001Good evening. 6:04 p.m. We'll call to order a regular meeting of the board of education. Let's stand for the pledge. Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for it stands nationy and justice for all. Okay, looking at the agenda for this evening, I'm going to propose a motion to uh remove items 131 through 135 to hold over the uh policy reviews to a subsequent meeting. Is there a motion? Second. Okay. Well, second, Dan, any discussion? I just so people know this there's some confusion about what the what policy we have on passing policies. Okay. So we just want to clear that up before we do it. So there's no problem with the policies just straining out our own policy on policies. Okay. All in favor. I All
002right. Is there a motion to accept the minutes of the April 9th board of ed meeting? Mike. Thank you. Second. Dan. All in favor? I at this point I'm going to ask for a motion to enter into executive session to discuss matters relating to the employment of a particular person. Melanie motion second. All in favor? I I Okay, thank you for your patience. We will move into the business considerations. Now we have 61 through 611. Is there a motion for one or more? I just want a discussion you on 66 um Jesse and there were a lot of those things there. I know you gave reasonings behind them which I appreciate. I just didn't know if that's a normal number in every year. I mean what's sort of causing some of these Yeah. So again
003a lot a lot with during the budget process is just so people know we're talking about transfers transfers to cover a bunch of things. Yeah. So during the budget process we have to put in some assumptions for some things and people will move around. Um so a bunch of these are due to that. Um and this is pretty common thing and and I will I will let you know this is going to happen again because towards the end of the year we try to do some other purchases with some remaining funds that we have right so there'll be some additional uh budget transfers I'll be bringing to to the board. Um, some of the other things is some unexpected expenses like uh I we didn't budget enough for electricity. Electricity was higher than what what
004we budgeted for. So moving money for that is going to happen. Those ones are file. They seem to be a lot of the ones where people were mislabeled. I don't know why it took now to see that. I guess I I will admit that this probably should have been done a little bit sooner. Um but this won't have any effect on the ending budget in any way. It's more more just um be able to work through the budget. And to be honest with you, this came to a light when I was doing the budget for the following year. So I would revert back and be like, wait a second, this doesn't make any sense. So that's really when these these I do get that sometimes, you know, again, things can get miscoded and like you
005said, people move, but it seemed to be like we would have caught these sooner, but okay, when you No, no, absolutely. I will do better in the future to make sure this is done sooner rather than later. Okay. And the key point being, and I I already knew this, but so the community knows, it's not changing the budget. It does not change the budget. Our bottom line is Nope. It's shifting funds, correct, to different locations. Correct. Thank you. Yep. Second on that. Yeah, it is. Yep. Okay. You have anything else, Matt? Anybody else have anything? All right. All in favor? I. Up next, personnel considerations. We have 61 or 71 through 737. For the moment, we're going to set aside 721, 722, and 737. So, is there a motion for one or all excluding those
006three? I'll make a motion for all those excluding 21, 22, two, and 37. Okay, I'll second. Second. Thanks, Dan. Any discussion? No, but I like to there's a big list so I don't know what you want to do but just the point that there's a significant amount of tenures. Um we usually like to call them out. Would you like to do that Mike? It's a lot long list but again it's it's a major milestone. I think we should let's vote on them. Clear. Oh and then do it. Yep. Okay. All in favor? I I Okay. Uh we have two additional tenure uh recommendations 721 and 722. Is there a motion for one or both of those? Motion. That. Thank you. Second. Second. Dan. Yep. Okay. Uh, all in favor? Any discussion? All in favor? I.
