BOE Meeting 4/23/25

001[Music] I would like to call to order the April 23rd, 2025 regular meeting of the board of education school district. [Music] Please stands one nation under God, indivisible, liberty and justice for all. [Music] The Clifton Spring Central School District Board of Education meets to publicly conduct its business in accordance with the law. The public is invited to observe these complaints, but is not entitled to respond or disrupt law, especially when such disturbances run counter to the district's code of conduct and the welcoming spirit of our district. The public is reminded of the context of board meetings. Board members are volunteers. Audience members are visitors to school grounds. And student and staff well-being is at the heart of board operations. Visitors are reminded of the courage it takes to speak up as members of our community

002and the importance of encouraging civic and civil engagement. The board strives to hear all community voices during our public meetings in a safe, respectful, and orderly manner. The behavior that we expect of all students in our classrooms is also expected from visitors at board meetings. In an effort to ensure that the community members concerns are heard, the board reminds speakers to address the board in a civil manner, refrain from discussing specific personnel or students, limit outbursts, and limit unnecessary noise. The board encourages an atmosphere of respect and tolerance and strict adherence to its conduct. Roll call. Lyn, board member. Lindsy Marino, board member. Mike Tor, board member. Heather Rockefeller, board member. John Gallagher, board member. Matt Goodman, board member. Carl Deash, business administrator. Master, superintendent. Tracy Elman, board member. Kim Han, district clerk. Can I

003get uh Yeah. Can I get a motion to executive session? So move. Is there a second? Second. Any discussion? All those in favor say I. I. How this is great. We just have to go take off. from Las Vegas when when they were talking before I like get some of the feedback. Yeah, because I really slid. Yeah. Yeah. Like I'm I'm not moving the sliders. I'm moving the filters and stuff. Trying to trying to get the game so Oh yeah, that's it. Looks pretty though. Yeah. I don't know if that's doing it justice, right? I mean, you almost want it like back there, but then I don't want the key. Right. Right. That looks nice though. They're learning that stuff in the area. [Music] I want to get your message right now. [Music] So today,

004[Music] I don't know. [Music] [Laughter] playing. Easy. [Music] Hot sauce. [Music] That's all they have. [Music] How are you? [Music] Yes. [Music] Yeah. Request All [Music] right, we got this. You play too hard. Although I feel like you [Music] How would you like [Music] I love her. Heat. Heat. [Music] Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Yeah. My god. [Applause] Here's my [Music] still right now. your mom. It's a big One of the days So they're involved. [Music] Grace secondary Third, follow [Music] Happy Another year. [Music] [Applause] Hilarious. I would like to reconvene our meeting. Uh we'll move on to the approval of the amended agenda. Is there a motion to the amended agenda as presented? So move. Is there a second? Second. Any discussion? All those in favor of the amended point amendment agenda as presented say I. I.

005All those opposed. Motion carries. Uh couple of minutes. Is there a motion to approve the board regular meeting next hour of March meeting? So move. Is there a second? Second. Any discussion? All those in favor of the regular meeting minutes from March say I. I. All those opposed motion carries. On to the consent agenda items. Uh, is there a motion to approve the consent agenda items as presented A through B? So move. Is there a second? Second. Any discussion? All those in favor of consent agenda items A through E as presented say I. I. All those opposed to presentation this must be my um good evening. Um I'm Ellie Mster and I'm here to um talk about my upcoming science trip which is for um the current sixth graders and then um a few of

006my seventh graders that didn't have the opportunity to go this year. I don't really have a presentation, okay, because I'd never done this particular trip to Philadelphia. Um, how it came to be was, um, every day I do worm hooks out of my, it's a National Geographic, um, interesting or gross facts, uh, for kids. And there was one about the Mutter Museum in Philadelphia. And right away, my students piped up and they're like, that's where you should do your trip. We want to go to the Mutter Museum. And so that's how this trip came to get planned. Um it's scheduled for November 21st to um November 22nd. Uh the main science activities would be um the Martin Medical Museum, the uh Franklin Institute, so all the science activities they would do there. And then there's

007an aquarium in nearby New Jersey. Um I've been doing trips since 2009. I used to do two a year, but the the issue we're running into now, they're just getting so expensive. Um, so I I've um narrowed it down to one an overnight trip to hopefully make it more affordable for families. I plan way in advance like I want to get this information out to parents like now um so that they can start preparing um to for their kids if they would like to go. Um do you guys have the itinerary? Yes. Yes. Everybody has it because I brought copies. I guess I'm here like you have specific questions. So I have never heard of the butter. So you just Well, like I think they have human. So I do have a lot of that

008are into that. I mean, if there's kids that aren't comfortable with that, we're going to plan another activity for them, something else they could do, just things that are there cuz there might be something that might make them a little squeamish. We looked into that. They say like the minimum age to go in is like 10. So, I already looked into that. I like that the students are like, "Hey, this is where you want to go." Yeah. You're right. So, that's how this came to be. I've been to many different places. do this kind of mix it up. Um, so are you going to go on the naval ship, too? What's that? Are you going to go on the naval ship that's at the aquarium? I I've never You can get an extra ticket and

009or it's an add-on to the ticket. Okay. I've never I've never even been to Philadelphia. So, super great for you. Okay. Yeah. And I I'm going to pick on some of my former students that are related to me. So, Mr. N So, um, like I've been doing it for many years and with the same company, the same tour manager and great. She's getting older. Um, so she can, but she's great. She's a wonderful tour manager. She knows her stuff. Great with the kids. Um, going to have four um teacher chaps. Uh, Mrs. and Patrick already said she would go as a nurse, so she had our bases covered pretty much. They have security at the hotel. I know Mrs. B talked about that before. Any other specific questions? All right. All right. Thanks. All right.

010Here. to our budget presentation. Sure. All right. Thank you everybody. Um I just want to check because the mic is about 5 ft away. Can everybody hear me? All right. Fantastic. Thank you again. Um it's always exciting to see several people in the audience for a rash budget presentation. Uh so welcome. Uh but I don't think that's why you're here. So we'll get past this as soon as possible. Um so uh part of our draft budget presentation something the board tried to do last year when they set the budget calendar for this year is to have just one meeting uh towards the end of April in the hopes that the state would pass uh a state budget um so that our numbers could be finalized. the enacted budget could show the school aid runs and

011could show what kind of school aid to college Springs was getting. Um, unfortunately that is not the case. So, we'll kind of just touch on some variables or some unknowns with the state budget at this point, but that's going to be the first thing we talk about in the agenda. The next piece that we're going to focus on is while the state budget not being passed, how do we close that gap that we had as of March 17th? So, we're going to look at where we were on March 17th. We're going to talk about what we've done to close that budget gap in terms of increasing revenue and then do a comparison in terms of what our tax levy increase looks like for the 2526 school year. Uh finally, we'll take a look at a

012snapshot of Midlakes tax levy history and where we've been over the last 10 years or so. Uh and finally with our propositions and next steps uh some of which have to be taken into uh consideration tonight. So um the state budget uh typically uh the governor is um is I wouldn't say required I think it is it is encouraged that state budget is passed by April 1st every year and it has been several years since that has happened. As of right now the legislature has passed its fourth extension on the state budget and currently what the things that are being really discussed or fought over is more to do with policy. But in the process of that there's also some uncertainty over stating. The governor has used a snapshot from a November database. Our schools

013across the state are required to submit stating reports. That database is locked in in the month of November. The governor uses the November database and the department of budget predicts what CPI is going to be for next year. Once again predicts they predicted CPI to be 3.1% for the 2025 calendar year. Now that the governor put up uh put her executive proposal in January, the next snapshot she took was from the February database except CPI changed to from 3.1 to 2.9%. So based on her executive proposal in January, now that the state budget has passed, it hasn't passed, we can't be sure we can expect that same amount in school. Furthermore, another mention that was made um for the Association of School Business Officials is folks's school aid may differ based on enrollment between the

