001Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to a special session of the board of education. Um, today's date is March 2nd, 2026, and I'm calling the meeting to order now at 5:40 p.m. In the advantage of emergency, please note the exits that are clearly marked here in the room. At this point in time in attendance at the meeting is myself on board president Lisa Johnson, first vice president Juan Leon, second vice president Chris Naring will be coming shortly and trustees um Leslie Krex, Carol Seahhof, and Megan Mesman. Also in attendant is our superintendent Dr. Gina Talbert, our assistant superintendent for circum instruction and our director of human resources Dr. Landell. Also, here is our legal counsel, John Sheeton, and our district clerk, Marian. At this point in time, we're going to be entering into um executive
002session at 5:41 p.m. for particular person's employment history as well as advice from council. We have a motion to enter into that session. So, move second. Carol office first Carol second. All those in favor. I I motion carries 5. We anticipate New Zealand open roughly around um 6:30. Um, good evening ladies and gentlemen. I'm Zoom now at 72 p.m. Um, and motion item 381 second. Any discussion on items? All those in favor? >> I motion carries 6. Have a motion to agenda items 382. Please first discussion on this item policy which stay policy. >> Okay. >> Can you talk louder please? So at this at this point in time um >> in regards to the suspension of policy 9240 do you want to address this Dr. Thomas? So with policy 9240, it states that uh
003an interim position uh must go through the entire hiring process, meaning it would go through the first round hiring committee and then uh the interim position would then proceed to the second round to be the superintendent and cabinet and then to the board. I'm recommending that this policy be suspended for the purpose of appointing an interim employee tonight so that seamless operations of the business office can proceed forward. >> Any questions on this? >> Uh comments, madam president. Um >> I urge you and my fellow colleagues to not suspend policy 9240. This is a policy that's here for our protection. It's a policy that we worked on as a board in order to vet hire the best and bring the best to Amityville. There's a reason why we put it in place and I would
004urge the board and my fellow colleagues to not suspend this policy. >> Thank you, Mr. N. And I just like to say that um the board of education um in most districts there in regards to an interim personnel the reason that it is interim for that particular reason is that there's an opportunity there's usually someone that needs to be replaced very quickly. Um so if we have to go through the hiring process at this point in time it would be roughly close to maybe 30 days before the chance we'll be able to get someone in this position. So that's why I believe it's it's important to at this point in time just suspend this policy of an info because we need to get a business official in here as soon as pos. >> So I
005um will say just on this topic before we take the vote that I too am hesitant to ignore the entire hiring policy. Um, we did have an impromptu interview of sort. Um, but we have made a point that we wanted to at least see two candidates. Um, whether or not we went through the entire hiring policy with multiple rounds of interviews, some is something that we could have discussed further as a board. there would have been a little bit of time to accommodate in last week, this week to ensure that we would have had the two candidates that we've been discussing uh without going through maybe all levels of what is currently specified in the hauling potentially a sort of hybrid approach um not just the full resending of the policy. >> I think also
006just to note that um that the Oh >> I I can't so I can't say what I want to say there just we we went through we know that there's limited number of individuals who are um qualified for the position there limited number of individuals who would be available for the position. So I believe instead of taking the um we instead of taking the time to go through the process um we and we got recommendations from um individuals as well. So I think that was discussed in his session. So I do hear the point but I feel that we are in a position where we need to um appoint someone for this position so we can move forward with our budget process. We're in the middle of our budget process right now. We're scheduled to
007do a line by line on Saturday. We need to have someone in place to get this done. And if we were to take the time to bring in two people, three people, we don't have that that opportunity at this point in time. I believe that we are in a position where we have someone who's wellqualified. he sees it in what he needs to do and I feel that it's extremely important that we do sus suspend this policy of 9240 in terms of going through an interim um because we need to go ahead and appoint as I stated before never before in this district do I recall having an interim to go through the process of a hiring committee because for a particular reason when it comes to an interim typically you need someone right away
008and if you need someone right away you don't you don't have that opportunity to go through the whole process I do hear what you in terms of go not going through the whole process but um I just feel that we need to move forward. We need to move forward and you definitely suspend this policy. It's extremely important. So therefore we can go ahead and put a consultant in place so we can continue with our budget. Um and this that's extremely important. We had an appointment time in this district that we don't have that opportunity that time to wait any longer. We have to put someone in place. And then just in that regard having that we're on a policy committee if we need to revisit this policy I think we should um you know if