007I. Any abstensions? Melanie. Okay. Thank you. And I'm going to ask for a motion to postpone 7:37 uh to our next meeting. Thanks, Mike. Second. Second, Ed. All in favor? Hi. Hi. Hi. So, with that, uh, we'd like to extend our congratulations to, it looks like there are, let me count them up here, 22 individuals receiving tenure this evening. You want to go one by one, Matt? I think so. Yeah. Yeah. You're the boss, man. Go ahead. You want me to do it? I'm happy. You want the honors? Yeah. Go ahead. So, just congratulations. I know some other people here in the audience and one of may even taken my position in my classroom but uh uh again I think this is a very important part in somebody's career so we want to call them
008out it is a long list so thank you um Samantha Van Patton high school uh counselor Erin Blair Peterb Elementary Deb Ki Aw Becker elementary I think it's Maya Dari English teacher middle school Chris Dobson high school music Bana Gavin social studies middle school Helen Gregoric uh Aw Becker speech, Alex Hilker, Peter B. Special ed, Mattie Hurley, AW Becker elementary teacher. Ashley Nolles, AW Becker speech, Cody Mulvy, high school special ed, sitting right over here. Cody, congratulations. Selinda Estasi, Aw Becker reading, Cassie Owens, high school science, also sitting here. Uh, Ethan Peters, high school fizzed. Andrea Van Baron, high school English. We're getting there, people. Steve Schultz, middle school technology. Anna Davies, middle school, fizzed and health. Uh, high school biology. Kim Stevens, Kimberly Stevens, uh, also here tonight. Uh, Ad was that I know
009a couple of um, TA Judith Lambert, Ad Becker, and Mary McKillbup, special ed teacher at Peter B. uh Kate Thibo uh assistant director for student support services and Colleen Augustoni uh director of student support services in the middle. Oh, well just All right. Thanks, Matt. [Applause] Congratulations to all of you and thank you so much for what you do for our district and our kids. Okay, up next, Dr. Bailey. I know a secret. I know when the last day of school is. I wanted to let people know because we always at this time of year uh get very excited about uh when the last day will be for students and um I wanted to let you know that we'll be releasing that to families this week. You'll know in the next couple days. We'll let
010the staff know and then families right afterward. There's some nuances as always because we've used one emergency closure day. We will be using the contingent day of the Thursday before Memorial Day weekend, which leaves three days. So, it um as always, it kind of changes that last day when students are coming. And there's some other nuanced things because we're going to move uh one of the days that is usually reserved for student placement at the elementary school. we're going to use that day for an important and timely professional development and instead um hold that day toward closer to the end of the year. So, uh we'll be sending out a calendar that explains all of that this week. Um and and we'll be meeting in the next couple weeks for all the rest of those
011special events that we have. That's another thing that's very nuanced to elementary, middle, and high school have trips, they have um field days, they have all kinds of things. Yeah. Moving up ceremonies that they're pretty solidified, but that'll also be uh solidified in the next few weeks, but we're going to start with when's the last day of school. Uh the other thing I wanted to mention is I shared with the board some information around field trips. Uh there's and and I shared the board policy with it and we don't actually we don't have to have an in-depth conversation about it tonight. I just wanted to have a cursory conversation because the we want to revisit this at the policy committee meeting. We've asked for the NISBA version of their field trip policy to see whether
012it helps to codify our philosophy and our thoughts around how we fund trips, how we approve trips and things like that. Um field trips fall into three areas. curricular which are that means that it is definitively part of the curriculum and the way I like to think of it as students will miss out unless they attend this trip. In other words, they will not their curriculum will not be fulfilled unless they go. And then co-curricular which could be um uh curricular adjacent like an opportunity uh to go somewhere and get some enriching activities and then extracurricular which is usually reserved for our clubs and sometimes our athletics. Um we are very fortunate to have a good field trip budget in this district. We've put our money behind this because we believe it's important. we just
013look our discussions around discovery t camp uh and I can tell you that u this so far this year um we've approved about 78 field trips uh 27 at Becker, 27 at Peter B, 39 at the high school. Uh the high school is a little bit more dynamic in how they go on trips because it could be the physics class going to do something specific. It could be a grade level. It could be uh a a specific um class that's going to do an activity offsite rather than a little harder to do in an elementary school. And um there were 17 trips to the middle school. 39 at the high school, 17 at the middle school, 27 at both elementaryaries. Uh, and the other thing that I'm going to mention that we we will get
014to in policy at some point as well, we have already approved and hosted an astounding 72 fundraisers. Just to give you a quick where is that or what is that? That's two and one quarter fundraisers per week every week since the beginning of the year. And I think that as we consider our field trips and what kind of investment we make as a district, we really need to think about what we're doing to our community with 2.25 fundraisers every week, all day, all all year long. What it does to our staff who feel obligated to fund raise, what it does to our PTO and PTAs who are working their tails off to do it, and what it does to our community when we're walking up to them with our hands out over and over again.
