savings for when we need it, for when there might be a tax judgment or when health reserves, um, you know, health insurance participation might go up statewide when retirement might go up statewide. So
094you've just been so wise with our money. And I want to thank you. And as a board, I think we can feel really good about going out to the community and representing the district because of your work and your team. Thank you. Okay. We'll let you, uh, step on down from that. Thank you. Um, okay. May I please have a motion to include the resignation for the purpose of retirement for Doctor Mauricio to our consent agenda. Listen to my Angel. Second by Amy. All in favor? All right. Any nays? Any abstentions. Okay, so we'll move on to our consent agenda. Does anyone have any comments, questions or thoughts? I have a question on the consent agenda. Sure. Um. Item eight J um. Contracts, health and welfare services. Um, my question is, it's, um, for summers,
095it has 54 students. Can you please confirm that there are 54 students that are attending Summers Central School District? Thank you for that. Uh, yes, we will confirm that, uh, for you and, uh. Yes. And if it is an adjustment, we'll bring it back to the board. Yes. Any other questions? Okay. Can I have a motion to approve consent agenda items eight A3. He and. Through 80. Move by Branwen. Second, seconded by Allen. All in favor? All right. Any nays? Any abstentions. If there are no further actions, may I please have a motion to adjourn the meeting in memory of Lorraine Ward. Moved by Branwen. Second. Second by Alan. All in favor? All right. Any names? Any abstained? Lorraine Ward. Whereas Mrs. Lorraine Ward served the Peekskill City School District for 12 years with great
096devotion until her retirement in 2001. And whereas Mrs. Ward's career highlighted impactful service to the district. And Whereas, Mrs. Ward's welcoming nature demonstrated respect for all students, and Whereas Mrs. Ward served the Peekskill City School District staff, students and families with distinction. And Be ItrillionESOLVED, therefore, that the Board of Education notes with sorrow the passing of Mrs. Lorraine Ward, and be it further resolved that the Board of Education, on behalf of the entire peaceful City School District, expresses condolences to the family and deems that the resolution be noted in the minutes and a copy thereof be forwarded to the Barry Family. Regular Meeting, Board of Education, April 7th, 2026. Good evening. Peekskill.