014November database and the February database. So, there's a tremendous amount of uncertainty at this point as to what is our final number actually going to look like and is student counts going to make a difference especially going into next year when there's if there's a drop in student counts, what's that going to mean for our per pupil allocation? So tremendous amount of uncertainty. So the only number we have to go on is the governor's number from back in January or it was January 20th which was the increase in uh school aid in the amount of $414,353 or specifically 2%. So that's the number we're we're taking and running with at this point because um whether the the state budget has passed or not, schools are required to pass or boards are required to finalize their

015school budget no matter what. So that's the state aid number. So here's where we were as of March 17th. Uh when we compare our expenditures and our revenue side by side, the gap that's needed to clo uh the dollar amount needed to close that gap was $359,662 or a 2.2 27% tax levy increase. Since then, simultaneously we've also been working with Wayne Fingerlakes OES throughout the course of this year. I think this is actually more like a multi-year discussion with Wayne Fender Exposes and the Midlakes Education Center. The Midlakes Education Center has been on our premises since 1995. So since 1995, they have signed three 10-year leases 95 to 2005, 2005 to 2015, and 2015 to June 30th, 2025. Over the last couple years, we've brought many things to their attention in terms of what

016the next 10-year lease is going to look like. and it's a reality of space that's been occupied across campus and I think they've been very understanding and it's been very easy discussion between the district and Wayne Fingerlakes posties as to um how we're moving forward with the next 10-year lease 2025 to 2035. And one of the bright spots of the 10-year lease is we can anticipate an increase in revenue, a yearly increase of about $419,780. If you multiply that over 10 years, that's an increase of roughly $4.2 million as a result of the new Boseies lease. That new Bosey's lease is currently in draft with the same attorney that represents both our district and Wayne Fingerlakes Boseies. Um so there's some uh there's some forms that need to be signed as a result, but hopefully

017we anticipate to get that agreement um ratified at the May or the June board meeting. So this couldn't have come at a better time considering there's the significant uncertainty with state. But that increase in amount right there is what's going to bring down our budget our gap or our tax levy increase even more. So on March 17th we were at about $359,000 of a tax levy increase. As of today we're at $316,882 or specifically 2%. over the last three years for three for the past three years I've been presenting the budget between March and April we look for efficiencies we look to reduce expenditures during February and March when I presented this budget I already said this budget is incredibly lean there's not a lot of growth in this budget in terms of our expenditures

018so it was nerve-wracking to go back and look to to cut even more parts of the budget and so this increase in revenue is what's essentially closing the gap for So, what does what does our 2% levy increase look like? Back on March 17th, we were at 2.27%. That meant for $100,000 assessed value, um, the average property change without STAR was about $56.7, with STAR $40.95, and with enhanced Star $13.87. All of those three numbers have been reduced ever so slightly as a result of going from 2.27% down to 2%. So now without start we're at $4940 $368 $122. Once again these are estimates because the only thing I have to go on is last year's 2024 assessment. The 2025 assess or assessment and tax haven't been released yet. When we look at a at

019a snapshot, a rough 10-year snapshot of our tax levy history, um I think we have well I can confidently say since 2014 2015 we have remained under the tax cap and this year it's no different. We're less than half of the tax cap because our tax cap is 5.15%. There are school districts that are in that are in a much different financial situation or financial hardship where they can't afford to leave even a tenth of a percent on the table. Some of those school districts are going all the way to the cap and once again they only need a 50% voter approval. Our cap is a 5.15. We're going out at 2% um levy increase for the 2526 school year. And once again, over the last 10 years, it's we've we've tried to stay well

020below the cap, but we've also tried to keep our levy increase somewhat stable and somewhat predictable year-over-year, which is something the board has also tried very hard to commit to. Lastly, as we wrap up our presentation, uh our ballot propositions, uh to approve the school district budget, the overall budget in the amount of 47,386,760. To elect two members to the board of education to authorize the purchase of four 70 passenger diesel buses, 130 passenger diesel bus, and one sport utility vehicle in the amount of 887 uh $888,237 from two different reserves. an old bus purchase reserve that will be no longer after this year and a new transportation capital reserve and then finally separate propositions for the two libraries totaling to $194,000. So next steps after tonight uh later in our board meeting the board

021has to approve uh the overall budget for clip and principle 2526. Our next step is to have our main budget hearing on May 12th. that 6:00 in this room and finally the the main budget vote on May 20th. So that's that's it in a nutshell. I just want to stop and see if any board members have any questions. Thank you. Thank you. Oh, absolutely. Yeah. Absolutely. to send your recommendations. Who's that first? Chris, I don't have your recommendations. You're on. You're up. You're up. I can almost All right. So, good to go everybody. Nice to see you all. Um, we had originally nine tenure recommendations, but because of some unexpected leaves, we ended up with with eight, but we still have a large large number of uh folks this year to recommend for tenure. So,

022we've kind of split them up. I did four, Mr. Lombardi did one, Mrs. Aldridge did one, and the assistant principles did some just to kind of spread it around. Um, you don't have to listen to me for eight consecutive people. Um, I am going to I believe I'll start I don't think Mrs. Flynn is here, right? So, I'll start with those that aren't here tonight. So, um, the first person I would like to recommend is Patricia Flynn. Um, Mrs. Flynn does an excellent job creating a classroom environment that is well structured as well as providing students with choice and control. This is accomplished through clear communication of expectations married with student input and flexibility. Mrs. Flynn is aware that some students require different differing opinions um excuse me options to provide maximum learning opportunities throughout

023their fifth grade year. Mrs. Flynn strives to prepare her students for the adjustment to sixth grade. She does this by providing students with some of the freedoms they will acquire when they move to the next level. One of Mrs. Blunt's advantages is she previously served as a special education teacher and is able to utilize this experience in her classroom. The ability to modify and just content instruction and resources has served her well in a Jed classroom. Mrs. Flynn participates in many professional development opportunities that support her growth as an ELA teacher. She was the key member of the team that created our buildingwide classroom posters support academic conversations. If you're ever in our classrooms, there's posters on the wall that give sentence steps um for students to begin answering questions. Um she was one of

024the huge players along with um Jeff on that. These posters provide age appropriate sentence stems and help students scaffold their responses. She was also a strong supporter of the buildingwide adoption of claim evidence response which is CER writing process. They're using it right now on their state tests. Mrs. Winn's knowledge of the fifth grade ELA curriculum is exceptionally strong. Mrs. Winn works with her CT co-teers to ensure that bear with me that they utilize um consistent and appropriate strategies supporting each student's learning needs. As stated earlier, she has been working to strengthen students speaking and writing skills at all grade levels. Her work has been an important part of the building's viable and and consistent curriculum. I am able to recommend Patricia Flynn for tenure without reservation or concern. All right. Is Mrs. Ellison here?

025No. Is she she has I had been facing this way the entire time. Carrie, I had no idea that you were back there. I'm glad you're here. So, this is Alison. Hello. So, Carrie is another one of our fifth grade C team CT team. So, Mrs. Allison provides her students with a highly structured classroom environment. Her classroom routines and and expectations are clearly communicated and her students strive to achieve them. Carrie employs numerous strategies to manage her classroom. I have observed her on numerous occasions working directly with students to correct classroom management concerns. She is skilled in finding creative ways to solve concerns and always attempts to provide her students with responsibilities in these solutions. Carrie approaches each student as an individual and understands that each student may require a specialized approach to be successful.