015I think yesterday there were four invitations to families that for for fundraisers that went out in one of our elementary schools. Four separate fundraisers. We got to kind of get a focus on on how we're doing them, why we're doing them, what our priorities are. Um just to make sure that we we aren't overt taxing our system. You know, eventually people will get tired of it. Um, and obviously we've got such a generous community and we see we we have people who give over and over and over again. So I think being as focused as we can be ensuring that we are staying on mission and our goals for our for the board and for the district uh and ensuring that we're following the policy is very relevant um and ensuring that our kids get
016these wonderful experiences. No wonderful going forward and I think absolutely we need to have a policy and all the things but I h know that there are fundrais or there are field trips that have been fundraised for and plans have those plans been straightened out since we've been back to school? I haven't checked back in but there were a few that were anticipated for the end of the year this year aside from those policies and kind of having been muddled ever since COVID happened. What's going to happen with the sixth and seventh grade fundraisers and eighth grade? I know that they have to sign contracts like this week. So, have those been straightened out? We haven't said no to any trips except the expectation that if it's a grade level, the whole grade level go
017to the same thing. So, all three grades will be going and doing something, but we have not said no to them. We've said yes. Okay. Um, they're probably I think there's still some financial questions that they've got to the the district is committed to investing in them. Um, there might be some questions about how to close gaps, but I don't even know what the gaps are, frankly. I think they're still trying to figure that out. Okay. But we're because if they have questions, they should right be reaching out. And because we we quite frankly understand that before the pandemic we had a pretty consistent philosophy of end of year social trips five grade 5 8 and 12. It's a culmination of their experience in the buildings. But co changed that. Students were deprived of it
018for two almost three years. When we came out of that, there was a sense of well, this grade missed that and this grade missed that and and it got into a quick cycle of a lot of grades going on trips and that I mean the the fundraising and we see the impact of that. Um I think that it's fine if we are projecting a little bit with more planning and into the future largecale um meaningful trips for our kids which is really important that we are planning ahead at least a year and there's no surprises like we are now March trying to figure out how to do June or April and May. Um but I think everyone's agreed because it's exhausting for staff too. Um and um but I think we're going to do what
019we have been doing this year knowing that going forward we want to be better at it. Okay. And so they would have all of middle school to fund raise for their eighth grade trip rather than a trip every year. Yeah. Think about our ability to focus on that. We could, you know, a grade level could fund raise for three years for something they really wanted rather than trying to hurry and, you know, get it done. Okay. And I just as a personal philosophy, every fundraiser that we do, quite frankly, I don't think it should say raising money for students or for staff or program. Every fundraiser we do should say raising money to buy a buddy bench, raising money to send sixth grade or fifth grade to New York City, raising money to and all
020of a sudden you see the connection between this is what we're going to do. This is how we're going to raise the money to get there. and we know exactly how much money we need. It's not like just keep raising money. We raise the money that we need. I'm gonna disagree with you when it comes to PTA, PTO, and PTSO because we are providing you know, Miss Cap says that she needs extra rewards for the PBIS or whatever or you know there's a staff appreciation lunch. We've cover many many little things and so I think there is maybe the caveat. Yes. But like uh you're a businesswoman and and any good business, what we would say is we know we're going to have four staff celebration events in 2526. We're going to budget for them.