009we need to clarify because it's the first time I've heard that you point out that the interim is in this policy well it is in the policy we will adopt the policy. So if we need to tweak the policy then let's make that a priority because as we're I realizing this could happen any day with any position and so in rather than being in a position where we have set rules and guidelines and we're now saying well no forget about those rules and guidelines because we have to react let's at least try to prepare and mitigate so that we have a clearer path forward um and it of what we would expect in a situation like this. >> Okay. >> And we already discussed about doing a permanent, you know, search for a permanent. >>
010We did just discuss an executive session that we would want to as a board uh put out for a permanent position >> and we all identified with the fact that this is an extenduating situation. >> Yes, it is. Um, >> but it's not that we couldn't have waited a few more days uh to do some level of interviews >> and council. >> I do I do I do respect your opinion. Um, but a few more days would have brought us to like Thursday or Friday. We have we have a budget meeting. We have we have a meeting on Wednesday and we also have a line by line on on Saturday. So if was if we push it off for a couple more days um it would not give that person ample time to potentially be
011prepared for the meeting on Saturday. We could then we would have delayed that >> to adjust the need. >> Right. Then we have to adjust the >> Right. Right. But then again we would we not would we would not be on track to get our budget to the community in time and fashion that we had that we wanted to. >> Any other discussion on this item? >> No. Um all those in favor of um 382 I >> I >> All those opposed >> opposed. Motion carries 42. Um have a motion for agenda item 31. Please be moved. Second. Carol was threat. Any discussion on this item? >> Uh yes madam person. I do have a point of discussion. um few points. So the first point being that the board of education back in June of
0122025 passed a resolution to start the search for a permanent assistant superintendent for for finance and instruction. Unfortunately, that was overturned. I'm not getting into into that further, but it was overturned. We had our current person that was with us who unfortunately left. But the point I would like to make is that if that process that I had initiated had finished and gone and run its course, we very well may not be in this situation. We very very well may have a permanent person in this district that may want to grow with us and we certainly were not in a time crunch. We were not in budget season. I would even say it was opportune time and I'm disappointed that that happened. >> Any other comments or discussion on this item? >> Oh yes. >>
013Go ahead. My second point, there's nothing against the the individual that's applying. I I think we all know him very well, but the issue I have is more of respect for the process. Respect for the process that board members sitting here put in place. a process that we wanted a first round of interviews which included members of the community, stakeholders and then a second row a second round of interviews with um other you know assistant superintendent and then for that to pan out and then take a recommendation from the superintendent. That's the process. That's the checks and balances that this board put in place and I'm not I'm not prepared to bypass that. Any other comments on this? >> Yes. Uh for the record, the superintendent did make a recommendation of Mr. Snyder uh who
014served in the capacity of assistant interim assistant superintendent for finance and operations. Uh Mr. Snyder was fired. Then he was rehired and then in the middle of the hiring process when he had surpassed the hiring committee with round one, the board decided to reopen the hiring process. So the process has been disrupted. It did not have to be disrupted. Abonyville was in possession of a high quality assistant superintendent who was taking the district forward who understood finances, operations and administration. Uh I am sorry that he is no longer with us and I am sorry that our district is in this dire need to have to fill this position uh with expediency. >> Madam President, I'd like to I'd like to comment on that. the the process was initially disrupted in July of 2025 when the
015process was in place to hire a full-time assistant superintendent of um of finance. That's when it was disrupted. >> Any other comments on this? All those in favor of agenda item 3 >> 83. I >> I >> All those opposed? Opposed >> motion carries 42. Um have a motion for agenda item 384 please. >> Um Carol was first second. Any discussion at all? Um all those in favor item four please. >> Anyone opposed? post. >> Motion carries. 40 42 sorry 42. Um have a motion for agenda item 385 please. >> Second one is second. >> Um all those in favor. >> Motion carries 6. I have a motion to reenter back into executive session. >> Motion says we're going back into executive session or vice um >> what about public comments on no public comments
016agenda. >> Why not the board could vote on it? There's >> no public comments tonight. There's no public comments. >> The board has voted on it. >> There's no public comments at this moment. Thank you. >> Well, how about before before we close it, would the board entertain a motion? >> The board would like to do open No, we're not going to entertain. You know why? Because we have the agenda. >> That's a board vote. That's not no single touch day. Board vote. >> There is no open comments tonight. >> You're one day. >> Okay. Thank you. Wait, wait, wait. This is the fourth. Okay. >> You're going to executive session. >> We're going into executive session, right? >> I don't I made a motion to go into executive session. >> I would like to
017introduce an intervening motion and that would be to open up public comment for 10 minutes. >> All those in favor of of um addressing this intervening motion to go to have public comments. >> I >> No. No. on PS.