026She strives to incorporate technology into her planning, but also does an excellent job combining traditional approaches into her instruction. Lessons and activities are often interactive and completed in small groups. This not only provides the ability to personalize learning, but it also but it also is a way to provide direct support when needed. Students are encouraged to be active participants in their learning. Carrie also works hard to build relationships with each of her students. She continually invest in investigating ideas and strategies that will allow her to strengthen these bonds. It is not uncommon to enter Car's classroom and hear laughter. Sometimes it's her and Mike, but there's always laughter. One of the things that stands out about Carrie is her willingness to meet her students where they are where and while working to move them where

027they need to be. I am able to recommend Carrie Ellison for tender without reservation or concern and I know Miss Allen's here. [Music] sit there. I had to. No, you videotaping the whole thing. No, I didn't. So, I have known Miss Allen since she was a baby. um for me to grant her so long. So this is also very important to me along with many other people in the community. So Taylor began working in our school as an employee of the UPK program. Her experience in working with in UPK helped prepare for the shift to kindergarten. Her approach to classroom management with our youngest learners is always focused on correction through teachable moments. Taylor consistently brings attention to positive behaviors and works with students to model classroom expectations. The central focus of Taylor's master degree,

028which she's currently doing, is behavior intervention and support. Taylor does an excellent job starting each year preparing her kindergarten students with the necessary tools to be good learners. Many enter school with no prior experience in a classroom. The first step is to teach them how to be students and how to behave as learners. Taylor does a great job utilizing the programs that the district has chosen for ELA math and science and social studies. She has done she always does an excellent job modifying materials to meet her students where they are. Taylor is continually working to strengthen and increase her professional practices. She attends professional development sessions as well as working closely with the kindergarten team. Taylor works hard to build strong and lasting relationships with her students. This can be observed by the number of

029older students who regularly visit her classroom. We have one student in particular that starts her day as her reward every day. Um, first grader um who comes down, starts her day there for positive input and then moves on to first grade because of the strong relationship she built with Taylor last year. So I am able to recommend Taylor Allen for tenure without reservation or concern. And last but not least of my for Courtney Sledge. Hi. Courtney is um one of our math AIS instructors. As a math AIS teacher, Mrs. Light pushes into many classrooms to team teach and they're both small groups to her own room. Courtney always strives to maintain consistency and support the rules and expectations of the classroom teacher. She also keeps a consistent focus on reinforcing our school values. Courtney also

030does a great job maintaining a productive learning environment in her own classroom. She works hard to establish strong and positive relationships with her students. On occasion, Courtney provides support in classrooms when an emergency substitute is needed. She always does an excellent job in these situations with cluster management. Two years ago, it was necessary for Courtney to shift into a permanent fourth grade grade classroom role. Right? In October, many of you probably recall that um she took on this responsibility with the same focus and commitment that she approach approaches her role as an AIS teacher. Our school was fortunate to have the ability to make this student centered decision and have such a great teacher to fill the roles. The position of math as teacher requires a wide range of instructional strategies and techniques. Many of

031the students Mrs. Slank works with lack some of the foundational math skills and often struggle in other academic areas. Courtney's success comes through utilizing multiple check techniques which she often shares with the classroom teachers and in many cases special educators. Our students and teachers are fortunate to have such a great math teacher to support them. Courtney is continually working to strengthen and increase their instructional practices. Our building recently adopted a new math curriculum. Courtney's support through the support through this process has been wonderful. In her role as a math specialist, she must prepare to implement multiple strategies and interventions to assure her students achieve maximum growth. This requires her to investigate and stay current in many programs and approaches. Mrs. Sled's input and instructional support team with our ISSP meetings is informative and often helps

032develop a strong intervention plan. There's another page, but I notic I can recommend and happy to recommend Courtney Slight for tenure without reservation or concern. Who's up next? Good evening. I would like to invite Michaela. Come on down if you want. Yeah. [Music] All right. So, since joining Midlakes, Michael served as a co-taught and ENL classroom teacher in third grade and has demonstrated exceptional classroom management skills. She successfully and skillfully balances meeting students where they are with encouraging their academic and personal growth. Her classroom is a nurturing space where students feel safe, supported, and are able to thrive. Michaela has demonstrated outstanding instructional expertise in her Kota ENL classroom, particularly as she has navigated the su successful implementation of two new curriculums this year. Her ability to thoughtfully plan and deliver differentiated instruction ensures that

033all students, including our English language learners, are engaged and supported in meaningful learning experiences. Michaela's reflective approach, adaptability, and commitment to continuous growth have been instrumental in helping students thrive academically in a time of curriculum transitions. She takes the time to get to know each learner as an individual, creating a classroom culture rooted in trust, respect, and mutual understanding. Michaela's students feel seen, heard, and valued, which fosters a safe and supportive environment where they are willing to take risks and engage fully in the learning process. Her calm demeanor, consistent presence, and genuine care for her students contribute to a positive classroom climate in which all learners can thrive. She demonstrates a deep and thorough understanding of her subject matter which she skillfully adapts to meet her diverse learning needs. Um her instruction reflects a strong

034grasp of both content and pedigogy allowing her to present complex concepts in ways that are accessible and engaging for all learners. She effectively integrates scaffolds, visual supports, and languagerich strategies to ensure comprehension and meaningful participation. She's adept at modifying curriculum while maintaining academic rigor and her lessons consistently reflect best practices in differentiated instruction. Michaela's presence is felt throughout the building as a collaborative colleague, a supportive team member, and a positive role model. Her dedication to the overall well-being and success of the school community underscores her value as an educator and team member at Mid Lakes. I am able to recommend Gail Eklland for tenure without reservation or concern. Lindsay, come on up. I just want to start by congratulating to all of our staff on their 10ear appointments or recommendations. to have the opportunity to

035recommend Lindsay Bansky for tenure as a physical education teacher here at Midlets. Lindsay is a dedicated teacher who sets high standards and is a leader in the department. She's always there for her students, works well with her colleagues, and is always growing and learning. This makes her an important part of our school community. Lindsay puts a lot of thought into her planning and really puts the kids first when it comes to her classes. She's great at adapting her lessons to meet the needs of all students, especially those who need a little extra support to be successful in the classroom. Her lessons are organized and focused on helping kids build skills they need to be successful. Lindsay creates a welcoming environment for her students to feel supported and encouraged and you can see that by how

036hard they try in the class. She has established a great relationship for her students and is really you can really see how much dedication for her students. Her classroom is always engaged and she sets high expectations for students. Teamwork, cooperation, and core values are always part of her lessons. She finds multiple ways to demonstrate and give instructions to help keep students engaged. Her lessons are interactive and does a nice job of adapting the lessons to all students to be successful. Lindsay has continued to grow professionally. She's continued to work towards her administrative degree and looking forward to making an impact in a larger way. Outside the classroom, Lindsay is active in helping the school community. She's coached soccer. She jumps right into athletic events if we need help and is ready to support the school

037the school in any way that she can. She's also been a chair for unifi unified arts program down at the elementary school and she's truly a leader in physical education and something both students and staff look up to Berninsky is a dedicated dedicated teacher who brings a lot to our school district and I fully support her tenure and look forward to everything that she can continue to do here at the lakes. Congratulations Um Tom has to leave. So I was just going to step in and make sure that we take care of Tom before he has to take off. Um so u it's my pleasure to recommend Tom Mitchell uh for tenure tonight. Over the course of his probationary period, Thomas has demonstrated consistent growth as an educator, a deep commitment to student success, and

038a meaningful impact on our school community, both through his teaching and his work as our restorative practice coach. Uh Tom has established a classroom environment rooted in structure, mutual respect, and accountability. His relationships with students are uh are clear strength. He sets expectations, builds trust, and allows students to feel supported and challenged. Uh over time, his groups have come together cohesively, responding positively to his consistency and his clarity. Uh Tom's lessons are purposeful and responsive to student needs. He collaborates closely with colleagues to enhance instructional approaches. Um and he actively seeks resources and ideas from other educators to better serve his students. Uh he focuses on uh refining curriculum and integrating strategies and shows a forward thinking and student centered approach. Tom is deeply reflective and always looking to improve. Uh he has reached out

039to colleagues within uh within and beyond the district to learn more and is eager to observe successful models in other schools. He also expresses interest in professional development related to coaching and co-planning areas that align directly with his teaching and leadership roles. Tom's impact goes well beyond the classroom too. He serves as a swim coach and is an active school initiatives such as last year's Eagle Ambassador program. uh he is present, he is visible and he is engaged with students and families in a variety of settings. These connections help him make build stronger relationships and foster a sense of school pride and community among students. Tom's rapport with students is among uh his most notable strengths. Uh actually Tom support everybody is one of his most he knows his students well and treats them with

040respect and fairness. This foundation has allowed him to be especially effective in his role as restorative practices coach where he works with small groups of students on conflict resolution, supports students in re-entry following suspension, and facilitates meaningful dialogue between students and staff. His ability to listen, guide, and coach students through difficult moments is a critical asset to our school climate. Tom Mitchell is a valuable educator whose strengths extend far beyond the classroom. his ability to build relationships, resolve conflict, support students through challenges, and collaborate with staff, make him a well-rounded and deeply impactful member of our school community. I look forward to his continued contributions to our students and our staff, and I can recommend Tom Mitchell for tenure without reservation or concern. I'm here um to recommend Kaylee Henderson for tonight. Kaylee joined us