021We're going to fund raise for them. We know that staff are going to need things. And quite frankly, we always want staff to ask us first. And sometimes often they don't. they go right to the PTSO or PTA for good reason because that's such a a helpful, supportive group and responsive, right? Um, but I think it's easy for them or it's possible for them to say we're going to raise $1,000 and we're going to have grant opportunities for staff who can apply. And I'm just saying like if we have targets, it really will help clear up some of the chaos. I think people are fundraiser weary, the people who are doing them and the people who are buying stuff. We're in our second We're in our second Saratoga olive oil sale this year. How fast
022do you use a bottle of oil? Uh crispy cream's fine. You can do those every week. You just eat them and they're agreed. Yeah. Uh but at any rate, um and and and the last thing I'll say is we're grateful. I just that's the short of that. No one has done any All of this has been for the good of students and staff and it's so much work and the community, you know, they they're giving back by having field days and family days and things like that. It's a wonderful thing. It creates a sense of community and um we're so very grateful for all that all the organizations have done. That is all. Thank you. Thank you. Um just a couple of quick updates. Um you might already know, but we did not have capacity
023filled by the deadline for prek. Um so there was no need for a lottery. There are still a couple of spots at both schools. So, I encourage families to go ahead and continue to register. Same goes for kindergarten. Um, I know that seems to be less pressure filled, but please, if you are a kindergarten family out there, um, please register as soon as you can. We want to make sure we get kids in for screening. Um, the other thing that I wanted to share just was a couple of highlights from the board of ed CNI meeting that we had right before break. We took a closer look. Um, we adopted really great reading as a curriculum for phonics, phmic awareness, and some fluency about two and a half years ago. So, we looked at a
024multi-year trend winter to winter to see are we seeing the impact of that in a positive way. Um, absolutely, we're seeing the trend line go up. Um, I included um the couple of slides that we looked at from FastBridge monitoring that um once we hit so our kindergarten and first grade numbers, we're seeing more kids who are proficient midyear. Um and then for uh second grade which should also see the impact of this the testing is a little bit different. Um it's when students are working independently they have to do the reading and the questions. So that trend line isn't as um uphill um and increasing. So we've had some conversations around the impact of that and why it might be. Does it take longer to develop those skills and demonstrate it on these assessments?
025Are there other pieces of literacy development in those big six that we need to focus on? Um, and then we spent a little bit of time talking about district level assessments that we use to triangulate our data to determine who needs support. Um, so FastBridge, DRAS, which is a one-on-one reading assessment, the New York State ELA for our older students. Um, and some of the variability in the scores and deciding um, how to support students using that. Um, and that was also part of a conversation around uh the diagnostic assessment from I Ready because we'll be using that for math. Um, and whether or not we see value in moving forward and using that for uh reading as well. So, our next meeting is May 15th and we're going to have an awesome update uh
026from the Office of Special Education and Student Support around the audit recommendations, the action steps that have been taken, and the goals for those departments. um and where they are. So, if you can join us, please do. That's it. All right. Thank you, Jesse. You're up. Uh I just have quick updates about uh Capital Project stuff happened over break. Uh they finished off the roof on the middle school. Um they pulled out uh multiple rooms, unit ventilators, and um uh removed the stuff that needed to be removed and put them back. Um and they finished up the the fire alarms and in the transportation department and we are they are now on the new fire alarm system in there and also in the warehouse. Um other than that I was hoping to talk a little
027bit about the budget uh state budget but unfortunately at this time we still have nothing on it so I can't report anything on that. Uh and I haven't really heard anything about when we expect to hear from it. So, uh, I think I'm, uh, in the dark as much as everybody else is. So, um, other than that, that is there any questions because I don't have much to talk about. Just a comment if I could to follow up. I just want to thank, uh, on and m through our building grounds. There was a request through staff to get some tables out here at the high school outside of the cafeteria. So, I put that through to those guys a while ago and Bill took care of that. Got them out there over this break. I