041here at Midlakes and has become has been one of our first grade coach teachers since she started. Kayle's classroom has high expectations with also a high level of support. She consistently meets students needs but also supports them to grow as young learners. Her classroom is organized, well structures, and students well structured and students thrive in her predictable and caring environment that she has created. Kaylee goes above and beyond to support some of our youngest learners that display some of our biggest feelings in our building. She does this with grace, kindness, and treats every day like a new day for her classroom community. During Haley's rise to tenure, the district has adopted both a new math and a new ELA curriculum for reading. While still learning the ins and outs of being a midlife staff member,

042she embraced both programs and is implementing them in her classroom at Fidelity. Kaylee ensures that the instruction is differentiated to meet students where they are on a daily basis, even as every day looks different. Kaylee has been highly praised by many of her students parents and loved ones. Her level of commitment to communicating with parents to make sure they know both that their child is struggling and when their child is doing well is appreciated by our families. She interacts in an honest and caring way with parents, which is appreciated by all those who have been in her classroom. Kayle's genuine regard for families and our community is truly appreciated. Kayle's relationship with her students is at the core of her classroom. She accepts students where they are and strives for them to grow as our

043young scholars. Miss Henderson creates utilizes creativity to engage her students, marked with high support and high expectations that allow all her students to be the best versions of them, their little selves. It is evident how hard Miss Henderson works every day and she is proud. She should be proud of her students growth as we are proud of her over the last four years. I am able to recommend Kaylee Henderson for tenure without reservation. Hello. I have the honor of um speaking about Dr. Psychologist this evening. So while doesn't work in a typical classroom setting, she uh does have to manage small groups, individual counseling, and a lot of evaluations and reports. Um through that, she collaborates effectively with both teachers um and support staff that implements and designs behavioral strategies that foster inclusive, structured, and

044student centered learning environments. She assesses both behavioral and academic strengths. Uh identifies areas for growth as well and is able to provide actionable strategies that are practical in the classroom that will produce positive change for our students. During all of those evaluations, she also enticed our young learners to keep going through that process. Um and she's able to do so with many different strategies. Um joking I there's one of my favorite popcorn from my house as well knowing certain trees and community. So um she regularly consults with educators and helps to bridge that gap between assessment and implementation. She participates in the professional development opportunities to provide value to the district and then also tries to excel those opportunities as well. Um she participated this year in therapeutic crisis intervention for schools uh function based

045thinking uh FBA and VIP. So that is our functional behavior assessments and behavior intervention plans and then extends that learning as well by still reaching out to supports when needed through partnership whether in CSE meetings conducting 504 meetings or team meetings. Miss Rare ensures that families are heard, they're supported, and that they feel empowered for advocacy. She's created safe spaces both for um students to come in and express themselves. Um and that's evident in the relationships that she's built with students she's currently working with and then also when she gets to pop over here and they all Miss Ray, you're here and like to start like squirming hard in the hallways. So that's exciting to see as well. um to know that the reach that she has with students currently in elementary is also tripling

046out um and out into the secondary and those relationships are maintained. She has a desire to do what's best for students and that is always the forefront of the decision making. She has a comprehensive knowledge of educational psychology, childhood development as well as those assessment practices. She plays an active role in our school community and it ensures that not only our students feel valued but server staff. So, she's a member of our PSO team, our E6 MTSS team, but she's also the first one to rally the troops when it is um an appreciation time for our counselors, our assistant principles of teachers. She's the first one to say, "Who wants to help us celebrate? Let's get cards going. Let's get closer to really appreciate it." Her contributions have led uh have provided an lasting impact

047on our school and we're confident that she will continue to elevate the educational experience for our students, families and our staff. We need all the evidence that Dale Elementary and my um are the tenure before reservation organiz too long. Um I have three uh more to do tonight. Uh the first one though is Amy Brando who don't think I saw here. So uh the first one I'll I'll talk about is Amy Brando with our teaching assistants. Um it's with great pleasure that I recommend Miss Amy Brandal for tenure in her role as teaching assistant. Over the course of her probationary period, Amy has exemplified professionalism, adaptability, and dedication in every aspect of her work. She's proven to be an invaluable member of her educational team, consistently stepping up to meet the needs of both students

048and staff. Amy's flexibility is one of her defining traits. She's always willing to assist wherever there is a need. Whether supporting a teacher with classroom instruction, working one-on-one with a student, or stepping into a different role for the day. Her positive attitude and team first mentality have made her a reliable and trusted colleague across multiple grade levels and classrooms. Amy consistently demonstrates a deep commitment to both the success and well-being of her students. She's worked closely with students in both group settings and one-on-one environments, providing targeted academic and behavioral support. Her patience, encouragement, and clear communication allow her to build strong relationships with students, making her an effective and compassionate support in their learning journey. Amy works collaboratively and respectfully with teachers, contributing to classroom instruction and management with professionalism and insight. She supports instructional

049goals, helping maintain a structured and engaging environment. Her presence enhances the classroom climate and helps ensure that all students have the opportunity to succeed. Amy Brando is a dedicated and talented teaching assistant who consistently goes above and beyond to support students and staff alike. Her flexibility, collaborative spirit, and ability to connect with those around her make her an invaluable asset to our school. And I can recommend Miss Amy Grand for tenure without reservation. Next up is Mr. Jake. Uh today it's my pleasure to recommend Mr. Jake Knap for tenure throughout throughout his probationary period. Jake has consistently demonstrated strong commitment to his students, solid instructional practice, and meaningful involvement in our school community. He's his steady growth and professionalism make him an asset to our staff. Mr. Map has grown steadily in his classroom management

050skills, establishing clear routines and expectations, particularly with his students in special education setting. He has effectively created a learning environment that is structured yet supportive and students have responded positively to his instruction. His ability to set firm boundaries while building trust has contributed to a respectful and productive classroom culture. Jake consistently delivers high quality instruction in his classes. He sets high expectations for his students and prepare then prepares them thoroughly for assessments including the region's exams. His students have performed well academically and he remains focused on delivering rigorous instruction especially within his special education setting. Jake has actively pursued professional development to strengthen his instructional practice and classroom management. He shows clear understanding of his areas for growth and a proactive approach in addressing all of those items. Jake is highly visible and engaged in

051the school community. He serves as senior class adviser, coaches baseball, and regularly attend attends school athletic events. His presence and support extend beyond academics, helping foster sense of connection and school pride among students and families. One of Jake's greatest strengths is his ability to connect with students and like Tom just uh he genuinely knows his students as individuals which creates a strong foundation for learning. His rapport of students contributes to their motivation, engagement, and overall classroom success. Students respond through his approachable demeanor and his consistency in holding them to high expectations. Jake possesses a strong uh command of his curriculum. His content knowledge is evident in his instruction and he has successfully prepared his students for midterm and regent exams with confidence. He approaches content with enthusiasm and clarity, ensuring that students are not only

052prepared but also interested in their material. Mr. Nap has consistently demonstrated the qualities of an effective and reflective educator. His instructional ability, dedication to students, investment in the school community, and continuous growth all support a strong recommendation for tenure. I can recommend Mr. Jake Nap for tenure without reservation or concern. And last is Mr. Brand. It's with confidence and enthusiasm that I recommend bringing to room for tenure. He has demonstrated continuous growth, adaptability, and commitment to students and school community. Throughout my two years with Brandon, he has shown uh he has demonstrated consistent classroom management even with the challenges that come with dental school behavior. Uh he is effective at creating a consistently respectful and productive environment. He demonstrated the ability to proactively respond to behavioral needs while maintaining student dignity and rapport. Brandon has

053effectively utilized a new curriculum embracing instructional practices that promote interactive learning, conceptual understanding, and student discussion. He has shown the ability to adjust instructional delivery to meet student needs. Over the course of his probationary period, uh Brandon has been committed to professional development. He sought out training, worked closely with colleagues on tier one strategies, and pursued math specific learning opportunities, including reading professional texts and participating in roundt discussions. These efforts have positively influenced his classroom instruction and interactions with students. Mr. Daru has been an active contributor to the broader school community. He supported school theater programs uh by building sets and assisting with performances and led a growing and popular Dungeons and Dragons club which provides students with a positive extracurricular outlet. They even meet uh for a really long time over breaks. uh they

054come in and they have these really long campaigns over breaks which is wonderful that you know the number of kids that he has participating in. Uh these activities highlight his willingness to connect with students outside of the classroom and contribute meaningfully to the culture of the school. Building and maintaining strong relationships with students has consistently been a strength and like the other candidates that we've had is good with people. Um his reward has contributed to his improved participation in class especially in challenging content and in extracurricular activities like his CD clubs. Randon Daru has demonstrated solid and involving content knowledge. His ability to make uh connections across content, build on prior knowledge and retain student interest reflect a deep understanding of the mathematical instruction. He has also shown an awareness of the need to adjust

055instruction to to fit the needs and strengths of different student groups. Brandon Daroo is a valued member of the school community based on his performance, professional engagement, and student student centered approach. I can recommend Brandon Daru to attend without reservation or concern. Thank you all very much. All right. Approval. Is there a motion to approve the tenure appointments as presented based upon recommendation of the superintendent? So motion. Sorry. Second. Second. Any discussion? All those in favor of the 12 tenure appointments as presented say I. I. All those in motion car. Congratulations. Welcome to our Oh, yes. We're going to take a little five minute recess. Help yourself to [Applause] We are on before I go into my normal report um there's just a couple things I'd like to say. So, um, so it's important for

056me to share and publicly acknowledge that, um, Midlakes lost a staff member since our last meeting. Um, on behalf of the district, I'd like to formally extend condolences to the family of Jessica, whose maid name was Jessica Losi. She passed away on April 16th after a courageous, inspiring battle with cancer. to her family who are so very sorry for your loss and want you to know that she had such a positive impact on her school and because of that losing Jess has been very difficult on students and staff across the district who lost a teacher colleague and friend. She was a math teacher, student council adviser and once upon a time an athletic coach here in Lakes. If you would please join me in a moment of silent reflection to honor Jess. Thank you. Um

057so we are awaiting which we're going to be posted and once that's posted we make sure everybody knows the date and time. Um we do know through her support Facebook page that those dates dates exist. Um we have shared those dates internally but I don't feel exactly comfortable sharing those dates at times publicly. So we'll we'll hold back until we can do so. ready to do this. All right. Um, moving on. So, as you know, about a year ago, we or the board approved a renovation emergency renovation project for our aquatic center. So, I just wanted to provide you a quick update on that. Uh so one of the primary drivers um of that resurfacing project or or multifaceted project really had to do with failing u mar site on the pool surface which is

058a thin layer of uh specialized concrete that goes over the main concrete um of of the pool structure itself. So once the demolition was complete with that that thin marite layer, uh it was discovered and I may have reported this at at our last board meeting. Um there were some significant cracks that were discovered um in that sub concrete structure. So, we did look into a handful of solutions and at this point we have contracted um with a a special company out of Waterlue that does um concrete repair both on buildings and swimming pools and they use an epoxy resin to fill those cracks. So, um, at this point, um, they've been in there, um, injecting the epoxy in the cracks. And, you know, the primary driver for taking on that that, you know, it

059was in the neighborhood of about 20,000 extra dollars to do this. Um the reason to do this is because um if we were just to reapply the Mars site with those cracks um remaining, it would only be a matter of time before those cracks um showed themselves again and we would be right back to having a leaky pool. So it was important for us to address the root cause of the leaks in the pool. Uh and once that epoxy resin has been installed and cured, uh we will commence with the layer of marks like everything else that comes with reservicing. Um so it it's exciting because you know we found a root cause and the root cause has been addressed. So we're more confident than ever ever that once this project is over it's going

060to be you know 20 years before we have professional pool. So it's exciting and uh as far as um the uh project time frame is concerned, we had initially estimated mid June for a reopen but now it's you know we're a couple weeks delay and we're targeting on or around July 1st so we don't disrupt our summer program. So that's what I will be uh vocalizing to our our construction partners and and pushing for as we move forward that pool open. Um, staying in the vein of uh campus discussion, um, I just wanted to let the board know that there are three significant agreements on the agenda tonight related to our upcoming capital project. The first one has to do with essentially um, let's call it a subarchitect. It's almost like a subcontractor for edge

061architecture. Um, but we're going to do some uh engage with uh poster guard acoustic associates in terms of having some specialized design surrounding the uh design work with the new music classrooms at the elementary school. So that those spaces are tight. We're not exactly sure what's in the walls in terms of insulation and sound insulation in between. We want to work with them to make sure that those spaces once renovated do serve our our music program appropriately. and um we're going to work with uh Ocean Guard to make that happen. So, there's an agreement on the agenda tonight for for approval to work with them. Um there is a an agreement for us to continue our partnership with Watchdog Building Partners to be the um construction management company for our next capital project. Uh we

062are happy with them and we're going to continue uh to do work. So, that agreement is uh on the agenda tonight. And then lastly, there is a site reconnaissance agreement and that's with Marathon Engineering and that's related to um having any sort of surveying and site reconnaissance like identifying wetlands and where the um you know when you do a a home construction project, you need to know where your boundaries are for your property, all of those sorts of things. So, uh we'll be working with Marathon to make sure that that site work and surveying is is done properly. All right. And then uh Carl mentioned in his budget presentation um we have an agreement in a verbal agreement with OSE for another 10-year lease uh to keep the Mid Lakes Education Center running here in

063the district. And um as you can see from the budget presentation um we were to make some gains in terms of um revenue associated with that lease. Uh we're very happy with where we landed and I wanted to make sure that I I gave a shout out here. Carl did a lot of leg work in working with Boseies and analyzing um not only our leases but leases with um other districts uh that host Bosey's programs to make sure that there's some some parity and consistency between those agreements um just to make sure that um we're doing right by our taxpayers and and getting all we can out of that space. So, uh, thanks to Carl and then also thanks to Lyn Romnik the Posey's district superintendent, Michelle Sullivan, the deputy superintendent over at POSIES and

064Mark Jones who is the interim business official over at Posies. They were, you know, very uh, reasonable to work with and and listen to us and we listen to them. It couldn't been it couldn't have been a smoother process. So, thanks to everyone involved there. You'll see specific details on that agreement either a month or two from now when when we finally um have a finalized agreement. Okay. Um let's see here. United Way. So I do want to um talk a little bit about the United Way campaign. So that campaign uh yielded uh $3,59410 in donations to uh the United Way. So that's, you know, a job well done for everybody who um contributed to uh the Midlakes Madness night, the volleyball tournament, um and then those payroll deductions that happened. So we're we're very

065proud to be able to say that. Uh thanks to Pam, uh for doing most of the work on that whole thing. Um and and of course, thank you to the students and staff that contributed to the evening. um we have to plan the whole tick tock dancing thing in front of the student body. That's the consequence of number two. So okay. Yes. threw out my back earlier today. So, you'll be there to record this. You'll be there to record the exact closer. I will let you zoom in. Thank you. Thank you. Um just two more quick items. Uh today was administrative professionals day. So I'd be remiss if I didn't at least acknowledge and thank all of our hardworking clinicals across the district uh for what they do. And then finally, I do want to

066make sure that I say publicly that I will be absent from the May 12th meeting. I will be out of town um attending a family wedding. So I just want to make sure that to let everybody know um that that is happening. And I thank the board for your understanding in my absence. So that is it for my board report. Any questions on any of the items that I uh spoke about? Thank you. Thank you. All right. On to board discussion projects. Um so I'll start with committees. Uh policy committee met just right before this meeting tonight. Um so we'll give some updates on the 7,000s. You're in it. the secondary making progress like starting to plan our next uh round of of section um the our bylaws section. [Music] Um Lynler, have you had