028don't know if you've seen them yet, but they're really Yeah. Outside outside of the cafeteria. or something so kids can sit and be outside. Usually they go outside a lot but they sit in the dirt in the mud. So they got some tables out there and they're thrilled about it and Ryan even wrote me said they were packed every day. Kids love it. So just thanks to O and M for getting it done and they also look good too. They're not just, you know, we did did it once before. We haven't made some. These look nice green and yellow and they look great. So thanks to them for that. Jesse, uh they did get the dirt at Peter B on the north side of the playground. Are they going to put some on the south
029side? I believe they should be it should be grading all that. Uh it might be something that might be done more over the summertime. Okay. For that. Um I know there's talk of putting a I'm trying to remember where a new they're getting a new gaga pit. I think I said it right. Uh in that area and I think they're working uh with u Mr. Jones to be able to figure out where to put that. So that might be slowing up that process right now. Thank you. Yep. I Yeah, I have no idea. See, uh it's like a ball game or something. It's It's I guess it's a big dodgeball in a circle. There you go. Dodgeball the basics of it. Yeah, it's uh it's kickball in inside a caged fighting ring. Uh Jesse forgot
030to mention that he and I presented for the community business association this morning. Uh we did a budget presentation for them and they asked some good questions and it seemed to be well received. All right. Thank you. You have any new business items? All right. Um, also just a note too, we also had a paint recycling event that was held here. Wasn't so much we had some school people helping out, but was also very successful successful. So, that's a positive thing in school. Got a good good bump for the school off that. But new business. Um, I did want to raise to the board uh talking about the concept of naming and dedicating some of our facilities. Um I have in my mind I'm particularly thinking about the the multi-purpose field this time but I
031wanted to have a general conversation about you know and whether we have it now or just introduce it now about what we feel about as a board about potentially naming or dedicating different facilities towards people living or deceased. Um and what the board's philosophy on it is. I'm for it personally. I think it's a good thing. If you have somebody that's worthy is a good way to do that. Um but I don't know how others feel. Again, I don't know if you want to discuss it now, if people ready to discuss it or we just put it on the agenda for now and make it open the next time. Yeah. I mean, I'm not opposed to the idea. You know, it's I think it would be be a matter of what the details look like,
032what the criteria is, who who makes that decision, makes recommendation, all that, what process would be. Yep. But I would be open to exploring that more as long as gets that concession stand. It's named after me. No. Do other district raise money more than the codet for that. Do other public school districts do something similar? Absolutely. Yeah, there's a lot of them. Yeah. Scream has their field after Chen's done it. Their athletic director. Many many do. Somebody's been here. You know, we we should talk about what the process be. But, you know, I know sometimes in the past there's been a feeling like no, we shouldn't do it. If we're not going to do one thing, we shouldn't do anything. So, I just wanted to raise it again because I do have thoughts in mind.
033specific things in mind, but I want to, you know, just get everybody's general feeling about it. First, um named their gym after a longstanding um coach and athletic director. It was a brand new gym, high school gym, and it it was uh beautiful. But it was really nice that the dedication that they did, he had just retired and did a did a nice did did a great job for 40 years or whatever it was. I'm primarily trying to get high school room 210 named after me. That's really what I want to do. Sorry, Cameron. No, but yeah, just is this a policy committee topic? I mean, how do we don't know? I don't know. I just I this I just wanted to bring it up because we hadn't I don't think we have any policy
034or practice or I don't think we've done it before. Mhm. Would it be something I mean I we could just I mean it could be I'm sorry it could be simple as just somebody a motion to do something but we should probably have some criteria around this some selection process or whatever. Absolutely. And maybe revisited every Well, yeah. One of the things is you revisit it every year, every couple years so you're not naming everything at once, right? Yeah. Maybe we could ask NSBA if they've got a policy about that and see if we could work Huh. Another one on the list. She's already got a big list from yesterday. Yeah. And if they haven't, then reach out to other districts. We're doing something similar. East Greenbush and Carol and see what they have in
035place. Be a good idea. Okay. Yep. Okay. Thank you. Anything else? Nope. Anybody else have anything new? It was after Art Waldron. I did go to car, but do you remember Do you remember Coach Waldron? I don't. He He was gone by that point. My She'll love this book. My older sister would remember him. Wow. God, I'm old. I know the name. Um on old business. Jesse, anything new on the stop arm to know or uh I know we're working on the contract stuff right now. So, we're finalizing that with them. A new uh a new person just came on board with the bus patrol company and uh she's been assigned to us. She's going to reach out to us and give us an update. Okay. Yeah. Uh student exeicio, anything to discuss tonight on