067a um legislative any meeting since we did? Yeah, we did meet. We're really um just focusing on kind of I think the biggest area that people are advocating for right now is just for the state budget to be um finalized. Um, we did decide to kind of pause on the federal paper at this time just given some various things. Um, the one thing though that I did need to take back to them, so feel free to kind of think about it and shoot me an email. I'll be meeting on the second week of May, the second Saturday. Um, anything any resolutions that we would like to advocate for. Um, anything we can think of, I'd be happy to take it back to the committee. Yeah, I received a lot from this about preparing everyone those

068resolutions and so yeah, so if there's there's a resolution that you'd like to propose. Sure. Link if um I don't think we've had any other committees since our deal. I did attend the um exopicio student uh board member workshop today. Um they're going to send me a um recording of this which I'm going to send out to all of you to watch. Uh schizophren watching it. There were um two current student uh board members as part of the panel. Um they were there with their respective superintendent and then some other um representatives. It was just a a great conversation and great information for us to consider as being continue to move forward. One of the districts that was there did a um a selection process. So, it was just like a a principal or an

069administrator who um selected the the student and the other district did a student led or student um election more along the lines of what we we're planning to do. So, um, it was just neat to hear the the positives and negatives of each of those situations and the student representatives were amazing speakers and I'm excited about having a student join us. Um, so um, so when I send when I get that, I'll send it out to you to all check out as well. Um, what else? So, uh, Phil County 50th, um, celebration of 50 years is coming up on May 15th. So, if you're able to attend, um, I think we got another email or two about it, um, in the last week or so. Um, and you can literally just click the button to

070register for that. And it is a free event, um, thanks to our sponsors. Um so just a chance to um hear a little bit about history of fashion history of our economies already. Um anybody else visit Oh yeah. Do you want to talk about that? Yeah. Yeah. We got a chance. We were all invited to go to the technical center on 20 and back and uh Tracy and I went and it was good because we got to pop into all the different classrooms. We got uh a meal by the culinary students and it was a good refresher to what that place offers. I just drive by it and know it's there and I really think much about what it offers the students as an alternative going up and high school. So if they do that

071again I definitely it was hard to take time off work but um that was definitely worth it. Yeah. But it's neat and it's always different. their um students lead the the tours for the board members and superintendents and it's just neat to see how programs change evolve with the needs of the society. I do too. So even um even though I've been there a couple different times, it's it's different in each time. It just just seems there. They do rank the uh the popularity I guess of each program and then we can see the history. Uh these electricians are the ones that are here. Yeah. And because there is such they they can do that to kind of keep track of needs for instructional pieces that can come from you know just the needs of

072the programs. So there is a formula that's going to use there's capacity limits. Um so they're going to use a formula to determine how many um spaces from each district each program can have. if there's more if there's a case where there's more than they can accommodate. So, um they put a lot of thought they could do to kind of do that in a fair way and to make sure we're getting the best fits as well for students and programming. So we might uh we might have some feedback on that either for us to give or make that top. So um all right my end on some new business list here. All right so first item a Sorry. Okay. The Fellows Clifton Spring Central School District Board of Education invites public comment at this time

073to those who have signed up in advance with the district clerk. Please limit your comments to two minutes or less. Written remarks may be provided to the board if time expires before a speaker completes their remarks. We ask current individuals to state their name prior to comments and to provide the district clerk with their contact information for purposes of followup. Although the board does not respond directly to individual comments at this time, items brought to the attention of the board may be taken under consideration for future response, action, or follow up with the speaker. Issues related to specific district students, whether positive, negative, or neutral, must be brought to the attention of the superintendent of schools privately in order to safeguard student privacy. The board reserves the right to terminate a speaker's comments if their

074comments are in excess of 2 minutes, are repetitive, or are not appropriate for discussion in an open public forum. All visitors are reminded to abide by the district code of conduct and to be respectful and brace both the speakers and this audience members. We are a community focused on bettering public education for our students. Some of them may be present. Thank you. No comments. Oh now. All right. Item A. Is there a motion to approve? Oh. [Music] Okay. So in your packets and left in front of you um you have the six candidates bios for propos um and we are going to be uh putting in one vote for three of those six. So, the way we're doing this is hand down the papers of the three candidates that you would like to vote for

075and I will um what I was looking for and [Applause] [Music] [Applause] 13. I think that's good. Sure. [Music] Why is that not water? Yeah. Let's go see. [Music] I just somehow I am. Okay. You have free time for the first. So, Okay. So, we have a freeway tie. Um Tim, Deborah, and David each got three votes. Um, so of those three, write down one of those names, the one that you're voted for, and piece of paper down. So again, Yeah, it's Yeah. Yes. [Music] Now we have a a [Music] two person [Music] Yes. How are you? [Music] There's a time. We're good. two. So, our three the three that we will be voting for are Heather, Robin Johnson, no and Okay, thank you. I vote for the typ All right. So, can I get

076a motion to cast one vote for Heather, a vote for Robin? Oh, girl. Okay. Can I get a motion to cast one vote for Heather Pman to a seat on the Wayne's board for three year? So, moved. Is there a second? Second. Any discussion? All those in favor say I. I. All those opposed. Motion carries. Can I get a motion uh to hear um cast one vote for Robin Johnson to receive board for a free return effective July 1st? So move. Is there a second? Second. Any discussion? All those in favor say I. All those opposed. And uh is there a motion to uh cast one vote for Deborah Corser? Is there a second? Second. Any discussion? All those in favor say I. I. All those opposed. Motion. All right. Now the budget vote. So

077you also have papers in your file for the budget. Anybody need first? Is there a motion to approve the budget as presented? Is there a second? Any discussion? All those in favor of the 2025 2016 administrative budget for one for education services the amount of 4 million63 $850. So move is there a second. Any discussion? All those in favor say I. I. All those opposed. Motion carried. Okay. Um did anybody have any um we talked last meeting if there were any ideas or suggestions for [Music] um where's that one for um trainings or programs or anything that you would like to we would like the county to offer in the next year? Any ideas? anything you'd like to learn about. I didn't get anything, but give me one last chance. Oh, yes. So, what topics

078or speakers would you like to offer? Do you have any suggestions for topics for speakers for the spring education conference? and would be be interested in facilitating a student led presentation workshop at the spring conference. Would we be interested in facil facilitating a student presentation? Anything is great. I mean I think our um person so I knew that that's a really good idea and they they like to present. Yeah. And that's part of the Okay. So, at least we got that that I still think we should do like past those been on the board multiple years or even just do like a a refresher on the financial stuff since that changes too. Um, so I think it'd be nice to have like a fiscal training that we're required to do. But we only do one

079when you don't revisit again. So that's my input now. There we did. Good [Music] job. Dr. All right. Those things will continue to be planned. So if you do think of something that you'd like, just let me know and I'll work on that for you. [Music] Um, okay. We had everything now. Okay. So, on to item B. School's power resolution. Is there a motion to approve item B as presented? So, move. Is there a second? Second. Any discussion? All those in favor of any as presented say I. I. I. All those opposed. Motion is third. On to item C, the 202526 budget. Consider a motion to approve the 202526 Garden Central School District budget in the amount of 47,386,68. So is there a second package? Any discussion? Yes. Give my chief present as possible indeed.

080Right on the money. All right. Is uh all those in favor say I. All those opposed motion carried. Yeah. No state. Okay. Item D, the 202526 uh tax property tax. Is there a motion to approve item D as presented? Is there a second? Second. Any discussion? All those in favor of item D is presented say I. I. All those opposed. Motion carried. Item E, the affiliation agreement with Sun. Yes. Is there a motion to approve the affiliation agreement as soon as we go as presented? So move. Is there a second? Second. Any discussion? All those in favor say I. All those opposed. Motion carried. Item F, the resolution of agreement. Uh is there a motion to approve the resolution approving an agreement for the nonplay? Is there a second? Second. Any discussion? All those in

081favor say I. I. I. All those opposed. Motion carried. Favor. Yeah. Items if I would like to block items G, H, and I. So, acoustic design services agreement, construction management services agreement, and site reconnaissance agreement. Uh, is there a motion to approve items G, H, and I presented? So move. Is there a second? Second. Any discussion? All those in favor of items G, H, and I present say I. I. All those opposed. Item J, the health services contracts. Uh, so there are two contracts. Um, one with Gita City School District and one with Central School District. Approve the health services contracts as written. So move. Is there a second? Second. Any discussion? All those in favor say I. I. All those opposed. Motion carried. Policy manual modification. So I'm reading the room and I want

082to make sure that I'm as um concise as possible. Okay. So, at this point, by the time we um by the time there's a motion and a vote by the board, we will have had at least a first read on all policies uh in the section 7,000s, which is if not the largest, one of the top two largest and most labor intensive policy section. So it, you know, we were getting a little uh giddy as giddy as you can get over policy uh policy committee because it was kind of an end point for us and we will be pivoting towards uh section 1000 uh which are bylaws and that's nice because that'll be leading us to where we were meeting in July. It just makes sense for us to go there and there's far fewer

083policies uh to look at in that section. So um we're going to do this and we're going to do it now. All right. So here we go. There are 75 policies in this section. You've seen this slide three times. So I'm moving on. These are the categories. You've seen this slide again three times. We're moving on. All right. So back in February, um there was a review of 53 policies. Those 53 policies remain identical to the ones that are currently in the manual. In March, we had nine first reads on nine policies with changes. And tonight, this is what we're going to do. We're going to have a second read on those nine policies from March. We're going to have a first read on 11 additional policies and then we will have a second read

084and adoption in May of those 11 policies that we read tonight. There are three policies to retire and then there are two policies that we identified initially that we thought were going to have to have some changes but then decided leaving them as is is actually best. So they will remain identical to past policies. So we will at the event tonight just consider them reviewed and you won't see them again um on a on a board agenda or board presentation. And then finally, we have two policies that we added that we needed um to have a first read on tonight because of a time factor. They're not related to our comprehensive policy manual review. They're related to things that are happening right now that we need to change. All right, we'll we'll get there in

085a little bit. All right. So, there's uh two policies that are going to remain identical. These are musical instruments. How we handle musical instruments. Uh essentially this policy indicates that if it's a small instrument that um it would would fall onto our parents to um purchase or rent set instrument for for their child in order to engage in our instrumental music program. But if it's a large and expensive instrument like a baritone saxophone or tuba or or a giant percussion instrument that your sister would be um you know letting them borrow from us and we have several instruments so we're able to do that. So, we're leaving that policy as is. It's functioned well for us. Um, so we're leaving it alone. And then finally, um, we do employ several students of minor ages, student

086helpers. Again, we thought we might need to tighten up language here, but then upon review realized that this policy has been functioning well for us. Um, so we didn't feel it need to be. So, we're going to leave that policy alone as well. All right. So, now on to second reads. And I'm going to try to move fairly quickly through these uh because you've seen them before. So um there are one, two, three policies in the student progress section. Uh provisions for interpreter services to parents who are hearing impaired superficial changes. The intent of the policy doesn't change. We've used this um for our parents in the past. Um and the intent stays the same. uh the student directory information. We do have an expanded list of what we do consider as directory information. Um

087the reality on this particular policy is that we had a very narrow definition uh in our current policy, but we were actually moving away from that definition and the definition and what's listed in this directory information policy is more aligned with our actual district practices. So that's an expanded uh definition again better reflects what we do. Uh and then finally student uh privacy parental access information and administration of certain physical exams to minors. Um the key change here is that in the past if a community member wanted to review curriculum there was a 10day period that the district would agree to provide set curriculum. Um the new status quo for these policies, excuse me, is 30. So it provides us a little more time before um for the community member um requested. So otherwise otherwise

088that policy remains the same. Then uh in student conduct uh the draft policy when Boseies removes a section uh that was pretty prescriptive for when it came to how we would be preventative and uh we would intervene in the case of alcohol and substance abuse. Um the the current thinking on these policies is that um vagger or more vague language is better because it allows us to um kind of change our tactics with students um as the need change. Every student is different and every uh substance abuse situation is different. So we we need to be applying different strategies to meet the specific needs and death to who is is damaging the specific issue. Therefore instead of having a prescription right that says we will do A B CDE E F it's a cookie cutter

089approach it allows us to be more student specific. Um so those are the changes there. All right. So our athletic program and uh student voter registration and pre-registration. So our sports athletic programs superficial changes the intent that the policy doesn't change from what's currently in our manual. Uh and then this next one is a brand new policy. Um so it's required by law section 5-507 which says that schools must facilitate student uh pre uh voter registration. And what we've done is we've embedded that into our uh government classes at senior year and our teachers provide the um voter registration paperwork and we actually submit it for the students uh and and that's to be compliant with this law. Uh we plan on communicating with our parents when this is happening either through the syllabus or

090or a oneoff parent square uh message but um we're complying with love and we'll communicate strongly. And then in student welfare, um we have policies surrounding medication and personal care items that that we maintain um either on behalf of students and parents or just because these are things that kids need. Um and the two key um pieces inside this where there were some minor modifications had to do with eluterol, asthma medication um and hygiene products and ensuring that those were available to our students through men. All right. Then we have um students with lifethreatening health conditions. Um the spirit of the policy really remains but since 2012 there have been changes in terms of um how available and uh I don't know what the exact right word but when the lockone first came out schools

091were a little apprehensive to keep that but since it has come out it is now um been treated very uh similarly to um epinephrine and an epipen. So, we do keep both of those lifesaving substances in our nurs's office and maintain that for emergency purposes. Uh, and this policy supports. And then finally, notification of sex offenders. Um, just minor superficial changes. We still follow the law with the notifications of sex offenders. Um, so these are all of our second reads. Any um questions on policies for second? We're about to get into our first reads here in a moment. No, except that because he said he work too. Okay. So, uh before we get to first reads, let's talk about retirements. So, there are three policies we're going to retire. They all have to do with

092um situations that that uh present themselves up at our middle high school. So, make up credit programs for high school students, which comes down to credit recovery. uh the current policy in place is almost verbatim the regulation. So we decided policy committee decided that we're just going to remove that as policy and follow regulation when it comes comes to um credit credit programs. Secondly, uh our high school class rank and grade point averages those have been in place for ages. We don't plan on making any changes, but they're really not appropriate to be a policy that's really more building up the practice and exists in a handbook somewhere. So we're going to I remove that from policy so we don't have to um maintain it. And then finally um honor students uh along the the

093same vein as our class rank and grade point average how we're going to manage those situations. Again, there's no changes planned here. It's just this really doesn't need to lift policy should limit building practice. So we're going to retire those policies tonight. So now on to our first read. So um comprehensive student attendance, entitlement to attend, aging residency, education of students in temporary housing and school census. So our comprehensive student, uh policy was probably the most labor intensive this entire um section of the manual. It required a lot of perspective gathering. Um and we believe that that the policy as presented um which disconnects explicitly um an x number of absences equals you can't get credit in the course. And the reason that we've removed that is because things aren't that simple. Um a case

094in point is is right in the same draft policy that says x number of absences equal not being granted credit. However, if the student makes up the work, it can't be counted as absence despite not being in the room. So, there's a little sort of contradiction in there. So, we did remove that section. And um you know the the definition of seat time or absence really um has has been blurred over the last say 12 to 15 years in education where the definition of seat time has been uh interpreted to be either explicit time or evidence that a student was learning somewhere at some point in time. In other words, work completion, right? Assignment completion. So really what ends up happening is the governing factor as to whether or not a student um is awarding

095credit in in a um course happens to be whether or not they right and it comes out in the grading process. So um we feel really good about where that policy is. Um if you have any questions please let me know. Um there are so then entitlement to attain attend agent residency minor superficial changes and um the intent policy remains education to students in temporary housing um for our homeless youth or students who are protected under the mento act. This policy really is is slightly expanded just to ensure that we're covering a longer basis from a legal and regulatory standpoint. But really there's no change in how we operate. Uh and then finally, school census. We went back and forth as to whether or not to to just eliminate this policy. Erie one did urge