036that? I made changes to the draft um which is still attached to the notes that Brian sent you. So, want to take a look and waiting on policy. Okay. I appreciate the change. You wanted a policy. Well, I think we I think we wasn't that right. The the internal process was just a document that I had draft on. Can I policy was supposed to be so be the next meeting? We'll have the second reading. Yeah. Right. I was going to say make a suggestion that um the policy is not relevant right now. The policy is relevant next year. I think if we are if you're at a place where you're comfortable with the process, let's get going because we we want to make sure we get things done before the end of the year. I
037appreciate changes. I much like the changes that were made and that had suggested. So I' I'm personally comfortable with it now of the proposed process. Anybody who has not read the document, Michael, I'd like to have it in front of me. I tell you goes to what we discussed, you know. So, um, you know, 9th, 10th, 11th graders would get anybody watching this is aware. Okay, good. Two student members. One will serve as an alternate for a one-year term. Um, rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors wishing to be selected will um submit an application. Um, and there'll be a deadline for that. High school administrators will review the applicants to make sure that they meet the minimum requirements which they've been in the high school for at least one year before prior to prior to service.
038They have a history of good attendance 5% or fewer absences. They are in good academic standing. They have to be able to commit to attending all the board meetings. Um and I put um once we get it the schedule and they usually run about twoish hours. Um and the meetings could be divided up if the student member and the alternate wanted to attend. Um if one of the students is unavailable, they are responsible for communicating um to the other one to see if they can be there. They need to be willing to be trained should that be deemed necessary. And we mentioned that NISB does have something planned for that. Um so students will the position will be posted with the timeline and the Google form link. students interested will submit. We'll have a period
03910 meet the candidate presentations. We're trying to eliminate any campaigning outside of that just to keep it kind of even Stephen. Um and then those student bios will be read during morning announcements and shared with students via email and presented on the main lobby screen so you can still get to know them. Um and then students will be encouraged to vote by Google form. So the student with the highest and the second highest vote count will um be the board members. Is there a rough idea on what the timeline might be for application or June 30th? June 30th. Well, since we've greenlighted it now, that means that um Ryan and John and whoever else they'd like to include in the process can get started on it. They can just get moving on it. Okay. Yeah.
040Thank you very much. Stop arm of the student exhibition. Keep them on there. Keep them on there, too. Wrap them up. Yeah. Okay. Uh, no hearings, petitions, upcoming activities. Next board meeting is May 7th, which will also be a meet the candidates tonight for the library candidates and the board of education candidates. And the budget vote is on May 20th. So we support everybody to please come out, support the proposed budget, vote for the library and board of education candidates. Matt, yeah, you jumped over. I know we're not doing the policy adoption review, but you know, we had committee minute meetings, committee meeting minutes. Um, I just wanted to bring up to the board again that we're the ones that we passed LA, uh, the policies that you did first reading last time. If you
041have any concerns, those are the required, some of those are required ones. sexual harassment, some of the other grievance. Please look those over and if you have any changes, let us know before the third week in May because that they'll come up. Well, we're going to be no before next week even because they're our next meeting because that's when they're going to be second read. And then just to jump ahead, we're going to be reading on um three the next in the May meeting, we're going to be looking at field trip policy, acceptable use, so that's email and computer use. Okay. Um and then three other really important policies, non-description, non-discrimination and equal opportunity. Um sexual harassment in general because the other one is about grievances. This is about sexual harassment in general and um
042uh student harassment and bullying prevention and intervention. So all really important ones. So, if you want to look at those, they're numbers 100, 110, and 115 in the in the new Nisban numbers, but if you want to look ahead, if you have any suggestions, we're going to talk about those May and try to get those passed before we leave in June. Okay. All right. Thanks. Okay. Then lastly, I'm going to ask for a motion to enter back into executive session to discuss the employment of a particular person. Mike, thank you. Second, Dan. All in favor? I. And we'll be taking no further action afterwards. Thank you all.