096us to keep it in place. Um schools uh city schools that have a significantly large populations are actually directed by law to to conduct school district censuses to make sure that they have every student in that city enrolled in school. Um for schools our size, we do not have to do it. However, leaving the policy in place does give us the option at any point in time if there if if we had a reason we wanted to see the school site this week. So, we're just going to leave it there just in case we uh responsive intervention. So at this point um there's regulation around RTI as we know it but really we have um updated our vernacular and we use NTSS but the regulations say RTI that's why the policy title remains um what

097we did in this case is we took a pretty general approach to say how we identify students for intervention services as opposed again to a prescriptive approach. And what we know is is uh as students um as students learn and the apps are closed and we see an increase in student achievement, our intervention is going to exist on a sliding scale. And we're always going to be catching students that are at whatever our bottom tier happens to be. Whether that's, you know, let's call it a a level of performance one or a level of performance two. in a kind of utopian scenario where our students are at performance level three, we're still going to intervene at the most bottom the the bottom level and try to bolster those kids up. So, the language included does

098kind of reference a sliding scale of analyzing data through our instructional support teams and making sure that we're we're grabbing the students that um in a current state have the most significant need um while balancing the available um financial human resources that we have. So that's kind of it's just that office. Um and then uh student conduct. So timeout a timeout room is a very specific thing. All right. We do have timeout rooms over at the elementary school, but they can only be used on like very strict circumstances as governed by um a child with a disabilities um individualized education plan. And then in addition to that, a functional behavior assessment of behavioral intervention. So it's really um challenging to even be able to access a timeout group or physical restraint as an intervention because

099it's governed by such strict regulations. Okay. And that's a good thing. This uh policy outlines everything that we need to in terms of how these interventions would be accessed. then provides language on um the the longest possible use, right? Because we want to cap that abuse because at a certain time if a child is in a timeout that's consistent with their their IEP and behavioral intervention plan and it's going on for too long, then it's not working and we need to shift away from that. So it provides uh the the maximum amount of possible time that can be used. And similarly with a physical restraint, it provides the uh basically says the student should be that physical restraint for the least amount of possible. And we actually borrowed some language from the neighboring district that

100reflected you know our belief and what we believed was appropriate and uh it's strict and it should be. So um that's our timeout physical exchange policy. And then finally our policies surrounding children with disabilities. It's a required policy. I know like the the honor roll policies that we remove or no actually the um the the makeup and credit recovery policy that we're removing from the policy manual. That's because we have the option of removing it from the policy manual. It's not required. Whereas the children with disabilities policy is required. But again, this is heavily rooted in regulation and law and really it's a retelling of regulation law and we will update it as we need to. Um, but because of that, um, it's it's consistent with our current practices because we follow regulation. We follow

101law and we keep it a policy because the state says we have to. All right. So, those are our first reads tied to our comprehensive policy manual update. Now we're going to move on to two first reads for um things that are not affiliated with that update but our time. So first um board member nomination and election. You might ask why are we talking about this? Well, this is actually the policy where Erie one says we should include um information about our exeicio student. So this one I did bring up. I just want to see if I can go quickly. Here we go. So, in terms of our policy, this first section that governs the nomination and election of uh you know, full adult board members is no different than the one that's currently in

102the manual. But there's a section added that gives us language surrounding how we will um handle our exeicio board members. And the thinking um in this part down here, which is the selection process, is to leave every option in the policy. We're not going to hamstring ourselves into a single option. Um because this year we're going to attempt a student body vote an election and perhaps at the end of that it doesn't yield the result that we want and we want some latitude to change our process. If we leave these in place then then we can pick another avenue uh to explore a year from now. Um so that's our first read there. And then the next one and I'm just going to hop over here is policy 5220 district investments. As you know, within

103the last couple of months, we signed an agreement with 3+1, which is a fiscal management company, uh, in order to get every um, penny out of any money that we are able to invest, right? And we know that our business administrator and our treasurer over at Boseies don't have enough time essentially to micromanage any available funds that we may have because at any point in time we do have a significant quantity of cash ready and liquid for things like payroll and other bills that come due. The thing is is we at any given time have way too much of that ready to go which means that slice that's too much we can actually put in the district investments and we can um gain interest on. Now, one of the things that 3+1 recommended uh for

104us was to expand our definition of what we're allowed to do with district investments ever so slightly by giving a general statement that says other investments conforming to New York State law with reference to G general municipal law section 10 and section 11 and section 10 section 11 general municipal law simply uh state the types of protections and the styles positive investments that public institutions like public school district are permitted to invest in. And what happens is is over time uh banks and other investment firms come up with different investment options that if if they're not explicitly laid out because they have a special name, then we may not be able to leverage those despite the fact that we should be able to by law. So this just says regardless of what its name is,

105if it's consistent with the law, then we will we'll look at that investment and potentially make an investment. And you know, a side note on this is uh one one of the powerful pieces of working with 3+1, reach out to some of our current banks that we work with. When they reach out to our current bank and say, "Hey, I have this other investment that the that the district is looking at that pays out at 2%." and you have us at uh 0.25% return to terms of uh interest. Some of our current banks are saying, "Well, hold on. Before you go and look at that investment, we're going to bump your interest rate up as well." So, you know, we're we're working uh and Carl's working hard with with 3+1 in our treasure to make

106sure um that we get again every penny out of those investments and this helps us do that and it's completely legal and we should be doing that on behalf of our taxpayers. Those are the first reads, all of them. I appreciate your time. Um anything else at this point? Any questions on anything? Yes. When you were looking at neighboring districts in regard to exeicio student board members, um did did they all just have one student or did any of them have more than one as a board member? I don't when I was looking at those policies I was not assessing like the number of members they have but I do seem to remember coming across some districts that did have more than one but those are districts that have had that in place for a

107while. What's prompting my question is um I'm wondering about student participation. That one student, are they more likely to dive in if there's two students? I just wonder um I I can imagine if I was the only student, I'd feel pretty intimidated by the whole process. And I just wonder if we should consider more than one pool. One of the things they talked about the webinar too. Oh yeah. So yeah, I I wonder if there's a difference in in level of participation. Recommended uh just one, but um that was in those two cases that you were talking about. Um there's definitely the one um the one student board representative um first heard about it when she was a freshman and wanted to and connected with a rep who was senior when she was a freshman

108and then continued to kind of keep contact with the reps each year because she kind of knew that this is something that she wanted to do um all along. So there there's the both students spoke spoke about the value of mentoring the the incoming one the following year. Um and then the other um discussion about like if one student is not able to be there's backup is that positive or a lot more consistent person which I believe I think the problem is one consistent but I don't know if it was discussed necessarily maybe too consistent kind of share that load and so that could be an option too I Yeah, just curious. Yeah. Any other policy related questions? All right. Thank you. All right. Is there a motion to approve the policy readings and modifications

109as presented? Is there a second? Second. Any discussion? All those in favor of item K the policy modification the policy readings modifications please say I. All those opposed she [Music] um on to item L the 202526 public school transportation request. Is there a motion to approve? So is there a second? Second. Any discussion? All those in favor of item L say I. I. All those opposed. Item 10. Annualize employees. Identify any discussion. All those [Music] I would like to N. Is there a motion to approve items N O N. Is there a second? Second. Any discussion? All those in favor of items N O and B is presented say I. I. All those opposed. Motion carries. All right. On to personnel. Item a committee on [Music] special to approve the CSA team's appointments as presented

110for the 2024 high school year. Is there a second? Second. Any discussion? All those in favor of item B as presented as a head. All those opposed motion. There are no objections. They would like to block items B through E. So appointment substitute appointments at appointments including appointments. Is there a motion to approve items B through E as presented? So move. Is there a second? Second. Any discussion? All those in favor of items B through E as presented say I. I I All those opposed motion car item F mentors. Is there a motion to approve the mentor appointments for the remaining 2425 school year? Is there a second? Second. Any discussion? All those in favor of item F as presented say I. I. All those opposed. Motion carries. And if there are no objections, I

111would like to block items G, H, and I on the lease, requirements, and resignation items. Motion to approve items G through I as presented. So move. Is there a second? Second. Any discussion? All those in favor of items G through I as presented say I. I. I. All right. Executive session. motion to adjourn to regular board [Music] meeting. Is there a second? Any discussion? All those in favor of approvement say I. I. talk to you tomorrow. [Music] Yeah.